Farmer Jo

My obsession was ignited at a mini-enrichment entitled "Winter Sowing." I planted various flower seeds in 3 empty 3 qt. ice cream buckets. I placed them hesitantly outside on my patio hoping that the snow would not deter their growth. Patience. Prayer. I peeked at them the first day the sun was shining. Nothing. More patience. More prayer. To calm my anxiety I planted 5 more buckets with more flower and vegetable seeds. More snow fell. Two weeks later, the sun came out and trepidly I opened the buckets. I knelt down beside each bucket tenderly opening the lid to peek. Nothing, nothing, nothing, oh, a few green stems, so tiny, peeking up from the beautiful black soil. Smiling, I put the lids back on the buckets. More patience and more prayers.
I decided I needed more containers. I purchased 3 peat seed starter kits. Each one could hold 72 plants. I followed the instructions carefully. Watching the mounds swell up with water reminded me of the glow worms I so enjoy watching on the fourth of July. I placed 2-3 seeds in each mound. I put the plastic cover on and carried all 3 trays to a sunny place in my bathroom. These seeds sprouted quickly and soon I removed the lid to allow the leaves to soar. I quickly realized that some of the plants would need to be planted or they would perish. Sadly, it was still too cold to transplant outside. Several seedlings died prematurely. I have no idea why. Concerned that all the other seedlings would soon expire, I decided to move them to Styrofoam cups giving them a bigger pot to extend their roots, grow stronger, and wait for warmer weather. This process was slow and has absorbed my entire kitchen. It has enabled little fingers to touch and sometimes accidentally pull the tender plants right out: dead. Unfortunately, the transplanting was not entirely successful. I have lost about 1/3 of my starts.
The weather is warming up. I have placed 13 plants in the ground. Immediately 4 died. A few days later and 3 others are struggling. I am fearful to plant the others. I talk to them, encouraging them to grow and be productive. I water them & weed around them. I watch over them chasing away little feet & fingers too excited to be careful. I have also planted several seeds directly into the ground: flowers & vegetables. I have enlisted help of all the little people in the area to assist me in hopes that they will feel a sense of ownership and want to be careful in the all to inviting dirt. Patience & prayer.
I started this project with over 450 seeds. I have lost over half. With any luck I will still have a garden, but as of yet I am uncertain what I will harvest. I am amazed at how emotional I am with regards to these seeds. I mourn when they die and I anxiously await to see which plants will make it. I also realize that while it is easy to sow the seeds it requires so much effort to sustain them. And, even with lots of care, some still don't make it. Farmer Jo may not be a deserved title for me. I am still an apprentice in the field of gardening. And while I continue to learn and develop my green thumb, I recognize that without the Almighty's help, I would completely fail.

Fun, "Free" , & Marie

We were all excited for grandma's visit during Spring Break. When I'd asked her what she'd like to do she said, "Oh, I am sure you'll find some fun free things to do or we'll just hang out." I researched fun & free ideas for 2 weeks unable to come up with anything. I started to worry until I was at the checkout station of Costco. I read a flier that Marie Osmond would be at Costco to do a book signing while my mom would be in town. I thought perhaps this might be something my mom would want to do.
My mom arrived ready for fun and I became really ill. Yuck. I felt terrible. My mom was wonderful. I went to bed. She fed my kids, washed dishes, swept floors, took trash out, and played with the kids. I woke up and thought maybe we could take the kids to play at the mall since it was snowing and they were becoming too stir crazy. I remembered that Marie would be at Costco later that day and told my mom about it. She became really interested. She even had just purchased Marie's book. After 90 minutes at the mall I was done. All of my desires to help my mom have a fun time fled at the reality of my body wanting bed. We went home. My mom & the girls went back to Costco. They returned home later without seeing Marie. The line was too long. I felt terrible. My mom made dinner and did the dishes. I felt worse. My mom told me Marie would be at Deseret Book store the following evening and suggested that maybe we could try again. I really wanted to.
The next day, I felt much better. My mom took us to lunch ($$). We took the kids to Kangaroo Zoo ($$). We didn't have time to take some kids home if we were to make it to see Marie so we all went. In haste, I wasn't prepared for a day long adventure. To appease Noah, I promised him he could find the new release of a book he'd wanted and read it in a corner while we saw Marie. He was excited about this. I ended up buying the book plus a book for Emma that she'd found and didn't have time to finish ($$). We dropped Elizabeth & my mom off to get a place in line. I took the other kids to Wal-mart to buy treats ($$). Rilla had a blow-out and was needing a change of clothes. I dropped the kids off at the book store and took Nathan & Rilla next door to Babies R Us. We found a pair of Jammies for Rilla ($$), a toy for Rilla to give her something to do ($), and Nathan found some super yummy chocolate covered animal crackers he just had to have ($). I ended up feeding & reading to several other children as well as my own. I considered putting a sack out with the word, "tips for the store nanny" scrawled on it, but didn't have a sack. I was happy that Tessa made friends with one little girl and that kept her pleasant and entertained. My only concern with these "orphans" was that I never saw their guardians and had hoped no one would come after me, angry that their children had managed to swipe candy from a stranger's child's carseat. I also was a bit concerned that two children seemed deeply in love with Rilla and couldn't keep their hands off her. I tried not to think about where those hands might have been nor what germs might be passed to my sweet baby. And, I am glad I allowed them to play with her since it has been a week and Rilla has no signs of strange diseases.
I borrowed a phone and called Ray to tell him where we were and not to worry. He suggested that we get dinner out ($$) and that he'd take care of his own dinner.
We did see, meet, and got our picture taken with Marie. My mom was elated! So, while I am not sure this experience can be categorized as a "fun & free" activity, it was a huge success.
Two and one-half hours in a tiny children's nook in an over-heated and extremely crowded bookstore with six kids of my own plus all the others I entertained was priceless just to see my mom so happy.

Rain

We were in the car together as a family. It was raining. Emma asked, "Mom, who do we pay when it rains?" I replied, "What do you mean?" Emma repeated, "Who do we have to pay when it rains?" As I thought what a strange question she'd asked, I found myself very happy thinking that mankind had not taken a true gift from God and found a way to capitalize on it. I then shared my feelings of gratitude for the rain and how blessed we are to received it when Heavenly Father sends it.
My bubble of euphoria burst later that night as I watched the news. They reminded me of a law I find completely ludicrous. The law states it is illegal to collect rain water in your yard using any kind or size of a container. Mankind is stupid.
I did not share my knowledge of this law with Emma. She should only feel love and gratitude to God for the rain instead of realizing the perverse & corrupt nature of man.

Easter Sunday

Easter was very different this year. We didn't dye eggs. We didn't have company. We didn't even make cute decorations. Sadly, we didn't even get a picture with us all dressed up in new Spring clothes. Ray & the kids suggested that I cook a turkey instead of the traditional ham. They then proceeded to tell me that they don't even like ham. Sadly, I didn't even get my Special Easter Family Home Evening taught. We didn't even have a wonderful church meeting filled with talks about the Atonement & Resurrection.
I cooked a ham anyway. My children must have sensed by defensiveness about wanting ham on Easter because no one complained and everyone overly stated how much they all love ham. I did make a special brunch of crepes which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Nathan was sick and Ray stayed home from church to be with him. The two of them stayed in pjs all day until Nate had a horrific accident of such disgusting proportions that I can not write the details. I will say that I ended up throwing those pajamas away. Nathan had a bath while Ray mopped the entire second story of our house after taking a room rug outside to hose off.
We did have a small egg hunt because Elizabeth hid the eggs. Nathan even participated. He found his first egg, shook it then shouted, "Pennies!" When he opened it and discovered M & M's he was confused but happy. (Read Easter Post) I was worried about him eating too much sugar/chocolate. I should have acted on this worry.
We watched a church movie about the Savior together. I was ready to dig a pit and jump in it when Tessa asked me what Atonement means. I have failed at many levels this Easter. The good news is that I am able to partake of the Atonement and try harder. I am still trying to tell myself that at least I did not make a big to do about the Easter Bunny....
This was the most interesting Easter I've ever had and I hope to never have another one like it again.

Shopping with Nathan

The week before Easter I decided that if I was to find and purchase Easter dresses for the girls, I would have to take Nathan shopping with me. Now, this might not sound like a big deal. I do have four older children and have taken them all shopping with me many times with not too many horror stories to relate. Nathan is different. I would rather take all six children than Nathan by himself any day. Truly.
Anyway, the first day of shopping we survived. I limited our outing to two stores. I allowed him to try on shoes and choose a bag of Easter candy. We were only gone 2 hours and I was feeling really successful and a little over-confident in Nathan's abilities to handle shopping. I found and purchased dresses for 3 of the four girls. Only Elizabeth's dress to find.
The following day was a little rougher. We still only were gone 2 hours and only went to two stores. He didn't get to try on shoes, but he did get a cookie. It seemed like we were going to make it, but then when my back was turned for 2 seconds, he escaped the cart. At first, I sweetly called to him. I looked around the isles and under the clothes racks thinking he was enjoying his favorite game of hide & seek. After 10 minutes I started to worry. I asked a couple of people if they'd spied a little boy wandering around. I was ready to enlist the help of the employees and succumb to the humiliation of being a delinquent parent when I heard a faint giggle. I found Nathan standing on the center post of a clothes rack next to where I was standing. I was unable to see his feet because they weren't on the ground. He thought this was super funny. I was ready to pass out from worry. I tried to secure him in his seat belt to keep him from disappearing again. The seat belt was broken. We left the store with him screaming, "I hate you! I want a different Mommy!" I realize so far this isn't unique to Nathan...just keep reading.
The 3rd day of shopping it decided to snow. Nathan refused to get dressed. I would remove his pj's and dress him. He would strip and put his pj's on again. I tried to excite him with promises of a fun adventure. He adamantly refused to be persuaded. I decided to take him to the store in his jammies. We arrived at the store. He unwillingly was put into the cart. He had a determined scowl, but wasn't crying or screaming so I still felt hopeful. Upon entering the inviting automatic doors, Nathan spied his first victim, an older woman happy and cheerful. He pointed at her, while screaming, "Stop looking at me! I don't like you! You are a mean lady!!!" As she cowered, two other woman witnessing this spectacle started to laugh. Nathan pounced. He began to scream while pointing, "Why are you laughing at me?" "Mom, those ladies want to steal me!" "Help me!" Seriously. I had only made it in the store 5 feet. I decided to make a quick dash to the girls dresses. I smiled as kindly as I could to the women as I passed. I sensed Nathan's sense of victory as he saw the woman stare blankly as we passed. No one was laughing or smiling. I was determined to not let Nate beat me. I was encouraged when he smelled popcorn and began to beg for some. I made a deal. It worked. We left the store only offending half of the patrons. I decided to quickly dart into another store next door since Nathan seemed a little happier. Wrong move. He was good in the store for the total of 2 minutes in took me to realize they too had sold out of dresses. Unfortunately, leaving the store was the problem. He took off running around a corner. I had Rilla in her car seat and was unable to break out into a good sprint. I yelled for him to come back. Only the faint laughter was his response. The wind whipped my hair about and dirt into my eyes. Contacts and wind are incompatible. Rilla started to cry as her blankets were not staying put. People in their cars were pulling over, rolling their windows down to politely inform me that my son was running wildly and then criticize me for allowing him to be on his own. Lucky for me, Nate let his guard down. While his back was turned, I'd caught up to him, scooped him with my free arm and hauled him back to the van. His kicking and screaming were nothing compared to the snow and nasty wind. Shopping for dresses truly was not that important.
Elizabeth happily went shopping with me on Saturday afternoon. She settled on a skirt and blouse. I am happy the shopping is over and have recommitted to remaining a shut-in until Nathan goes away to college.

Easter

April 11th, Saturday, 2009

We were invited to attend Jeffery's baptism the Saturday before Easter Sunday. Baptisms are always wonderful to attend. I feel uplifted and renewed at every one I attend. I enjoyed the speakers and particularly one analogy I'd never heard before. A Bishop compared the Gift of the Holy Ghost to a full soda can. When a soda can is full it is very hard to crush, but when it is empty the can crushes easily. It is the same with us. When we are striving to follow Heavenly Father's commandments we will be worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. We will be strong and able to withstand many "crushings" caused by sin and temptation. Thank you Jeffery for your example by being baptized and for inviting us to be there.

Sariah hosted a yummy brunch and egg hunt afterward. I had prepped Nathan for the fun hunt throughout the morning. I had promised him he'd find a treat inside an egg only if he would be quiet during the baptism...I had forgotten that Sariah's boys have committed to forgo candy so I held my breath when Nathan discovered money instead of candy inside his eggs. He was so excited about finding the money that he never once asked where the candy was! After tithing was paid, he was still happy to have lots of coins to put inside his froggy bank. Again, thanks to Sariah & family for a Great day with lots of teaching opportunities!

RS Calendar

I decided to take my calling seriously and create the best RS calendar I could imagine....
I wanted it to be seen easily from a distance...for those of us with failing sight.
I wanted pockets for every day of the month to hold quarter sheet fliers advertising our ward activities.
I wanted it to be easy to update each month.
I wanted everyone to feel comfortable in using it.
I wanted it to be cute...
After a gigantic mishap on my first attempt I started over and am pleasantly content with the outcome.

As you can see it takes up nearly the entire bulletin board.

A Night at the Wax Museum

The entire 5th Grade put on a "Living Wax Museum." Each child chose an historical person whom they wanted to research. Each child then wrote up a little dialogue to share as if they were the true historical figure. Costumes and props were added to give a sense of reality. Five classrooms were emptied then filled with "wax" figures waiting patiently, frozen in a pose of their choice until a visitor to the museum came by and pressed their button. The character would spring to life relating a tale about his life and then resume a frozen pose to conclude. It was really cool and I learned a lot.

Noah chose to be Samuel Langhorne Clemens more commonly known as Mark Twain. I was surprised by Noah's choice. Noah apparently had read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and was inspired by it. He now joins other famous critics in offering his praise for this book as well as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Prince and the Pauper. Noah and I enjoyed reading some of his humorous quotes. Noah's favorite quote that he included in his monologue is, "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it... The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'" Interestingly, Mark Twain died the night after he observed Hailey's Comet in the sky.

Emma's Pets

Emma frequently reminds me that she is our "middle child" and feels that placement is unjust as she suffers both neglect and too much attention from her younger siblings. One of her biggest trials has been the "only" one in the family to not have her own pet. Noah has a lizard, Tessa has the dog, Elizabeth has the cat...
I have done my best to reason with her explaining that while we did acquire a cat for Elizabeth and Dash came to live with us because of Tessa, these pets truly are for the entire family. These explanations worked for a couple of years. I tried a new tactic explaining that we did not have the space for another pet. This no longer is a valid excuse. I then explained that pet ownership is a HUGE responsibility and one needs to prove worthy of such a stewardship. Emma seemed to understand this reason the best. So every time she would throw a tantrum, I could say something to the effect of, "Emma, this behavior does not demonstrate your readiness to become a pet owner." She usually calmed down.
For several months now, she has come to me privately to hear my assessment of her progress. I started to panic because she truly was improving her disposition and demonstrating responsibility. I was running out of stalling tactics.
So when Emma returned from a friends house one afternoon excitedly relating to me her experience with their chickens, I contemplated a new idea....
I recall being young and living in Southern California in an extremely urban area and yet we had chickens. They were mean and nasty and I was terrified of them. Yet, it was often my job to collect the eggs. Being the oldest, I could force my brother to come with me to hold the nasty beasts back while waving a stick at them while I hurriedly grabbed the eggs. I hated this. I hated the smell and I hated the chickens. I especially hated fall when the chickens would be too old to lay eggs and that meant they would be readied for dinner. I don't want to describe the images that still haunt me...let's just say that I did not eat chicken until adulthood.
While I did not like being a chicken farmer, I thought perhaps Emma might. The need and desire to be self-sufficient seemed good reasons for having our own chickens and enabling Emma to call an animal her own would be a bonus.
We now, or rather, Emma is now the proud owner of 2 pet hens: Posie and Roxy.

Ray has threatened Emma with the prospect of eating her pets if she fails to care for them properly. I have reminded him that one should only threaten if one will actually carry out the threat. He has become much more supportive and helpful to Emma in her responsibility.