Work

Today after my kids went to bed I hurried out to mow my lawn

 (I know, it's Sunday and I'm a heathen- sue me). 

After I got done I saw my cute little 80 year old neighbor lady, who is named Cotton, so I went to say hello to her.  She is darling and has lived in her house since it was built in 1955.  She is out nearly every night with pruning shears or garden gloves, working and maintaining her yard.  I'm out there a lot at night too, since my kiddos are in bed and it's a little cooler after 8 pm.  When we got done talking she smiled at me and said, "Ya know, I like you. You're like me,  you're not afraid of hard work." 

Honestly, it was one of the best compliments I've ever received.  Don't get me wrong, I'm lazy and slothful most of the time, but it made me feel good that she noticed that one thing.  And I love that she values that!  She also said to me "That's just how I was raised.  If you didn't work, you didn't eat!"  CLASSIC!

 I'm trying my best to teach my kids the value of working hard, although I'm not always a good teacher.  Sometimes it's easier to do it for them, rather than letting them work it out on their own, but I'm trying.  Today I made CJ pick up her room before she got to watch Busytown cartoons.....   go me.

And, just 'cause I LOVE me some Gordon B., here's a little quote to inspire you.  It's one of my all time favorites.

" I believe in the gospel of work.  There is no substitute for productive labor.  It is the process by which dreams become realities.  It is the process by which idle visions become dynamic achievements.  It is stretching our minds and utilizing the skills of our hands that lift us from mediocrity."

Gordon B Hinckley

and ps- is that the correct spelling of his last name? I never remember...

Mashed Tay-toes

I make some crazy good mashed pots.  Tonight we were all enjoying them at dinner (or so I thought) until I looked over at my little dude and saw him smearing them in his hair. 

Why, you ask? 

Not a clue my friends, not a clue.

Naturally, I got my camera. 

Isn't that what I'm supposed to do as a mom?

 Cecily didn't get in to the tay-toe schmearing action, but she is pretty cute, so she gets to be in the blog post too. Go her.

Bedroom Make-over (FINALLY)

So, I know we're moving, but before we do I thought I'd post my before/after pics of our bedroom re-do. 

It's not exactly how I want it, but I like it -and it's miles above where it was. 

Be advised: the pictures are kinda terrible. I didn't feel like waiting until morning and good light. Sorry.


East Wall Before

East Wall After:

We painted the walls a grey-blue with white trim, rather than the all one color puke peach.  It was supposed to be more grey, but oh well!

We also took down the navy and flowered curtains.  I used dark blue blackout shades and made white curtains for the sides that have scroll embroidery out of a shower curtain.  I like them.

South Wall Before:

South Wall After:

This is the only wall with no closet or windows, so it's where we put the bed. 

It's not big enough for nightstands (yeah, it's that small) so Mike built ladder shelves.

I spray painted our lamps, which incidentally, look too big for the shelves -but at least they match.  And they were free. Yay.

I kinda had to use red since I didn't want to buy new bedding :) 

Our old stuff is still nice (not to mention budget friendly).

East Wall Before:

East Wall After:

I took down the sliding closet doors and hung some red curtains we already had.  Mike also set up our old computer in our closet so we can watch netflix and stuff.  Saweeeeeeeeeet!

North Wall Before:

North Wall After:
I painted my dresser white and put up some shelves.  Go me.

I told Cecly to smile for the camera and this is what I got.....

She said she was "being scared." Silly goose.

 

Expect the Unexpected

The past week has been probably the most stressful/wonderful week of my life.  No, seriously.  Not kidding.  Just to give you a quick run-down: 

1. Mike has been looking for a different job for about 2 months.  The traveling has been extremely hard on our family, not to mention Mike's boss.... (how shall I put this?) ... is awful and horrible and has been since the first day.  He informed Mike last month that he has been "building his case" to let Mike go since February. Whaaaaaaaa????????? Yeah, thanks Jerk, that really makes me want to work hard.

2. Last Wednesday (the 10th) Mike's boss called and told him that they were "releasing him from training" and he needed to turn in his computer, etc. on friday the 12th. 

3. At this point I freaked out.  2nd layoff in 14 months.  What's a girl to do besides freak out?

4. On Friday the 12th, we went as a family to meet Mike's boss and drop off  his stuff.  I wanted the retard to see who he was screwing over.  Two sweet babies, that's who (ya jerk!). Ok, so maybe I'm a little bitter..............?

5. Friday afternoon Mike got a call.  "The call that changed it all," so to speak.  It was from a mine in Colstrip, MT (see it up on the south-east corner of the map up there?).  They were offering him a job for 10K more than he was making in Billings.  WOOOOOOOOT!

6. We spent the weekend going to the temple, praying, and crying.  Well, the crying was mostly me, I'll admit.  The truth is, while I was excited about making more money, we just bought a house and I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to try to sell already.  Not to mention the fact that Colstrip is 2 hours further away from my family in Helena and Utah, and it's in the middle of nowhere montana and it's TINY.  Tiny actually doesn't begin to describe it.  As of the 2010 census, it was 2200 people.  Twenty-two.  Hundred.  Not thousand.  Hundred.  Mike had more people in his highschool. 

7.  Ultimately, we are deciding to rent our house out and move to Colstrip.  It still sounds weird in my head that we're actually doing it, but it's the right thing.  Baaaaaahhhh!  This is our 3rd move in 9 months.  What the crazy???? 

We'll keep you posted.

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!

CJ took her first swimming lessons for two weeks and she did better than expected.  She loved the water when she was tiny, but over the past few years she has become cuckoo-cling-to-mom-girl.  She still has a crazy fear of the deep end (and putting her head under), but we're working on it.  She got to the point where she would blow bubbles in the water, so we were thankful for that.  We're working on getting her in to the water more and maybe doing a few more fall sessions of lessons. 

She is also cute.

Adjustments

I've been thinking lately about life.
I've been trying (like the rest of you) to figure it all out. 
Here's my latest thinkings (not necessarily original, be advised):
Life really is just a series of changes that we are constantly navigating.  From big events to small, we are simply adjusting what we do and what we think and how we react. 

I think I've mentioned before that patience is not a virtue that comes easily to me.  I've always known this, but for some reason I thought patience would magically show up the moment I became a mother.  Not so. 

Not even one little bit.

I'm still working and working and working.
Adjusting and adjusting and adjusting.

As a funny side note:

 I also had an entire list of things I was going to do/not do with my children.  Example: television.  Before CJ I vowed to limit TV time to 2 hours per week.

*insert a chuckle here* 

 And the rest of the time I would do educational, artistic, mind stimulating activities with her.

*insert large belly laugh here*

The truth is, having a baby is about re-adjusting your life to accommodate another human being, and coping ANY way you possibly know how.  Cecily was actually an easy baby and was relatively hassle free, but the older she got the more I had to adjust.  Then Nolan came and the world turned a little more topsy turvey and I had to re-adjust my previous adjustments. And just when I thought things were settling down, my youngest (very active-wants-to-get-in-to-everything-crazy-all-over-the-place) boy decided he's had enough with naps and has stopped taking them.  So, two hours that used to be productive in my day are now lost, and I am learning a new way to do the dishes (with a helper) and a new way to fold laundry (with a helper) and a new way to attempt crafts with CJ (put her in another room by herself and pray she doesn't make TOO much of a mess).
I'm trying to adjust and trying not to cry.

But, this is just one of the many adjustments we ALL have to make on a daily basis.  We all have trials, ups, downs, joys, and sorrows.  And how we adjust our lives dictates weather or not we will grow or digress. 

I am hoping I can keep growing.

I know this post is a little bit scattered and fragmented, but this is my life!