Oh Rats!

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I had to buy lawn fertilizer.

The girls came with me,

and they fell in love with baby ducks.

I didn't have my camera,

but just imagine really cute little yellow ducks.

We all got to hold them.

The begging started.

"Can we get one mom,

Please!!!???"

No, they're cute, but...

We got in the car and started talking about getting a bunny again.

Our last bunny, THUMPER, died.

Whit started to cry remembering that day.

Then out of my mouth,

"What about rats, let's get some rats during spring break."
 (my friend had told me how much fun her family had with rats)

They liked that idea.
And so,
here we are with 2 rats.
They're pretty cute.
The kids love them.
 

Look to live- treatment for the wounded spirit.

My time as a teenager is instructive to me.

The day to day details of my life then are vague.

However, how I felt through those years remains with me.

I'm thankful for this.

It's made me a better mother.

I remember vividly the feelings that overcame me when I made stupid choices.

I remember the feelings that led me to make those stupid choices.

I remember how my spirit suffered.

Like our bodies our spirits can be wounded.

Wounded by 

sin, 

pain, 

anger, 

sorrow,

and

regret.

I sliced my finger once while opening a can of tomato sauce.

I treated the wound, and covered it with a band-aid

It took awhile for it to heal.

 I don't hurt myself physically everyday.

But, everyday my spirit gets "sliced".

  How do I treat the wound?

Through the Atonement.

Through Christ I can heal.

But,

I must confess.

This is not always my first treatment option.

The treatment is easy enough-

Sincere prayer often.

Repentance in those prayers.

Reading, pondering and applying the words of Christ

found in the scriptures.

 Living the commandments of God.

In the past as I've read of Moses and the brazen serpent

I've always been shocked that some did not look so they could live.

Why, when it was so easy?

Today.

I ask this of myself.

Do I look to live?

Spiritual death is all to real.

I see it in the faces of those who don't know the treatment. 

I've been taught.

Repent.

Pray.

Read.

Obey.

Love.

 I find myself turning to other means to treat my wounds.

Artificial means.

Most often the kinds of things 

that dull my senses.

Dull my feelings

or mask them. 

Eating too much.

Surfing the web way too long.

Shopping without $$ (Retail therapy)

I can't see the wounds to my spirit,

but they are very real.

It's not always easy to see,

to feel.

If I'm honest with myself.

If I drown out all the things that pull my attention

from my heart.

If I pray out loud.

I hear,

I feel,

I know that the wounds are there.

I am not perfect.

I get angry.

I get prideful.

I do lots of things that tear at my heart.

My soul gets week.

Diseased if I don't look to live.

I want to overcome.

I want to heal.

I want to be whole.

 

Surprise its your birthday, no surprise that I LOVE you.

A few weeks ago we celebrated Jeff's birthday.

Gifts are a tough one for me.

I like them if they're thoughtful.

I could not figure out a thoughtful gift.

A gift that declares-

I LOVE YOU!

 YOU'RE EVERYTHING TO ME!

 THERE IS NO ONE ELSE LIKE YOU!

 THE WORLD IS BETTER WITH YOU IN IT! 

What to buy to convey all that? 

Things rust.

They get stored and forgotten.

Although,

making things is a whole different story.

A photo book,

a book of all our love letters,

daily [I love you because] written for a year and then bound in a book.

All ideas I thought of a week before his bday.

oops.

So instead.

A surprise open house.

6:30-8:30

Invited 80 on FACEBOOK and some via email.

His mom and I made his favorite desserts.

Cherry Cheesecake.

Lemon Lush.

Better than anything Chocolate Cake.

I also had a stash of his favorite frozen treats.

To make an excuse for my more than normal cleaning frenzy,

I explained that our good friend was coming to stay with us.

He bought it.
So we got ready for her arrival.
We even bought new kitchen chairs.
(The ones we had were cheap and kept breaking.)
At 6:30 he was building them in his Pajama pants.
The guests began arriving at 6:33.
"SURPIRSE!!  
100 people might be coming to our home tonight!"


It was amazing to have so many people help me 
show Jeff just home much he's loved. 
Half way through the party
I stuck some candles in a ice cream sandwich
(all the cakes were nearly gone).
We sang Happy Birthday.
And then I got all emotional and told everyone

 I LOVE YOU!

 YOU'RE EVERYTHING TO ME!

 THERE IS NO ONE ELSE LIKE YOU!

 THE WORLD IS BETTER WITH YOU IN IT!
I also shared how beautiful he makes me feel.
I can't remember what else I said.
I was shaking and crying.
My daughter heard me say it all,
so happy about that.

Wish I could have all our friends over every month.
 The tangibility of acceptance and love
is such a blessing from friends and family.
Relationships are really the richest part of life.
My marriage is one my riches.
My husband is a gem. 
Pretty sure he knows it.

Note to self.
Have my camera around my neck and
take way MORE pictures.
Jeff's dad got a few for me.

 

Creating a friendship.

Whitney's duck. Picture taken by her big brother.

 Yesterday was awesome.A friendship is stronger.I LOVED the deep conversation.I LOVED the sincere laughter.I LOVED an honest response.I LOVED the sense of belonging that comes with new understanding and commonality.Creating a friendship,like drawing on a page.Where the page was once blank,there is a new creation.A relationship,that enlightens that brings joy.I didn't want to say goodbye.She spoke to my heart.I understand her. Thank you my friend.
    ♥

Sisters

 I'm the big sister.But,sometimes I feel small.I'll give them a call,they'll help me feel tall.That is all.    ♥

Happy couples kiss?

  He was in the garage.I was in the house.It was late,but he wanted to finish,and I did too.He had the radio to keep him company.John Tesh.Have you heard Intelligence for your Life?Jeff did,he kissed me this morning and shared his new intelligence. From John Tesh radio: If you’ve resolved to improve your marriage – start here: kiss your spouse. According to marriage therapist Dr. Laura Berman, when couples come into her office and say their relationship is tanking, the first thing she asks them is, “When was the last time you really kissed?” Most people will say, “We don’t.” Dr. Berman’s prescription for a better marriage – kiss your spouse every day and hold that kiss for at least 15 seconds. Know this – nine out of 10 people in happy marriages kiss their partner goodbye before work, and kiss them good night before bed. 
   I asked if he wanted me to count or if he was keeping track.(Its fun to smile while kissing by the way.)We decided we wouldn't have to count.Later I figured Yankee Doodle took about 15 seconds.I'll sing it in my head  if kissing ever becomes a chore.Ha. 
♥

LICE!! How we finally conquered them at our house.

 There's a new naughty word at our house. Lice.

Gilles San Martin

Are you scratching your head yet?

 I can't talk about it without getting all itchy. Whitney was the lucky recipient.We found it a few days after the letter from school came."Please be aware that there is lice at school......"I read it.I didn't worry one bit.I should have.In fact.If you have a little girland she has hair,adopt the paranoia that I will share now.  1stMake her invisible. Add some tea tree oil into a squirt bottle with water.Spray your daughter's hair.Put her hair up.Get it off her shoulders.When?Everyday.Lice like humans not trees.Tea tree oil is awesome.I found my bottle at Walgreens.Should've been doing this as soon as cold weather hit.Hats.Coats.Backpacks.I'll hung close together.Perfect for Lice.Request that her coat goes in a bag on the back of her chair.    2ndTeach your daughter how to avoid it.Drill it in her sweet head.Don't throw your coat on a heap with your friend's coats.Don't share your hat.Don't share your hair brush.  3rdDon't be ignorant.If your daughter gets lice.Put your hair up.Don't snuggle her close to your head. Christmas Eve, I found lice in my hair.Not fun. Unless, you'd like your husband to spend hours and hours combing through your thick hair. Google "lice".They don't jump.
 4th Research.Read up on lice and understand them.Their life cycle,what will kill them.How to get rid of them.So much info online. The shampoo's and sprays are worthless.DO NOT use the spray on your furniture or mattresses.Its poison.I'd rather have lice than kill my family.I used Nix shampoo on Whitney's head.I picked 30 live Lice of her scalp after I used the shampoo.All over the internet it says the shampoo doesn't work.I agree.Olive oil.All over your head.Shower cap.Towel over shower cap.Sleep on it.14 hours I kept it on.Use regular shampoo,took about 4 rinses.Leave in some conditioner.Comb through hair with nit comb.over and over and overNo lice after that. 
 5thEmpty her room and the house.Soft toys.Extra blankets.Outside in garbage bags.  
Cover your couch with a mattress bed-wetting cover sheet.She sleeps on the couch.Give her new bedding everyday.(Throw bedding in the dryer for 20 minutes w/ heat.)No dirty clothes on the floor. Take clothes out of her drawers. All clothes come from a quarantined spot.My garden tub was perfect.Every towel, every pillow,every soft thinghas to be clean before use.Couch pillows outside too.Cover your car's seats with garbage bags. Do all of this until you see no evidence for 2 weeks. 

6th

Look for Lice often.

Even if you don't get a letter from school.If you do catch lice- Go through hair 3 times a day.Record your findings.How many lice, how many nits (eggs).Make sure you have somewhere to place them when you find them.a small garbage does the trick,or a bowl.Empty it outside in the big trash.Find a newly hatched lice (nymph).They're very small. 

Actual size of the three lice forms compared to a penny. (CDC Photo)

 Place it in a cereal bowl with tweezers.Pull a hair from your head.Run the strand of hair over the nymph.Be amazed and very scared.Like a magnet it clings.Be consistent.Be a bit paranoid.Work hard.Give up your all the things you did for fun.Oh, and if you think you've conquered them.think again,Give it a good 2 weeks.Before you think you're in the clear.

7thTry to stay calm.Ha. Good luck.I was plagued for a month.Getting lice flat out stinks. Going through thisI'd remember all the stories of other womens' trials.They were strong.They didn't cave to frustration.You know the stories.The ones that are told from the memory of a prophet, some noble gentleman,or a great women. "My mother was the epitome of patience and fortitude."
I cried like a baby one day.so frustrated !!!!!!!!!!!It was the first day back to school-after Christmas break.I had day of plans,the girls were happy to see friends again.I checked again,just to make sure.You guessed it!Lice.Thought we were done.Nope.Not out of the clear unless its been like 3 weeks.I haven't seen anything for 2.I'm still checking.These bitty things.These horrible pests. They broke me. At first I was confident and calm. But day after day it got to me. My daughters may never be prominentor great now. Are their stories really true?The children of those women must have selective memory. In the moment the thought was to handle it better butcrying along with them seemed like the perfect solutionalong with getting even more paranoid, more consistent,and CRAZY!Ya it hurts my pride now.But life goes on.I will say,during it all I tried to count my blessings.(In order of importance.)A little girl's prayer. Netflix Wallace and GrommetGoogle   My patient husband Clothes Dryer  Washing MachineFriends with experience Freezer Shower capsHead lampsLeather couch  
I'm gonna go check my head.