A Happy Saturday

This morning Derek and I set out to go to "The Market Beautiful" at the fairgrounds in SLC.  Fortunately, I remembered before we left town that The Market Beautiful is next week!  So, we went to Olson's Garden Shoppe instead and looked at the pretty plants and the old doors and furniture that they have things set up on.  Then we drove around for a while and looked at a big house that someone is having built.  I enjoyed it all very much.  Finally we came home, much to the surprise of the children who expected us to be gone longer.

Once we got home we decided not to hang my new wooden shelf thing on the wall because it is quite heavy.  It works just fine here on our book shelf.

After that Derek helped me with my table.  I really planned on doing the whole thing myself, but sometimes I just need to admit that I need a consultant, or resident expert to give me a hand.  I finally managed to get the top sanded yesterday and I clamped it just to see how big of a gap is left.  In all of my sanding and cleaning and trying to get rid of the gap, I managed to drop half of the table on my big toe.  It now is a not very pretty shade of purple -- but it doesn't hurt much.

This is the table yesterday.  It's looking pretty good!  Today after some more sanding we glued the table halves together.  There was still a little gap which I filled with wood filler.  On Monday I'll sand the middle and, if I have time, work on the remaining sanding.  There isn't much left since Derek helped with that today too.  Then I can paint it!  YAY!  There's a slim chance I would stain the top, but probably I will paint it.

Derek cleaned our cars, and I cleaned another closet, and Dan worked on painting a different project of mine.  All in all it was a productive and happy day!

Pictures From Thankful Thursday

I took this picture this morning and it's already outdated!  I moved our scriptures
from the basket on the right to the square basket thing on the left.  I decided to just
put the shoes away and use the basket on the right in the closet to store the tablecloths
I haven't given away.

I dropped things off at D.I. today.  Then I acquired more things.  Someone saw the picture
on the left in my cart and said, "Good Find!"  I have found people who shop at D.I.
to be encouraging, and happy for you when you find a treasure!  That one on the left is a
limited addition and is signed by the artist.  It looks like maybe it was hung in a church.  I already own the picture on the right, but this one has a nicer frame and matting.

What is this?  Well, it's a shelf thing.  I just liked it and so I got it.
I'm going to need Derek's help to hang it up, and then maybe I'll put pretty things on it
and take another picture.  I don't know what I'm supposed to keep in the tiny drawers.
It really reminds me of the things at church that they put the hymn numbers on -- just because of its shape.  I did NOT buy everything I liked.  There was this awesome rustic little table that I couldn't come up with an excuse to buy because we don't need one, and have absolutely nowhere that makes sense to put it.

This is me preparing to work with dust and sage.  I was going out to sand my table and trim my sage plants.  It turns out that I needed to use paint stripper again because it turned the paint into a gooey mess that doesn't sand.  I think maybe tomorrow I can sand.  Maybe.
Last time I sanded I had the sneezy, coughing type reaction to the dust so I wore my mask today.  I also happen to be allergic to sage plants -- which was obvious after I trimmed the sage last year.
Unfortunately it's obvious this year too -- but at least  I feel better -- I just have a fairly constant cough.  Sigh.  I only finished 1/3 of the sage.  Maybe I'll hold my breath while I trim the rest.
(Just kidding!  That doesn't work.)

This is me after working, which accounts for the tired look.  It is also before my rejuvenating shower and dinner.  I sure enjoyed the sun today!  I also saw a friend when I was walking to the library while waiting for my car's oil to be changed.  Getting to talk to a friend was one of the real treasures of the day (besides my awesome family).

The Ultimate Fun

This is Jake hiding from the camera while
holding Teddy.  Jake is a good helper.
Teddy "helps" by sitting on my feet,
or my head, or sniffing whatever
I'm working on.

Ok, so there are lots of things that are fun, but when I have energy I particularly enjoy planning things.  Lately I have enjoyed planning projects.  The problem always comes in the execution.  It is obviously much easier to think of cool projects that actually take the time to do them!  I'm trying to work on the execution part of the plan.  I at least finished one closet, which was good.  I'm working on my table tomorrow.  I've acquired a wooden box that I want to paint and put wheels on to use in my pantry for potatoes and onions.

I keep coming up with more and more projects that I can do!  I'm going to need Jake to do at least half of them if I have any hope of finishing.  I just need to tell him that.  I'll offer to pay him.  That should help.  So if you want the "ultimate fun", all you need to do is plan something -- and maybe even execute the plan -- though I do get quite a bit of satisfaction over just planning, which is good if I never finish :-)

JOY -- Just Over Yonder?

It is easy to look around when we are having a hard time and think, "That person is having joy.  What's wrong with me?"  Or "Why do all the bad things happen to me?"  Or any number of negative things.  It can seem that joy is always over yonder and not here with us. 

Since JOY is my word of the year, when I am feeling a little down, I try to contemplate joy.  Just thinking of the word is helpful, but I thought it would be nice if there was a good acronym to go with it.  It was easy to think of things that went with "over yonder".  Jake is over yonder.  Jump over yonder.  Etc. but not of those things represent joy.

I was looking at different words that started with the letter j when it struck me that the obvious choice for the word J should stand for is Jesus.   After all, joy stems from the life we have been blessed with, the beautiful world He created for us to live on, and the ability the atonement of Jesus Christ gives us to repent and be renewed, and also to be resurrected.

The best I have come up with so far is Jesus Oversees You.  This is meant in the best possible way (of course!).  Jesus is aware of you (and me).  He knows what is best for us.  He will guide us if we turn to Him -- unless He knows that it is best for us to struggle on for a while -- trying to learn and move forward in faith.  Jesus saves "all the works of His hands" except those who choose not to be saved.  Even in the hardest of time, there is joy in knowing Jesus.

Inviting The Birds Back

This is like a seek and find.  There are 5 bird feeders in this picture.
Can you find them?

For quite a long time we had bird feeders in the back yard and I enjoyed watching the birds devour, or toss, or fight over the food.  They flew in and out in a variety of sizes and colors and it was fun to try to identify them -- though most are finches or doves.  At some point it seemed like having dogs running around the back yard and having bird feeders at the same time wasn't working well, and it was hard to keep up with it all.  This last week I decided to invited the birds back to the yard by hanging up multiple feeders.  Sure enough, a couple of days later birds started to come, and in what seems like a miraculous fashion to me, more birds become aware of the location of the food every day!  I am thankful for birds!

Derek told Kayli ... "You Know You Are A Real Adult When ...

You take pictures of empty closets for fun."  I not only do that, but I clean them for fun!

Yesterday I was excited to clean the closet by the garage because I had some ideas for making it better.  Naturally, I didn't think to take a "before" picture so this will be most impressive to my family who knows what it usually looks like.  Actually, we almost always forget to close it so maybe everyone who has ever been here knows what it looks like!

I emptied everything out and then discovered just how awful the paint that has been there for 22 years looked.  I couldn't bring myself to put things back in without painting it first.  So, I got out the paint and got to work.  It turns out that painting closets isn't really fun -- but it did make a huge difference!

Because I painted the closet, I had to wait until today to put everything back in, but I am pleased with the result!

Now the dog food fits in the closet!  Yay!

Now I can get kleenexes out without dropping loose boxes on my head,
and we can reach our gloves and hats without having to reach past snow suits while kneeling on the floor!  Woot Woot!

And this isn't tons different except there isn't a pile of umbrellas there looking messy.

As a bonus, while cleaning the closet I found the cork that goes in the lid of our ice cream maker when the ice cream is done and ready to be stored.  It's been missing for a very long time.  Maybe 20 years!  I also found a pair of pants I used to wear in the snow to keep dry.  They've been missing (by hanging in a messy closet) for a long time -- long enough that the elastic was no good anymore.  I am pleased to check off another project from our long list!

Go COUGARS!

Derek and I are both BYU graduates.  Derek's been a BYU fan his whole life since his Dad was a professor there.  I went to BYU when I was 18 and I absolutely loved it there.  We met right before I turned 20 and got married a few months later.  Derek enjoys watching pretty much anyone play basketball, but I'm not as much of a super fan.  I have agreed to be a BYU basketball and football fan, and I enjoy watching the games very much because I have learned who the players are.  Derek invited me to go to the game against Santa Clara on Thursday and so we went.  It was a close game, which means it was interesting even though I was too high to tell if any of the suit wearers were apostles (which I always check if I can).  I look a little wild eyed in the picture above, but it was fun to have a date with Derek to the BYU game!  Go Cougars!

Building Character -- Conquering Fear

Many people know that Dan is allergic to things -- but I think that very few of us know what it feels like to have ordinary food, or ordinary parts of our environment, pose real danger for us.  Dan has been tested for food allergies more than once.  Last time they tested him for 19 different foods and he was at least mildly allergic to 13 of them and severely allergic to 3.  This past Tuesday I had him tested for other allergies.  They tested him for 48 things, and he was allergic to 43.  He was allergic to every tree, grass, and weed that he was tested for.  One of those tested higher than his allergy to peanuts, which is high, and many were close to that high.  He tested positive for 4 out of 7 molds, all three indoor inhalents (and they don't test for perfumes or chemicals which we are positive, from experience, that he is allergic to).  He is also allergic to cats, horses and feathers.

On top of having to deal with the anxiety of being allergic to so many things, and the reactions he might have, he often has to deal with kids who don't understand and who threaten to touch him with cheese or milk on their hands thinking that they are being funny.  It is not funny to Dan.  Hives are itchy and miserable.  He put his elbow on our table last night and got hives from the milk that wasn't cleaned up properly, but was invisible to the eye.  "Reward" days at school often include pizza or ice cream, and I don't often know about it and so he is left with no reward, and the chance to sit in a room full of things that will give him hives if he touches them, or is touched by someone who touches them!

Dan finds comfort in Teddy
who he is, thankfully,
no allergic to.

Dan has long been a fan of Calvin and Hobbes.  We laugh when the Dad gives Calvin jobs to do and tells him that it will build character.  I think dealing with allergies is, or at least can be, character building.  Dan has had to learn to be forgiving, he has had to learn how to handle being excluded -- often by accident, and he has had to learn to be careful, and observant.  He has to get up every day and conquer the fear that comes with not knowing what he might react to that day.  He has had to deal with panic attacks, and asthma attacks, or one causing the other.  Through all of these challenges, Dan has faith in Christ.  When I didn't know how to help him the other day, I sent him to school with a scripture written down and kept in his pocket to pull out and read.  He said that it helped.  I will end with that, because we all need courage for whatever our challenges are too.

Testing Out Refinishing Methods

Today, after accomplishing lots of awesome things, I decided to start working on my table.  I wanted to see if removing layers of paint with chemicals, or the sander would work better.  Which method would win?

I added the goo (not it's real name) to one side of the table before lunch, and went out to try scraping it about 2 hours later.
Ugggg.

Before scraping, I started sanding the other side of the table with the belt sander.  That thing is powerful!  It could probably pull me around the block!  Naturally my arms are sore, and they would be muscular if muscles grew really fast.  When my arms were super tired of sanding I scraped, and when I was discouraged with scraping I sanded.  I finally gave up on the goo and tried cleaning it up.  That didn't work so well.  The goo turned the paint to the consistency of chewing gum.

In the goo's defense, it is supposed to be used in warmer weather.  It also could have been left on all night, which may have been a better plan because of the cold.  Or it could have made it worse.  Who knows?  I at least learned a few things -- like it is easier to sand if I can kneel on the table to keep the sander from pulling it here and there.  I also learned what I should have realized.  Sanding is a messy job!

I decided a shower and a change of clothes were in order.  Tomorrow I can get a different set of clothes dirty -- unless my arms need a day or two to recover:-)

A Present Kind Of Day

Today was busy.  I got more steps today than I have in a long time -- probably because they put me on the treadmill at physical therapy to see if there was some way I could adjust my walking to put less pressure on my hamstrings.  The answer?  Not really.  I got a new balancing exercise today that is kind of fun though.  That is good.  I was tired of doing exactly the same thing -- so I got to trade a couple of exercises out.  Bring on the Monster walks!

I went shopping today for groceries and cleaned out the fridge when I got home --  I mean really cleaned it instead of sort of cleaned it like usual.  I visited with Derek's Mom, and then came home where I received a couple of gifts.

A friend of mine has been learning to carve, and I found out she carves comfort birds and asked if I could have one (You know -- can I have a present please?).  She brought some for me to choose from.  That was hard!  Kayli got one too.  Here's mine.

I put it next to my ring holder elephant so you could kind of see what size it is.  It fits in the palm of my hand and is very smooth.  They can be comforting to hold.  It is beautiful and ended up matching my desk pretty well!

For Valentine's Day we told the kids they could pick a book on Amazon.  I have a pile of books I'm behind on reading and I keep checking things out on the online library anyway!  I decided I would try overalls again and so I bought those instead.  They were a bit over the book budget, but I'm the Mom so it's ok :-)  Last time I had a pair of overalls I was asked if I was pregnant -- and I wasn't (I think that was about 25 years ago).  I never wore them again.  Sad.  My hair is kind of white now so maybe nobody will ask this time :-?

These are for spring or summer.  I'm looking forward to spring and summer.  I pruned the rose bushes today.  I'm hoping to get to my sage tomorrow.  I'll just need to wear a mask because I'm allergic to sage (though I can eat it fine) and I learned last year that trimming them without a mask was a miserable idea.

I got to talk to Trisa for a while this evening, and Tia for a minute, and Derek made dinner.  Derek, Jake, Dan, Teddy and I played ping pong (We try not to let Teddy play, but sometimes the ball lands in his mouth.  Oops!)  I am tired, but besides Dan not feeling well for a lot of the day, the day was a good one.

Amanda's Finished Fairy House

Amanda was able to come finish her fairy house before she and Connor had to head back to college.  It turned out cute!  She looks really cute too.  I am glad she could come.

"Comparison Always Leads To Carnality"

This is what I heard on the Christian radio station.  The speaker clarified this by saying that when we compare ourselves to others, it always leads to sin.  I thought that was interesting to think about.  If I compare myself to you and find myself wanting then I am being ungrateful for who I am and what I can do, and I probably am not rejoicing in your accomplishments, looks, or talents -- I am coveting them.

If, on the other hand, I compare myself to you and find you wanting, I am not judging you in the way that Jesus would, by looking on the heart, and I am being prideful, and thinking myself above you. 

I do not really know if there is any way to compare ourselves to others without it leading to sin.  It is so natural to look at what someone else can do, or how they look, and compare it to ourselves.  I guess the trick is to be observant, but to take ourselves out of it, being happy for every good thing we observe in others, and remembering that what we all have, we have by the grace of God.

Photo by Dietmar Becker on Unsplash

Meaningful Conversations

It seemed more fun to put a picture of monkeys having "meaningful conversation"
than two random strangers.

I have occasionally been a part of conversations that, after a while feel more like gossip than something useful, or just never touch on anything important.  Sometimes there just isn't time to go too deep, but I liked this quote from the Magnolia Journal:

"Chances are that what you're struggling with, others are too; what you want to talk about, others do too; what life questions you're asking, they're asking themselves too.  Open up yourself, and others will follow."

For a while I was asking everyone I could how to create stronger connections with people who are diverse in life experiences, situations, and interests.  I had a lot of really good conversations with people about what had helped them, and what had not.  It is a great idea to think about issues we wonder about, or need help with, or even that we're interested in getting another perspective on, and start asking questions -- perhaps sharing our own thoughts and experiences first.

Photo by Mihai Surdu on Unsplash

Fun Making Fairy Houses

I wish I had remembered to get a picture of everyone working on their houses -- but I only managed to get Avery!  I love Avery!  We also had Trisa, Tia, Kayli, Amanda, Connor, and Me.  You can see that our table was full of stuff!

I had two large pots in my shed.  I started one a week or two ago and Kayli gamely started the other.  Connor was tasked with finishing that one, and Kayli got a smaller one to do.  Connor and Tia and maybe Amanda are planning to work on theirs tomorrow.

This is Trisa's.  So cute!

This is the other side of Trisa's.  The door.

This is Avery's.  I think her fairies like a little bling!

The other side of hers.

The one on the left is Amanda.  I wonder how many of you will know why she painted the door that way!  The one on the right is mine.

Of course, if you have a fairy house, you should have at least one fairy!
I have 4.  I had fun picking fairies for the girls -- trying to find something they would like.
I forgot to take pictures of them though.  Trisa's had two fairies reading together, Tia's had a fairy doing another fairy's hair, Kayli's had some animal friends, Avery's was playing the harp (and had some animal friends), Amanda's had two fairies and I could imagine the bigger fairy helping the younger one be happy!  Amanda's Mom couldn't come but I gave her a girl fairy and a boy one because she has two kids; a girl one, and a boy one :-)

We made a pretty good mess -- but it was fun!

Valentine's Day at Our House

Derek took the picture.  It was nice of him to cut out the mess in the kitchen!

Valentine's Day started like any normal Friday.  Derek went off early to play basketball, the boys went to school and Kayli went to work.  I did a few things and then fell asleep for an hour.  It wasn't until I woke up that I remembered it was Valentine's Day!  Derek didn't neglect me.  He got me beautiful flowers a few days ago, and had texted to wish me a happy day, but the sound was off on my phone and I slept through it.

Derek was able to come home early so we went to the temple.  Now we are waiting to be joined by Trisa, Connor, Chewy and our nephew Weston.  I did remember Valentine's day earlier in the week so once I remembered I just needed to get the things out that I had gotten.  Usually we just get everyone a book.  This year I didn't want to try to guess what books everyone would enjoy so they are going to pick their own.

I wanted to put some kind of quote on the table but I finally decided that I could just say what I wanted to say without quoting anyone else.  There is joy to be found in loving one another!  Happy Valentine's Day!

I Can Be Patient. I Hope.

On my latest trip to Deseret Industries to look around I found a table.  It cost $12 and I decided to buy it.

It is solid wood, just like the red "desk" that I bought last year.  It used to be a leaf table -- but there wasn't a leaf.  So my plan?  Take it apart.  I've accomplished that.  Strip the paint off and sand it and see what it looks like underneath.  Glue the two sides together and try to make it look like one piece.  And then refinish it. 

The plan is to use it on the back porch.  I could paint a checkerboard on it, or make it a map table.  (I've been looking on Pinterest again).  Or, I could just make it an ordinary solid wood table -- stained or painted.  We'll see.  I do know that I have a lack of patience when it comes to sanding and so I figure I'd better hang a sign up somewhere that says, "I can be patient!" and then I need to actually be patient so it will look decent. 

Jake Grew Up!

Today (the 12th) -- Jake turned 18.

Jake getting ready to open presents while I "help" by taking a selfie.

Teddy wants to help, and Derek is getting a peak under the jacket hood.

More slow unwrapping.  Jake likes to open presents slowly and torture the crowd.

Jake's great smile and Derek helping hold up his gifts.

And again -- only only Derek's hands are in the picture.

And now who is the gift?  Kayli!!!!

Jake is great!  He has a great smile, is a thoughtful, skilled helper, and is the designated spider smasher downstairs.  If Kayli needs a spider "taken care of" or something fixed -- she calls Jake.  I can't believe how fast 18 years went by and now all but Dan are taller than me -- and I'm sure he'll get there too!

Finding the Root

When the root is not pulled, the dandelion will grow back.
Photo by Denis Agati on Unsplash

Monday on the Christian radio station someone said that, in order to solve a problem, you must first find the root -- the reason that the problem exists in the first place.

For example, if you had a leak in your house, continually mopping up the water is not going to solve the problem.  We would have to find the hole and fix it.  If we sin, it is helpful to know why.  Maybe I am caring more what people think than what God thinks.  Maybe I'm feeling lonely or stressed, and a distraction helps me forget.  Maybe someone -- even myself -- told me something negative about me and I believed it, and decided God doesn't love me, and so there is no reason to follow His laws.

When we know the why of what we are doing -- then we can work on a solution, and the sin will be easier to say goodbye to.  I think one of the best things to do to help is to study scripture and try to understand just how much we need our Savior, and just how much God loves us.  The more we trust Him and turn to Him the easier it will be to say no to sin.  We will still be tempted, but our love for God will act as a kind of shield.  God will help us find the root of our sins and eradicate them!

Mercy

I was listening to Emily Freeman and David Butler and the subject of Mercy came up.  Emily has been studying it very recently and the definition she came up with is this:  Mercy = Active Compassion.

Jesus has mercy on us.  He has compassion, and actively and willingly performed the Atonement for us so that we could have the chance to repent and so that death will not be a permanent thing.

Emily gave the example of a Mother as being actively compassionate as she allows a baby to grow inside her.  She actively gives nutrients, energy, and a place for the baby to grow.  She gives up her shape, and often her ability to do things she has always done -- at least for a while.

This is Valentine's Day week.  It is a hard week for some.  It is a good week (not that there is ever a bad one) to give active compassion to those around us, especially anyone that we know will be struggling.  Of course, it is also a good week for those who are hurting to try to work through the hurt and find enough energy to have mercy on someone else.  Even if no one else sees or appreciates our efforts, for sure Heavenly Father will!

Photo by J W on Unsplash

Pictures!

The first picture is our beautiful Trisa.  We were taking this for Connor whose name she had for Christmas.  There is an ongoing thing at our house about being "the gift".  In this case, Trisa was the gift!  I know that having her in our family feels like a large gift to all of us.  She is beautiful, thoughtful, smart, kind, helpful, and a generally all around great person.  We love our Trisa gift.

Quinn, Tonya, Derek and Me at Quinn and Tonya's house in St. George.
It was fun to get to visit them!

My Mom with Lizzy and Dan at my parent's house in St. George

Sherie (Me), Derek, and Kayli at the Hale Center Theater in Orem

Dan, Jake and Me at the Hale Center Theater

Derek got us play tickets for this past snowy Monday -- one of those rare snow days in our school district.  The roads were fine by evening.  The play was a lot of fun.  Unfortunately Dan got a stomach ache and Derek ended up taking him out to the car to lay on the seat (with the heater running).  They missed most of the last half.  My explanation of the last half was rambling at best.  It did end in a happy way though, and I'm sure I got that across at least even if I couldn't reproduce any of the hilarity.