My Little Sister Turns 26!

Today is my sister Rachel's 26th birthday.  Here is a tribute, by the numbers.

1.  She is my best friend.

2.  She calls me nearly every day.  And always asks, "What can I do to help?"

3.  She means it too.  When I was really sick, pregnant with Ethan, she would come over once a week and help me get into the tub and shampoo my hair and shave my legs for me.  The thought of this still makes me weep.

4.  She makes incredible caramel...and then dips delicious things into it (pretzels and apples) and covers them in chocolate.  It's a gift.

5.  She likes to quilt.

6.  But she's allergic to fabric.

7.  This makes getting dressed difficult.

8.  Her morning ritual (to address the allergy problem) would shock you.  It would be enough to make me stay in bed.

9.  She's also allergic to most everything else.  Including peanuts.  Which she just discovered this year!

10.  She is about to have her third baby.

11.  I knew about this at least 6 weeks before she was ready to tell me.

12.  She does amazing permanent make-up.

13.  She would love to get her hands on my eyebrows, but she has graciously never mentioned it.

14.  She is gorgeous.

15.  She came to visit me once at BYU.  She got hit on several times at our ward dance.  Those RM's were shocked when she told them she was twelve!

16.  She is absolutely brilliant at all things Adobe.

17.  Her husband is 8 years older than her.  And he's a red head.

18.  Neither of which I ever would have predicted.

19.  They have one of the strongest marriages I have ever seen.

20.  She likes to win an argument.

21.  She doesn't cry easily.

22.  She plays the violin.

23.  She is fiercely loyal.   I trust her completely.

24.  Despite trials that would have laid me flat, she is the most optimistic person I know.

25.  The night she was born, I told my Dad to come home and wake me up if it was a girl.  (I had four younger brothers already.)  I remember being so tired when he woke me, but feeling like I had to make a show of my delight, I roused myself and started jumping on the bed.  "I have a sister!  I have a sister!"  And then hoping that was enough, I laid back down and went to sleep. 

26.  This morning I jumped on my bed again in your honor.  I'm so glad you're my sister.

Love you, Rara.

Exhibit A

When they haul me away in a straight-jacket, you'll know why.  I would like to enter the following picture into evidence:

I vacuumed through the girls room today and found this under their beds.  Please keep in mind that we keep some of our food storage under their beds so there is really only about 6 inches of space to cram things out of sight.  This is what I found in that six inches.

The part of this that makes institutionalization a real possibility is that yesterday we couldn't find the ward phone list.  (Which is absolutely necessary for survival around here.)  I asked David to go look under the girls' beds.  (I know, don't ask.)  He came back and reported that it wasn't there.  Do you see what this means?  Yesterday David looked under these beds and saw all of this stuff and happily left it there.  Arghh!

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I beg you.

3 Nuts at the Nutcracker

I have been waiting my whole life to take my girls to the Nutcracker.

Friday night was finally our date with destiny.

We went to the Arts Center where Ballet Etudes put on the Nutcracker and it was gloriously fun to be all-dressed-up and out-on-the-town with my two girls.

We had a dinner at a "fancy" restaurant where Olivia said with complete incredulity, "Wow, Mom, this is better than McDonald's."  As if she could hardly believe that was possible.  (Our cultural experiences are, apparently, sadly lacking.)  They even served sorbet between courses...the girls were in complete astonishment...sherbet before dinner!?

 

We only get about three times a year where it actually rains and Friday night just happened to be one of those nights.  And it was coming down!  Of course we don't even own an umbrella, so we were pretty wet (deluged!) by the time we made it to the Nutcracker.  I actually had to take off my heels, hike up my floor-length skirt and run for it.  The girls found this delightfully improper.

The ballet was beautiful, Tchaikovsky's music incredible, and my girls we're completely mesmerized by the story and costumes and amazing dancing.  I loved sitting in the dark performance hall, watching the expressions on my girls' faces as the ballet unfolded before them, and I found this night with my girls as magical as Clara must have found hers.

Word of the Week: Sedulous

sedulous /adj./ persistently or carefully maintained. diligent in application or attention.  persevering, determined.  plugging. tireless.

sedulous /adj./  1.  I wish I hadn't chosen "sedulous" for the word of the week.  It seemed to define my whole week, and made me wish I had chosen "felicity" or "ameliorate" or even "rapture."  I could use some rapture.

sedulous /adj./  2.  My Christmas cards are still in a terrifying state of undone-ness.  David was my sedulous administrative assistant yesterday, trying to help me find correct addresses and enter them into the computer.  This was a monumental job.   My version of an address book is  just a big file (my idea of organization...ha!) where I throw scaps of paper with addresses scribbled on them (with or without a NAME!).  Yesterday I found three addresses just for Kelly jammed into this "file."   Then comes the exciting game of "Name The Current Location!"  And this is only half the battle...I did work sedulously on my Christmas letter this week, but it still needs to be folded and stuffed, not to mention writing the actual cards.  

sedulous /adj./  3.  It was also another week of sedulous work in the kingdom of God, culminating with a talk I had to give yesterday in sacrament meeting.  (So happy to have that out of my head.)  My assigned topic was our 2008 YM/YW theme "Steadfast and Immovable" from Mosiah 5:15.  (See, even the talk theme was just more synonyms for "sedulous."  Crazy.) 

sedulous /adj./  4.  Yesterday was my mom's 58th birthday.  She is the very definition of "sedulous."  Everything in her life has been carefully maintained, and she is the most persevering, tireless person I know.  She raised nine children, and I cannot comprehend the kind of commitment and covenant and "plugging" resolve that required.  Most days I wonder, "How did she do this?"  She is a wonder and wonderful.  And I love her.   I see how she gave up her life for me and spent every day sedulously working for my blessing.  Happy Birthday, Mom.

sedulous /adj./  5.  I'm not sure how to talk about this last definition, other than by saying that some weeks it is easier to be sedulous than others.  Some weeks the fetal position looks entirely more inviting than the plugging tirelessness required to keep going.  Sometimes perseverance requires real, concerted, purposeful effort.  This week was like that for me.  But through it all, I felt the tender mercies of the Lord surrounding me.  He is always there for me, and I offer my humble testimony that He knows me and takes sedulous care of my heart. 

He Might Look Like Me, But He is DEFINITELY His Father's Son

One of David's most charming (and little known) quirks is that he sometimes mixes up his compound words and idiomatic expressions....

I still remember the time he said, "That fits him to a Q!"  (Tee hee.)  Or "He really went off on his soapdish on that one."

Ethan has apparently inherited this delightful quality.

He keeps telling me, "Mom, I love my beanstalk." 

It took me a while to figure out he meant "stocking."

His beanstock. 

Do you all have your beanstocks hung?

SPT: Getting Carded

This is my first SPT.

A day late and a dollar short, as they say.

For me, Christmas cards are the best part of the holiday season.  I could happily eliminate most everything else...but I LOVE Christmas cards.  Sending and receiving.  And I love the USPS.  They are a wonder and a marvel, and all kinds of joy for only 41 cents.  Amazing.

So here is the basket I have kept our Christmas cards in every year since we've been married.  (My little hoard of love and Christmas cheer.)

But last year, I went to my sister-in-law's house and she had her cards displayed on ribbons...attached with clothespins...right out in the open, so everyone could enjoy them.  Feel the love, people!  

(Sadly, I am as tired as I look.  Can you even tell that I did put make-up on this morning?)

So I copied my s-i-l, Beckie, and hung two ribbons on the walls that lead into my kitchen...I had to take down the family picture that normally hangs here, which my husband will think is absolute blasphemy, but I decided to risk it.  Yep, I'm livin' on the edge.

Now all I need is the cards!  Only one so far...I usually curse the "early birds" with all their organizational skills and well-laid plans, but I'm starting to worry a bit here on December 6th.  Not that I am personally even close to sending my own out...my Christmas letter isn't even out of my head and into the computer yet, not to mention the yearly scrounge through my cupboards and files for the scraps of papers with the correct addresses scribbled on them.   Someday, I am absolutely going to get it together.

Word of the Week: Dragoon

dragoon /vt./  to force someone to do something. coerce.

dragoon /vt./ 1.  Mostly by guilt and even a few tears, my children finally dragooned me into putting up the Christmas decorations.  I don't know why I detest this job so much, but the deed is done.  My real problem is that I think Christmas decorations look absolutely garish in the light of day, and only really like them twinkling away at me at night.   Also, it really has been too hot to even think about Christmas.  Then Friday, it clouded up and rained (real winter weather for sure) and so I pulled out the boxes.  Honestly, I am a big fan of the old-fashioned English Christmases...where you go gather holly and pine boughs on Christmas eve, light some candles and (voila!)...one magical night to celebrate the birth of the King of Kings.

(my new wool wall...it's supposed to be snowman supplies...minus the snow.)

dragoon /vt./  2.  Our bishop asked the young women to clean the church every Saturday until the end of the year.  I felt put-out, over-worked, and a bit fed-up.  All week, I fussed inside between acknowleding that I was lucky to have a building to clean and worship in, and feeling dragooned into giving up my precious Saturday morning for "more church service."  (Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love.  Oh, yes.)  I had a wonderful experience, though, cleaning and scrubbing with "my girls" (who only needed gentle persuasion to show up and help...they are so good.)  I felt lighter and happier as I left that building than I have this whole holiday season.   And wondered, again, why I have to be dragooned into doing anything for the Lord...because, as usual,  any bread I cast upon the water, comes back toasted and buttered.

dragoon /vt./  3.  We went to Amy and Jim's house last night for dinner.  (I know, I know...lucky me.)  This was the first time we've ever really met Jim (he doesn't remember us from the wedding reception...other things on his mind apparently).  He said he was being dragooned into being "demure" for our benefit...but I believe he really is that charming and gracious.  The food was incredible...even cake for dessert.  (I never get to the cake part of hosting...just getting the meal on is a job.)  The conversation and the company were even better than the food (and that is saying something!) and I was again so grateful for the forces that have been at work to bring us back together.   And even better than just back together...together with "our one-and-only's" which somehow made us more complete and whole than I remember.  We had to dragoon the kids into the car when it was time to leave...they begged and begged to stay...and Jim offered the spare room.  I can't wait to have them over this way...we don't have a spare room though, so they'll have to bring sleeping bags.