Momedy Sketch

Personality Profiling

Someone once said that a person's true nature is revealed when they are ill or suffering. I guess I'm a whiny, whiny wimp then.

Since my kids have all gone down in a short space of time with the same sort of illness I have put that theory to test and found it to be quite accurate. (Which, since I too caught the lurgy and dealt with it non-too stoically or cheerfully, confirms that I am indeed a whiny whiny wimp, which I'm sure comes as no surprise to anyone).

Let us now analyze all my kotching kids shall we? We shall go in the order of the lurgy striking, which coincidentally is also their birth order from youngest to eldest.

Finny-well he was pitiful but remained adorable. Finny is, and always will be charming and adorable under almost any circumstance. Even when he is throwing up or throwing a massive tantrum (provided I am in the right mood for the tantrum, if I'm not, then he is just a PITA and I will leave you to decipher that acronym). But mostly, he is adorable.

Gracie-extremely demanding and dramatic. The vomiting was a screaming affair. There was a lot of shrieking about the cruelty and injustice and unthinkable suffering. (It reminded me a bit of how I was when in labour with her in fact-she was 9lbs4oz after all).

She kept me abreast, on a moment to moment basis, of the status of her condition. "Mommeeee, it huuuuurts." Mommy I feel sick" "Mommmeeee it HUUUUUUUURTS!!!!" (put that on a loop and you have Gracie as a patient. Not so much patience as a patient. Now in her defense, once the worst was over, she lay wanly, for long periods of time, being quiet and undemanding, staring unseeingly at the Disney channel, but would put on a beleaguered face and whimper every time she was asked how she was doing, lest I foolishly have hope that she might be improving. Oh she is so my child. On the up-side, Gracie is also extremely demonstrative with love and affection and rare is a day that goes by when I am not presented with a beautifully illustrated written ode of her undying love for me. I think she would be happy if she could be locked in an eternal embrace with me. She can't ever get enough of the hugging. Gracie is passionate, and she makes her needs known. I think she will be probably end up lucky, and happy, in love.

Gabe-Gabriel. An aptly named child. He is an angel, really. When I went to pick him up from school yesterday morning (after I got that dreaded call from the office), he looked at me with an ashen face and said, "I'm pretty sure I'm not going to puke". When we got home and the puking seemed more imminent, he asked me urgently if we could "say a prayer". Before each puking episode as he started feeling more and more sick he would ask me to say a prayer. We said quite a few prayers over the puke bowl, and even though there was no miraculous cessation of the puking as they were said, he seemed to derive comfort from them each time.

Gabe's default response is, "Good" whenever he is asked how he is doing. He could be mid-puke and gasp, "Good!" to a "how are you doing?" Hence, of all my kids, it is Gabe to whom I am probably the most solicitous when ill. Funny how that works. This morning, as I slept off the effects of dealing with sick kids all night, he got up (even though he knew he was not going to school,) to wake up Gracie so she would not be late for school. She did not appreciate that. But I did. His father's child, that one.

Benjamin-Quietly dramatic. He was also very verbal in recounting what had happened to him in the time that we were upstairs, caring for Gabe, but was not resentful at all that we had unwittingly been absent for his big moment at the porcelain throne. He just wanted to make sure we knew the exact details of how it had all gone down (or in his case, come up). In his periods of fever induced delirium last night, he would mutter things like, "it has to be perfect, it all has to be perfect". Ah yes, my little OCD mini-me. Fortunately his tendencies seem to have resulted in him being an overachiever, rather then in making him neurotic and insane, as they have me.

So there ya have it. The Puke Personality Profile of each of my four cherished children. Fascinating times. And you thought it was all just bleach and endless loads of laundry.

While sort of on the subject, ok not really at all on the subject, but I need some sort of graceful segue... last night while in bed, I realized that I had not yet done my scripture reading for the day. I was too tired from my nursing duties, to go downstairs to retrieve my scriptures, but Aaron had a hymn book handy so I decided that this would suffice, under the circumstances. I told him that I would consider whatever page I opened on to be a personalized message for me. The hymnbook opened to: "Improve the Shining Moments".

Improve the shining moments;
Don’t let them pass you by.
Work while the sun is radiant;
Work, for the night draws nigh.
We cannot bid the sunbeams
To lengthen out their stay,
Nor can we ask the shadow
To ever stay away.

Time flies on wings of lightning;
We cannot call it back.
It comes, then passes forward
Along its onward track.
And if we are not mindful,
The chance will fade away,
For life is quick in passing.
’Tis as a single day.

As wintertime doth follow
The pleasant summer days,
So may our joys all vanish
And pass far from our gaze.
Then should we not endeavor
Each day some point to gain,
That we may here be useful
And ev’ry wrong disdain?

Improve each shining moment.
In this you are secure,
For promptness bringeth safety
And blessings rich and pure.
Let prudence guide your actions;
Be honest in your heart;
And God will love and bless you
And help to you impart.

I was quite amazed and uncomfortable by how appropriate this was, as I have had the sense of wasting time that was too valuable to be wasted, a lot lately, and a sense of urgency which implied that I could be using my time more effectively and would be regretting all that I wasted, sooner rather then later. After reading the words of that hymn, I had a sense that God was saying, "umm, about all those promptings ...YES!!!! C'mon girl! What do you need? A personalized hymn? Well alright then.."

I was thinking about this directive this morning, as I wearily prepared for the day, feeling that I had barely enough energy to survive the moments never mind improving them. Then I looked outside. It was bleak and grey. No sign of sun, nothing was shining, not even snow....er hem...do I spy a loop-hole!? Could this be my compensation for having to live on this dreary tundra? I get to waste the non-shining moments? Could this be my silver lining?! No? Sigh...I didn't think so. Oh well, always worth a shot.

Tomorrow those moments are going to be so improved you just won't even recognize them. Also, tomorrow I am going to stop procrastinating. 'Til then..

Warding off Winter blues...

I have spoken with evangelical zeal of my love and gratitude for my SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) light many times before but since it is that time of year and I seem to be getting questions and emails very frequently asking for more details, I thought I would make it an official WFMW so that I can just refer people to it on an as needed basis.

Every Fall my energy and motivation begins to wane. I want to be very still, I want to sleep all the time, I do not want to exercise. I want to eat lots of carbs, I want to be mean to people, I want them to stay away from me, in short I want to be a bear. Since hibernation tends to be frowned upon for mothers in our culture I have had to find a better way.

For several years I read about and heard about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and light therapy (from Dr.'s and therapists with real, you know, Doctor-y degrees). It was clear to me that I suffered from this condition and the idea that the right spectrum of light could cure it made a lot of sense to me.

So last Winter, I finally broke down and bought this beautiful thing.

I can't think of $120 better spent. I used to actively dread Winter. I loved Fall but my enjoyment of it was tempered by a sense of panic of what was to follow. Yes, panic. I sensed that life as I knew it then was about to end, or at least go on hiatus for a long while, and there was a very real possibility that I may lose many friendships and the ability to fit into my jeans during that dark period. I live in a very dark part of the world (we outdo even Seattle for lack of sunshine) and being a sunny South African native, this wreaks havoc with me.

And then came last Winter. The Winter I bought The Box. Last Winter was wonderful. As wonderful as Winter in this hole can be. (Although in Spring it ceases to be a hole and I extol the virtues of my delightful town up until the following Winter, but in Winter it is nothing but a hole.)

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, so with the help of The Box my life went on. My energy level was similar to what it is in the summer (sometimes it was increased, the literature that comes with the lamp does warn that excessive use can actually cause mania, so if you are prone to manic episodes you should not exceed recommended dosages-unless you have a lot to do, then have at it. Oh relax, I am no light-pusher I know you will consume your light responsibly).

In addition to having energy, my mood and sense of well-being was good, I did not struggle with depression, I did not feel the perpetual need to hunker down next to a heating vent with a bagel, was not tempted to leave an outgoing message on my voice-mail saying something along the lines of "please stop calling because regardless of who you are, and why you are calling, I do not like you, nor am I interested". I was motivated to exercise, I even occasionally folded my laundry (and put it away!) life just went on.

Around March when even non-SAD people started to lose their tolerance for Winter, I noticed that for the most part, I was fairly ambivalent regarding it. Summer would be nice, I definitely looked forward to it, but I didn't desperately need and crave it the way I had before. I was busy living life and you know, when Mother Nature (the irrational hag) was ready, I was ready.

Like a modern day Florence Nightingale, I would make house calls with my lamp to a friend who suffers from SAD fairly regularly. He would bask blissfully in its glow for a half an hour or so and all would be right in his world again. He found the "high" would get him through several days before he needed his next "hit". This year he got one for his birthday.

As for me, I don't take any chances, I sit in front of mine most mornings as I read my scriptures, eat my breakfast, check my email..and all that other morning sitting type stuff.

And now, to make this post look all official, let me answer some:

FAQ:

Does it have to be installed somewhere?
No it's a little box lamp that you can plug in and sit next to you anywhere. I cuddle up to mine on the couch.
Is it big or small?
They vary in size but they are all very portable.
Do you have to stare right at it to get the benefits?
No, it should shine into your eyes but you don't have to stare directly at it. Like I say, I read etc while it is on.
Is there anything I should look for or avoid in a lamp?
I'm not an expert but my research says that you should not buy a lamp that has less then 10,000 LUX. I am not sure what this means, but I do as I am told. No, a "full-spectrum" lamp such as those sold for crafters etc will not have the same effect. You need to get one specifically made to treat SAD with 10,000 LUX or more.
Won't it cause cancer or be bad for my skin/eyes?
No. This is not the same sort of "tanning" light that you find in tanning beds and booths. It is safe for your eyes and this spectrum of light is not carcinogenic, nor will it give you a tan.
Where did you get it and what type do you have?
I got it at Amazon. com. Click on the "this beautiful thing" link above, or do a search for "SAD light" on Amazon.

My lamp has ion therapy. This is also supposed to elevate mood and be healthy. I don't know about that. It seems to kick in only after the lamp has been on for a while, (maybe mine is faulty) and it does have a distinctive smell. Lots of people in the reviews complain about that, I happen to really like it and I wish it did it all the time. However that option can be turned on and off and I'm not sure how effective it is anyway.

I hope this helps those who get SAD in the Winter. Try it, you'll light it. I am now off to punish myself for that pun.
for more on what helps people check out We are that family

Delicious

On Sunday afternoon, when my fasting was over, I was struck with how absolutely delicious every bite of food was. I wasn't desperately hungry when I broke my fast, but all the same it had been long enough and the food... it was sublime. Food, gorgeous, glorious food! It was like falling in love with it all over again. We don't fast in order to renew our commitment to food, but it is a wonderful blessing that comes with the practise. That cleansing of the palate reminds me of how amazing it really is to taste and to eat. It definitely raises my consciousness of what a fantastic blessing it is to be alive and to be so abundantly blessed and physically comfortable.

Yesterday morning, I was treated to the oh so invigorating Puke Wake Up Call. Within a split second a mother can go from unconscious to sprinting toward the bathroom holding a heaving kid beseeching them to hang on for just one more second. There's nothing like the smell of bleach in the morning. It's a lot better then the smell of puke in the morning though, and there's nothing like a puking episode for motivation to get your bathroom really, really clean. Yesterday the afflicted was poor little Finny.

There are some people who are easy pukers. Puking for Aaron for instance, is no big thang. Puke 'n Go. That's him. He's a drive-thru puker.

This is not the case for me or my kids. Puking for us is literally gut wrenching, blood vessels burst, eyeballs strain at their sockets, veins in the neck bulge, death feels assuredly imminent. It is scary and painful and gross. I hate to watch my kids go through that. It is agonizing to watch their agony. In between the suffocating heaves they will often give a little desperate scream, "no I don't want to....no!...Mommy!" and then the shrieking is stifled and back in they go. It's so dreadful, I so empathise. When they are in that post-puke euphoria (you know when the nausea lifts for a few minutes and you are so relieved to have survived the vomiting?) I generally take the opportunity to tell them that "mommy did this every day, lots of times a day in fact when she was pregnant with you...wow huh?". As I have mentioned before, I never let teaching moment pass-particularly if it is one that will make my children feel in any way in awe of or indebted to me. It's a gift I have.

So anyway, Finny had been kotching up a storm (kotch is a S. African slang term for puke, and I find it satisfyingly descriptive) all day. When I left him in Aaron's capable care as I went to work yesterday afternoon, his eyes were glazed, his skin was hot and he was staring miserably at the TV. He did not want to be touched, there was no way to comfort him. It was sad. I felt helpless. Nothing is worse then a mother who is helpless. It is the antithesis of what a mother is designed to be.

When I returned, he was in a fitful sleep, as pale as can be, restless and groaning. He woke up for a while and did more glazed, miserable staring at the TV and then he fell into a deep and finally, restful sleep. I watched him sleep peacefully with such satisfaction. I stroked his little sweaty but cool, brow. It was such a relief to see him comfortable. When he awoke with rosy cheeks, sparkling eyes and an appetite, I was thrilled. When after a little sustenance, he broke into song accompanied by a small, but vibrant seated dance, "Everybody da-yance now!-boom, boom...boom boom boom", and I knew he was back. And it was delicious.

Here he is, post restorative nap, colouring the coveted "bonus" picture Gracie received at art yesterday and lovingly bestowed upon him. My kids' loving gestures to each other are also unbelievably yummy to me.

I feel that over the course of my motherhood, I have been mindful of how fast time goes by, and I think I am doubly aware of the speed at which my children grow, because I am so far from my family and with every passing stage I am acutely aware that they have not witnessed it.

Although that part is kind of tragic, the blessing is that it has helped me to treasure and appreciate their childhood's with more relish. By virtue of being the youngest, with no baby clamouring for nursing, I have been able to enjoy Finny's babyhood and young childhood with the least distraction. I don't think a day goes by when I do not just sit and observe him in rapt amazement and delight. I am hoping that this does not set the bar too high for his dealings with women in the future, he could be in for a big disappointment.

But having him "gone" for just a few hours, his sparkling, affectionate, curious, exuberant charming spirit suppressed for just a short while, made his "coming back" all the more delightful. It reminded me of breaking a fast, except the satisfaction involved so much more then my taste buds. It reminded me how fabulously blessed I am to be the mother of such beautiful-to-the- core children. It reminded me that their good health is such a precious gift. It prompted me to soak up every moment of them being themselves with even greater appreciation.

And it showed me, once again, that for the beauties and blessings of life to be truly appreciated and even heightened, there must needs be opposition in all things indeed. (Dangit)

Good Bishops

In our church, the leaders of the individual congregations or wards as we call them, are called Bishops. Our church is a lay church which means that nobody gets paid for any service they provide. I honestly believe that an LDS Bishop does more then any paid clergy-man I know of. The responsibilities and expectations of this calling are so far reaching, all-encompassing, unrelenting and intense as to be completely mind blowing if you think about them for more then a moment. (I get a bit panicky on their behalf when I do).

And let us not forget that an LDS Bishop has to do all this in addition to his paying full-time job and taking care of his family. In short, an LDS Bishop is a miracle of nature, and they are one of the greatest testimonies of the truth of this gospel to me, because without the inspiration and mantle they are given to do the job, I honestly do not know how any of them could survive the experience. But the amazing thing is that they do not just survive, they help others, many who feel that they are at rock-bottom, to survive, and thrive too.

I have had many wonderful Bishops. They are generally just wonderful men to begin with, which is why they are called to be Bishops. I can't think of any bad Bishops I have had. But I have had a few Bishops who have gone well over and beyond their call of duty for me and my family. Tonight I am thinking of three who are particularly memorable to me.

My current Bishop had his last Sunday in our ward today. I was horrifically unprepared, finding myself tissue-less as he bore his last testimony, and they sang God be with you 'til we meet again as the closing hymn. ARGH! Can you even imagine what type of complications that created for my face? Thank goodness I do not wear eye make-up.

He and his wife will be moving to Utah after 25 years of living here. For most of our time here, he has been our Bishop and she has been the Bishop's wife. Their leaving is a huge loss to our ward and to our community at large. The gratitude I personally have for these people is tremendous. My Bishop saw me through one of the darkest, most confusing periods of my life a couple of years ago. His patience was infinite (I was often infuriating and exhausting to myself, so I can only imagine what it was like for him). His kindness was beyond description, his wisdom was profound, his restraint in allowing me to come to my own understandings and discoveries was incredible, and the many, many hours of counsel and friendship he gave me alone have earned him a really nice piece of real estate in heaven. Remember that my case was just one of so many hundreds of other responsibilities and (often extreme) concerns he had for others in the ward. But I never felt like "one of many". He is not a trained counselor, but he helped me more then any professional ever could have. He exemplified the love of Christ in all his dealings with me, in the most pure manner, and this helped me to discover my worth and understand the depth of God's love for me on a completely different level to that which I ever had before. At the same time his wife, (who as a Bishop's wife essentially says goodbye to her husband the day he is called), became a good friend and confidante. She too sacrificed many hours and put much care and energy into my emotional and spiritual well-being. They truly and literally were a God-send to me and my family. I honestly could not say where I or we, would be without their help, love and guidance. My children have felt loved and protected by our Bishop and he and his wife have given them a sense of extended family, and have been a marvelous example of love and leadership to them. I once asked them what they thought Heavenly Father might say or do if he were in our living room and they all said, "he would love us so much and teach us..like the Bishop".

Enduring Ohio winters makes a little more sense when I consider what I would have missed out on were I to have gone through this crisis elsewhere. The ward that gets them next is very blessed indeed.

Tonight we watched the live broadcast of a Christmas Devotional given by our First Presidency. It was beautiful and touching. Elder Eyering spoke of a Bishop who exemplified the true spirit of Christmas by inviting destitute strangers to eat Christmas dinners with his family at their table each year, and sending them away with another hot meal and a warm coat. I recognized his name and his location (Rexburg, Idaho, which makes Ohio look like Hawaii) as the Bishop Aaron and I had in our college ward. He was another Bishop who made a profound difference in my life and I think of him with gratitude often.

He was one of the most positive, indomitable spirits I have ever met. For much of the time I knew him he was fighting a serious illness. Some of the medication he had to take made his face swollen, and I imagine he felt dreadful a good deal of the time, but he never stopped smiling or being bouncy. He was.. bouncy. It could have been irritating I guess, but it wasn't because he was just so genuine. He came into my life at another extremely dark period. I was dealing with a variety of major traumas (which I still marvel at having retained some shreds of sanity through), and truly did not know whether I was coming or going. I felt exceptionally alone, being far from my family and too poor to even speak to them on the phone regularly. Poor Aaron felt powerless to help, and essentially he was. It was sheer hell for us both. Somehow Bishop Sellers figured out that all was not well (I thought I'd been putting up a pretty good charade up until the time that I could not get out of bed or even turn my head to look at a different wall over the course of a day). He would show up at our tiny apartment unannounced at all hours. He would sit on our couch and we would all laugh and joke like old friends. He was very matter of fact and would tell me, "oh your place is not such a mess today, last time it was awful, you must be doing better" or "how are you?- no really how ARE you? Because you look terrible! Wow you look bad." but strangely, I was never offended. One of my fondest (in retrospect) memories are his 7am wake up calls. I would awake to his bouncy voice telling me to get out of bed and go for a run. I hated those calls, but I loved him for making them. I rarely went for the run but he persisted.

Yet another Bishop we are eternally grateful to, was our Bishop in California. When Aaron lost his job 2 weeks after we had Caroline, we went directly to speak to him. We were scared and confused and we felt drawn to his calm strength. He was concerned but reassured us that we would be taken care of as Aaron searched for employment. Over the course of 9 months he provided for us in the most generous and loving way. Once our money ran out, the church stepped in (they wanted to do so before our money ran out actually). We did not have to move out of our house to an apartment, we did not ever want for food, toiletries or household supplies, our utilities stayed on and our car payments were made. Other members of the ward inundated us with clothing and gifts. This, together with the fact that my sister and brother in law who lived relatively close by (in Canada) and would visit as often as they could to lift and support us, had us feeling surrounded by love and care during a time where we could have felt completely desolate and isolated. What I appreciated most is that our dignity was always preserved. The Bishop would assure us constantly that it was "fun" to help us, he would thank us for our contributions of time and help to others in the ward (since we did have a lot of time to spare), and he alleviated the anxiety we could have had, by always assuring us that we would have help for as long as we needed it.

Between his exhaustive (and often exhausting) job-search Aaron would volunteer at the Bishop's Storehouse to help offset the abundance of good food and supplies we received from them every 2 weeks. Our Bishop would encourage Aaron not to over-do it with volunteering there, and advised him to enjoy the time with his wife and young children, and take full advantage of this opportunity to be with them. I look back on that time with such fondness. We really united as a family, and our testimonies were greatly strengthened. I feel that our foundation as a family was solidified during that time and our children, especially Benjamin were exposed to values and experiences that helped to shape the incredible kids they are today. Don't get me wrong, the stress of that time was often very intense and I had mini freak-outs aplenty, but it never completely overwhelmed us , I do not remember ever being in utter despair, and the value of what we took away from that experience far exceeds any salary we could have been earning.

Spiritually, emotionally and temporarily, during times of crisis in any of these areas, we have always been blessed with amazing Bishops. I think of them as angels who God put in our path at just the time that we needed them, and for this I am grateful to Him, and to them, more then I could ever say.

A retrospective photo essay.....

Especially for all the non-Ohio dwelling Richardsons, and Julie.

Okey dokey, so it all began with the singing of that "We gather together" song which I like but do not know the name of. I imagine Nathan is leading us in song in this photo. Or perhaps he is yawning. Either way, the song was sung.
Oh wait, here is a picture of us being led righteously in song.
Then the reading of what people are thankful for and the guessing of who the gratitude could be attributed to. (This was the part where they mocked me for my grateful ways, just look at all these jeering faces).

Ok maybe not so much jeering as endearing. All the kids got very cutely shy and giggly when their gratitude was guessed.

After grace, it was Time To Eat: Kiddy Table/bar #1

More sophisticated kiddy table #2 Doesn't Samuel look pious?Look how civilized were were this year dahlings! Place-cards! This is Mateo's interpretation of either my name, or me or neither. It could be flowers or it could be limbless martians. Either way, he was thankful to have me there. I could feel the love.

I forced Amy to re-create this Martha moment.

The gang. Except for Aaron who is taking the photo. And Cindi who was talking to the kids. 'Cos they are both selfless that way.And after that light meal came the....

Somewhere in this time period, Awesome Aaron bravely went out to play soccer with the kids and keep them from killing each other.Coach Nathan entered the fray later when he had finished talking politics with Bill and Corey Baum. And I joined much later, in order to create more space for pie.

You know, I thought I'd be able keep up with the younguns ok. I learned two things:
A. I am old and 2. When you are old your reflexes shall we say, decline. I would see the ball. My brain would say, "Quick! Here comes the ball-kick it" My leg would say..."Oh, yeah, yeah yeah!..right!..getting on that!..hang on!, here it comes, it's going be good...look out...hey..wait, I thought you said there was a ball there?"

I had to resort to playing like the U3 team does. Ie: shove people out the way and also, hold onto their shirts so they cannot reach the ball, after having dealt with them thusly, pick up the ball and put it manually in the goal. Humbling. But effective.

Here is the supremely flattering photo (I'm nothing if not an accurate journalist) taken as we emerged from that schooling. Yes that is sweat and gasping for air you see. I'm not sure what was going on with Nathan though. He just does expressions like that.
Then came the time for everyone (except neurotic Nathan) to play board games. Bill Mathis got angry with me for steering people away from picking his cards in Apples to Apples. He Was So Mad. I wish that guy would get into an anger management class or something.

In the end, Amy's mother dominated. Just like last year. Or maybe it was her dad. Either way, I warn you not to play Apples to Apples with this cut-throat duo. It will only break your heart.

Whilst we were so occupied the children industriously destroyed any semblance of order in the basement. And settled down in cozy compartments as "babies" to watch movies.

*Not photographed: the yearly debate over whether to get up and go shopping at unholy hours on Black Friday. The scrabbling through hundreds of circulars with unimpressive deals. The left overs eating dinner. (Did I mention that we tend to stay for a good 10-12 hours when we go for lunch at the Richardson's?) The second run at the pies. The watching of funny baby clips on youtube. The watching of creative wedding dances on youtube. The talking about how we all wished we had cool friends who would make up broadway songs about us to sing at our weddings. And such.

It was a delightful day as always. Thank you Richardsons for so graciously letting us descend upon your home for 10-12 hours . I hope your extended family enjoys reading about your day through the eyes of a not quite naturalized, somewhat kooky foreigner.

I also don't mind it when the different foods on my plate touch

I'm diggin' this. I feeling it people. I wasn't so much into the Beyonce song when I first heard/saw it, mostly cos I found Beyonce's cop outfit a tad gratuitous and obvious and I was too focused on being irritated by that, but I've moved on. I've always liked Free Falling and the combo is yummy...

I give you, "If I were Free Fallin' Boy". Do you like?

Does nobody sing live anymore??!

Finny is watching a child safety DVD featuring two fuzzy yellow chicken puppets, who are singing enthusiastically about the virtues of the "buddy system".

He regards it for a few moments, and then looks at me with worldly-wise eyes, and says in a resigned voice, "they're lip-synching mommy. I can tell"

Warm cheesy garlic biscuits IN LESS THAN 10 minutes! NO WAY!

It is soup and chili season. And nothing goes better with soup and chili then cheesy biscuits. I got this recipe from Leigh Anne the domestic goddess and I have been swooning ever since. This is one recipe that even I can make without drama. (And if you will visit yesterday's blog post you will find that this is a pretty note-worthy claim)

It makes a dozen of the yummiest biscuits (or if you are South African-scones..kind of?) from ingredients you are sure to have on hand (if I did, you will), in under 10 minutes. In the time it takes to heat up your Campbells, you will have something which you can feel all domesticated about, to serve to your family. It's one of those rare too-good- to- be -true things which is in fact, true! This is a copycat recipe of Red Lobster's cheesy garlic biscuits. Just click on Leigh Anne's delectable photo above, click your heels three times and say "there's no place like your home-based mom" and you fall in love with the yummy, cheesy ease of it all.

You are welcome.

Pausing mid-cookie fiasco...

to reflect on things that did go right today. But far be it for me to let the opportunity to describe a fiasco go by. First let me note that this cookie fiasco does not really surprise me. Baking is pretty much a guaranteed fiasco for me. Even when I do everything right, someone will walk into the kitchen and inexplicably turn the oven to "broil" or the power will go out just at the crucial "rising" stage. or the sky will fall. But usually it's because I did something wrong.

Today I made 2 types of cookies. The first were "Egg-nog cookies". I realized after the first batch was in the oven that I'd put in about half the butter that was called for. ("How does a person do that?", you may ask. "Good question", I may say. So I quickly added an estimate of the butter that was missing into the second batch.

Both batches were edible, actually my family and the little almost adopted neighbourhood boy LOVED them. I made a third batch without incident. They are pretty yummy, but they really aren't that pretty, and I feel just as strongly about things looking pretty as I do about them tasting good (maybe even more strongly). Weird you say? Whatever. I say.

Then I made what should have been beautiful mint truffle cookies. I did do everything right but for some inexplicable reason they keep burning to a crisp on the bottoms. Most frustrating. I was going to go to a cookie exchange tonight but I did not feel right about taking ugly 'though tasty cookies, or burned cookies which should have been beautiful, so instead I will stay home and get fat eating them all myself. Awesome

Ugly charred cookies aside here are some

Things That Made Me Smile Today

Smelling Vanilla Bean Noel all day. Julie turned me onto it at last year's "Favourite Things" partyI bought it for myself as reward for waking up to shop for everyone else at 3:30am on Black Friday. (Although shopping with my friend Cyndi at any time of the day, night or unholy hour of the morning, is about the most fun a person can legally have. Even if that person is a person who does not have that much cash to go shopping with) . Anyway back to the Vanilla Bean Noel. It is delish. Even if you don't generally go for smelling edible, even if you don't generally like the smell of vanilla, this scent will make you happy and give you the urge to lick yourself periodically (you must refrain from doing this in public, it makes people nervous. Don't ask me how I know this)

Listening to Christmas carols in my car

Wearing my warm and festive stripey Gap sweater from Bonne Velonte
Buying a bunch of groceries I really needed for $37.oo including 10 lbs of potatoes for 2.99 (I got the last bag! It's the little things.)
Not having to ask Tiffany for any of the ingredients for the cookies. (Turns out even when I have all necessary ingredients, I don't necessarily feel the need to use them.)

Finny's belly laugh in response to this joke,"Why do fish live in salt water?" "Because pepper makes them sneeze"

This. Please support this lovely charity if you are looking for something kind, super easy truly effective and to do this holiday season. Let me know if you have any questions. Hannah's family and friends are honestly the most amazing, genuine and compassionate people. They are passionate about helping others and out of small and simple things, great things are coming to pass! I am grateful for their recognition (even though theyare so good about thanking me on the spot for anything I do, so it really was not necessary, but very sweet) and I am thankful for the chance to be involved with something so cool. Check out the cool widget up there on the righ for regular updates and please sign up for the free email newsletter. Each subscription=a pair of socks donated! Doesn't get much easier to help then that eh?
And finally...this. Oh how this sort of thing warms and thrills a mother's heart. Gracie wrote it this evening, (she is constantly writing little essays to go with her beautiful pictures), she read it to me and I typed it verbatim to her blog. I hope it makes you smile too. Happy 2nd of December!

Triple threat

It's Monday! And the 1st! But not just the 1st, the 1st of December. You know I'm loving it.
'Tis the day the Christmas traditions begin in earnest:

Benj retrieved a tiny ornament and a chocolate kiss from the 1 pocket of the Advent calendar
The Christmas books have been wrapped and the first one promptly unwrapped and read. An interesting and touching tale of how the reindeer got their antlers. Finny was riveted.

The first night of hot chocolate by Christmas-tree light and Mormon tabernacle Choir "White Christmas" accompaniment. And do not forget the crucial Christmas shaped Peeps to float in the hot chocolate. Did you know they make peppermint flavoured stars now. It's a beautiful thing.

The ceremonial placing of the angel occurred. We decorated the day after Thanksgiving as tradition dictates (my life is pretty much ruled by tradition I'm finding) but the angel placing was reserved for this day.

We had Family Home Evening tonight too (how perfect is the timing of this 1st of December?) and everyone has been charged with their Secret Santa mission. We're all ready to do good, share stuff and you know...be all Christmas-y.

And here is my profound Christmas-y observation for the day, something I have been pondering deeply (for the whole 15 minutes of book wrapping):

I find cheap Christmas wrapping paper to be quite un-fun. It does not cut smoothly, it rips on the corners once you have wrapped your gift, it's not as pretty, it is just generally unsatisfying. However, it is to state the obvious..cheap. So let me put this to you gentle reader, is going cheap with the Christmas paper wise, in that it is not exactly a commodity we need to last for generations and hey, we save our pennies where we can, right? OR would it be an unwise way to go, what with all the untold frustration, half exposed gifts, time wasting and such. Frugality vs Efficiency. Ah yes, the age-old conflict.

Deep thoughts..I am full of them, people. Stay tuned, I bet I have another one tomorrow.
Happy 1st of December Monday! Did you work out? Didja??

I was mocked today....

for my excessive thankfulness. And somehow I don't find that to be all that shameful.

A few of my contributions to the thankful bowl included:

I am thankful for a husband who lives to make me happy, and succeeds.
I am thankful for embarrassingly awesome kids who are talented and beautiful but more importantly, kind and good.
I am thankful for sweet friends who know how to party and are kind enough to invite us over to join them.
And on a more shallow note, I am thankful for my rockin' Goodwill wardrobe.

Furthermore:
If you are reading and I know you, I am pretty certain there is something (or many things) that I am thankful to you for.

If you are reading and I don't know you. I am thankful that you would spend your time reading my ramblings.

If I met you through this blog I am thankful for that. My mind and consciousness have been so expanded through the people I have met through this blog. I love reading your blogs in turn. How did we survive before the internet? It is practically beyond comprehension.

I am thankful to have the love and care of such wonderful people and to have so many wonderful people to love in return. I am thankful to have all my needs met and exceeded.

I am thankful to know that I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father and to feel His love and the love of Jesus Christ every day.

I am thankful for the chance to take a whole day off from regular life to feel thankful.

Thanksgiving really is one of the biggest perks of living in U.S I have come to appreciate it so much.

“… you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another. …” (Mosiah 2:19–20.)