In Honor of Mother's Day

As this day wraps up and comes to an end, there is much I have to be grateful for.

My thoughts and emotions leading up to today have swung from one side of the scale to the other - landing last night with me wanting to disappear - or have everyone else disappear. Actually, that's not entirely accurate - because I was like that before our mini gathering for a movie and games - afterward, I was just exhausted. This morning I awoke much calmer, but the emotions continued to sea-saw - reminding me very much of my very first mother's day as a mom.

Back then the problem was postpartum - and it was not nice. I was a new mom, dealing with a new range of emotions - and hormones - prone to depressive bouts, and well, the combination was not good. We (and by we, I mean my husband and I) learned a lot about my limits, my emotional needs, and most importantly how to cope with and balance all that after each subsequent pregnancy - which, I'm sure, saved me from additional bouts of postpartum to the same or similar degrees.

That first mother's day I was blessed with a wonderful husband and a good friend who willingly exercised their priesthood to give me a blessing. I'm sure I wrote down the important parts, but I cannot recall them today. The only reason I remember it happened was because my husband told me that I could make it a tradition, to receive a blessing on mother's day. A special mother's blessing - much like kids get a school blessing before the first day of school. Something to help strengthen and provide encouragement for the upcoming year.

For anyone who is a mother, you will understand just how demanding motherhood is. And everyone has likely heard the expression that it's both rewarding and challenging. It is.

We have been blessed with five truly amazing children - amazing in every way you'd like to interpret that. They are bright, intelligent, caring, sympathetic, service minded, loving, joyful, happy, friendly, etc. At the same time, they are dirty, sloppy, monsters, wrestlers, teasers, screamers, etc.

Why would someone choose to go through the second half of those qualities?

Well, why would someone put up with you - or me for that matter?

The truth is - I don't know about the second question. But as to the first, those good qualities, the ones that make you smile, that make you look forward to seeing someone you love - that makes it all worth while. There is nothing more precious as the concern and love shown to you from a child - especially from your own child.

So today - this mother's day - I was remembering my first as a mother. There were some similarities - the emotional overload being foremost. Because, as a mother, no matter how much I understand what my role is, how important it is, and what I need to do, I always, in some way, fall short. And when I do, I have the overwhelming sense of failure because I see the moment, the shortcoming, not the whole big picture.

I have many people who tell me that I'm a great mother or that they admire my mothering skills. When this happens, it is difficult for me to swallow the immediate rebuttal that comes to mind - the list of all the times I've failed, or fallen short, or done it wrong, or lost my cool.

I am not anywhere close to my own image of the perfect mother. I don't have all the answers - or if I do, I don't know how to implement them. As a mother, I am always recounting my mistakes and seeing how I should have done it - the better way - the right way. I'm seeing in my mind's eye that these mistakes will create monsters in the adult world - and I fear that I have missed all the important things that will ensure my children understand what is expected of them when they have grown.

But what I need to remember is this:

Perfection is something we work towards. Perfection does not happen over night. And the perfect mom is the one that has been perfectly matched by the Almighty with the perfect child - not because either the mother or the child are perfect, but because together they can become perfect - being patient with one another, forgiving and learning, and trusting that together, as they turn toward the Lord for guidance, they will come out alright in the end.

I was reminded of this today - my loving children, in the efforts to put together something for me for mother's day - included cards, letters, notes, and even a book which talk about their "perfect mom" - they have listened to me, they know what matters, they know what hurts me and what makes me laugh. They know that family is the one greatest thing here on earth to me. They know that I miss mine dearly, but that I would never give up my own children to be with the family I grew up with. That if I could visit with my family, I would want to bring all my family with me. They know that I love them, that I make mistakes, but that I am trying. They see that perfection is more then being perfect. And they showed that to me today.

We have our days - days when we'd probably all like to take a hike by ourselves - but we understand each other - we love each other - we are trying together - we are learning - we are growing - we make mistakes and we help each other to pick up the pieces and try harder next time. Without my family, without our my children, I would not be even half the person I am today. They have helped me learn things that only come from raising a child.

And I more fully love and appreciate my own mother - and the numerous "moms" who have stepped in through my circumstances - because I am a mother.


Because I am a mother:
1. I recognize that trials make us grow stronger
2. Love is always unconditional - anything else is not love
3. True friendship is found in the family
4. I will give up anything if it will make my child's life easier - but only if they will still grow if I do
5. I will always be there - there isn't anything in the world that would prevent me from being there if I was needed
6. I can't be everywhere - so I must choose - but in choosing, I learn balance, I learn acceptance, and I teach my children that they are each equally loved.
7. The value of supporting another comes in the joy we gain from seeing them succeed
8. Life does not need to be a competition - everyone has the potential to achieve greatness - it may be in a different way then you, but they deserve as much applause
9. The art of imperfection is found in daily forgiving and second chances

I have some of the best examples in the world - perfect because they were matched perfectly with me. I have a mother who loved (and still loves) with all her being. She does not always understand her children, but she has tried and continues to try to do what she is able to show her love. She taught me that coming second to her children was beautiful, that cheering their successes and standing in the shadows brings a joy like no other.

I have grandmothers who have reached out over the years - and continue to do so - steady and sure. They have never changed - at least not in how they love and believe in me.

I have a mother in law, whom I'm still getting know, who is often there and, whenever possible, willing to assist me in my callings and with my children.

And I have dear friends who stepped in when the distance to my own flesh and blood has been too great. They love me and my children as much as any mother or grandmother. They spent time with us, taught me, encouraged me, played with my kids, and showed me through example the true meaning of friendship in addition to the true meaning of motherhood. Because for them, being a mother didn't end with their own children and grandchildren.

But my greatest example comes from the five little ones who surround me daily. The ones who mess up the house, race down the hall, refuse to listen, demand independence, beat each other up, scream and yell. The ones who love unconditionally, who snuggle, who hug, who say I'm sorry, who help clean up and try to make life a little easier, the ones who write poems and stories, the ones who follow directions, the ones who serve, the ones who chose to come to this earth to be part of my life. These five children are the greatest teachers of motherhood that I will ever have the privilege of meeting.

And when I am surrounded my these five beautiful children, their faces smiling at me, their arms wrapped around me, and their sweet voices telling me they love me and that I am the greatest mom, then I am reminded that the Lord blessed me with the most amazing gifts of all. And I can, for a moment, glimpse the future, and through all the mistakes, there are so many perfections and I know we'll be okay.

And though there are many ups and downs, and there are struggles to see the bigger picture - because of these amazing, wonderful, perfectly imperfect children every day is a Happy Mother's Day - all because I was blessed with the opportunity to be their mother.

Lost Mouth Appliance

So Peter's appliance - the RPE - the thing that expanded his palate and allowed him to wear reverse headgear - was loose for at least a week. I was just keeping an eye on it to make sure it wasn't loose enough to get food and crude stuck in it since we had an appointment already scheduled for the end of the month.

Well - this morning - while he was waiting for me to help him get it off, he was lifting the chin piece off his chin and letting it set back on and then back again, all of a sudden there was a loud popping like sound. I turned around and found Peter with is mouth wide open, a painful shocked look on his face and the appliance still stuck to the headgear - out of his mouth!

The stench from that thing was horrid! I don't know how they did with those smells in the office. Needless to say, I took the appliance and did a simple rinsing clean so we could deal with the smell.

In the meantime, Peter is gagging - so we head to the bathroom to scrub his teeth in hopes of getting rid of the nasty taste and any left over glue particles that he says are still in his mouth. We did the best we could, he's no longer gagging, but he's still holding his mouth slightly open and won't eat anything yet.

I've put in a call to the orthodontist and am waiting to hear our next plan of attack... which may be a long drive to see the orthodontist... don't know yet.

My hope... that he's like me...

When I was little, I had a special ramp-style retainer that worked on my underbite (it was through my dentist, not an orthodontist and this was before there was such a thing as reverse head gear). One day, it fell from the container after lunch and was stepped on before I had a chance to pick it up. Needless to say, we went in to see the dentist... I was right where I needed to be - and had we waited until my next appointment, it would have been over-corrected too far.

So... that's my hope... that he won't have to have it put back in his mouth... that he'll be done with that part of ortho care....

Tidy Games

I may have found a "mostly" solution to keeping the house tidy...

It's called Game Night....

Every night....

If it's done in time.

I wonder how long this avenue will last.

April Break

Vacations from school are rarely vacations. There's always so much that needs to happen. This year we had orthodontic appointments for all four older children - which we turned into a fun day with Mom (and Jacob) leaving Dad behind to do some work - probably on the sprinkler system or maybe woodwork - something. But that's another story for another time (like when I get the videos working properly).

One of those days we set aside to go one a mini hike. We lucked out that Bob was able to take a couple of hours and go with us. I had thought we'd take the kids to some old train tunnels - something Jacob had never seen and Peter was only a baby when we went. But Bob had another idea and took us up to see an old train tressel.

Peter was especially excited about that - though everyone enjoyed the views. Jacob thought it was important to stay ahead of everyone - racing down the tressel to the other side - even when everyone turned back and started the other way for the actual hike (more like trail walk). He also found it fun to climb, but that could have turned disasterous, so I took the liberty of holding on to the little monkey.

This trail was much shader (as in more shaded, not sketchy) then where I had planned to go, and for someone like me who tends to be cold more often then not,  I was glad to have brought my sweatshirt. (Though you note most of the family could have cared less about the extra layer) It was beautiful and peaceful and reminded me of why I love to get out of the house.. or rather, out and away from the house!

Gabi commented that she was glad we went because it meant that our vacation wasn't just the boring stay at home and do nothing week. I asked her what made this so exciting and she told me that she didn't care how far away we went, just that we were doing something we didn't usually get the chance to do and that we were all together as a family.

Jacob spent a good deal of time in the backpack - to make the walking go faster for everyone else. He likes the pack, but he wasn't thrilled about not being beside mommy - so the new deal was that I had to hold his hand while we walked.

Eventually we let him down and he and I walked behind everyone else. He loved all the rocks, though when his hands were too full and so were mine, he decided maybe mommy was right and we could just leave them on the ground.

We met up with the others when they stopped for a little snowball fight - of course, along the way Jacob had found his own little patch and had been making his own tiny balls to throw at the ground.






It was a nice day - and good to do something that didn't constantly remind us of all the things that pile up or never quite get finished.

Nearly Lost

So I made a discovery two days ago.....

The camera we bought Gabi for Christmas (which is nice, and small, and therefore much more fun to grab and take on the go) takes nice pictures and little videos.

That's not the discovery.

It doesn't take video compatible to download directly into iPhoto.

All her videos from the last several months have since been deleted because we didn't know.

I nearly lost the cutest video of all.

But that's when I discovered the problem. And spent the day finding the videos directly, and figuring out how to open them.

Let's just say I am now grateful for that movie converter program I put on the computer back when I was attempting to help Bob put together his video for one of his pre-administrative credentials (which may only be a mark of this state... such is the over abundance of hoop jumping and red tape).

Opening the files manually caused the converter to pop and there we go.

Great, right?

Almost.

It does great until about half way through the video... where it proceeds to loose all sounds and speed up the visual.

Time to look into another converter.

Gabi's Birthday

Well we're way past Gabi's birthday, but I couldn't not post about it.

Afters years of loving Harry Potter and thinking she'd do a Harry Potter birthday party and then that she wouldn't, she decided this was the year. She made this super cute Owls complete with parchment invites with the help of her sister. I loved listening to them putting them together - it's moments like those that I'm so grateful they have each other. Such good friends.

Her party was untraditional in that instead of having her friends bring presents for her, she asked everyone to bring something to help the "Home for Magical Creatures" which, in this case, meant the animal shelter. She had lots of cat liter, dog food, old towels and toys that she was able to deliver to the animal shelter later on. I only wish I had remembered to take the camera for to get a picture of that part, but I had forgotten.

We started thing off with a sorting of our own. Gabi had pulled out our dress up witches hat and had pinned patches all over it. The kids took turns sitting on a stool with the hat and then we pretended it was talking to them while I drew out a house name and they were thus assigned. The pictures I have are actually posed after the original sorting as I couldn't do both very well myself. Had I taken pictures first, the hat would have been more patched, as we began loosing patches along the way.

Once sorted, due to the numbers, we combined two house each into two teams. The majority of the time was spent playing a muggles version of quiditch. Basically, combine capture the flag, soccer and dodge ball. They had a good time and played several rounds - seeing that the back yard is confined and limited, but it was good to be able to play multiple rounds and let everyone have a chance to win.

When they were ready to return to the house, we had out little party. A cauldron cake of our own - I'm sure it was very different then what Harry ate seeing that ours was a large shaped one filled with "potion" (dyed whip cream). Additionally, we had our own version of Berties every flavor bean, and cockroach clusters (Chinese noodles covered in melted chocolate). The highlight for most was our ever yummy version of butterbeer - which, for us, involved a half gallon vanilla ice cream whipped together with a full smucker's butterscotch topping (we couldn't find butterscotch ice cream around here). Once that was done, it was returned to the freezer to remain ice cream like. When it was time, I placed two scoops of ice cream into each cup and filled most of the way with cream soda, stirred gently, then finished filling. The longer it set, the more buttery the flavor.






She had a nice time and I'm glad we had the chance to do it... although I'm sure may of you would have been more involved then we were - this was fun for us!

Smoked Fish

We currently have a lot of smoked fish. And have been enjoying some yummy meals with it. How, do you ask, did we come by so much smoked fish? Well, let me tell you.

My dear husband is a very handy man - not that he has time to be handy for everyone, but he certainly tries to find the time to be handy at home.

For example: our printer broke and I couldn't seem to figure it out. Bob took it apart, fixed it (minus one screw) and as far as I can tell, it likes him and will print for him... though I always seem to cause it grief... still, it works.

Next, like a week later, the vacuum just quits. Bob looks at it, it starts working again and that's that. Still have no idea what made it stop.

Days later the washer stops spinning. He gets it to spin, it works for a day or two, stops, he gets it going again, then it stops, he takes apart the stopping piece and now the machine works fine - including spinning.

Additionally, during all this, he was digging out trenches and filling them with pipe for sprinklers. That was a long project.. I'd even say annoying, but I wasn't involved.

So what does all this have to do with smoked fish?

Well, in the process of working on the washer and the sprinkler system, Bob had unplugged the outside freezer. That was not such a big deal until two days later when it was time for me to make something for dinner and I pulled out some sausage Bob wanted to keep until later and he went to the outside freezer to get me some ground beef instead. The next thing I heard was "I made a mistake." And Bob walked in with a shoulder and tri-tip in his hands.

Well, we went through the freezer, most of the meat was okay to keep in the freezer (once it was plugged back in), but we had a couple things that landed in the fridge, a bunch of cherries and a whole stack of fish. There was just no way we would be able to eat it all before it went bad - especially that much fish. That's when Bob thought he might be able to use Dad's smoker.

In the end, he did smoke the fish. He brought some home and we ate it freshly smoked - so yummy! Then I made a parsley and dill pasta dish with smoked fish... yum, yum! But my favorite so far was the smoked fish salad wrap we had last night.

We still have a bunch of smoked fish and I'm looking forward to discovering more yummy smoked fish meals! And just think, had that freezer not been unplugged, we might have discovered how versatile smoked fish is!

The best part, though, is seeing the many blessings the Lord provided. Bob was skilled enough to fix what we needed fixing saving us money, and the Lord provided a way for us to save and use all the food we'd had in our freezer, thereby not wasting it. Trials come - many times just in the way of inconveniences, but the blessings come too.The challenge is not to overlook the blessings!

The Rain In My House

Earlier this week things were not quite as chaotic as they sometimes are with my not-quite-two-year-old two year old.

One of his favorite things to do is pull a chair to the sink claiming that he needs to wash his hands. This, of course, as it would be with all such children, means that he'll spend way too long with the water running splashing all over his hands and filling everything in sight and reach. It's a tedious endeavor, but someone has to be the bad guy and drag him kicking, screaming, and hitting away while also removing the chair and hoping it's far enough away that the little guy doesn't find it as appealing to drag back. Some how, I have never won - sometimes he lets me think I have, but as soon as I'm in the next room, sure enough, the water is running again.

Anyway, as I mentioned, we had a day that was pretty mellow. I like those rare days.

But, the kids were having a snack and Jacob decided he was done. At that moment, the little girl I babysit was picked up. For some reason, of which I cannot recall, I was outside talking for far too long (which could be minutes or even seconds depending on the day... where it was so mellow and calm most of the day, I was likely out there minutes).

Excitement broke out when Beth (or was it Jeremy?... see, it was a little crazy then) came running out, slamming through the screen door yelling "Jacob's spraying the window!"

Needless to say, I ended the conversation abruptly and turned to race back into the house. The window had certainly been sprayed, but so had my sink, my plants, the clean (dry) dishes, and best of all, the kitchen ceiling!

So much for a low key day! Water was dripping every where.... Jacob had provided us with our own personal indoor rain storm....

And he thought it was great!

5 Year Old Boys

I think I'm allergic to them.

And to anyone who has the misfortune of being the target of them.

The last allergy season ran nearly two years.... I do hope this one will be shorter.

Snuggle Bug

Jacob is at that age where he likes to test boundaries - okay, so that never goes away, but he acts two and has for several months and we've got several more to go before his actual birthday. But this is not so much about that as it is about his choice of bed.

At nap time, I've sat with him and sang Primary songs until he falls asleep. He enjoys it and often sings along until he's too tired and his eyes are fluttering closed. But he doesn't always "play nice" - in that some days, even with the singing, he'll laugh and sit up and even get out of bed. I'm trying to be consistent - and desperately hoping he won't decide he's done napping all together.

The other day he was giving me a hard time, so I told him he could lay down with me in my bed. That made him angry - the whole ten minutes we laid in my bed he was crying and saying "Jacob's bed. Jacob's bed." I actually felt sorry enough for him that I decided to give him another chance. He was, at that point, exhausted - hey, crying will do that. So I laid him in his own bed and had to run out to do something (problem check on Peter or fill up the water bottle or something - I don't actually remember what) and when I came back only a couple minutes later, he was out cold, asleep.

So - I've been working that angle this week. He's doing pretty good with going to sleep without me right there. (I'm sure it helps that he really likes his bed).

Bedtime has been pretty easy for a while. I generally sing two songs, kiss him good night and head out the door. He hasn't been getting out of bed, although occasionally I'll hear him singing or talking for a little bit.

Earlier in the month, Jacob would get out of bed, and instead of coming out to find mom or dad, he would slip into the girls' room and find something to play with right in the bed of their floor, in the dark, happy as could be. Fortunately that stopped shortly after it started.

A few nights ago, Jacob actually got out of bed and came out to find us. Bob put him back to bed and we didn't hear anything while we watched our shows. When I went back to bed, I figured I ought to make sure he was tucked in. He was not in his bed. I was a little concerned, but knew he hadn't gone anywhere because we were near enough to the door, that even if someone had left it open enough for him to open it and leave, we would have noticed. (He can't turn the handles himself... yet). When I entered my room, he was curled up with his bear (a musical wind up bear from when I was a kid) on my pillow sound asleep.

Wednesday I went off to take care of some Relief Society related things and do a little visiting teaching. It was around dinner and bedtime, so Bob was the guy in charge. Jacob was fine until after he'd filled his belly and then he was really sad that mommy was gone. So Bob told him he could go to his bed and be sad there. And he went... by himself.... and when Bob went to check on him because it was really quiet, he found Jacob curled up on my pillow, quiet, but awake. So Bob handed him my blanket - something I've had since I was a baby... I know, crazy, but it's my fall back sense of safety... okay, so it's just around and Jacob likes it at least as much as I do. Anyway, Bob gave him that so he didn't have to miss me so much. Jacob went off to play and then missed me some more so he went back to my pillow and snuggled up with my blanket.

Tonight, he went to bed, taking one of Beth's baby dolls with him. He tucked the baby in nicely, snuggled next to her, listened to the songs, and then pulled the baby close to him. I left, and then I was informed that Jacob had gotten out of bed. I figured he'd gotten back in because he hadn't come out, but when I went to check on him, he (and the baby doll) we snuggled tight together in Beth's bed beside her. It was really cute. But when he saw me, he wanted to go back to his own bed, where he snuggled the baby doll while he fell asleep.

Anyway - he's a sweet and charming little guy - crazy moody like a toddler, but a joy in so many ways. And I love that he finds comfort in snuggling - with people, in special locations, with dolls and bears and blankets. It's those moments that I remember that he's still my baby - because heaven knows he's going up too fast.

Sometimes...

... being a mom means you have to let them fight their own battles.

Let the screaming ensue - as long as there is no blood or broken bones and hopefully with the final result being that they've listened and cleaned up their room.

But I'm not yelling today - it's my day off.

And to clarify....

Jeremy: Don't you want to read Percy Jackson?
Peter: NO!!!!!!!! I don't want it!
Jeremy: Why not?
Peter: Because it's a stupid book!
Jeremy (very indignantly): How dare you say that! It's such a good book!
Peter (very calmly): Well, it's a stupid book for a five year old.

Life and Smiles

Sweater post is still not here - can you tell that I'm not really on top of things.

Oh well..

I have many days when I feel that I'm just hanging on by a thread... whose thread I can't always tell... and as the kids seem to have all shifted into stages of over dramatic, excessive back talking, and increased lack of tolerance for one another, well I guess you can see where my mental sanity lies.

It probably has not helped that our family seems to barely make it a week before someone is down sick again - and this month in particular we spent a solid two weeks and probably a bit more with at least someone down and most of that time with everyone except Bob down. That really put a damper on my personal goals, but I guess that should be expected in this crazy world of motherhood.

I am, though, finding a groove... not so much with kids and housework, but at least back in my writing and my knitting. Things that generally help me to settle my mental insanity and find a way to breath a little easier amongst the natural chaos called raising kids.

There are many things which have made me smile along the way too - and I wish I had a better way to remember them all so I could share them... but here's some of what I can recall.

Jacob has discovered SigningTime - as in that's all he wants to watch and if it's not running during the day (whether he's watching it or not) he throws a fit. I love it most of the time because signing is important to me... even though I've lost most of my own skill in it. I've decided to pick it back up and starting in about a week I'll take free online lessons once a week with at least Gabi - and then I have a great friend who is an interpreter out at one of the prisons who said she'd help me practice. It's time to brush back up and learn some more.

But back to Jacob - he knows so many signs and I love it when he uses them. He memorizes songs super fast and since they are filled with songs he's easily caught singing one of those throughout the day.

Today he was made because I told him he could not get the DVDs out by himself and he said "No Fair!" - that's only cute because he's only 20 months old and it was so much better than "NO!!!!" Later on he was handed a Peep from one of the kids and he said "Oohh Yeeaah!" - it was so funny because this kids just knows how to say things - not just the words, but the way the words are said - to really let you know what he means.

As I mentioned, he sings songs all the time and learns them quickly. For a long time now I've sung him lots of songs at night. Now he gets two... I'm turning into mean mommy and won't sit for a half hour to an hour singing to him at night... nap time is another story all together - but what I love most is that he can not only tell me which songs he wants, he sings them with me. And when I leave, he often will sing to himself - and we known which songs they are because we can actually understand him! The last two nights, though, he's be rather animated telling some soft of story - to the boys or his bear, I don't know - but it's cute and since he doesn't get out of bed to come find me, I let him get away with it.. .it only lasts up to 15 minutes after I leave anyway.

Well - that was really Jacob stuff.. .I know there are things that make me smile with the other kids, but right now they aren't at the top of my super tired brain... so, maybe next time I'll remember some more and be a little better rounded.

Blue Toddler Socks

So it's been nearly a month - or more or something - since I last posted. Sorry about that. At first I just figured I'd get more pictures of the baptism sweater so I could get both posts up after downloading pictures - but that kept not happening and then we've been through several bouts of illness.... needless to say, the socks have been downloaded but I've still not taken the sweater pictures and so here we go....

The whole reason I wanted to learn to knit was because I love knit socks. There is nothing quite like them - and yes, I can buy them for a similar price as the materials for making them. But since we all know I'm a much more pleasant person when I have a project to work on - something creative and not pressure set (as in no deadlines), and since I can't sew right now (well not much) because I have a toddler who is constantly taking apart or at least playing with my sewing machine... well you get the picture. And yes, my dear husband thinks I'm crazy too... so don't mind crazy, but here's the scoop.

So like I said, I wanted to learn to knit JUST so I could make socks. Of course, this was quite awhile back. I did teach myself to knit in college - albeit not exactly right, though it worked just fine - and then didn't do anything more with it until I was pregnant with Jacob. I hit a really crazy nesting period starting around month 5 and had to just keep making stuff. It was nice, but also super crazy. Anyway, there was a sweater I had wanted to make for my kids and I realized it was a knit pattern, so I made five - yes, I said five - by Christmas that year. That's how I learned to really knit (the right way) and to purl and to do a three needle bind off and to pick up stitches... well you get the picture. All the necessary basics.

Well, my sock craving had never gone away and only increased, so for Christmas Santa was kind enough to bring me a sock book - something to teach me what I needed to know. I had inherited the needles (well, most of them) from Bob's great aunt and was excited to jump in. The book I used was "Knit Socks!" by Betsy Lee McCarthy.... but, true to Tara form, I couldn't just follow the pattern - or even start with the starter sock. I went with the toddler one - called "Little Guys" which is a k2p2 rib top followed by a broken rib pattern - the pattern is supposed to go all the way down the leg and continue on the top of the foot (the instep)... but I only did it on the leg and then I just knit the whole foot.


I was nervous about knitting in the round since I chose to use double pointed needles, but I did really well and found that it's not as scary as it looks - I generally only lose stitches when the toddler decides he needs one of my needles and pulls it out.. and I've learned how to put the needle back in just fine! I also thought the foot was going to be a touch too long, so I shortened it a little - wish I hadn't... the toddler's foot doesn't quite fit... nearly, but not well enough for him to want to keep the socks on his feet - although he loved them and wanted them on and even when he took them off he lugged them around the house. I have a dear friend with a littler one then mine so (when I find the socks again) she'll get to have them.

I was terrified of the heel turning and gussetts... why? Well, I've always heard they are scary.. as in really hard and complicated. I have no idea what people were talking about... either that or this lady just writes the instructions so they are super easy to understand... I found it to be really easy. And I LOVE that she has you working with five needles instead of the traditional four... this meant I didn't have to worry about what they call "ladders" the areas that are too loose where you change needles. Personally I think it also helps me keep all my stitches on the needles too.

What I didn't understand was why she had me break the yarn and then restart - the way it all landed for me, all I had to do was pick up stitches along the side she wanted me to and the yarn was already in the right place to do that. So the one sock I broke off (not realizing this before hand) and there is a tiny gap there, but the second one I didn't... and it looks great! I also learned how to do a kitchener stitch - to close up the toe.



Eventually I want to learn to do toe up socks, but right now I'm just playing with top downs. The next pair is in the works - they're for my mother for her birthday (though they may be late in getting there) - and yes, she knows about them or I wouldn't have posted that.

So, what do you think of my very first socks?

Making Beth's Bapstism Dress

Okay - project posts are starting....

The first one I'm posting this year is Beth's baptism dress. She picked out her pattern back in early September - this was so we could keep our eyes out for it as we don't live in a place that has much for patterns on hand - and only one company at that. In the end, I bought her pattern on-line when The McCalls Company (which includes McCalls, Butterick, Vogue and others) had their Cyber Monday Sale - I got a good deal on several patterns that day.

Going right along with her personality, she chose a dress with lots of flow - much like a butterfly or flower - which has always been the theme of her life. In this case, it was much more like a flower and I often thought how much she would look like those fairies that sleep in the flowers. (She choose the longer one - the big picture - the white dress)

For us, the first notable issue was that this pattern did not have sleeves. In our family, everyone wears sleeves - it's part of our standards. There were a couple of ways to address this - one would have been to make my own sleeve pattern for it - which, to be honest, I was not looking forward to. I had seen several tutorials on how to go about this, but having not really done it before, and seeing that this was a formal dress, I wasn't ready to jump on that wagon. The other option was to take a different pattern and line up the bodice and then use those sleeves. This is what I choose to do (and currently I can't seem to put my hands on that pattern to show you which one I chose).

I picked a pattern that was made by the same company and had a similar bodice fit / look. This way I knew that the size would match and that the sleeve that I put on would actually look nice without having to alter it.When I laid the material out to cut the pattern, I placed the original dress bodice down first, then over lapped it with the bodice that the sleeves came from. For knowing where to cut, I marked the sleeve pattern bodice for the arm side of the shoulders and the arm holes. I marked the original bodice pattern for the waist and neck lines. And that became my new bodice piece. Then I was able to just cut out the sleeves as they already were.

If you do this bodice modification, be sure to follow the directions for the sleeved pattern when piecing the bodice together (including putting in the sleeves) - otherwise, your liners won't be put in correctly. For the rest of it, continue to follow your original pattern instructions to complete the project.

Since I was using crepe back satin - and wanted to use some of both sides in the dress - I decided to make the dress with five tiers instead of six. My daughter takes after me and is short, so this was not hard to do. I just cut the tiers two sizes bigger than what she would normally have had and then attached them at the larger tier marker, completely omitted the bottom tier - I had premeasured the pattern and accounted for hem to know exactly which length to cut and where to sew it. The only difference in sewing the tiers is that I did not sew on a bottom tier, so I had an extra hem to sew - on the stay. I did, however, alternate crepe, satin, crepe, satin, crepe with the bodice and sleeves done on the crepe side.

What I discovered while sewing on the tiers - they are sewn onto a "stay" which is part of what gives it the very ruffled flow - is that it's not as easy as it would appear. I had cut the stay and the liner both from liner fabric. If I were to make it again, I would cut the stay out of something different - either the regular fabric or a lighter weight cotton. The liner was just too slippery for the project (which may also translate into "I'm just not that good with slippery fabric in going around and around without it sliding"). As you will notice, the tiers are not exactly even - there is one section where it is much more obvious then the others. (I would also highly recommend that you not sew the tiers on late at night ... 3 in the morning - you're likely to take it a little slower and have more patience.... I didn't have that luxury as my sewing time during normal hours is severally limited due to my very lovable, all too active, take the house a part, loves the sewing machine little toddler man)

We omitted the cumber bun, as she was going to have a sweater. We briefly considered putting on a thin ribbon at the waist, but opted not to for the same reason. We did put a satin ribbon in her hair though. - And as we wanted her to be able to wear the dress all year (and maybe longer) I did not take in the waist, as I would otherwise have done seeing that she's such a skinny minny! =)



We'll be taking some other pictures - nicer ones, outside, when the weather is nicer and we have a good back ground to work with - I might trade out pictures at that point so you can see the dress better - but for now, at least you can get a general idea.

Take A Look

It's always good to see who the man (or woman) really is before judging how they will do a job.

The following is a direct copy of something posted on Facebook - has validity and is worth reading:




Regardless of who your current favorite candidate is, this is interesting.

Sometimes, this facet of Romney’s personality isn’t so subtle. In July 1996, the 14-year-old daughter of Robert Gay, a partner at Bain Capital, had disappeared. She had attended a rave party in New York City and gotten high on ecstasy. Three days later, her distraught father had no idea where she was. Romney took immediate action. He closed down the entire firm and asked all 30 partners and employees to fly to New York to help find Gay’s daughter. Romney set up a command center at the LaGuardia Marriott and hired a private detective firm to assist with the search. He established a toll-free number for tips, coordinating the effort with the NYPD, and went through his Rolodex and called everyone Bain did business with in New York, and asked them to help find his friend’s missing daughter. Romney’s accountants at Price Waterhouse Cooper put up posters on street poles, while cashiers at a pharmacy owned by Bain put fliers in the bag of every shopper. Romney and the other Bain employees scoured every part of New York and talked with everyone they could – prostitutes, drug addicts – anyone.

That day, their hunt made the evening news, which featured photos of the girl and the Bain employees searching for her. As a result, a teenage boy phoned in, asked if there was a reward, and then hung up abruptly. The NYPD traced the call to a home in New Jersey, where they found the girl in the basement, shivering and experiencing withdrawal symptoms from a massive ecstasy dose. Doctors later said the girl might not have survived another day. Romney’s former partner credits Mitt Romney with saving his daughter’s life, saying, “It was the most amazing thing, and I’ll never forget this to the day I die.”

So, here’s my epiphany: Mitt Romney simply can’t help himself. He sees a problem, and his mind immediately sets to work solving it, sometimes consciously, and sometimes not-so-consciously. He doesn’t do it for self-aggrandizement, or for personal gain. He does it because that’s just how he’s wired.

Many people are unaware of the fact that when Romney was asked by his old employer, Bill Bain, to come back to Bain & Company as CEO to rescue the firm from bankruptcy, Romney left Bain Capital to work at Bain & Company for an annual salary of one dollar. When Romney went to the rescue of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, he accepted no salary for three years, and wouldn’t use an expense account. He also accepted no salary as Governor of Massachusetts.

Character counts!! (and yes...that's worth reading again!)


Verified on Snoopes.com <http://snoopes.com/>; . Here's the link:http://www.snopes.com/politics/romney/search.asp <http://www.snopes.com/politics/romney/search.asp>;
On Romney's character....See More

By: Kristi Smith Johnson

Beth's Baptism

Well, after having complained for the better part of six months that it just wasn't fair that she had to wait until she was eight to get baptized because she already had a testimony that was all her own, she was finally old enough to make that sacred set of covenants. Much like with her sister, I have found myself amazed at how much she knows and understands. How she studied it out for herself and made her own decisions about the truthfulness of the gospel. She really is a shining angel - full of righteous desires, truth, and understanding.

Oh, I know, she's still learning - I mean, even I'm still learning - but she knew where to find answers, she knew it was (and is) okay to ask questions, and she also knew that she could (and should) ask through prayer and wait to receive her own answers.

My older sister was able to come out again - and this time was able to bring her daughter with her. This was especially nice as the adoption they had both been longing for for years and years was finally finalized this past December 22nd. It was nice to have them help to represent my side of the family and the love they have for my sweet little Beth in person.



Beth, of course, put together her program - and it was full of the spirit and full of love and full of joy! We even completed her baptism dress - with much thanks to Grandma. It was important (even though my life was very full... and then got fuller) to Beth that I make the dress. As the time approached and it was coming along as fast as we'd liked, I warned her ahead of time that I would likely need a little help. She was perfectly okay with that. I think she just wanted to know that I'd done something on it - and I think it's wonderful to know that there were two women in her life who sewed some love into that dress.

I had also made her a sweater (something I did not do for Gabi as I had figured it would be warmer around Gabi's baptism... though the weather was not necessarily so - and Grandma found one that was purchased for her) - I figured, being in January, it would be cold... and seeing that her dress was short-sleeved, well, I wanted her to be able to wear it comfortably... not to mention I was comfortable with knitting sweaters now. (These two items will have a bit of posting on their own as part of my crafting year - with details of how they were done) - Beth was, of course, beautiful - and truly looked the part of an angel.



We are very happy that she has made this choice, but we also recognize that from here out it's still her choice as to keeping those covenants and learning and growing in faith. We're confident that she will, at the very least, be a teacher to us all her life!

Birthdays

Well - as I've mentioned several times, January was very busy for me! One of those busy moments involved birthdays. More specifically, three birthdays - though really only two were a worry for me. Our traditional family party for Grandpa, Beth and Peter was hosted by Grandma this year (thank you, thank you... one less cake to worry about, one less project to worry about)!!!!!!!

Originally we were going to have our two parties separate (the friend parties) which is pretty normal - and with Beth turning 8, well, that's pretty special around here and I didn't want her to feel slighted. So I never mentioned anything different. About a week into January Beth and Peter told me they'd changed their minds about two separate parties and decided to have one combined party instead! That was a huge blessing - one cake to share - really it was cupcakes - one party to plan and execute! It was really nice.


We made a lego man pinata - okay - so he had no arms and legs - but it worked and that's what matter - seeing that the theme was legos. This was accomplished by piecing together a couple of those "slipper" gift boxes from Christmas time, each filled with candy - and then also filling two paper bowls, that were then taped together. Then the different parts were wrapped in tissue paper. The head was attached to the body with wood skewers - then a couple of skewers out each side wrapped with a rubber band, and yarn attached - which didn't slide past the rubber bands - so it could be hung up.

They also spent time making lego creations - and then after the party was over, the girls' legos and the boys' legos were separated again - this is really only an issue because they have (of course) separate rooms and Peter didn't like having to ask the girls when he wanted to play legos - which is where the legos were originally kept. So now we have two buckets - the boys and the girls. I'm sure lego pieces get mixed as they float around the house, but they can at least have legos easily accessible - of course, the boys are learning the lessons of playing with legos - that the scatter easily (even on their carpet) and are still required to be picked completely up before bedtime.



Anyway - I was supposed to make a lego man cake - but they decided on cupcakes from this train cupcake set that I've had since Jeremy was littler. They didn't even want to worry about making it look lego-ish. I did have some extra cake batter, so I made a couple of small cakes and cut and pieced the to form a lego man (more or less)... though my frosting (in my hurry) was a bit on the runny side. Still, they were happy to see it.

I hadn't checked my candles before it was party time. I usually have a number candle for the child because that's what they like. Well, I had two fives, but I didn't have an 8 - so you'll see in the picture of the two kids and the cake that Beth's has a 7 and then there's a regular candle right in front of it.

Anyway - they both had significant birthdays this year.... Beth turned 8, the age where she was able to choose whether or not to be baptized... as you'll see from another post, she made the choice for herself and did indeed get baptized. And Peter turned 5 - so he'll be heading to school in the fall. It's hard for me to think about the last few months that I'll have of him being young enough to stay home ---- can we say: Mommy's starting to realize just how old she's getting to be.

Spell Your Heart Out

Gabi was very eager to join the spelling team this year. It was the first year she was able, and we were supportive. She practiced at school both during team meetings and on her own for recess. She also practiced at home. We encouraged her, but were also realistic with her - telling her that she is a 4th grader in a competition for 4-6th graders. That this year was really a practice year, and that each year she'd get better.

The school held their own spelling bee in the middle of January. She had to do a series of written words, then spelling some orally. I only got to see half of that as I had a meeting I ran off to - late. I was surprised and thrilled to come home that evening to find out she had taken 1st at the school level.

So, off to the county level she went - on January 26th. For her group, they only did the oral spelling. She made the first round, then the second, then the third... my heart was racing as she managed to make it to the last three.... and then it happened... she made the show down - the two left standing going back and forth. Those last words were big - huge - and amazing to even consider at their age. Both girls did really well. Both misspelled the same words... until..... the other girl spelled one that Gabi missed and then got her next word right. Gabi took 2nd... are we disappointed that she only took 2nd... heck no!!!!!!!! That girl was smokin' out there - she was spelling words that I'd choke on (which Bob would likely laugh and say wouldn't take much because I do much better if I can see it... though that's no guarantee either). She was amazing... and you know what... both the first place girl and Gabi were 4th graders!!!!!!!!!

As the second place contestant, Gabi's earned a chance at the state bee. It's optional. We've not yet decided. She is, after all, only in 4th grade.

Orthodontics

Well, this has been one adventure I think we've finally found a way to be okay with. See, I've been so kind as to pass along my massive underbite to four or our five children. Additionally, Bob has an edge to edge - a mild form of underbite - which means that our children may not even respond to treatment the way I did - or the lack of serious treatment. Additionally, there is crowding that has been passed along - and Gabi has two teeth that are in sideways because of it.

Bob took the girls for a consult in town back in the summer. He came home with a bunch of information and I felt nothing but sick with what I was hearing. That particular orthodontist wanted to put implants in the girls' mouths to speed up the process. That's the short of it. Needless to say, we didn't feel comfortable about that and decided we would see what some Orthodontists in Reno had to say before making a decision. Well, before we got that set up, the Orthodontist in town left and someone brand new took over. Now new is not in itself a bad thing, but with what we were dealing with and with the track record of Orthodontists staying in this small area, we figured we needed to look elsewhere.

So we did....

We saw two different places in Reno. The first was most definitely designed to help make kids feel more at home - has great incentive programs to help the kids stay clean, care for appliances, do well at appointments, etc. Just over all friendly kind of set up. The second was your traditional office. Nothing really wrong with that either, seeing that you go to get work done and then you leave.

The first looked at the girls, showed me what they were talking about and what needed to be done. And though with Beth, her underbite is severe already, he indicated that there is still a high percentage of a chance that she can avoid surgery. The second place wanted to do braces on the bottom for Gabi in addition to braces on the top and said there was no way that Beth would have a chance at not going to surgery, so his take on treatment was not to do much until she had all her teeth and was grown. (That's the very basic comparison - there was much more that we looked at, including finances - but these are the things that were most different).

In the end, we choose the first place - we just couldn't pass up the chance that we could prevent the need for surgery - recognizing, of course, that it's not a guarantee. The girls were very excited because - as I mentioned before - it's very kid friendly and they are super excited for the wooden nickle program (60 of which translate into $10 at Barnes and Noble).

The one thing these two agreed on that stood out was that a child with an underbite should be seen no later than age 5. The general recommendation for a consult is age 7 - all kids - but there is an exception, and that's underbites. Had we known that with Beth and had gotten her in three years earlier, her chances of correction would be much greater!

Needless to say, the boys both went in too. Jeremy is at an edge to edge right now, but has a little crowding on top - so he's got a quadhelix for expansion right now - and might be able to avoid braces all together since it's before his permanent teeth come in. Peter is looking like Beth all over again - but three years earlier. He'll be getting a special appliance that is a quadhelix plus something else that requires turning. Additionally, he'll be getting reverse headgear. Beth is getting the same stuff - she'll just have to use it for longer, most likely. Gabi has four braces on the front top teeth and a quadhelix for expansion and straightening.

Getting impressions was hard - as our children have also inherited our easy gag reflex. Beth and Peter more so than the other two - and they needed the full impression more so then the first - which could have been done, though not as accurately, with a bite instead. Beth screamed, (her mouth is also really small) and really had to fight back being sick while they got the impression. But they got it the first time - YAY! Peter, well, I wasn't there to help him as I was working on paperwork - and he did get sick. Not only that, but the plate was out of his mouth before they had a chance to get it set. Afterward, he wouldn't let anyone in his mouth again - though we got him worked up to trying and he started to open only to panic at the last second again. We came home and Daddy went with him to get it done at our local dentist the next day. He was a pro - did it perfectly the very first time! I'm so proud of that little guy - I'm sure it wasn't easy.

Jeremy and Gabi got their appliances in on Monday - and have been sore ever since - Gabi more so than Jeremy - apparently those braces really hurt. Because Beth and Peter's appliances are more complex, they take a week to make - so they will be getting them on the 13th - which happens to be a day off from school, so they've got a date with Daddy for that one. (That was the request of the orthodontist and just happens to work out well - the hope being that with Daddy there things will go smoother for Peter)

The good news is that Gabi is the projected longest time right now - up to one year - so it's still relatively short. But also that instead of just one or two kids who can't have hard or sticky foods (including popcorn) that all four are doing it at the same time. I think that will make it easier than trying to adjust for two and then another and then another.

And even better - Jacob does not have an underbite. He may still have to deal with crowding, we'll watch that, but at least he won't have to deal with the underbite part of things!

So here we go on an adventure of Orthodontics - all at once!