ELIZA JANE IS BAPTISED

OK, sorry I have been so out of the loop for a while now. I went to Cali to help my parents do some spring clean up. I was supposed to prepare and plant the garden and paint the main living areas inside the house. Well we got there and the lawn mower, rototiller and the garage door didn't work, the outside paint was peeling off, the wood work they had installed with the new floors never got painted, the window sills and door frames needed to be redone, the lemon tree taller than the roof of the garage needed trimming, the watering system had pipes broken all over..... and on. Yeah, I did a lot in one week only to come home and within half an hour have my in-laws come for the baptism. It was really nice of them to fly all the way from Chicago. I was very sad though because my dad spent half the week I was there in the hospital because my mom thought he had a stroke. It ended up being "his falling apart and there is nothing we can do about it" instead. That so upset my mother they decided she couldn't deal with coming. The first baptism in a streak of 15 so far they have missed.

The baptism went really well. The girls sang and my father in law put it on U-tube. I don't know if that is legal but he is an ex bishop and it could just look like them singing or practicing since it is not in the chapel. Legal or not-here is the link-http://www.youtube. com/v/GAxlFTYAEO Y

Three down feels good and no more little white dresses for me to find. Now I move on to suits. Thanks to everyone who came and who wished her well. It has been nice and after a week of digging a hole and hiding in it, I promise I will emerge again.

Hi Everyone

Just wanted to say Hi from Sunny California. Don't be to jealous, the rain is supposed to move in tomorrow night. I have spent my first 2 days here rotatilling the garden, planting-pulling weeds and painting. Sound familiar. Yeah, no matter where I go life doesn't change much. I haven't even started the projects I came to do. My mother had a whole list to start with. Moving through the list though and we are about to go to the park. Ah the forced rest of Sunday; I think I might keel over without it.

Announcement: Eliza's baptism is this Saturday March 29th at 2:30. Anyone welcome.

Savoring Life and Family

As we think about the loss for our community of Ross Barfuss, I want to remember what a wonderful, inspirational and kindhearted young man he was, and also draw closer to my loved ones I still have here. This is the first time I have been touched by a death of someone who wasn't old and ready to move on. I feel strongly that the Lord knows the greater needs and feel honored to have had Ross as an example for me. He truly lived a life the Savior would want in his quite testimony and service. I loved having him in my Sunday School class. I always had this impression that he was being very patient with my oddities, tangents and general obscurities. I really think he knew more than I did and helped be a terrific example and teacher in there. I want the Barfuss family to know what a blessing their family has been in our lives. Tyson is a darling home teacher-I love his cute smile and the sweetness he brings into our home.

Work in progress

I managed to put the room back together in it's introductory form. I call it me England corner. I have my English Tapestry and the paintings I have bought from there on the walls. Now I am in this spring fever phase of wanting to organize my life. Last night we-my two oldest daughters and I-went through every junk drawer in the house and threw out any pen or pencil that wasn't worth keeping. It was a terrific birthday gift to not have that looming over me. We also made popcorn "just like the Wights" for they the kids bought with their own money a whirly popper for me. It was quite the family event making the popcorn. It took 2 hours to finish the boxes of junk. Now I am going to buy one of those little drawer organizers for each desk. If I get one thing organized a day I have to make a difference eventually right!

Looking for some sympothy (see post below first)

OK, so I bath and get the boys to bed, practice reading with one child, do the spelling test with another, help another with her science test, put away dinner, debone the chicken, clean up the dishes, look for the lost form, fill out the found form plus several others and as I am just about ready to go up stairs and roll the room I have spent the last three days inbetween all my other activities edging to perfection Becca enters and says "hey, Dad's up stairs painting for you". Yes, that's right, he rolled the room for me. I know he was being helpful. I know he was trying to be nice. I just have to keep telling myself that.

Current project

OK, I have now torn my sitting room to pieces and have begun the trimming. I have finally come around to the using a brush theory rather than the tape and paint theory. My friend Nina has informed me that the "professionals" rarely tape. They use a good brush and a steady hand. It takes longer for me to edge but I don't know if that is really true when you consider the put the tape up, take the tape down and fix all the oops that leaked through. My husband is always such a great help with painting. After the edging job he did in our last homes master bath I wont let him edge anymore. I have discovered I am an edging snob. I hate when you "boff" the ceiling and of course I never know what color the ceiling is and have no ceiling paint. So instead I just try to be very very careful. So alas, I do the meticulous edge work, clean the walls, fix the holes, take everything off and out and then he comes home-picks up a roller and says-I'll help. I have finally told him he can't do that anymore because that is the icing on top of all the work. It's just not fair to do all that work and then not get to do the rolling. I will but up pictures when I am done. Next is the shared girls room. Since we have 3 girls and 2 rooms for them (the boys are the youngest so they will always share a room according to the girls) Becca and Roz will both be in middle school and will be sharing next year. To console my poor Becca from not having her own room she is designing, decorating and painting her room. She is doing it as a young women value project so we are on stand by until she gets the small requirements out of the way first. She also refuses to have the new bedding put on before she moves in. Eliza may contaminate it. As always, my house is in total disarray, the kitchen is a mess but I am painting!

Planning a Trip

So my current fun is planning a trip to Boston with Becca. I got this idea from my friend Corinne who takes all her chlidren on a mother/child trip when they turn 12. We are studing the writters from the area during the early 1820-40"s and then going to see the places they wrote at and about. Currently my list includes Nathnaiel Hawthorne, Henry James, Edgar Allen Poe, Thoreau's Walden Pond, Mary Swensen, Alcott, Emerson and Washington Irving's The legend of Sleepy Hollow. This should keep us busy for awhile. Most importantly is a trip to Kimball's icecream. They normally open on Patriots day and that is the day we leave. It might have to be our last stop on the way to the airport but I can't go all that way and not go!!!! I am actually very nervous about the trip. We rarly go on vacations that aren't driving to see family in CA or Utah. This will be the first time I am the one renting a car and being in charge. Wish me luck! We don't go until April 10th but I think the planning is just as fun as the trip itself.