Snapshot

I’m going to give you a peek inside my purse.
Actually, it’s not literally a peek.  I meant that figuratively.  It’s  more of a list.
Today at the doctor’s office I was searching through my purse.  The things that I found there made me smile, and struck me as a little snapshot of what my life is full of right now:

An inch-thick stack of insurance cards, with the one I need always seeming to be at the bottom.

A pair of very small flip-flops

A pitch pipe

A chapstick with bite marks in the top

A fairly large collection of cub scout awards

Several grocery receipts, each of which is about 3 ft long

A stale pack of gum that I didn’t know was there

Somebody's pocketknife- not sure whose

Assorted painkillers of varying strengths

A few tissues and napkins - mostly unused

Two pair of sunglasses that have too many scratches to see through

And a wallet that is never quite as full as I wish it was.

Noticeably absent were diapers and wipes.  I was keeping my fingers crossed that I didn’t need them.

In my blood

 

Music is in my blood.

This is a picture of my Grandpa Webb playing the sax in the Webb brothers band.  I recently read a book about my ancestors who lived in the Mormon colonies in Mexico in the late 1800s.  They were known for their musical talents (and their love of literature).

Going to BYU, majoring in music, almost sucked the music right out of my blood… if that is possible.  It certainly squashed the love of music right out of me.  It was a competitive program, and I was actually kicked out once and advised to find another major.

Long story short… I begged my way back in, and worked hard to graduate.  But by the end I was pretty scarred.  I couldn’t stand to listen to anything, because my brain couldn’t escape the habit of analyzing everything I heard.  My confidence in my skills was shot, and I found no joy in singing.

Today I declare myself officially healed.

Last week I sang The Lord Bless You and Keep You with some of my sisters.  It’s one of our specialties, and sometimes I take it for granted.  But it is really beautiful.  What a privilege it is to sing with my amazingly talented sisters!  To be able to blend without effort, and feel each others breathing and dynamics without having to say anything.  What a joy that is!

Today in church I led the singing for the congregation.  I felt joy as I led so many people in singing praises. 

I also directed the ward choir.  Everyone worked so hard to learn their parts, looking to me to teach them and help them.  I loved the challenge of trying to make that music as beautiful as it could be!  And I felt confident in my skills, and my ability to do the job.

I even feel grateful for my time at BYU, and the things I learned there.

Yes- music is in my blood, right where it belongs.   I missed it there for a while. 

Lots and lots of pictures

I wanted to post lots of pictures of our Mt Graham trip, but scrolling through one picture at a time can be so tedious.  So instead I made collages.  Plus… I wanted to practice my newly-acquired skills in Picasa!

Here are some shots at the cabin:

And some from our Davis family camping trip:

Have I mentioned that I love that mountain?  I really do.

Fast learner

Jonah is having a great time in Kindergarten.  He’s making lots of new friends.  But I’ve been noticing a pattern.

Just when he makes friends with the person sitting next to him, they get moved.  It’s happened to Logan, Savannah and one other friend who was there such a short time I didn’t learn his name.

The other day I asked Jonah about it. 

“Your teacher sure does seem to move kids around a lot.  How come the kids next to you keep getting moved?”

Jonah responded knowingly, “Well, you’re not s’possed to talk to each other or else you get in trouble.  So when the teacher looks at you talking to your friends, you just say ‘Shhhh’ really quick.  The one who says shhh doesn’t have to move.”

I knew he’d be a fast learner!

Chaos

You know that scientific theory that states that everything in the Universe is always drifting toward chaos?  I would like to submit my household as evidence that it is true!

No matter how hard I work, or how fast I run, I cannot possibly keep up with the rate at which things unravel around here.

Who am I that I should stand against the forces of nature?

Sometimes I feel powerless.

Back to School

My biggest complaint right now is this:   WHY can the school not charge a fee, and then provide the school supplies???  I have been to Walmart at least 10 times so far, and every day somebody else comes home with one more thing that they found out they need.  Sheesh!

It does feel good though, to start a new school year.  It feels like a chance to reset any bad habits we have fallen into over the summer (staying up late, watching too much TV, etc.) and start fresh with our goals and schedules.  I was thinking that I couldn’t wait to get my house clean, but somehow that hasn’t happened yet.

My little buddy for the last five years has left me.  At least it’s only for half-day.

 

Notice the road-rash on his forehead from his loving older brother.

Here are the other kids looking so dapper in their uniforms.

Now if only the weather would cool down, we could call summer officially over.  Yesterday Caleb came home with a heat headache so severe that he threw up.  I’m sorry to have passed on that particular gene.

But I’m rambling…

Nose

Cozy

This morning, after the kids were gone to school, I bribed Rebecca to watch Jonah and Simon for an hour.

I climbed back into my cozy bed.   Ooooo…. what a great feeling! Sliding into the cool sheets, surrounded by pillows, with the vent blowing freezing air onto me.  I felt like I was in the lap of luxury.

But first we did a little of this:

It turned out to be pretty uneventful.  Yesterday we happened to time things just right, but not today. 

No rush.

Other Worldly

We spent last week on Mt. Graham.  It was rainy and foggy and magical.

Jeff and I went for a ride on the 4 wheeler, and I kept expecting a unicorn to step out of the forest.  Or maybe a resurrected being.

It’s amazing to me that such a beautiful place is plopped right in the middle of the desert!

More about the trip later.

CPU upgrade

Last night I was telling Jeff that my brain was like an overloaded computer.  I have too many “programs” that are running constantly.  It bogs down my mind, so that I have trouble processing the simple tasks.  Like being able to focus on making lunch without getting distracted by a million other things.

He, being the computer whiz that he is, told me the simple solution… I need to upgrade my CPU. 

Here is an example. These are the things that I was trying to do WHILE making Mac-n-cheese:

Hold Simon, who would otherwise be crying and clinging to my legs.

Clean the high chair tray

Help Savannah decide which accessories to wear on the first day of school.

Make a master list of school supplies that needed to be bought today.

Help Josh figure out why changing the batteries didn’t fix the problem. (Not my specialty)

Reassuring Jonah that I do have more salt to add to the salt shaker when it runs out.

And OF COURSE the phone was ringing.  Someone trying to sell me something.

Anyone know how to upgrade my CPU?