Productive

[pruh-duhk-tiv]
–adjective
1. having the power of producing; generative; creative: a productive effort. 

__________

• I mended 13 pairs of pants...90% of which had a giant hole in the RIGHT knee...both boys must kneel on that knee!  Along with multiple patches on mine and Ryan's pants.  I kept thinking Spring was just around the corner, so I could just whack the bottoms of the pants off!  Who need's patched pants?  Well, apparently WE do, because now Tanner has 5 pairs of pants, and the rest of us have a few more, too.  It's freezing outside, and only one pair of pants, the 14th pair, got demoted to shorts. 
• I finally finished editing the pictures of Kami and Garrett's Special Day.  You can check out a sneak preview of the 'second half' of those 2000+ pictures on that other blog of mine.  HERE.  I took WAY too many pictures, and she has over eighty to chose from...but I showcased my favorite on that other blog...like it says...it was fun while it lasted.  :)
• I washed, dried, folded and PUT AWAY 5 loads of laundry.  There's one left, but my legs ache like after a long day of skiing...and I think I'll go to bed.  It's just the towels, and Ryan knows by now that if there aren't any towels on the back of the bathroom door, they're in the dryer.  And he's smart enough to look BEFORE he jumps in the shower.  Poor guy.  Maybe his lazy wife could get around to getting it together one of these days, and actually hang the towels up when they're nice and fluffy and warm. 
• I've delivered ButterBraids from Tanner's swim team fundraiser, and stuffed my freezer with the ones to take to family next weekend.  I had to lock it, because it's so full, and I'm afraid to open it!  No joke.  We even made these cute little cards to attach to them... He wrote the "Thank You" and his name, along with the adorable fast fish, which I had him color after they were printed.

• I've vacuumed every room with carpet. Sounds like a lot, but there's only three rooms with carpet in this place...still, it was a chore.  Me and da' boys picked up each room BEFORE entering with the vacuum...it's a pretty good system.
• I've done my dishes.
• I've bathed my kids.
• I've swept my floor.
• I've had my hot chocolate, along with a banana...because everything else sweet was eaten earlier in the day.  Like these DELICIOUS Lemon Cream Bars, made from REAL LEMONS...not the juice in the green bottle.  I may or may not have single-handedly eaten the entire pan by myself. You really don't need to know what size the pan was, either.  So don't ask. 
• I'm going to bed, and will probably be asleep before Ryan gets home at 1 am...unless I decide to read, which will put me to sleep, anyways.

It's been a full day.  I'm liking this 'unplugged' bit.  It's utterly refreshing and productive.  And exhausting.  In a good way.  

*smile*

{9 months}

I just can't seem to get enough of this little guy.  I also can't seem to get these monthly pictures on his 'monthly' birthday...oh well. 

Anyhoo, I want to share him with you.

His little hands are ALWAYS busy.  Picking up things, feeling things, putting things in his mouth, trying to clap.  Even when he's nursing, he's playing with my face, my shirt, or my hair.

He is the happiest baby I know.  He is probably getting teeth in, but they haven't manifest themselves...yet...He's trying his darndest to crawl, but only get's out an inch-worm-army-drag movement.  Doesn't stop him from getting anywhere, though.  He follows me and his big brothers and daddy EVERYWHERE.  Speaking of Daddy, he babbles Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da all day long.  Not even a hint of ma-ma.  But he's learning to go longer stretches at night without nursing, so I'll cut him some slack.  He only uses his binky in the crib...if he doesn't get mad and throw it out, first.

He is one smart cookie.  He'll find something he probably shouldn't be playing with (small toys, the cell phone charger, the garbage can under the desk, et.) and be completely content, till I turn around and startle him with "Kortlen...what are you doing?"  and he'll roll away as fast as he can, all smiles, because he knows he shouldn't be sucking on my phone charger, or fingering Tanner's legos.  He's so content to just chill.

But I see the little wheels in his head turning...he's figuring us out...and going to be the source of much mischief in the future...I can feel it.

For now, I'm completely content to let him be content.  I'm not even worried that he's NOT crawling yet...though I wish he'd put some sort of pressure on his legs...THAT is what is worrying me.

easy Easter egg garland

Got the idea and instructions from Kirsty over at Modern Parents Messy Kids.  I was supposed to make this at a girls-night-out next week, but because Ryan has to work (and we're too cheap to get a sitter) I decided to dive right in!

Super fast.  Super easy.  Super inexpensive (paint chips are free, ya know!) and Super fun! (Thanks for the string, dad.  :) )

Inspiration

Please pause the music on my sidebar and enjoy this inspirational video...

**I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a Relief Society Conference in my Stake this morning.  It. Was. Wonderful.  The only bad part was I didn't have my diaper bag, so I didn't have tissues, or a burp cloth, or ANYTHING to wipe my wet and teary face with.  LOL!  I learned a few things about myself, as well as what I can do better to improve my attitude and circumstances, if you will.  This "Mormon Message" was shared in the last class I could attend before slipping home to nurse Kortlen...and I felt like I couldn't hardly breathe both times I watched it...but I didn't want to bawl in the middle of all the women, so I just held it in.  My heart wants to burst.  With gratitude, with comfort, and with love.

I keep watching it over, and over, and over.  Part of what keeps drawing me in is President Ucktdorf's passionate voice, part of it is the beautiful and intense music.  But the most important and inspirational part to me is the meaningful message.  Guess it's just something I need to hear today.  Right now.

"President Dieter F. Uchtdorf invites us to rely on the Spirit and use our divinely inherited ability to create things of substance and beauty. "

Enjoy.



Hopefully my renewed drive to eliminate unnecessary distractions (good-bye Facebook, netflix, questionable movies, computer time and television) will allow me to be closer to the Spirit and I'll be able to be available to listen more closely to guidance and direction.

Hopefully my children will appreciate the new attitude and tone in our home.

Hopefully communication between all individuals in our home will improve.

And hopefully, we'll find the peace and balance we've been taught to invite into and create in our home.

Today before my mom left, she helped me hang a picture of Christ prominently in our living room.  We've never had a picture of Christ hanging where it's the first thing you see.  Thanks, mom!  (And thanks dad, for letting us climb on you on the couch to hang everything else.)  My next 'to-do' is to finish and print a picture of a Temple for our living room, our bedroom, and our boys' room.  I have big ideas...just need the weather to be nicer, and the paycheck to be bigger.

I also re-hung a document our church issued in 1995, called, "The Family:  A Proclamation to the World".  You can read the actual document, and about it, HERE.  It means so much to me and my little family.

Big changes.  Little changes.  Changes, period.  Change is good.  And these changes are for the better.  They're inspired, and maybe you'll find a little inspiration in them to improve your own life, if that's what it needs.  It's what our family needs right now.

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And yes.  I completely deleted myself from facebook.  Not just my friends this time. The best part?  I don't even feel a tiny bit bad about it.  LOL!  If you don't know how to get a hold of me by now, maybe we're not as close as I thought.  :)  And if you'd like to *be* a close friend, shoot me an email...maybe we can work something out.  In fact, I'm sure we can. 

Gluten-Free Bread Success

finally.

Well, it's not perfect, but it will do.

Bunny Hunt

On our way home from Rexburg, we I decided to stop at the BYU-Idaho Gardens to see if I could snap some fun pictures of the boys.

Before I could even get the stroller and camera out, we found a new friend...

This poor little bunny was hunted down for a good 25 minutes.  The boys, Ryan included, chased this little bunny and made him run and hide and then would scare the poor little thing to death!  He was too fast for these boys, which was lucky for him!

I didn't get the 'shots' I wanted, but here's a few that worked okay...

Do you think everybody could look AT the camera, AT the same time, and SMILE?  Not a chance.

Don't worry.  If you can't get enough of Kortlen's little personality, I assure you, there will be MORE pictures of him on Friday...when he turns 9 months old!!!

{untitled}

I'm usually a pretty happy 'blogger'.  I usually don't cry about my woes on here, though on occasion, I have.

I want to just scream, and scream and scream right now.  I'm feeling defeated on so many levels.

I pictured so much more.  Why can't I be happy with the blessings that I have?  Why can't I love them?  and appreciate them?  and count them without falling apart?

My emotions are all over the place.  One moment I'm so full of gratitude, I could burst; and the next moment I'm gnashing at the bit, exploding and the tiniest infractions!

Why am I feeling like being on my knees and pouring my heart out isn't helping?  Where is this light at the end of the tunnel I keep hearing about, but cannot see?

Sob, sob, boob, boob, "get over it" already, right?

I am a mom.

And I'm a chef, a doctor, a librarian, a mediator, a chauffeur, an artist, a photographer, a life coach, a maid, a dry cleaner, a custodian, and a wife. I'm also a teacher, a resume builder, a taxi driver, a dermatologist, a scheduler, a gardener, a dishwasher, a playmate, and so much more.

One thing Ryan didn't know I was qualified in, was a Cardboard Contractor.

Check it out.  I can build gabled windows.  Looks like I'm also a professional roofer.

***The best part about having your daddy in retail jobs, is his ability and desire to obtain and set up giant boxes in PERFECT condition in your living room for you to play in when it's too cold to play outside!!***

I think it's going to be a really fun day!!!

One house down:

Two more to go!