I had actually cut all the fabric out two years ago, right before Christmas and then ran out of time to sew it. ( You see now that getting Christmas pajamas sewn by the end of February is an improvement on my track record.)
This pattern is AG Josephine’s Christmas dress. The pattern is very regency style (translation: Pride and Prejudice style).
The fabric came from my friend who makes renaissance and steampunk corsets. It’s shiney.
I started a Day Care in my home this month. It’s been kinda crazy and kinda tough, but it is worth it to me. I don’t lay awake at night worrying about how to make the money stretch. We have a plan to pay off our debt, and when that is done, I get to close the daycare!!
I thought about calling my day care Laughing Babies Day Care, mostly so that I would feel happier about it. I have always hated the day care names that are lame puns along the lines of “Krayon Kampus” and “Wee Care for Your Kids” But I hate even more day cares that are named overly sweet names like “Angel Keepers” and “Precious Moments Child Care”. Now I’m thinking Laughing Babies might be a little bit too much in that overly sweet category. (Plus no one is laughing).
The children I watch really love caterpillars, and lucky for them, I have a yard full of walnut trees, and the walnut trees are full of tent worms-which are basically fuzzy caterpillars. They gather handfulls of caterpillars each day. Sadly, the capterpillars don’t usually survive. Since they are a pest caterpillar, I don’t feel too bad about it.
Anyways, now I’m considering naming the day care “Caterpillar Campus” and in my mind it would always be “[Dead] Caterpillar Campus.” What do you guys think?
The 3 children I am taking care of are siblings, and they are sweet kids. Actually, the first few days, they were more like wild animals. But I have seen alot of improvement over the last 4 weeks, and I think they will do even better as more time goes by. I get the satisfaction of knowing that the mother and grandmother have both noticed big improvements in the kids behavior since I began caring for them. Also, Banana Cream Pie is much happier staying home instead of running errands all over town every day, and Baby Bean hasn’t seemed to notice one way or the other. I did have to sacrifice my almost daily exercise at the YMCA, but I do get to go to hot yoga one night a week, which I love, and I run around outside with the kids every day.
I have been calling them “Day Care Kids” but it seems like a slur, so I’ve decided to call them my “Extra Kids” from now on. My Extra Kids are super high energy compared to my own children. I play outside with them 2 or 3 hours every day to run off their energy and keep their minds busy with constructive things. This has been very good for Banana Cream Pie. She has always been happy to just sit on my lap all day and loves to watch movies. I tried to limit the movies before, but now she has a lot more active outside play than she ever got before. I can’t get any housework done during the day because the extra kids need CONSTANT UNWAVERING ATTENTION. Because of that, I’m not ever trying to “get something done” during the day, and Banana Cream Pie gets more of my attention than she used to.
Even though I don’t get anything done during the day, the house stays as clean as it did before because I am really strict about picking up toys before we move on to a new activity.
Also, I’ve been giving much opportunity to grow my capacity for patience and love. I’m learning how to not lose my temper when a child deliberately disobeys me or harms another child. I’m learning how to stay calm when the extra kids are screaming. (One of the extra kids is a screamer. She screams when she puts on her shoes and socks. She screams when she pulls up her pants in the bathroom. She screams when the tricycle she is riding won’t go fast enough. She screams when the magnetic wooden train won’t stay stuck together. She screams if one of the babies toddles within 3 feet of her (because she is sure they are there to take her toy). She screams if anyone touches her stuffed rhino. She screams if I put her in time out. But she does stay in time out until I say she can get up. I have been grateful since DAY ONE that she stays in time out until I say she can get out. If she didn’t, I don’t know what I would do.
The second week of day care was the hardest. I started feeling like I was seeing no improvement in the kids behavior and was worried they would act terrible forever. I was really worried that I didn’t have enough love in me to love them despite their bad behavior–and love is what I knew they needed in order to change their behavior. I was worried that I was too tired in the evening after 10 hours of Day Care to be a good mom for my school age kiddie pies. I told the DH that I didn’t know if my bucket was full enough to give so much. I read many scriptures about patience. These two were especially meaningful to me:
Psalms 37: 7-8 “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.”
Alma 26:27 “Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold the Lord comforted us, and said” Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.”
When I went to yoga, the teacher asked us all to choose a mantra for the evening to repeat to ourselves during our practice. She spent a long time explaining her favorite sanscrit mantra and what it means to her. I knew immediately what my mantra needed to be. So for my hour of yoga practice I repeated to myself “I have enough [love] and to spare. I actually prayed during yoga and asked Heavenly Father to fill me with his love so much that it would overflow out of me and onto everyone around me, especially my extra kids and my family. Though I had been tired and aching and stressed when I went to class, when I returned home I was happy, energized, and at peace. I realized that my bucket will be full enough if I ask for divine help. I realized that patience is really just another word for love. As I love my kids, I can be patient with them. It is when I become focused on myself that I become impatient. Most of all, I am grateful for Jesus Christ who is eternally patient with me as I struggle to overcome my sins and weaknesses.
Our hymn book has a hymn, “Scatter Sunshine” written by Lanta Wilson Smith. I’ve never liked it much because it is often played too slowly by the organist at church and it is just murderous to try to sing a lively song at funeral dirge pace. I have recently revisited that song and been learning the words to all the verses. It is now my go to song when I’m feeling grouchy or discouraged. I have a good friend who is a counselor and life coach. He recommends that when unwanted thoughts or emotions plague us, that we should copy the Savior and first say (out loud) “Get the behind me, Satan” and then sing our chosen hymn through several times, all the verses. I am finding this a much more effective way of using the hymns to raise my spirits than just listening to them or even than just singing through the ones I know. I had never learned any of the words of “Scatter Sunshine” by heart except the chorus. That is actually pretty unusual for me–when I sing stuff, I learn it quickly. But learning the words to the verses has been a great blessing to me this past couple of weeks. Verse 2 is my favorite:
Many times while I was growing up, I heard people say things like, “Life is a test.” and “God tests us,” and things along those lines. Though the word “test” is not in the scriptures, there are verses which use words of similar meaning, so I guess that’s where people get the idea:
Exodus 16:4 Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Abraham 3:25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
Ether 12:6 … I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
1Corinthians 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
Now in school, I was an “A” student. I mostly made “A” grades. If I ever received a lower grade, even a “B,” I felt that I had failed. Though I knew there were other kids who would be happy to have a “B” to me, 80% was failing because it was not 100%. I liked to get 100% on everything I turned in. Many times I would get back a test or an assignment and my score would be marked 98% or 95% and the 1 or 2 questions I had answered incorrectly would be marked. Those mistakes bothered me. I did not like to get even 1 question wrong and those red marks on my papers were like a physical pain to me. I would obsess about them and go over and over my wrong answers in my mind.
Similarly, through my life, I have kept in my mind a sort of spiritual report card. And sometimes I would think back to all the times I imagined I had failed the tests of life. I would count up my “F” grades and feel like a terrible failure as a daughter and a friend and wife and mother and as a child of God.
Then there was a time when I needed a specific answer from God about a thing related to my calling (the children I was teaching at church). I was really concerned that I get the right answer, and often when I prayed, I would worry that I would misunderstand what He was trying to tell me through the Holy Spirit. So I had kind of put off praying about this thing that I really needed an answer about, because I didn’t want to get it wrong.
Finally the time came that I really could not procrastinate any more. As I knelt down to pray, I had gotten myself so worked up in fear that I was actually trembling. As I began my prayer, suddenly to my mind came the kindest words:
IT’S NOT A TEST
I stopped in surprise and pondered over those words, and the strongest feeling of peace and love flooded over me. I realized some things. I realized that God loves His children even more than I do, and that He wanted them to be successful. I realized that He would speak to me in a way that I could understand so that His children could learn what they needed to learn in church and be successful. I realized that He wants me to be successful too.
Life is not a test the way I used to think. All those “F’s” I was collecting, those are washed away, erased by the Atonement of Jesus Christ when I repent. They are no more. I think that our life report card looks a lot more like the report card my kindergartener brings home. It says stuff like “Beginning,” “Progressing,” and “Haven’t worked on that Yet.”
If life is a test, then it is an open book test. It is like when I help my kiddie pies with their homework. I sit down with them and we read through the problem together. I don’t tell them the answer, but I say things like “have you thought about it this way?” or “did you try this?” I never suggest to my kids to try something that won’t work, and I stay with them as long as they are willing to keep trying.
If we will go to Him in prayer, God will go over our problems and fears with us. Through His Holy Spirit, He will inspire us to think about our problems in a different way. He will prompt us to try something we hadn’t thought of yet, or encourage us to try something we knew we should do, but were too afraid to try. He will stay with us as long as we keep coming back to Him.
If there is a test, it is not to see if you will be perfect and never make a mistake. There is no test to see if you can do life all by yourself.
The test is, Will you ask God for help?
Will you try to follow the answer He gives you?
Do you have faith to do what the scriptures tell you to do, even if it’s hard or doesn’t seem like it will work?
Will you turn to Jesus Christ for help? Will you let his Grace work in your life?
The peace that this realization has brought to my life has been so wonderful.
Matthew 7:12 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
First day of school. Blueberry Pie is headed to 9th grade, Cherry Pie to 7th grade, Pumpkin Pie to 5th grade, Peach Pie to 3rd grade, and Key lime Pie is a proud Kindergartener!
Today was Cherry Pie’s first time to give a talk for Sacrament Meeting, she being newly 12. I looked up several stories, scriptures, and quotes for her. She chose a story from our family history to share and the quote she wanted.
Today is Mother’s Day. Today we remember and honor our Mothers. Our mothers give us life. They teach us the gospel. They feed us. They keep us from eating too much candy. They help us feel better when we are sad.
President Monson said: May each of us treasure this truth; one cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.
I would like to share with you a story about my great great great grandmother, Lucy Ann Bingham. Lucy Ann had 13 children. In the spring of 1908, her youngest child, Florence, who was 6 years old, became very sick with scarlet fever. Lucy’s husband was away. Her neighbors were so afraid, they passed by the house on the far side of the street. With humble faith and patient work, Lucy Ann nursed Florence back to health. But before Florence was quite well, her 12 year old daughter, Bertha became sick. For 2 whole weeks, Bertha’s fever burned at 106*F every day. The doctor said there was no hope. He told others in town that he did not know why or how the child was still alive.
Lucy Ann worked and fasted and prayed. Bertha asked for a priesthood blessing, but the family was quarantined and no elders would come. After 2 weeks, suddenly Lucy Ann could tell that her daughter was dying. She gathered her children together around Bertha’s bed and prayed, “Heavenly Father give us wisdom to know what to do, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Just then, she heard out in the street, one man call to another. She went out and called to them, “My daughter is dying, are you afraid to come in and administer to her?” The 2 men left their horses in the street, came in, washed their hands, knelt by Bertha’s bed and anointed her with oil. Before they had finished the blessing, Bertha’s eyes were closed in peaceful sleep and her fever was gone. Lucy Ann’s prayers and the prayers of her children had been answered.
Later, Lucy Ann’s daughter wrote:
Mother’s hopes were high; that we, her children, would always remember and do the things she taught us, by her life, her words, and especially her deeds.
“Are there any sick among you?” She was there.
“Are you burdened with sorrow or shame?” a touch of her toil worn hand or words of encouragement she gave with a smile. Honor the Lord’s anointed. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy! If you cannot say anything good of people, say nothing at all. But if you look you will find good. Remember a tenth of your earnings belong to the Lord. These are words of our Savior, but they came to us from our mother’s lips.
I think all of our mothers have the same hope that we will remember and do the things they teach us and that we will obey the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Well to be accurate, I should say I love the idea of dancing, since I don’t actually know how to dance very well.
But think of it:
Wearing a beautiful dress, romantic music filling the air, slowly gliding in the arms of the one you love while you gaze into his eyes
It’s the closest life ever comes to being like a movie
Your Man doesn’t even have to say anything romantical, because who needs to talk if a Monster Ballad is blasting so loudly that the sound waves practically hold you up? What more can be said with Celine Dion screaming in the background about the power of love?
You just glide and gaze and grin at each other and it’s lovely and you can remember it forever.
Tonight we had vegan “Nirvana Enchiladas” and beet greens for dinner. It was most delicious. I commented to the DH that I had been going over the family budget and we needed to increase the diaper budget. Blueberry Pie piped up
“Yea, this new vegetarian diet is so high in fiber, the kids are spoutin’ crap like leaf blowers.”
2 weeks before Christmas, our computer decided to turn itself off and has refused to turn back on again. Just when I had glorious home internets back again, too. Sad Day.
I am reduced to posting from my phone, which is way more annoying than I originally anticipated.
So I have not finished posting all about our fabulous trip to the Great Lakes , you’ve missed out on hearing about 4 birthdays and whatever else I was going to blog about that happened this fall. I don’t even have the pictures to remind myself of what needs posting.
But I will try to keep posting, because I like to write and I love reading you all’s posts and fair is fair- you give me fun things to read, I should attempt to return the favor.
Hope your Christmas was merry and filled with love & peace.
Marvelous Pigs in Satin 