New Shoe Shelf

As part of my new mantra, function over form, Clint is building a shoe shelf for our mud room.

When it was just Brennan, the baskets for shoes and small hooks worked great. Now, with three boys, we just need a different system. It makes me so excited just thinking about new hooks for coats and specific places for each pair of shoes to sleep.

Once I had a paper template created for Clint, he was on board. It's such an odd shape, that the template was the only way Clint could cut the shelves.

Clint even made the shelves adjustable so when the boys get older and their shoes get bigger, we can adjust the size of the cubies –I didn't even ask for adjustable shelves, he just did it!  {bonus!}

The room is tiny and the shelf feels a little big, but at this point I don't care. I just need the shoes off the floor!

The boys loved painting the shelf black.

Notice they are painting the tops of the shelves... the parts no one will see :)

I love their help, but I still like to make the overall piece look good.

The boys can help with the hidden parts.

The finished bench! It's beautiful!

Snow in February

It snowed a few weeks ago. We have had a really mild winter, so Caleb was SO excited to play outside after it snowed. 

The Work of Creation

I have been thinking a lot about the concept of creation lately. It is one of my strengths to create. I love to create beautiful gardens, art projects, organized spaces and printed marketing pieces. 

I also have weaknesses that counter the creation. 

I have a hard time with the mundane, repetitive parts of life, 

especially the parts of taking care of small children... so tedious... 

the never ending messes, baths, meals, clothes, school papers (oh the paper!!), sicknesses, etc....

I read a book called "Weakness is Not Sin" by Wendy Ulrich and it has really helped me to see how I can live more joyfully. I will never absolutely LOVE the unimaginative tasks of being a mom and that's ok. I can work on certain daily tasks and move my weaknesses more to neutral. It's ok that I will never be super-good at any of those tasks, but I can get better.

As I use my gift of creation, I know I can bring more joy into my heart, my home and my boy's lives.

I LOVE this talk given by Elder Uchtdorf in General Conference, October of 2008.

Happiness, Your Heritage

The Work of Creation

DIETER F. UCHTDORF

Second Counselor in the First Presidency 
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. 

You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment.

Remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination.

Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things.

If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them.

The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you.”

Brennan's Junior Jazz Team

Brennan loves to be on a basketball team. He listens pretty good, and he tells me that he's good at defense. In the 4 yrs. he's played, he's never made a basket. This year his coach did something remarkable. They would do these plays where the entire goal was to give Brennan the ball so he could shoot a basket. It really touched my heart. I really wanted this for him, I don't know why...

He was able to try many times, but the ball never went in. I'm just so grateful he had the chance. Thank you Coach Michael Palmer for building Brennan's confidence!

Help? in the Kitchen

I've been working on my domestic skills lately and one thing I do now is cook pancakes or waffles for breakfast once a week. I have to start slow... it's not my favorite thing to do... but the boys LOVE it when I cook. Caleb decided he was going to help me with the flour. What a sensory kid! He loves to feel and explore every texture there is.

Derek was unloading the dishwasher and the dishes still had a little bit of water on them. So he took out some towels, laid them on the floor and put all the clean dishes on them. I thought he did a great job figuring out a solution to the wet dishes. I was so glad he aired them out instead of putting them in the cupboards wet :)