Life is busy!

Every time I think I am going to get caught up on things more stuff happens and I feel like I am getting farther and farther behind. Not bad stuff just stuff. Some of it planned, much of it not planned. So it is with my blog of late. I had every intention of staying caught up with this journal of my life as a mother of eleven. But so much has been going on and I have not taken the time to record. it.

To start off Ashleigh's wedding was amazing! It was beautiful and all that she had hoped for. This picture is of little Miss Reagan in her flower girl dress I made. And then here is Nick and Ashleigh - they are so cute!

Then there is school and seminary - all going well. Conferences this year were the best ever! I really am happy how the kids are doing right now. That is the four at home - life for the older ones is busy and probably very stressful for them as they are finding out how life is as an adult. Which brings me to my point, you would think that with only four at home now I would have lots of time to keep caught up. I am just as busy now as I have ever been. It is all good - but it seems at the end of the day all I want to do is curl up with a good book and read for a while and then fall asleep so I can begin again the next day.

I really enjoyed this last General Conference. I was so touched by all of the talks and really have had fun studying them more and looking for things that apply to me. I am looking forward to applying the things the Pres. Uchtdorf taught. I called his talk the "Happy Talk". That is my word for 2013 and I am sure I will be referring to it quite often. But I have to say I was most moved by Elder Holland's talk. I was there in the Conference Center when he spoke. The spirit was so strong and I felt so compelled to apply his words to my life. I asked myself this question - Am I loyal to the Savior? Do I show my love for Him in all that I do?
There are a lot of things to ponder with his words. And of course with the announcement of the lower missionary ages we are working harder to prepare these four youngest if they should go on missions. Right now they have all set that as their goal. Our FHE have incorporated more studying from "Preach My Gospel".

So now that Thanksgiving is almost upon us I have been thinking of all that I am grateful for. So for FHE tonight we are making a "Thankful" tree. I look forward to posting that tomorrow - lets see that is if I find time in between seminary, Isaiah class, studying for seminary, piano lessons, cleaning, baking........

Back to School Outfit

This little girl of mine is starting the third grade! I cannot believe that my youngest is a third grader. She is such a sweetie. She is so excited for school this year. She plans on walking or riding her bike with her friends and sister. I loved third grade! I had the greatest teacher and can remember all the cool art projects and ceramics we did. It was the first time I noticed boys and actually thought they were cute! School starts tomorrow and all the kids - wow, did I say all - there are only four left at home now and only four going to school. How weird is that for me. When I am used to having so many around and the hustle and bustle of getting seven or eight children out the door along with taking care of two or three little ones while they were away you can understand how having only four who pretty much take care of themselves is kind of a different thing for me. I miss the days when everyone was home, but I so enjoy these days as I watch everyone become very good people. Some are taking a little time to "grow up" as we say but their journeys are their own and they will look back at their first days of school and remember that there was always a loving home to come home to after a long exciting day of learning.

By the way, the skirt she is wearing we made. She picked out the fabrics and designed the flower she wanted. She was looking at my pinterest boards one afternoon last week and said she really wanted this skirt that I had pinned. She picked out four pairs of jeans for me to use. It was so cute, I had to explain that she needed those pants for school and we would use an old pair that had holes in the knees. In the end, this back to school outfit cost me exactly $0.00! I had everything in my stash already. Autumn pointed that out to me, she is always watching out for me!

Pyrex!

Recently I cleared out my bookshelf and decided to display my Pyrex collection. Actually, I am only displaying some of my Pyrex collection. I am saving the snowflake and daisy patterns (which I think look like a type of snowflake) for winter time. The side shelves have smaller refrigerator dishes and bowls as well. My children asked me where all the books went - well, they are now dispersed all around the house in other bookshelves. I have been collecting for only six months now and have really gathered quite a bit. Goodwill, thrift stores, garages sales and antique stores are my main sources. I collect all kinds of kitchen stuff but I have to say it has been so fun finding these little treasures. I think one of the funnest things I do is share with my sister. She collects the primary colored things and as you can see I collect the pink and turquoise. (Also, the green spring daisy stuff as well, but that is for my everyday use). When I find fun stuff for her I send it to her and she does the same for me. So some of my pieces have come from California. It is so fun getting a surprise box from her and just as fun for me to put one together for her. I have one right now almost ready to go for her. I have been using these bowls for family gatherings and gatherings with friends. I just love it! Just so you know that I am not a hoarder or anything, I have cleaned out the the dishes I no longer use and gave probably more to the goodwill than I have put back. At least that is what I like to tell myself ;) I know this is silly, but it sure has been a nice distraction from all the hard things I have had to deal with this last six months.  I have always loved "junking".  I love to find new uses for old things. I am currently working on some projects now that I think are going to turn out really cute - using old things and making them into something useful for today. I will share those things as they get done. For now I have a wedding to get ready for and am working hard to get all those little things that Ashleigh has assigned for me to do done. That is the best distraction of all, sewing and gathering for my little girls big day!!


 

Canning applesauce

Wednesday and today I canned 97 quarts of applesauce! Yeah me! I don't usually do apples this time of year but I had an opportunity to pick apples at my dear friend Sherrie's and they were ripe and ready to can. Wednesday I worked on it myself until Toshia got off work and then she helped me with the last couple of batches. I did 33 quarts that day. Today thought I wanted to do some for Toshia's birthday and the girls and I went to town. We each had a job to do. And it was working like clockwork until they stopped to eat lunch. Then we got a little behind - it was funny to see everyone try to get back into our assembly line of work. Toshia called to see if I had picked more apples and then we had to tell her what we were doing. We did almost all of it by the time she got here. Today we did 64 quarts. Toshia got half as an early birthday present from the girls and I. I think she was surprised we had it all done for her. It was fun to teach them how to can the applesauce and fun to have it be for someone as well. I think we created a great memory today as we worked hard together. But I do have to say I am ok if I don't see another apple for awhile;)

A day at the pool

A couple of days ago we went to the pool and guess who surprised us with a visit - Toshia and her kids. It was so fun to play with them. Jonathan and Adrian are old pros in the water. I was a little worried about Reagan as last year she was petrified of the water. It did take her a few minutes to warm up to the idea of being in the water but after a bit she was loving it! She was kicking and splashing and just as happy as a clam. It was a great summer afternoon. We have not been to the pool as often this summer as I would have liked but each time we've been has been wonderful. Most of the time the girls and I have been the only ones there and so it felt like our own private pool. 

Vintage finds

Lately I have been pretty obsessed with finding old things. I spent several months putting together a special birthday present for my sister's fiftieth birthday. I found 50 vintage things. I am glad I thought of it in plenty of time to get it mailed to her. I should have taken pictures along the way but like usual I forgot until after I had mailed the boxes. I found dishes, kitchen gadgets, books, linens, and of course, Pyrex! I had so much fun gathering that when I was done it was such a let down. I decided to continue with my hunt and now that I have specific things that I look for it is even more enjoyable. I love old office stuff. I always played secretary when I was little. My mom had old sales pads and things like that and we would play store. I like the time it took to complete projects on these old tools of the trade. But I do have to say that in my life today the convenience of a computer is a great blessing in my life. Still, I like to keep some of the slower pace of life around me. It reminds me of my grandparents and I loved my grandparents! I miss them and their fun ways. Office stuff is just one of the things that I hunt for though - dishes and kitchen things are my favorite. Also old school books. Oh and linens and lace and sewing stuff - well, let's just say anything vintage I love!

Book Club retreat last May

The first weekend in May I went to Coos Bay with some friends. It has been at least 33 years since I have been to that part of the coast. We had read a book called "A Gathering of Finches" by Jane Kirkpatrick. It was all about the family that was at the heart of the settling of Coos Bay way back when. When Krista moved there we thought it would be an ideal place to go for our annual "book club" retreat. I had such a wonderful weekend. I had spent a lot of days working to unpack my mom and John into their new house and so it turned out to be a great break from all the hard work. We really lucked out and had amazing weather. We hiked all around the property of the Simpson estate which is now a state park. The gardens talked about in the book are still there and part of the gazebo which is now a look out over the ocean. We had such a great time eating, talking, and going to antique and junk stores. Krista was the best host ever! I love her little house and her decorating style. It was so nice to spend time without having the daily responsibilities that come with life. A few days is all I needed though before I missed my family and all that I always look forward to when I leave home and come back.

I did acquire some of my loved Pyrex from our shopping. I did get a few more pieces but for some reason this is the only photo I took. That little hobby is for another post later. It was fun to find it far from home and in new places that I got to explore. This little trip did me so much good! Even today as I look back and remember it I am filled with love for my friends and cherish the memories that we created together. I discovered new things about myself and hard things I have had to deal with have been lighter because of this memory I hold in my heart. I know it sounds sappy but whatever, I can hardly wait until next years little retreat!

Our 4th of July Celebration 2012

The 4th of July was so wonderful this year. Our little town did not do the annual firework display due to budget problems, so we did our own little firework show here at the house. We had a fun hot dog bar-b-que with all the sides. Andrew, Toshia and her kids and Andrew's sister Crystal and her family came out. Our little neighbor Samantha joined in the fun and had dinner with us. Then our little crew David, myself, Taylor, Hayden, Autumn and my mom were here.

After dinner we had smores and did sparklers. Toshia used plastic cups for the kids. Jonathan was freaked out at the first one. I wish I had a picture of his face it was priceless. But after he saw it was not going to hurt him he had a blast. Even Reagan loved it - if Andrew was helping her of course.

 She is just so cute!

All the kids could hardly wait until dark when Dad(Grandpa) and Andrew would begin the festivities. As you can see Little miss Reagan was all smiles - that is until the actual fireworks started - I think it was too loud for her. But about 15 or so minutes into it she fell fast asleep in her mother's arms. I have to say the guys purchased some really good fireworks this year. And of course there were some people not to far away that were lighting off ones that went way up in the sky and were pretty nice - but totally illegal!



I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th! I know for us it was the most relaxing 4th we've had in a long time. David read a little from the Declaration of Independence and it was nice to remember why we celebrate this special day. I know I am grateful for the wonderful country we live in and for all the men and women who fight to protect our freedoms!



Catching up.....

I have been three months now without my computer. I have wanted to blog and get caught up on my life but so many things have kept me away. I don't like to write without picutres and not having access to my computer to download pictures has made this impossible. I have been spending a lot of time helping other people and my family. Now that summer is here and I now have a new computer I am back to posting and blogging and writing about my life again. It feels weird coming back after so long especially since any time I've been on the internet (via ipad) I have been on pinterst. I love that sight and really like all the ideas I have seen that will help me continue to be creative.

This first two weeks of summer have flown by. Chad graduated from high school. That was something I wasn't sure was going to happen - long story but he got it figured out. At least the graduating part. Then there has been this continual baseball/softball season. I think the girls will be done after today and Noah has a few more games of summer ball left. I feel like this has been the longest season ever. Maybe because of all the rain, I don't know but I am ready for it to be over. I am glad I haven't bought our pool pass yet. I was waiting for July and some sun. I can't believe the amount of rain we have been getting. I love how green everything still is and that it isn't really cold, but a few more days of sunshine inbetween the showers would be nice.

I have a new obsession - collecting pyrex. My sister and I started this during spring break and now we both have quite the collection. I am loving the pink, turquoise, and spring garden green. She likes the primary colored things and a blue snowflake pattern that is super cute. We look for each other and often I find the better deals. I think because of where I live more than that I am such the great bargain finder. It has been fun reading and learning the history of the dishes and learning about other vintage things as well. We both have always loved old things and so it is fun to collect it together. I find it such a joy to walk into a goodwill store and see a lovely piece of pink pyrex sitting on the shelf  waiting for me to buy it. It is fun to go thrifting when you have a few things that you collect to look for. It gives "purpose" to the thrifting. And that brings me to my next topic.

I have been working on my word this year and it is interesting how it has evolved. I will write more about that later but I have been finding more "purpose" in lots of areas of my life. I started out just trying to be more organized and have my life be void of clutter. But I found that I need to not just be uncluttered of stuff - but of thoughts, actions, words, etc. - all the things that keep me from having the peace and joy in my life that I know Heavenly Father wants me to have. I know that I can get so distratcted by all that stuff that I forget sometimes what my purpose really is. I am finding joy in this journey as I have my journey of the last few years. No matter what heartache my children or people I know throw my way I know my purpose and how and where my joy is found. I have such a peace. Hopefully I am letting my actions reflect what I have been learning.

Speaking of learning. I have been involved with an "Isaiah" class for the last 9 weeks or so. It has been the hightlight of my week! It is so wonderful to feel the spirit and be taught by sisters in the gospel. As we share insights and application with one another I understand what it feels like to "feast" on the gospel.

I have been spending a lot of time helping my mother and John move here from California. It has been such a fun experience for my family to have them so close to us. I have joy everyday as we get to help them and learn from them. I have missed living by my family for all the years that I have been married and it is fun to get this opportunity to share their lives with ours. The younger children are so excited to have their grandparents less than a mile away. Hayden is getting art lessons (of course, Autumn thinks she needs them too) and Taylor and the boys get to help out and I think it is a win win for all of us. I was concerned at first but it really has been such a blessing for me to have them here.

This will do for today and tomorrow I am downloading pictures so I will blog more about our family reunion and easter and mother and father's day and birthdays and ........the list just goes on and on .



 

Wedding dress shopping

I cannot believe that February has come and gone. Everyday I think I should blog and everyday has been filled to the brim with activity. I have had some random thoughts through the month that I thought I should blog about but now that I am typing all those thoughts have flown from my head. That seems to happen from time to time - a little more often than I like to admit really.

I do want to post about one particular highlight of February - The day we went wedding dress shopping. All the girls except Chloe (she got called into work and was very disappointed that she could not go) and three of Ashleigh's friends and of course, Nick's mom met together at three different bridal shops a couple of Saturday's ago.

We had wonderful experiences at two of them and let's just say that the last store we went to is not a place I would ever recommend to anyone to shop at. We were going to have lunch in between but time was short so each carload of people just grabbed a quick bite to get us through and then we ended the day with dinner at Macaroni Grill. Ashleigh was beautiful in everything she tried on. She even tried on a couple of dresses just because - beautiful gowns way out of our price range. We really had a great time and it was one of the funnest Saturdays I have had in a very long time. The following Saturday Ashleigh and I got together and went to the place where the wedding is going to be, had foot massage (my favorite thing to do in the whole world) and had lunch. Then it was back to the store to buy a dress. We met Chelsea and Paige there. She thought she had decided on the "one". And I have to say it was beautiful , but there was something not quite right in my mind so while she was trying that one back on Chelsea and I asked to look at a book with all their dresses in it. Then we saw it. We asked if they had it and could she try in on. She agreed to and I have to say never has anything more beautiful covered Ashleigh's body. It was only a couple hundred over our budget and I told her we would make it work and not to worry about it. I wanted her to have this dress. Now I am not going to post pictures of that dress but I will post some of the others that she tried on. Mostly I want to not ruin the surprise for her as she walks in the room with that gown on her wedding day.

And of course, it is always fun to find random pictures of Autumn taken by Autumn on my camera. She had so much fun being with the big girls. She certainly can hold her own with them.

I am now working on the centerpieces for the tables. It is nice to have these few months to work on things. But before we know it wedding day will be here and we will have added a new son to our family!

Snow, Snow, Seminary and Earrings

Well, I finally am getting around to blogging. It seems like a long break - with the computer being fixed and then having some trouble downloading pictures. I have figured everything out and now have a few minutes while the grandkids watch "Dora the Explorer" to catch up a little.

I think it has been two weeks ago now that we had snow! And we went to the coast. While at the beach it did snow a little bit. David stayed there with the little girls and I came home with the older kids. Well, it snowed here as well! It was so fun and we actually got a little more than expected. Noah was watching the temperature for days with the anticipation that snow would come. It finally did and the kids got two days off from school. We had fun building snowmen and sledding and even the older kids went out and played for a few hours. Chloe and Chad and Noah were so cute as they came back from their exploration of the snow. In the end we actually could have stayed at the beach with David - the kids would not have missed any school. But then on the other hand, we had more snow and even though the storm at the beach was exciting (90 mile an hour winds) I am glad I was here to enjoy the snow at the house.



This snowman lasted a few days even after the snow was beginning to melt.


This is Jonathan's snowman at the beach - looks pretty big huh?


Not so big when he is standing next to it! Ha! Ha! I did not know that Hayden had taken these pictures until I got home and developed them. She did a pretty good job showing perspective.


This picture just shows how deep the snow got at our house. Like I said it was more than expected and David didn't believe me when I called him to tell him. So I had to take lots of pictures.

Seminary is going well. Lots of studying and trying to fit that in with all my other activities has been tricky some days. But I am being blessed in ways I had not imagined. My personal study and insight has grown so much and I have a post in the works for some of that.

Friday we had bead group. We meet once a month and make jewelry. My good friend Denise used to teach us but she had to quit and since then I have been teaching the class. This month we made some cute heart earrings I found on pinterest. It was really an easy project.

I also tried a new recipe (also found on pinterest) for a bowtie broccoli and grape pasta salad. For desert I made some brownie/cake cupcakes. Again, I found that on pinterest. I have to say that it is fun to find some new things to make. It has kind of sparked on interest for cooking again. I don't want to get to committed to it though - then I'll have to cook all the time! Just kidding - I am finding that there is "purpose" in being organized with my menu planning and cooking. So I think I am finally out of my slump - my family will be happy that I have found some new things to eat. Well, everyone except. Noah. I swear that boy only likes one or two things and won't try anything new. I guess he can survive on peanut butter sandwiches;)

It really has been a fun last couple of weeks around here. Everyone is doing great and as Chad keeps reminding me school is half over! He can't wait to graduate. {Just a side note: If I hear I'm 18 - one more time I think I'm going to scream! - Not really, but seriously - as if being 18 years old is going to make me change my rules or something} We are looking forward to the events that are coming up in February. Hope you all have a great day and can see the "purpose" in whatever you are doing today.

Hair and Wreath and a Little Rambling

I have my computer back! I am so excited - I did not realize how much I have come to depend upon this thing. My calling, bill paying, communicating with people, every thing seems to be connected to this machine. I wanted to catch up on a couple of things that I had done clear back in December. My intentions were to get it all blogged and posted before the new year. I have been working very hard putting my new word into "action". The word is "purpose" and with that I have been cleaning something out almost everyday! Good for me - lots of stuff has been discarded and things I LOVE are now in their proper place. Well, lets say things are beginning to be where I want them. But I wanted to share this hairdo I did on Taylor. Knotting hair has become one of my favorite things to do with the girls long hair. It reminds me of making "pin curls". My mom used to do that to my hair all the time when I was little to make it curly. Taylor has such beautiful hair and it is so fun to play with. I remember in the movie "letters to Juliet" a line - "One of the greatest pleasures in life is to have ones hair combed". I hope the girls remember all the hours of getting their hair combed. There is something therapeutic for me in doing it. I love the connection I get with my girls as I do their hair. Now I do have to say my older girls have reminded me how I would say all the time - "use the muscles in your neck" - and how I "pulled" on their hair. Their memories are probably not as fond as mine - "You have to suffer to be beautiful" a line I quoted from my mother to them. Anyway, I always wanted to do hair when I was little - but then I found out how much you have to know besides just cutting and styling and I was not willing to put the time in to learn. So I just play around with their hair and most of the time it turns out pretty cute!


Now on to an entirely different topic - my Christmas wreath. I had a lot of vintage ornaments that I did not use on my tree anymore. I saw on pinterest how "easy" it was to make this wreath. So I gave it a try. Really it was not too hard but I had to be careful as I was using glass ornaments not plastic like I think they used on the tutorial I watched. It took me a while to finish (I was short about five ornaments and had to go "thrifting" to find some) But in the end I love it! It looked so pretty hanging from my mirror.


I did not really take very many pictures of our house this year. It seemed to take me forever to decorate and even then I did not do things the way I usually do. I don't know why it just seemed a little overwhelming at the time.

It has been a wonderful month so far as I have been decluttering and cleaning out. It is one of the most rewarding things I have done in a long time. David just finished up a closet that I have wanted to turn into a pantry. He did a fabulous job and now that is full with food storage that needed to come in from the garage. Of course, that spurred on more organizing and cleaning out of videos and movies. Wow, that was a big job. Thirty years of movie collecting sure adds up. It surprised me how much we still had on VHS. I think to date I have taken five boxes to the goodwill and about five garbage bags full of stuff. It is amazing how much stuff you can stuff into closets and nooks and crannies of your house. My mind set is - What purpose does this serve me, the family, or my callings?. With that in mind it has been so easy to finally let go of things that really should have been gone long ago.

This is kind of a rambling blog post but it feels so good to be writing again. I am off now to take Autumn to meet up with Ashleigh and have a little girl time with my oldest and youngest!

12x12x12

So, my computer has a virus. I tried to blog yesterday and I couldn't sign into anything. It was so frustrating. I had some great things to blog about and some pictures to share. I will get to it when it gets fixed but for now I want to share a project my sister and I are doing. It is not a new idea but we wanted to do it in 2012. We are calling the 12x12x12 project. On the 12th day of the month we are going to take 12 pictures and the the following week scrapbook them. The thing that we have added to this is that there will be a challenge for each month. Plus we assigned each month a color. The two- page layout has to incorporate the color and the challenge. The challenge could have to do with what we take pictures of or how we scrapbook it. Then we are emailing picture of our layouts to each other. We do not live in the same state so this way we have accountability. She is such a fabulous scrapbooker and has won many contests and been published. I have never entered anything but feel like I can keep up with her ;) Thursday is picture taking day. I am going to blog what I take pictures of and about the challenge each month. I will wait to do that this time until my computer is fixed. So hopefully by Friday I will have things up here for other family to follow along. I have to say that it is great having a sister! She constantly keeps me motivated. So do my other sisters and brothers for that matter. I have an awesome family! I love you all.

Purpose

I can't believe that it is the 5th day of January already. I have been working everyday since New Year's putting things away from the holidays. It has been a slow process because I am cleaning out as I go. I decided that this year is going to be my year for organization and de-cluttering. I began this process while putting away the Christmas decorations. I have accumulated so many holiday things over that past 32 years and so much of it I don't use anymore. I was tired of repacking everything just to set aside. I know some of you would not let this go on but it really has only just been a couple of years that things seem to be overflowing. I organized the decorations by theme and even had a box for all the homemade things the children have made over the years. I don't think I can ever let those things go. It feels so good to know that what is up in the rafters for next year is what I absolutely love! It will be fun unpacking it to decorate next year. Along with this goal of organization I thought long and hard about my word for the year. Last year I worked all year long on my word and was able to apply it in lots of areas of my life. I wanted this word to mean more than "unclutter". I do a twelve month journal with my word and also wanted it to be a word that I could continue to work on after I got "organized". So this year I came up with "purpose". It really fits. I have so much filling my life right now. I want everything I do and everything I surround myself with to have purpose. That does not necessarily mean functional. I want to love the things around me. Some of the things I collect don't function per say but they make me smile. Memories of an event or time in my life will fill my mind and that gives that object purpose for me. As far as organizing goes not only have I accumulated tons of Christmas decorations but all over the house things are tucked away because I might "someday" need to use it. I am realizing that if I have not looked at it for the past seven years (as long as I have been in our new house) I just don't need it taking up space. I am going to focus on an area of the house each month. The ultimate big goal is to get my garage cleaned out and organized. It is some what of a daunting task if I think too much about it. That is why I am being realistic about things and also biting off chucks at a time and not the whole thing in one weekend. With what little I have already done I feel lighter, more focused, and a bit more organized. Clearing the clutter will allow me to use my time to better myself and those whom I love. I will be a better mother, wife, sister, aunt, and grandmother. Yes, this is going to be a great year - a year with "purpose"!