Distracting Myself...

Things are getting really weird in my neck of the woods.   

Read here if you want to know what I'm talking about and keep in mind that this lady is from my ward  and that it's my wonderful bishop she's badmouthing and feeding to the media wolves.  

As a result, I am edgy, sad, worried, and  standing in need of some serious mental distraction....

so tonight I'm posting about cutest, most innocent, most distracting thing I can think of.

Baby chicks!   

My friend, Shelly, invited us to her house to admire and hold the cute little fuzz balls that had just arrived in the mail (yes, the mail!) that very morning! 

My kids couldn't get enough of them...

and would have stayed there all day if I had let them.  

Cami even skipped school for the cause...

And don't ask me quite how this happened, but somehow these cute kiddos...

talked me into fostering some chicks at our house too.  

We don't have the space in our yard to keep full grown chickens, but we are going to pick up some little babies in the mail this coming week and take care of them for a few weeks, before bringing them back to Shelly's farm.  

My kids are sooooooooo excited and I hereby invite any and all wannabe countryfolk  

to drop by and visit our three-week long bathtub based little farmstead, 

because....

 it's gonna be cute in here!  

**********************************

Bread and Jam

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before...Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty—and I am not talking about the process of cleaning the rooms of your teenage children."  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

************************************

This was my creation today.

Freshly made strawberry jam spread onto thick buttered slices of homemade bread. 

  

I have no desire to know how many calories were in each slice, but on a day that I faced disappointment and judgmental comments from a friend, it was deeply satisfying to me to create something that was not only delicious, but beautiful as well.    

Although I regularly make homemade bread, this batch turned out extra tasty (probably because I used more white flour than usual) and we couldn't get enough of it! We ended up eating two full loaves ourselves and sharing another with a sick friend. There's still one more loaf left, which Spence so helpfully cut into tonight, so (oh darn!) we will have to eat that ourselves too.  

Now if I could just get my kids to like broccoli as much as they love homemade bread and jam....

********************** 

Five Kids in a Tree and other such randomness

I looked out the window and what did I see?  

Five cousins all "popping" around in a tree!

Also, in the past week....

a)  our "reliable" minivan wouldn't start and needed $600+ of repairs! 

b)  Emma got 5 stitches in her knee after an unfortunate run-in with the pool ladder.

c)  my uncle Buddy, aunt Debra, and cousin Isaac came for a visit.   The kids (the young girls in particular) were in love with all of them and didn't want them to leave! 

d)  Spencer hit his 2-year mark in remission from leukemia and his check-ups will now be every three months! 

e) we had another family round of Chopped (boys vs. girls) and we tied.

f) we saw a 3-foot long snake slithering across the road in our neighborhood...YIKES!

g) I went strawberry picking with the kids and will be making jam tomorrow! 

h)  Adam went to a Priesthood Preview tonight, which is for all boys who will be turning 12 soon.  It seems so weird that my fourth child will be 12 in a few months, when I am only 20.  Weird!  

In the last few weeks...

a)  Glen got a new car which he likes very much.  I like that his new promotion gave him a car allowance that lessens the bite of having a car payment again.  

b)  SOL's (end of year tests) are done!

c) early morning seminary ended for the year and we are all enjoying the opportunity to sleep in about an hour each morning!  This is reason #1 for the recent upsurge in my blogging frequency!

d) I deactivated my Facebook account (for at least the month of June).  This is reason #2 for my recent upsurge in blogging frequency. 

e) I spent way too much at Costco  after running out  of everything at the same time 

f)  Our washer AND our dryer both stopped working correctly at the same time and the repairman says we need new ones.  

g) we found out my brother and his family are moving to England!  

h) I joined a vegetable and cheese co-op  and am swimming with vegetables I'm not used to using!  Turnips, radishes, collard greens, and rhubarb are all things I've never cooked with before and I am having to get creative!

******************************

Glen is thrilled about his fancy new car with features such as air conditioning and doors that all open, luxuries he's been doing without for the last few years! 

More kids in a tree!

Playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Missile" with Uncle Buddy. 

McKenzie unsuccessfully tries to scare Uncle Buddy with a ferocious growl. 

I get a load of organic veggies like this delivered straight from the farm each week.  It's stretching my cooking skills and getting us to eat more veggies! 

We've made bacon-wrapped asparagus, a lattice topped rhubarb-strawberry pie,  roasted radishes, mushroom-asparagus pasta, vegetable-berry smoothies, and lots and lots of salads.  This week I'm making turkey lettuce wraps, bbq chicken salad, and taco salad.  

****************************

It's official....

After being inspired by this little snippet in the paper, this morning we opted to officially change our names.

Look out world, here comes.....

Glenne, Llarrah,  Khammee, Emnmuh, Addum, and L.E.

Spennsur wasn't there that day, but rest assured it was our plan that his name be properly butchered to match the rest of ours, so that when I  take out a weekly ad in the newspaper to celebrate our family's super amazing accomplishments, everyone will know that we are an ultra-creative, original,  one-of-a-kind family!

Here's the article I'm submitting to the paper for publication....

Local News  6/5/14
Local resident,  Emnmuh Khrysteen,  sustained an injury at approximately 5:00pm this evening after attempting to exit the pool after swim practice.  The metal ladder, unfortunately, proved to be sharper than Emnmuh's knee and five stitches were required to close the open wound.  Preliminary medical care was offered on-site at the pool by a rather alarmed 20-something pool manager, who, after wiping up Emnmuh's  bloodied knee with her bare hands,  strongly encouraged the family to leave immediately and drive straight to an urgent care clinic.   Unfortunately though, it was shortly discovered after leaving the scene of the unfortunate incident, that the family's car did not know who the heck "Llarrah" was and refused to start for the oddly named clan.  Several phone calls, a push, and a battery jump later, they were on their way....little worse for the wear except for the development of an unnatural fear of ladders and a newfound love for beautiful, classically spelled names.    

*******************************


PS  Emma is fine and dandy.  By far the worst of the experience for her is not being able to swim for 7-10 days.

  

Two Years in Remission!!!!

Two years ago this week, Spencer walked out of the hospital bald and gaunt from his chemo treatments, but ecstatic as can be to be putting cancer behind him once and for all.    He since has graduated from high school, finished his freshman year at James Madison University, and is signed up to run in a long relay race in a few weeks.

Today he had his two-year check-up and was found to be healthy as ever!!     The two-year mark is a significant hurdle to overcome and we are thrilled with his continued health.  Check-ups now move to once every three-months!

Spencer and the amazing hem/onc doctor who coordinated  his care.
Dr. Shankar was a blessing of calm  during the time he was in the hospital.  

As we've approached this two year mark I've spent the last few months reflecting a lot on some of the ways that his battle with acute myeloid leukemia affected us and some of the things we've learned as a result of this challenge.    I hope you'll bear with some mushy reflections on my part.



Things we've learned:
*  God is in charge...trust in his eternal perspective.
*  life is short...don't waste it on stupid pursuits.
*  people are generally good, kind, and generous
*  when one door closes, another opens
*  the time we have with our kids, even in the best of circumstances, is far too short
*  modern day medicine is truly miraculous (if we had had our family a few decades ago we would not have any boys left (between Adam's difficult/emergency birth and Spence's leukemia))
*  the human body is amazing
*  life is sometimes hard
*  friends
*  light overpowers dark, but sometimes it takes time
*  God is keenly aware of us and our individual lives




***************************

Clinic stats:
Weight: 75.6 kg     WBC:  4500    Hgb:  15.2   Platelets:   156     

Scout Math

12-young scouts

+

30+ lb. backpacks strapped on their backs

+

sleeping in a tent

+ 

cooking dinner over a campfire 

+

4 miles of hiking

=

a dozen very tired, but happy boys, 

and a  magnificent view at Little Schloss overlook,

and few dozen ticks.   

Ew!

***********************************

Civil War Cutie

What's better than dressing up in old-fashioned clothes and pretending that you live in the olden days? 

Well, if you happen to be a cute little nine-year-old who loves people as much as you love dressing up, then spending the day with like-minded folks is about as fun as fun gets!

My sister, AnnaLisa,  was a history major in college and loves all things Civil War.  When AnnaLisa's roommate signed up to run the children's tent at the local Civil War Day, she was first in line to help her out.
 And Ellie was first in line to help AnnaLisa out! 

We went for a visit too and enjoyed the music, the reenactments...

and the hands' on activities (like dipping their own candles)!

Ellie had a fabulous time participating and "helping" and has already volunteered to help AnnaLisa out again next year!


**********************************

Saying Goodbye!

I'm done.  

I finally had it today.  

I deactivated my Facebook account and for the time being, I have no intention on going back.  I think my Instagram isn't too far behind.    I have no doubt that that means that this blog's stats are about to fall through the floor and that I'll probably never hear from 95% of my "friends" again, but I can't even make myself care right now. 

I am tired of feeling disappointed when I see 14 pictures and full descriptions of yet another get-together that I wasn't invited to and even worse another party that my kids weren't invited to.  I am an introvert and my social needs truly aren't very high, but I find myself surrounded more and more by very, very extroverted friends  who seem to thrive on letting everyone know play-by-play updates on their social life....where they are and who they're with and how awesome their lives are.  And though I tell myself that I don't have any desire to attend gourmet dinners or to hang out with friends practically every night of the week, having it thrown in my face at every turn makes me care more than I should.  

And don't even get me started on how unhealthy this compulsion to share all the details of our social lives is for the younger generation...especially the quiet ones (like I was).   As a teenager I would've melted in a puddle if I'd known all the fun things the people around me were doing while I was sitting at home reading a book on a Friday night.  Heck, I'm a grown adult with an established sense of who I am and I still care too much.  Imagine these young teenagers who have it thrown in their faces in the midst of still figuring out who they are.  

All of the unfiltered social garbage combined with the fact that I am becoming increasingly convinced that social media is making us, as a generation and as individuals, completely self-absorbed, I am feeling up in arms.    What is the value in taking endless selfies, posting status  updates several times a day,  fishing for compliments, hinting about things you "need," bragging endlessly about how many fun things you did that day, or constantly complaining about how hard your life is, etc?  There is no real value in any of it and  I'm as guilty as the next person in engaging myself in it full-heartedly.  No more though.

True value is found in the flesh and blood of the friends and family around us
and that's where I want to be spending more of my time.

*********************************

For the  three of you who might be worried (Hi Mom, Dad, and Kristina!), don't worry....I will go on blogging.  But I will also continue, as I have for the last few years, to be conscientious about  not blogging about exclusive social events or birthday parties (either mine or the kids), so as not to cause others around me undue pain about not being invited.    And lest you think that I'm being dramatic by referring to it as "pain," it is truly painful, no matter how old you are, to feel like you're on the outside looking in.  I'd rather just not know.

*************************

Taking Notes...

I am one of those people who has to learn something new in two or more ways before my brain really processes it.  When everyone else in college said I could skip attending the physical science class because "everything on the tests came straight from the book," it took approximately one test to realize that that method would not work for me.  To get  good grades, I needed to hear the teacher teach it, take copious notes on what the teacher taught, and then still read the text.

Because of the way my brain works, I always assume that that's how everyone else's does too.   I even got binders for all the YW in my ward, so that they would have a place to take notes, draw diagrams, and answer questions from the Sunday lessons.  I make interactive and often illustrated lesson outlines whenever I teach, because even preparing it that way helps me to teach more effectively.

So when I went to the homeschooling conference, I knew that in order for me to learn what I wanted to learn (and to stay awake) that I would need to attend as many classes as possible and take as many notes as my hand muscles could handle.    Too bad that I didn't expect the distraction of the beach being in view at all times,  as well as most of my friends I was there with who spent most of their days at the beach.  It was enough for them to just read the outlines of all the classes that were included with the registration materials.    Unfortunately I knew that wouldn't work for me!

Despite the lure of the sand, waves, and sunshine, I managed to stay on task {mostly}.  I sneaked out to the beach at lunchtime and in the evenings, but mostly tried to absorb as much as I possibly could from the people who'd been down the path before me. In the end it was well worth the effort and I spent the three days feeling inspired and rejuvenated for another year with the kids at home.  

On the final day of classes, my family came to join me at Virginia Beach.

While we wrapped up the amazing three day experience with some inspiring words from John Bytheway...

my family played and frolicked on the beach.  

I never got in the water myself, but I understand that it was still a tad cold.  That fact didn't stop the kids from having a great time though. 

We were all crammed into one hotel room, so Spence and Cam opted to sleep on the balcony.   

Luckily the weather was absolutely perfect for sleeping outside! 

The next day we checked out of the hotel (only having to pay for two of the three nights) and drove to Busch Gardens.  We got season passes this year, since we knew we'd be down that way a few times and the passes only cost the same as a one day admission price anyway.  

Glen took off for the roller coasters with the three oldest  while Ellie, Adam, and I stayed on the tamer rides together.   The three of us were taking  turns choosing the rides we went on, but I still managed to pick one that freaked Ellie out and you can see her eyes are all red and puffy in the picture.  I let them choose all the rest of the rides after that.  

We ate like champions...

and even met a little cuckoo bird!

Between the conference and the mini family vacation, it turned out to be a perfect getaway.  The weather was idyllic, Glen and Spencer both only got warnings instead of traffic tickets, and we left the park by 5:00, so I could get back in time and prepare my lesson for Sunday! 

I'm already looking forward to next year! 

******************************************

Memorial Day

O beautiful for heroes proved 

In liberating strife. 

Who more than self their country loved 

And mercy more than life! 

America! America! 

May God thy gold refine 

Till all success be nobleness 

And every gain divine!

Memorial Day 2009

Thank you to all those, past or present, who have served our country and defended our freedoms. We honor you today. 

God bless America! 

Inspiration

It's a rare occasion for me to leave town without my camera in tow.    And an even rarer feat to leave without my family.

This week I've done both.  

  

Late Tuesday night my sister-in-law Karey, Emma, and I set off for a grand adventure to Virginia Beach for a homeschool conference.    

Together we've spent the last few days at a stately old hotel and conference center situated  right in the heart of VA Beach city and directly on sands of the Atlantic Ocean.  The hotel is far from fancy, but the location is beautiful and it's hard not to love the opportunity to dip our toes into the ocean in between classes and speakers.  

 When I signed up to come to this conference, I expected to be taught all sorts of practical advice on how to teach multiple children and how to make our homeschool better.  I did get a lot of that, but even better, I also got to have the complete privilege of learning at the feet of other mothers and fathers who have felt similar tuggings in their hearts to bring their children home.  

I eagerly listened as they told  of how they incorporated gospel teachings into their children's educations and allowed their children to blossom and to grow at their own paces.  I was comforted to hear how many of their children  have gone on to be successful students at universities all over the country.   And the best part of all, I got to see the fruits of their labors.  Hundreds of LDS homeschool youth from 32 states and provinces, including Emma, came to the youth conference portion of the event.  These youth were invariably smart, well-mannered, socially confident, and kind.   They inspired me as much as their parents and were a testimony to all that homeschooling is about.   

More to come....

*****************************

Music or Not

Most people have this innate sense about whether or not they are a good singer.  Not me, though.  There was a day when I was totally convinced that I could sing well  and if there had been an American Idol show at the time, I probably would have considered trying out.  As it was, my saintly family put up with me singing around the house at all hours and on a  regular basis even rallying my younger siblings together and directing singing performances to be recorded onto a cassette tape.  I was always the lead singer.

The first hint that I might be mistaken about my musical abilities was one day as a teen I was singing along to the radio in the car and my younger brother jumped out and walked the 2 miles to his destination, claiming that he couldn't stand to hear me sing another second.  A couple of years later, I had a roommate who stopped every one of my cheerful performances with a dirty look and a curt, "Keep your day job."  Then finally in a church choir, I became the focus of much consternation to the director with perfect pitch who couldn't decide what to do with me and my out of tune singing.  She kept shuffling my spot around and finally put me in the back corner, where I guess I wouldn't taint as many people with my off-notes.  That was when I finally realized that I was not meant to be a musician and I was crushed.

After spending 21+ years of my life thinking that I was a fabulous singer, the realization that I wasn't brought me into a sort of mourning.   I spent the next several years avoiding  singing where anyone could hear me, thinking that everyone would just be thinking that I should just "keep my day job."  Sadly I still don't sing around the house as much as I used to,  however I  have since come to a happier acceptance about my lack of ability and  do again at least love to sing with my family.  We sing a few songs together almost every day.

One day a few years ago I read a study that found that musical ability was an inheritable trait, meaning that  someone without a musical gene could become an okay, even good musician with a lot of practice, but that it would be unlikely for them to ever be skilled enough to become a professional musician.    Aha!   Reading that article comforted me immensely that not only was it not necessarily my fault that I am not a great musician, but that I was probably a much better singer than my genetics predisposed me to, because I spent so much time honing my skill as a youth.

Thankfully for my children,  Glen's  genetic lines are much more tonal than my own and our kids are, without even trying, leaps and bounds beyond where I am musically.   That combined with a couple of kids who actually love to practice their music and it's an exciting thing to see their talents developing in ways that I could only ever dream of!

Which is which?

I was going through one of our family scrapbooks the other day and came upon this gem with all three of our girls wearing the same outfit around the same age.   Can you tell which baby is which?  (see below for a hint)  

  


And this one won't be near as hard, but here are the boys wearing the same elephant sweater handmade by my Grandma Hepworth.  Can you who is who?



(HINTS:  Cami is the chunkster with the rosy cheeks.  Ellie is the tan one, although that's not really tan, it's her natural skin tone.  Emma is the one wearing a collared shirt.

It should be abundantly obvious for the boys, but if you still need a clue here's one.... neither of their hair color has changed much.) 

How'd you do?