Can you find FOREVER?

So, I was just scrolling through my blog and found the word "forever" imprinted on the design.  I didn't know it was there.  Can you find it?  Leave me a comment, and let me know if you can find forever.

Stupidity 101

Don't you just hate it when one, stupid, little thing ends up making a BIG mark on your day?

Today I had planned to blog about my cute new haircut.  Gone are the long, curly locks.  I have an updated, razor-edged bob.  I was supposed to buy a straightener and wear it shaggy at the bottom like everyone else, but I was already on my way out of town when I got my haircut and I didn't want to back-track, so I decided I would save the straightener for another day.  However, after I styled my hair today, with its natural tendency to flip, I decided I may not buy a straightener at all.  I kinda like it this way......

So, that was supposed to be today's post... BUT the living room needed more light, and I pulled the curtain to the side to let the light in.  The curtain is held up by a tension rod, but the kids have lost the rubber stoppers out of the ends.  When I pulled the curtain to the side, the rod came down, one sharp metal end toward my face, split open my nose and scraped off the skin under my eye.  I went next door and had MJ tape it closed so I won't have a gaping scar, but instead of looking cute and chic, today is looking more like this:

 Nice!  I have mutual tonight, too.

Today, While the Sun Shines...

... give each kid a cookie and send them OUTSIDE!!!!  Yeah for an early spring!  I know it will probably get cold again, and it will probably rain again, but right now it's beautiful and I simply cannot tell you how happy that makes me!

Plus, I filed my taxes yesterday.  One big stress off my shoulders, and Uncle Sam is going to send me money.  Today is a good day!

My Valentine

Valentine's day is just another commercial holiday, where retailers rake in cash making all of us feel guilty if we didn't buy Valentines for our kids classes and hand out little heart candies and send flowers to everyone we love.  It's a time for some to brag about how sweet their Valentine is while others harbor resentment if they didn't get sent a box of chocolates or a dozen roses.  The whole thing is really absurd.  Early in our marriage, Nathan would send flowers on Valentine's day.  It was nice, but not nearly as nice as just coming home to him every night. 

Valentine's Day 1995 sticks out in my mind particularly.  Nathan sent flowers to my office.  It was his first day of work for Mountain Fuel as a meter reader.  I sat at my desk in the alternative high school and watched it blizzard all day long.  I looked at those flowers and thought of him and I felt terrible.  The route that was supposed to take three or four hours took like seven.  He came home exhausted and half-frozen.  It was not a good day.  It is, however, a very apt metaphor for our lives.

Nathan is the one who will work to no end, pay any price for a little comfort for our family.  This Valentine's day he is working again.  The phone just rang, and it was him checking in because he forgot his cell phone.  No amount of flowers or candy or cards could express how grateful I am for him.  This year has been a killer for us.  I look back at the trials that have come our way, and I wonder how we have survived.  For me, at least, the answer is him.  I can face almost anything if I can face it with him. 

I remember when I was in young women's and we made a list of qualities we wanted in a future spouse.  Did you all do that?  Some of the things I wrote down were important, like "worthy of the temple," but others were not, "likes to dance" (oh, ha ha ha on that one!).  Mostly, I had it all wrong.  What I thought I wanted, and what I actually got were different.  This is where I have to recognize the hand of the Lord in my life, because he gave me a man that was far greater than I knew to wish for.  So, this is a very abbreviated list of things I am grateful for in my husband. 

I am grateful to have a husband who:
--plays with our kids
--loves me despite all my weaknesses
--does dishes and laundry when I get lazy
--has a smile that can light up a room
--is a wonderful story-teller and can make anyone laugh
--is always sincere
--has a gift for empathy and can see things from someone else's point of view
--is kinder than anyone I know
--is so generous that he always overspends on birthdays and Christmas, while expecting very little for himself
--is the hardest working person I have ever met
--has never discouraged my dreams or goals
--puts family before all else
--is faithful and humble
--takes care of himself and looks so dang good after 15 years, that I feel very guilty that I'm not more like him!
--most importantly, is the one that I know I can love every day for the rest of my life and all through eternity.

Thank you, Nathan.  There is no one in the world like you!

For Lack of a Better Post

I'm stealing from tif-do. 


Rules:  It's harder than it looks. Use the 1st letter of your last name to answer each of the following questions. The more creative the better. Don't copy the persons you read if you have the same letter. Don't make up anything. You can't use your name for the boy/ girl name.


1. Four letter word? Heal


2. A boys name: Henry


3. A girls name: Hannah


4. An Occupation:  handy-man


5. A Color: heliotrope


6.Something you wear:  headband


7. A Beverage: herbal tea


8. A Food: hotdog


9. Something found in the bathroom: hairspray


10. A place: Helena


11. A reason to be late: hurricane


12. Something you shout:  HELP!

Improvement

After two very frustrating days of Ethan and Mazie's homeschool lessons I finally tossed out the "correct" way of doing things and fell back on my teacher training and my real-life knowledge that I cannot teach a scripted lesson-- not in high school, not in Sunday school, and certainly not in homeschool.  Last night I went through each of Ethan and Mazie's lessons and pulled out the concepts they were supposed to master.  Mostly they were all review.  Ethan is having to re-learn Saxon's coding rules, but other than that, he's far ahead of the book right now. 

Today went much smoother.  I was much more comfortable with what we were doing, and we actually had fun.  Josie built a snap-block tower while Mazie did patterns for Math.  Mazie cruised through about seven Math lessons today and about five phonics lessons.  She was done by 9:30.  Ethan needed more of my time, so I had him do his four or five math lessons (which he can do without any help) then worked through his Phonics lessons when I finished with Mazie.  We were done by 10:30.  Now Ethan is reading or playing games.  Mazie is painting nails and putting on my lipstick.  They are happy.  They have piano lessons to practice for, but I don't mind if they enjoy some downtime first.  Ethan & Dylan have scouts tonight.  Mazie's dance class was postponed until tomorrow, or we would be doing that, too, this afternoon.  All in all, I feel good about our day today. 

I would never have done homeschooling if we had lived in a strong school district.  I was afraid of homeschooling.  Now I can see why people love it. 

I Wish

A few weeks ago in church, someone said that a goal not written down is merely a wish.  Instead of getting me thinking more carefully about goals, it got me wishing.....

I wish my house in Monatna would sell.

I wish that some kind agent would decide to represent my book.

I wish that no matter the circumstances, I had the ability to make my family happy.

I wish that I could hear good news a little more often.

I wish people really helped each other like they should.

I wish I knew more than I do.

I wish I could see more clearly the meaning in my trials.

There were all these posts on facebook at the beginning of the year like, "2009 was great.  2010 will be even better!"  It made me want to hide my face and cry.  I came to a really sad realization.  This economic downturn didn't affect everyone.  The people who didn't lose their jobs or have to relocate are going to come out of this thing smelling like a rose-- they could refinance their homes for way lower interest rates.  Maybe they paid off some debts and started saving.  Maybe they bought a house for a fraction of what it was worth.  It's the rest of us that are paying the price, and frankly, it stinks.  2009 wasn't great for us, and I know several other families who suffered through it, too.  But, most people are just happily moving on.  All the news is about recovery.  Recovery may be a long time in coming for us.  I wish it weren't so, but I think that is the truth.