conference, ice skating

We had a wonderful weekend and for once managed to watch all the sessions of conference. I loved so much of it -- especially Elder Eyring and Elder Holland, and of course, Pres. Monson. There were so many good things and I always vow to do better, but then we couldn't even quite make it through dinner without contention -- wait, we couldn't even get through most of the talks without something going on. We were giving the kids candy for answering questions and being reverent, how's that for choosing the better part? The little girls played quietly and were serving us pretend tea and cakes, drawing, and playing with barbies. Ella worked on friendship bracelets. Baby was delightful to watch as he would go back and forth from one person to another making funny noises and perfecting crawling over legs. Charles was having a little harder time -- wanting to draw, but instead throwing pens at people's heads; wanting to hand out candy, but instead throwing candy at people's heads; wanting to play with cars, but instead... There was definitely a theme in his activities. We also had the inspired idea to put together the incomparable "Cansolidator" that I bought for our food storage, but that wasn't conducive for listening very well so we put it off for the breaks and I just have to say that it was as much fun as those things usually turn out to be. It still isn't quite finished.

I took the girls and baby ice skating while the boys went to the priesthood session Saturday night. They did so well! The little girls had never been and both did great. Lucy has roller blades so that obviously helped a lot. Ibby came in and out, but seemed to enjoy herself. I sat under the heater and chatted with some friends so we all won.

My mom turned 75 yesterday (she doesn't even dye her hair!) and I tried not to think too much about everyone having a party without me. I really miss being close to my family at times like that. It seemed even worse yesterday because I always want to get together with family on Conference weekend anyway. I think my parents are amazing. Everyone is always surprised when I tell them their ages. When asked what my mom would like to be doing in ten years she said that she hoped she wouldn't be here, but I really hope she is. You're still going strong, mom! I love you and Happy Birthday!

Indiscriminate thoughts...

Hurrah, our new washing machine was delivered this morning! It is very shiny and sparkly and I cannot wait to use it. I have been pondering which items in my house I want to wash first. I guess it should be my workout clothes which I am still wearing hours later. I ran on the treadmill this morning and it is never easy to get myself going. I think I have been running for so long and then I look, what four minutes? And I have burned 25 calories? That must be about one cheerio! I guess I'll keep going. I try to see how long I can go without looking at the time, don't look, don't look! Oh, I have to look, 25 more seconds have passed... Buying things always leads to needing (okay, not needing, thinking you need) more things because I really need a fan and a flat screen t.v. down there to help pass the time. Not going to happen.

Our library was waiving everyone's fines during September so I thought I had better hightail it over there since the summertime was bad in that department. Five people checking out piles of books on a regular basis -- there were bound to be some casualties. I went yesterday and I checked out "1776" and sat down in the afternoon to read while I nursed. Oh, that must be why I haven't been reading much!!! That baby reached behind him with his chubby little fingers waving back and forth to scrunch, grab, rip, snatch, yank, bend, etc. I think I should get large print and lay it on the couch next to me, hmmm. I am reading that particular book for our book club this month. By default, I am the leader of our little band so I decided I should try to drum up some more members by making a little sign (which is really too grand a word for what it is) for a bulletin board in the church hallway. Now this sheet of paper is not fancy, it is plain white with black lettering. I did, however, use two different fonts and I managed to pick out books through the month of May. This is an unprecedented show of forethought on my part as well as follow through with actually getting the piece of paper to church. I felt a lot like Elder Uchtdorf. He said that his wife is a wonderful cook and always finds something wrong with the meals she prepares, but since he doesn't cook much he is very proud of anything that he can concoct. I am so mediocre at so many things that I can be terribly proud of even the smallest of accomplishments.

We have an alley behind our house. It is very narrow, but everyone uses it to go out to the street. Sometimes people have to cooperate and pull in someone's driveway to let someone pass, etc. I had pulled out and saw a car coming so I turned into another driveway. It was awkward and I accidentally hit the horn. I hoped my neighbor wouldn't think I was mad at her and she didn't look over as she passed. I pulled back out and then saw that she had a backpack on the roof of her car. I started honking over and over, but she didn't stop. Then I saw it fall off, so I honked again and then jumped out of my car, picked up the pack, and then started to run down the alley yelling and waving it in the air. She never acknowledged me, but must have thought I was psycho for repeatedly honking at her. I then looked over and my neighbor's father who had just arrived from Hungary that morning was staring at me. It figures that I would have witnesses, crazy american! Not twenty minutes later I saw a car pass me on another street that had a pair of shoes on the top of their car. I started honking again, but then just stopped because I have learned that such things are useless and simply lead to misunderstandings regarding ones mental health.

Indulgences

I really like to read, but lately I haven't been able to indulge as much as I would like. There is always so much to do! Last year at this time I was going through books like wildfire, but I was pregnant. So I wonder how much I was accomplishing around the house because not only was I generally recumbent, I was moving in slow motion while upright. Now I feel like I am manic all day and still nothing is getting done. The moral? I don't know, but it doesn't look good for efficiency. I have a very long list of books that I would like to read and perhaps I might start a sidebar in their honor -- mostly to help me remember them. My sister (and other friends, but I am afraid she is the winner) sends me her reviews from Goodreads and I always want to read all the books she recommends.

Last Friday I went to Goodwill for the first time in months. For me that is truly astonishing. I have often driven by and made myself turn the other way because I do not have the time, the money, nor the space which is required. I had to drop some things off (see, I am getting rid of things!) so I thought I would just run in for a minute because I needed to find a coat for the baby. Oh, I found so many great things. I bought two nice skirts that Ella and I wore to church yesterday, some Halloween costumes, and the best thing was that just as I was remembering the coat and visualizing it in my mind, I turned around and there it was -- innocently hanging there as if waiting just for me. It is totally hip and even has fluff around the hood. Cool.

We have been suffering through a lingering cold at our house. It isn't horrible, but enough to make one feel lethargic, achy, out of sorts, and my worst symptom of all -- I cannot taste! I hate it. There were a couple of days when I couldn't taste anything and I didn't really want to eat. I came to the realization that I do not eat merely for nutrition -- to stay alive for heaven's sake. No, I just want to relish the magnificent flavors of delicious food. Mmmm. I think that if I lost that sense I would try to find some foods that were highly nutritious, low calorie, and texturally interesting. But it would be a terrible loss. I would deeply lament one of life's greatest pleasures. On Friday I went to a friend's house and everyone had brought appetizers to share. I thought I would be fine not eating anything, but everything looked so delectable. Finally, I asked her if I could take some Sudafed and sure enough in 30 minutes I could taste and it was so wonderful! I just tried not to think about the fact that Sudafed dries up my milk whilst drying out other things. "He won't get much milk if I don't eat anything either." I rationalized quietly to myself.

I was given another chance to overeat on tasty little tidbits at the dessert buffet sponsored by our Relief Society preceding the Women's General Broadcast. I tried to watch my intake all day and then make reasonably good choices while there ("I won't take some of the carrot cake," I think self-righteously as I surreptitiously grab a brownie, a raspberry topped cookie, some puppy chow, and some apple crisp, hoping my sanctimonious self won't notice the relapse). I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with everyone and then loved, loved, loved the messages given. Sister Beck reminded me that I do have faith and strength and everything will be okay. Elder Uchtdorf assuaged my guilty feelings at leaving my family for my art class by insisting that all of us deep down yearn to be creative. It always astounds me that at Conference they are talking to me. Little old me! There was so much discussed that I have been pondering lately! I cannot wait for this coming weekend and hope that we can all be mellow and enjoy it. Usually, almost always, without fail, we all get grumpy with one another. Is it -- Satan? (said like church lady, bien sur).

Well, we do need to get a new washing machine. Um, yea? So I have spent the better part of the week researching as is my wont prior to a large purchase. I think we have decided what we want, but no one in town seems to carry it. We will have to order. In the meantime, my old one is chugging along, albeit not with its former exuberance. Baby is in scratchy paper for the moment. He is sleeping right now. I love when he naps, but it also freaks me out. I'll think, "Was that him? No, that was the cat. Oh, he has been asleep for awhile. How nice. Unless... he has burrowed under something and is smothering and can't breathe and I am just sitting down here enjoying the peace and quiet while he is upstairs and the unthinkable has happened!!! Oh, he is crying. Phew, what a relief. Dang, I wasn't quite finished with what I was doing." This is my thought process every single time that boy goes down for a snooze. I am surprised I haven't keeled over with heart failure yet.

The appliance repair guy said he would come at 11:30. I had to go be a bus, but I hurried everywhere and was making good time. Finally at the last place, I dropped off the boy, hurriedly told the lady in front I couldn't chat, ran to my car, buckled in the baby (without hitting his head even!), got behind the wheel and ... nothing. Car won't start. Try, try, try. Nothing. Run in to tell the daycare that my car is blocking their driveway and run home ( live a couple of blocks away), but I was a little late, so maybe I missed him. Isn't that ironic considering I was just blathering on about things not working? Don't you think it's funny? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, huh, hmm. And baby just wet on my bed. I know!!!

Remind you of anyone...?

I think Zach thinks this looks like me, but I can't decide.

"For behold the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery"

I do like to possess things, but oftentimes things are a burden. Everything in my house is breaking. There is something new every day. Charles went around the house and took some pictures of some broken things for me, but this is not even the half of it. One day recently the cat jumped off of a sill and broke a bowl of flowers that I had there. When I went into the kitchen to get the broom, I noticed that the stove clock was not working. Upon further inspection, nothing along that whole wall was working -- garbage disposal, dishwasher, lights, etc. I went and did whatever one does with the breaker switch, to no avail. The next day the electrician came and said that our hot water doohickey attached to our sink was shorting everything out. So we did what we usually do and decided we could live without it. But there are some things that you kind of have to fix. We replaced the rain gutters this summer because pieces of them were literally falling off of the roof. Every day there is a new cupboard in the kitchen hanging forlornly by its hinges and door knobs often detach themselves from the doors. The garage door has a long piece of rubber dangling down from it (that has been so long that there are now spider webs wafting in the breeze) and can only close with someone holding it down for the duration. Our back screen door won't close all the way,not just a little, but about 45º. Matthew's car has been on its last leg for a few years and don't even get me started on my phone which is dropped on a regular basis. A few days ago our beloved rice cooker gave up the ghost. RIP. But yesterday, yesterday! Oh, I don't know if I can even talk about it. My washing machine protested mightily when I put in the third load of the day and finally just refused to do one more thing. I stared at it with consternation. I am obsessed with laundry. I do it every day. I do not like having any dirty linen in the house. It is already starting to pile up and it has only been a few hours. I cloth diaper a baby! I have five kids!! Some of them require more than one outfit a day!!! I made an emergency call to our appliance guy and he is coming today. I don't know what he will say and am wondering if I need to scour Consumer Reports for the next best thing. It is kind of elderly and it may just be its time. Oh, oh, the dishwasher is running unnaturally loudly this morning...