A Good Day

Today was one of those days. One of those good days when the blessings keep a pourin' down. It started with a Skype call from my sister who I hadn't spoken with in far too long. From there on nearly every hour something great happened. We got Will's student refund check from his school a week early. It was double last semester's amount (partly due to a nice grant). It was an incredibly warm day today (thankfully, after freezing nigh unto death last week), so the kids and I went for a walk (Belle rode her bike). In a ditch Belle found a backless booster seat for the car. She was thrilled, and frankly I was, too. She has been begging for a backless booster for months. Just last night at the store she saw one and pleaded for it. It has been a little on the tight side for awhile so I told her she would have to wait. And there one was - like a gift from Heaven. Not even a stain on it. There were several other things like this that happened today. It was as though Heavenly Father was tapping me on my shoulder saying, "See, I do take care of you." So today I am grateful. Grateful for the life that is mine. Grateful for the life that has been given to me by a loving Father.

So I wanted to post these cute pictures from a couple weekends ago. Will and I surprised the kids with letting them have a "sleepover" party in the living room. We pulled out the hide-a-bed and put on a movie while they got in their jammies. They were so excited.

 I totally did not plan this moment. Just spotted it and snapped.

 This one is my favorite. Belle snatched up the other two and they all snuggled. 

The three kiddos zoned into the movie. 

Liam only made it through part of the movie, 

then we put him in his crib.

Yeah, I have the cutest kids ever.

I'm Freaking Cold!

WARNING: This is not a happy feel good post. But life isn't always happy, feel good, right?

I feel like I'm going to go ballistic and I need to get it out. For some reason writing on this blog helps me to look at the good things in life and be grateful and positive. So I am writing because I could certainly use a little positivism right now. I am so cold and tired of it! This week we have hit a cold snap, which wouldn't bother me so much if the cold would stay outside. I don't know what is wrong with our pellet stove, but for some reason it is not keeping up with the cold. Last year it did just fine. We were toasty and warm. This year - not so much. I noticed the temperature dropping on Tuesday. The sister missionaries came over for dinner and their noses were a little pink by the time they left. I felt bad for that. But then the temperature just kept dropping. We haven't seen it above 57 degrees in our house. It usually hangs around 53. I am not someone who tolerates cold very well. I remember a conversation I had with my mom and sister about cold once. My mom likes cold more than hot, but both my sister and I would rather brave the heat than the cold. My sister, Kari, explained it like this - when it is cold it is more than cold; it feels like it is not okay, and not going to be okay. Well, that is how I am feeling right now. It is slightly depressing. I know just next week it is supposed to be warmer. And even tonight we are leaving down to my sister's house overnight for a little warmth for the weekend. But I just can't stand this cold even until then. So here I am griping. It is ridiculous that inside our home we are bundled up in gloves, hats, thermals, and scarves. I forgot to mention that the clutch on the truck went out Tuesday morning, so the kids and I are trapped in the chilliness. Frustrating thing is the timing belt snapped on the truck back in October so I was without a vehicle until Will fixed it two weekends ago. So I only had the car back one week before another problem with the truck came up. For the love!!!!
Will came home and took the kids and I to the store for an hour during his lunch yesterday just so we could enjoy a little warmth. I asked him if we could come along to his appointments for the rest of the day and just sit out in the car with the heater on. Unfortunately he was headed to some sketchy areas and didn't dare bring us along. Then later on in the day as I was feeling gloomy about the cold I took a look at my son who was bundled up like little Ralphie on A Christmas Story and smiled. I thought to myself, someday I'm going to miss this time. I'm sure as my kids grow older and are no longer little I will miss this. So though I am tired of living like poor white trash at times, I need to embrace what's in front of me now. If I'm trying to hurry this time along to when school is done or a better job I will miss this time that is now. I will miss this time with my small ones. So, here's to grinning and bearing it!

Added about a half hour later:

So here came my positive moment. As I was publishing this post I heard the sound of water rushing. Did I forget to mention our water pipes to the kitchen froze this week? Well, they did. The temperature I gave you is for the living room where the pellet stove is. The kitchen is a whole different story. It is fetching cold in there. So much so that even though the pipes are inside the cupboards in the kitchen, they froze. The cold water one came on a couple days ago, but the hot water has remained frozen. This means no dishwasher. Belle's positive attitude: "Now we get to wash dishes like Pacca!" My mom washes dishes in the sink by hand. Wild, huh? So I have been boiling water to wash dishes. Not that big of a deal. At least I have water running to my house. Anyway, so I hear this sound and realize the pipe must have broken. I could see a little drip near the oven, but I couldn't see where the spraying sound was coming from. I turned off all the water to everywhere in the house (so I thought), but it still ran. I called Will, he tried to help me over the phone, but we couldn't figure it out. I called the landlord. Due to it snowing she couldn't get anyone to help me. (People go crazy when it snows in Maryland. Everything shuts down.) I was on the brink of tears when I dropped to my knees. I prayed and it was instantly answered. I walked back over to that pipe and put my hand around it. When I did, the sound stopped. I realized it was spraying into the insulation (yes, we are that ghetto that you can see insulation showing in the kitchen), and that was why I couldn't find it.

I then followed the pipe into the closet and found a hidden valve that I hadn't noticed before. Turned it off and, boom, problem solved. That sure gave me that boost I needed. Heavenly Father helped me. It helped remind me that He is mindful of me. He loves me.... and that's all.

My Passion for People

 I have been catching up on blogs of family and friends that I am terribly behind on. Here is one thing I have noticed from reading them: everyone is so uniquely different. I love it! I love each of these people that have always been a part of my life or who have stepped into my life. How amazing it is that we are all so varied. Wouldn't it be boring if we all thought the same way? Life would be pretty flavorless. So thank you to all who read this for being uniquely you. You bring brightness to me in very different ways. I love how you teach me new and different ways to look at life. 

Here's a picture of some oddly unique people: my family. :) 

This is my mom, my siblings, and I all being wacky packs.

People are my passion. I love people. I love to talk and get to know someone new. I love to laugh and cry with someone old. I love watching people as they go about their various daily tasks. People just continue to amaze and astound me.

I really want to help people. I have realized something that has always been important to me is looking out for the underdog. I have become especially passionate about this in the last year or so, but it really is something I have always cared about. I really have compassion for those who struggle. Even when I was young I felt the need to defend those who were being picked on at school. Now as an adult I am incredibly passionate about giving power to the powerless. I feel the mission my life is being propelled toward is helping those who find it challenging to help themselves. I have a burning desire to help those who are disadvantaged whether it be due to poverty or racial discrimination or other various reasons. I want to help those who are not tolerated for their differences to be heard and understood. I want to help people understand other's struggles instead of just judging them. So be prepared now that I have opened that can of worms. You may see many future posts on social justice because it is a topic that churns inside of me. I feel really strongly about reaching out and touching the world. Making a change in the way people are treated. I want to find equality for mankind. And not the kind of equality where each person is given everything exactly the same, but instead, the kind of equality that allows each person to help one another so we are all taken care of in whatever our need may be. The kind of equality that the Nephites and Lamanites found in 4 Nephi in the Book of Mormon: "And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. .... and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.... they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings." They took care of each other and shared with each other. It talks about there being mighty miracles among them. How awesome would it be for us to live in a time where there were no "-ites" and no contention? Someone struggles and instead of cruelty and punishment we give them love and compassion. If every person did that our world would be transformed.

Sure, this is a Utopian way of thinking, but as I have learned it is the Utopian like thinkers that make the biggest changes in the world. As tomorrow's holiday is approaching I am reminded of one of my heroes: Martin Luther King, Jr. He was one man. One man who believed in things being different. He stood up for those things he believed that many maybe would say were too idealistic and impossible for one man to change. But he did bring about great change. And now we honor him, the one man who lived for a world he believed in. A world of more equality. A world that included social justice. So I will go on dreaming and believing. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one....er uh, I mean...anyway.....someday I hope to bring about change, too. And I will keep learning and working toward being able to make those changes.

Saturday is a special day...

Will and I made some family goals this year. One of them was about our Saturdays. There is always work that needs to get done on Saturdays, but that can drag on all day. Or sometimes we put it off because of various reasons. So we made a plan. Every Saturday when we don't have other plans we first watch a few Saturday morning cartoons (a tribute to those days when we were kids and cartoons weren't available all waking and sleeping hours of the day) and have a big breakfast. After breakfast we do the work that needs to get done. The motivation to get this done quickly (for both the kids and us grown-ups) is in the activity that follows the work. We will do something together that is fun after the chores are finished.
Today it was such a beautiful day outside. When the kids finished their tasks, they played outside while Will filled the gardens with free compost and mulch from the city. (If you live around here and want to know where to get it, let me know. Free-ness is a beautiful thing.)

 Evee watching her shadow run beside her.

 Belle holding Liam on her bike.

 Belle helping Evee climb the pile of mulch.

 Oh, how I love when these two love each other!

After our tasks were completed we looked up free things to do in Baltimore. I have noticed when you try to find free things to do you find rather interesting things you might never have noticed before. We saw a place called the Insect Zoo and decided to check it out. The place was actually a wildlife refuge, too. They had one room that had many different bugs. Belle thought it was pretty cool and had to take a second look before we left. Evee, on the other hand, thought it was neat, but was a little unsure. I have to say I could relate to what Evee was feeling. Huge spiders and giant cockroaches...hmmm. It made me so grateful that the cockroaches we had in Missouri were so much tinier. They had another reptile room which had a giant albino python and a large boa constrictor. I think we all mutually thought those were pretty awesome. Evee loves turtles and there were several different kinds there. Out back there were many different kinds of owls, hawks, and eagles. One owl was so wiggly. Evee thought that was pretty funny and kept copying it's wobbly dance moves. It was a pretty cool place. Will had mentioned that he loves when the kids are wowed by things like that. We talked on the way home how much we both love that our kids can find the amazement and wonder in little things. Will said he thought it was because I taught them that. Well, if I did it came from my mom. I remember while growing up my mom noticed the wonder in small things and she would point them out to me. Like a beautiful sunset or a neat little creature on a walk. Things that most people don't even take a second thought to. I want to pass on that legacy that she has given me. When there is a cool storm outside you better believe the kids and I are pressed up against the windows enjoying it. I want them to appreciate those small things. I think when we notice the little things it can help us to feel happier. It also helps us to see how incredibly blessed we are; this amazing world Heavenly Father has made for us. 

The kids outside the Nature Center pretending to be afraid of the giant mantis. (P.S. Did you know mantis' eat their mates after they breed? Would sure make a guy think twice!)

We had so much fun together that we decided to continue our fun day. We stopped at the store and bought "party food" for dinner and snacks. Then we played a game together.

Liam chowing down his first corn dog. He was digging that dog!

Playing Qwirkle - and yes, Evee's hand is down her underpants. 

Days like these are not monumental, but I love them. They are the memories that create a lifetime.