Not just another manic monday.

Thank goodness!  You know, in all honesty, with all the horrible things happening, terrorists and sicko child abusers, and so much hate and apathy, obsession with Hollywood and the excess attitude of more, more, more I see all around me, the world seems kind of in a mess.  But I look for and try to note the good.  When I see something horrible, I acknowledge it happened, but I look for beauty because what good is feeling hopeless, depressed and afraid going to do anyone?  Um, no good.  So I feel weird being so chipper today, but here, I am, chipper.

I actually, factually woke up this morning and exercised, not just a short slow walk, a whole workout...which left me having a challenging time walking down the stairs for the first hour (much better now), and it totally got my happy chemicals going.  It has been a good morning.  I may have laid on Shawn's bed while he and Daphne played BBQ (yep, it's a thing) and lapsed in and out of wakefulness for 20 minutes from the sleep deprivation, but I was happy then, too.  Got some apples going in the oven as I do not yet own a food dehydrator, and Shawn, Daphne and I danced to Christmas carols and read books this morning.  I felt very lucky.  Sometimes I do not feel lucky trying to squish too much into too little some, so sufficeth it to say no house cleaning went on this morning, but I was very productive.  Honestly, I haven't seen Shawn so happy in weeks.  I had no idea he had that much joy in his little body, and it was good to see.  I think we just need to play and hang out a little more.

Yes, house (and husband), I promise, promise that the house will sparkle someday, just not for the next few years.

And, in other news because with me there is always other news, Enzo has finally accepted his comfy bed (as long as it has a pillow) after ignoring and poo-pooing it for over a week.  He is getting some serious comfort out of that thing which makes me happy because poor guy has had some kind of horrible itchy skin reaction (maybe because Daph tries to feed him ALL THE THINGS).

In conclusion, I hate evil and selfishness and darkness.  And it will not win in the end, so neener nanner, and, meanwhile, even though there are so many rotten people on earth, there are so many wonderful people who do amazing things every day, big and small.  I love watching, hearing about and being a recipient of those acts and, when I'm not being too inwardly focused (which happens when you are me trying to cope with life), being the one who does them, too.  Faith WILL defeat fear.  There is always light and truth to seek after.  And doing the right thing pays off in the end.  AND, you know, for the most part I have control of how things go down in this house, so our house will be a safe, peaceful and mostly happy place as long as I reside here (except when there is something new for dinner...that takes the smiles right off those sweet little faces).

I love this month!

I love Christmas.  It is so very, very true.  I've had plentiful Christmases in the gift department and Christmases where there wasn't a whole lot, and ever since I was little (and even very Santa obsessed), I felt the pull in my own heart to celebrate Christ's birth and all he has given us, especially amidst the commercial hoopla and hectic pace of the season.  I remember going off by myself on Christmas Eve to read the Christmas story to try to remember that even though my head was about to explode from anticipation the peace I felt as I read about Jesus's humble birth was the thing that really mattered.  This morning in Primary, as the children sang a song called Christmas Bells and I listened to their sweet voices, as I looked at a few beautiful paintings we have in our Primary room I was overcome with the spirit of the season and a lot of gratitude for my Redeemer.  He is Wonderful.  He is the Prince of Peace.  And I am so thankful for Him.  Merry Christmas!

Concert and Advent Calendar

Ah, the annual elementary school Christmas concert.  What was once torture when Lily started school and then became bearable though weird for the last several years has actually evolved into a good, traditional-feeling, but still brief (oh so important-attention span of a goldfish here), Christmas concert.  Fun to hear Ben singing Up on the Housetop just like I did when I was standing on risers in my own elementary school back in the day.  Ben was SOOO cute, doing his actions very enthusiastically and singing away (rare for my boys).  I totally let Matt get away with no concert this year.  I have heard all the songs before.  They seriously, even through 3 different music teachers in 6 years, have done the same songs for each grade (with a few variations), so I don't feel too bad, and Matt thought he was getting away with something...little did he know....I was instead.

Daph was fascinated with the seat bottoms that flipped up.  It was how she occupied most of her time, that and exchanging dirty looks with a young chap who was blowing raspberries at her.  She liked the clapping too.  I learned Matt is more of a conversationalist at a concert than a listener and observed...very educational though, bless him.

Then, because that NEED TO CREATE is always a-raging, I stayed up past 2, fell asleep plotting further creating and worked most of the morning to make and then clean up after this puppy:

Lucas brought mandatory advent calendars into our Christmas life.  YAYYY!  But I wanted something prettier with yummier tasting stuff inside, I guess.  It was fun but time consuming, and I love it.  I am certainly learning after every project I do I see immediately one thing I wish I had done differently, but naturally it is too late, but I am going to keep owning the imperfection and love the good parts.  Might as well.  That is life.

Growing, growing, huh?

You know how the older you get the more what your parents said (only parents who were actually trying.  I realize some people get loser parents) starts to make sense?  Like as I was getting all tall and my feet kept growing and my dad had to my more and more new shoes, he started to call me Big Foot.  I wasn't sure how to feel about it.  Was I a hideous freak?  Was my dad frustrated by all the expense of those shoes?  Did he think my feet were abnormal?  

I realized yesterday I have my own not so little Big Foot.  I am so tempted to call her Big Foot, but I don't want to hurt her feelings.  The reason I want to call her that is simply because the sheer nerve of her growing self just strikes me with awe.  How is it possible the little baby whose teeny feet I was taking pictures of 12 years ago now has size 11 feet.  What in the world?  That is my size.  Some women gasp in shock when you say your feet are that size.  And even now as I look at her feet, they look so much tinier than mine...it helps that she hasn't been walking on her feet for 35 years and carried 5 kiddos with that slight foot spread action that goes on, but still, size 11.  She doesn't look like it, but 10's are too small and so 11's it is.  And my bank account will be a little smaller, but we can't have her going around barefoot, so that's just how it's gonna be.