Kindness Counts

Our computer is totally out of commission so I am posting a thought I had. I can't get to pictures but I am sure you can "picture" this one using your imagination.

About 3 1/2 years ago I was at Winco, the Grand Expansive Shop of Groceries. I was very pregnant so getting the very large load of groceries was hard on me. Those funny pinched nerves feelings always hit me. I sometimes imagined falling down on the floor in the grocery store but very very thankfully, that never happened.

On this particular day I was feeling worn out. I must have been pretty tired having Grace and all the groceries, a huge load. I made my way out to the car, parked way out in the north 40. Just as I got there, John's two nephews Adam and Andrew ran up, said hi, and then proceeded to grab all the groceries and load them into the car. It seems like a little thing now, but at the time, being so worn out and big and fat, it just was like angels had descended and bestowed a gift of love and service on me. I was so grateful....

I've never forgotten.


I hope I can be in tune enough to serve people at just the right moment like that sometimes. Every day would be fun.

The Nie Nie Dialogs

If you haven't ever read the Nie Nie Dialogs I think you should do it now! I love today's repost! Click on the button over there! Just do it!

Halloweenings

Well, we just had happy Halloween Week.

Emma was finally able to dress as herself, "Krypto the Super Dog". She belongs to Super Man but usually hangs out at our house. She gets into character pretty much every day and saves things whilst flying around the house and outside around the trampoline alot.

Wed. - Kindergarten and Preschool parties.

When I arrived at the school to see Grace, I found she had somehow landed the position of "Parade leader and Principal Hand Holder". I was so delighted because Mr. Oldenkamp was my principal when I taught in Parma and I just love the fact that he now principals my offspring -who I hadn't even imagined when I worked for him!

I asked Grace if she just loved leading the parade and holding the principal's hand and she said, "well, but my hand got sweaty pretty quick."

Thursday Grace and Emma dressed up again and

Clara made her debute as a cute little lamb. She wrestled her first sucker from me at the ward "trunk or treat".

It was a cold night and when we got home and were trying to get everyone to bed, Emma really wanted a bath. I said no and then, when she was upset, I thought about how very much I need a bath sometimes so I told her to go ahead. When I went into my room a few minutes later and peeked into my bathroom I found that Emma was being me. Head under the tap water, eyes closed, a sort of tired/serious/relaxed/adult sort of look on her little face.
Next Morning we fell into our roles. Kids were "zombie candy eaters". I was "Cheif Wrapper- Picker- Upper". (It was defiantely worth the work as Grace and Emma gave me several of their Reeces Peanut Butter Cups.) Actually, Grace picked up most of her own wrappers. She's so mature...

Halloween Night arrived and back into our costumes we went. Only one hitch. Emma was no longer Krypto. She decided at about 4 p.m. that she was "the black dog" who we finally discovered to be "Ace, the Bat Hound", Bat Man's dog. So after some frantic wardrobe changing.....Grace wanted to be a jack-o-lantern, then a witch and then settled back on Cinderella.
I think Emma looks like Derek in his Mr. Incredibles gear. The expresion is the same .. "Proud to save the universe" I think.

I told Emma to save Cinderella here. Do you think Grace is feeling the love? I love the look on Emma's face. A "determined, loved my sister, rescue her" look.

John took them out to refill their pumkin buckets. BUCKETS for candy. Can that be healthy? I just don't think so.

Coincidence?

Today I took Clara and Emma to run errands while Grace was at a friend's house. As I drove into Caldwell, passing the place where we would turn to go to Dad's and Mom's, I looked in their direction, a little sadly. I just don't get out there as often lately and I thought to myself that I wished I had time to run out to visit or help but thought I'd better get the shopping done as we were low on quite a few foods.

We ran to the bank, the bread store and finally, to really complete the whole experience, we went to Winco, the "big grocery store, great prices, do it yourself and save type place".

It was an average afternoon at Winco. People in all the isles but only some of them clogged up. We did really well for quite awhile.

Emma is terrific. I love shopping with her. When it's just her or her and Clara. She rides in the basket, nicely, with her seat belt on, pointing occasionally at something wonderful like Lucky Charms and exclaiming, "MOM, those.. I want them!!" I, in my mad dashing shopping manner reply, " NOOOO, well now I mean, Emma, those are nice but they are more for like Christmas, they're just not that good for us you know." Emma is just cool, very seldom asks again. She's just quiet, thinking, probably about Christmas breakfasts. I just love it. Lots of happy emotion but not so much begging, pleading and weeping for things as someone else I know right now, who is maybe about five years old and must sneak out at night for drama classes.

Anyway, today Clara was doing ok but pretty sure she was not sure about this shopping frenzy. I kept handing her things to look at, jars of baby food, cans of refried beans, 12 roll packs of toilet paper, (she looked cute peeking out from under that). She was in her car seat in the basket and the food piled up around her while Emma waved around happily from the seat. About 3/4 of the way through the list, Clara's whimpers turned into crying. Pressure was starting to build. I had a big list, time limit, full basket, busy store, crying baby. Hmmmm. Well,,,,, I was staring at the bulk foods, trying to figure out if I should buy cous cous for the first time or maybe semolina if I could just find it in all these bins with strange granular substances in them. When, who should MAGICALLY appear, right there in the bulk foods isle?? Non other than my very own DAD! How very, very amusing. We both live in different towns, maybe 25 miles away, not in exactly the same direction, neither of us make even a weekly trip to Winco, I go maybe once a month. What, tell me, WHAT are the odds?....

We had a nice, rather quick visit. Dad was sick and probably lightly fevering but not feeling too bad. Clara was gathering breath for a nice big screaming fit so off we went to finish our list, all the while watching for "Grandpa Rod". I was hoping we'd check out with Dad but not holding out much hope for it. Emma kept her eye out for him while I held Clara, talking in her ear and giving in to the urge to kiss her fuzzy head. She cooed to me while I pushed my heavy, loaded basket, and threw cereal, produce, and salad dressing into the basket. (I am not sure but I think I may have thrown some cereal into someone else's basket too by mistake.)

By the time we got to the check out, Dad was already starting to pay but we got in the line next to his just to look at him for comfort as Clara was going to scream while I loaded all the groceries onto the conveyor belt, paid, and then bagged all my own groceries.

Why, why do I go to these "bag your own" places with babies and toddlers? It should just be illegal. For the health of us mothers, they should just not allow us to bring them in there, I say.

As I started to try to pack my huge load of groceries, Clara began the predicted screaming match. Dad was getting ready to walk out but noticing the scene I was making decided he'd better try to help. He put away his dignity and approached, ducking in and grabbing toilet paper here, and bags of produce there, gingerly trying to fit them in around screaming Clara. I wish I could have had time to look at the people around us. I just wonder what they were thinking.

We finally left, Dad asking me if I wanted to check my two foot long receipt for mistakes. I said no, I just wasn't going to. He helped us out to the van, loading kids and groceries, shivering a little because of his bit of fever and the coldish wind. We hugged when everything was loaded and as he was starting to walk off and we were saying, "glad I ran into you", I stopped and said, "you don't believe it was a coincidence do you?"

I knew his answer would be no, of course, but I was surprised when he said, "No, and when I was on my way over I called Lydia. She had just called the house and left a message but I had already left and had no idea!"

It's no coincidence. Just a great Dad, and a Heavenly one too, watching over us, trying to make things easier for us. Thanks so much Dad! Thanks to a Heavenly Father too for every little blessing.

Devious Fox

Today we found we had a "Devious Fox" in the house.

Grace "Mom, what dezious mean."

Me, "you mean devious?"

Grace "yea, devious. Like a devious fox."

Me, "It's like a really sneaky fox, looking for something to get in to."

A few moments of contemplative silence.....

Emma- "But I'm a devious fox."

Happy 4th Sydney!

We had a smashing good time with Sydney for her 4th birthday. Everyone came to our house. Laura had a couple friends, one who had 4 kids so we had so much fun with all the kids. They were all really good. There was a lot of candy and they all ate it just as fast as they could.

Don't you just love the unicorn constume. I wonder if they make that in adult sizes.

Happy Birthday Sydney. We love you little sweetie peatie!

Pumpkin Post

Here's my hard-working pumpkin Man.
















I'm always amused when jack-o-lantern night comes and John pulls out his jig saw. I forget he even has one. It kind of stream lines the whole carving business. These Carter's, they have to get things done, no wasted time, power tools always involved.

Isn't he good looking, that serious "pumpkin carving" look on his cute face?

I tried to get everyone to paint their pumpkins, John was way too overwhelmed to attempt a new artistic form and reverted to carving, Emma enjoyed the experience, I painted my expeditiously and got the job done, Clara ate a tube of paint (just the bottle), and Grace danced wildly, excitedly, while John carved a scary face into her pumpkin for her. Then, she painted one too.

The Flood!!!!

We were involved in a really terrible flood the other day. There was water all through the house. Luckily I was able to quickly finish the dishes as long as I walked on tip toe to keep from getting too wet. (I just have to keep up with my routines right?)

Grace and Emma handled it all really well though they felt very traumatized and were rather out of breath trying to keep out of the water. They managed to save many of their stuffed animals and a few toys when they found that we actually had quite a few boats in our linen closet in the hall.

Clara was safe in her jump- er roo because it floated.

Emma repeatedly fell from the boats into the water and had to be rescued by Grace!


Emma helped distract Grace from the horrible details of the flood with a good tickle.

Love it!

It dawned on my how grateful I am for the common household automatic dishwasher the other day. I just love it. I pack this thing with tons of greasy, nasty, dishes, put in the little cube of soap, turn it on, come back few hours later, open it up and ta ting!! The dishes beam at me, sparkling in my newly installed kitchen lights! Just look at those clear dishes on the bottom rack. I really am amazed and grateful, I throw them in there so dirty. I just can't believe it!

My Sweeties

A few weeks ago, John told the girls they could take their money and go with him on Saturday to buy a little something. I was picturing a tiny little toy or something. Imagine my absolute delight when they came home each with their very own bag of 80 lollipops. "EIGHTY SUCKERS?" I said to John. I thought I actually stayed very calm but I couldn't help but picture suckers sticks stuck to the carpet and wrappers blanketing the house. "Well, I wanted them to have something they really wanted," said John in a slightly sheepish voice. I have to admit that I did whine a little bit and fussed a little until we finally agreed they could have 3 a day and if I found sticks and wrappers then no suckers the next day. Once I adjusted to the idea we fell into a nice lollipop rhythm. "Mom, I've eaten my breakfast. Can I have my breakfast sucker?" and so on. They are teeny suckers and come in interesting flavors so it hasn't been too bad. I can even say that Grace and Emma have done great things. Sharing with everyone they can think of. Grace made cards taped up with suckers for her friends. Emma has been giving Grace some of her suckers because Grace gave so many away that she's running out a lot quicker than Emma.

One night I was humbled. I had been really rather fussy, whining around and being grouchy. Emma had given me a sucker earlier in the day and then another that night when I was feeling so unamused and not very pleasant to be around. After I went to bed I was cleaning the kitchen still feeling slightly whiney when I found my suckers. They were lined up neatly on the counter next to the stove. I felt a little ashamed but comforted thinking of little Emma, trying to make me "happy" in her way. Sharing her yummy suckers, two in hopes that it would make me feel happy. She's really is a sweet heart and is anxious for me to feel better when I am upset about something. I am making an effort to be a little less fussy!

My Soup Kitchen

After receiving certain data from a blood testing lab, I have concluded that I need to make something other than tortilla pizza and other such yummy concoctions for our family dinners. This was an attempt at a "healthy choice". I knew I had zucchini so I got on the Internet and searched for a good Italian Minestrone soup recipe. After noting that I definitely did not have three authentic Italian ingredients, namely "a pig's trotter" (an actual pigs foot if you can believe it), a bit of "pig's skin", and something called, "cheese rind", I concluded to make a somewhat unauthentic but easier version of minestrone.

The reader must be informed that I am not what is generally considered a "great cook". I usually frown, study recipes, take everything out of the fridge, proceed to chop, measure, fry things to a crisp, blackened state, sweat, worry, and pray that I will succeed at nourishing my family with my creations. I have noted, a bit grimly that the members of my family surely understand that dinner is often ready when a strong odor of burnt food reaches them . John insists that I really should taste things as I cook or I have really no way of knowing whether it's going to be palatable. My opposing argument is that I want to pretend, when sitting down to eat dinner, that the food being served is in no way related to that stuff I saw raw in the freezer just a few hours previous.

This day was a stellar, new, experience. John came home as I was staring into the pot of soup thinking, "well I obviously totally overwhelmed this soup with too many veggetables. ( I often add too many veggies in my exuberance for health. This may seem good to you but alas, it's not healthy for anyone if they do not eat it.)

I sat down at the table with everyone as John came into the kitchen. I was staring into my bowl of soup wondering if he would be able to handle the large quantity of veggies. He walked over lifted the lid and shocked me with the words "You made this?" spoken with a bit of reverence. I was still wondering if it was edible so I was too amazed to even look up. I still felt he could be mistaken in his admiration. After blessing the food we proceeded to eat and after a few minutes John could have knocked me flat by saying casually, "It's probably the best soup you've ever made".

Unfortunately, Grace and Emma were not so impressed with the soup but did eat some of the whole wheat toast with cheese melted on it, though I doubt they dipped it in the olive oil like I intended. Grace ate some of the soup after a bribe of a bag of Skittles was offered. It was quite a trial for her though she was determined because of the promised unhealthy reward. It was not worth the pain to Emma who opted out of the whole expirience and just ate croutons I think.

Disclaimer -John very rarely complains about my cooking. He is just always just grateful for food and even willing to whip up a tortilla and cheese snack or a bowl of cereal if I am wrestling a baby or hiding under the couch in a fit when he gets home. (not that I could actually fit under a couch or anything.)

Foody Blues

After a session with my counselor, (Annie), I decide to deal with my depression caused by food messes and Miss Clara by attempting to contain the deluge with a large, old bath towel with a slit cut for her head. Clara thought this was fun just long enough to take the picture. Actually eating while wearing the towel made her depressed and caused anxiety. We are still working on a mutually agreeable solution.

Grape Juice?

We tried our hand at canning grape juice this year. Does it look like juice from our green grapes to you? I must say I like this color better than green. It's a mystery to me but it does taste good. Not like red hot's, if you were wondering. Grace and Emma took turns helping. I have not found that I am agreeable to two energetic helpers at once. One at a time really is wonderful though!
We picked, soaked out the spiders, juiced and canned. Do you like my fabulous set up for the canner? If I loaded it up, I had to have the folding chairs to balance the whole thing. I warned the kids with a grave face to stay far far away while I was processing it! Not glamorous, but functional just the same.

Lunch with a friend!

I had lunch with a good friend today. I was so glad she didn't mind that what I was making was only macaroni and cheese. She actually seemed very excited to consume it. We had a good visit, mostly about how good mac and cheese is and the desire for second helpings. Grace was at school and Clara took a nap so it was nice to have a moment to eat in peace together.

It's was nice to have a moment with such a sweet and cheerful person!

Mobility

I've been finding Clara in strange places lately thanks to her "crawling lessons" given by John. I told him he's in big trouble. Clara's very strong, curious, and persistant... great characteristics for keeping us all a little frantic.

We occasionally hear shouts of "Clara is getting my puzzle" or "Hon, did you know Clara is eating Grace's homework?" (accompanied by crackling and rustling of paper) and "Emma, Clara is eating your shoe. It's probably not very clean."

Clara's getting into the role power crawler by emitting absolutely ear piercing screeches and screems. It's actually hard to talk or hear over them sometimes! I am glad she's enjoying the moment!

She's trying to scare us by spending time going up on hands and toes with bum in the air. (Threatening to walk and skip this crawling business!)

Cousins Reunion!

Well the long awaited visit from Scott and Annie finally came! We had a busy fun week filled to the brim with activity! I can't believe Annie survived with a needy 7 -week-old. She was amazing. The cousins totally enjoyed themselves. They played themselves right out. We had some lovely visits, shopping trips, a lunch with Lydia, visit to Dads where we saw Grandma Roonie and Aunt Sandy who entertained us with bubbles and fed us watermelon!

We started with tacos as soon as Annie and Scott drove into town.

Clara meets Uncle Scott who promptly calms her with a soothing melody/music lesson.

All the grand kids except for newborn David.! This was during Brittani's birthday barbeque! Thanks Laura for taking the picture for us! Love it. You look beautiful Britt!

I loved this. When I first saw them they were both in the fence facing each other playing.

Breakfast on the veranda? We'll on the back porch anyway. I highly recomend it. It's less messy!

Derek and Emma had some good bonding time riding bikes. Derek was a bit dismayed at first because it was a girls bike but I finally convinced him to ride it by pointing out that there was alot of black too so it was for boys and girls. He looked a little dubious but decided to give in to the need for entertainment in a house filled to the brim with girls and pink ponies, dolls, etc.

We were so sad when it was time for them to hit the road. Kelli expressed it well here. It is a bummer. She was unamused which apparently amused Grace. I love Kelli's exuberance for life. She just makes me smile!

I loved everyone's expressions as they were trying to get out of here. Derek doing well, Becca enjoying the excitement and hecticness of it all, Kelli unhappy because she knew what was really happening, David getting ready to spit up and cry. Scott and Annie both deserved an award for patience under pressure!

This was what we saw as they drove away. Waaaaaaaaa!

Grace just sat on the yard and stared down the street for a little bit as if she hoped they might be coming back.