Life with the Brudfam

Way too fast

Christmas is quickly approaching and time is whizzing by much too fast.  I wish things could slow down just a little so I could sit on the couch, read a magazine, sip some hot chocolate and relax with my family for a bit.  

Instead, Drama Queen has strep throat and continues to be miserable.  Freckles and Blue Eyes are stir-crazy.  The Guy is stressed at work (in preparation for 11 straight days off, come December 24---hooray!).  And I still need to help everyone finish up their homemade gifts for eachother.

Tomorrow, my mom is taking the kids for the day to decorate cookies and go to a movie.  My plan is to be super productive....

 

A Nearly perfect day

I love Sundays....

- uplifted by beautiful music at church
- spent the day working on homemade gifts with Freckles
- The Guy helped Blue Eyes make and frost sugar cookies
- Christmas music played softly in the background
- and poor Drama Queen laid in bed with a high fever and sore throat. We think it's strep. She is miserable!! Waiting for antibiotics so kick in.
- presents are purchased and wrapped! Hooray!!

We are looking forward to more quiet days at home together, playing games, crafting, cooking and just enjoying eachother.

**Drama Queen (with the help of her sisters) made the snowflakes and hung them above our kitchen table. I LOVE them. They make me so happy!

baby, it's wet & cold outside

This morning, we got up extra early, put on our Sunday best and took our kids down to the Conference Center to watch the taping of "Music and the Spoken Word."  

It was snowing and cold out as we ran to the Conference Center.

We had never been to a taping before, but what made this extra special was that we got to sit on the second row, in President Monson's family section.  Thanks to my sister Jennifer, who's good friend is President Monson's secretary, we were given these special tickets. President Monson walked right up to us and said, I think I'll sit by these pretty girls, and came and shook our hands and asked our names.  It was very sweet.  He has such a powerful and sweet presence.  Then he sat right in front of us.  Which meant the girls had to be on their best behavior.  No kicking the chair in front of you.  Or whining or crying.  They were great.  A little restless a few times, but they were quiet and respectful.  The taping was only 25 minutes.  And after they continued the performance to include all of the songs from the concerts they performed this week.  It was beautiful.  

Last night, when The Guy and I went, we were sitting up on the balcony on the far side, so we didn't have the best seats.  In fact, it was really hard to see much.  So this morning, in contrast, we sat up close and could see everything so well.  Afterwards, I snapped a few photos of President Monson presenting gifts to Natalie Cole and David McCullough, the special guests.  

baby, it's cold outside

Actually, it wasn't very cold outside.  It was about 20 degrees warmer tonight than it has been all week (even during the day).  Perfect for a night on the town to get in the Christmas spirit!

My dear, sweet friend Janice had two extra tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert with Natalie Cole.  Thank you!  She has given us tickets three years in a row!  We loved going.  We stopped by Market Street on our way and had a quick bowl of clam chowder and shared the raspberry almond tart for dessert.  mmmmm.  
Afterwards, we walked thru Temple Square and looked at the lights.  It was so magical.

I love the way the temple was glowing behind us.

* In case you were wondering, yes, that is a lime green Shrek cap The Guy is wearing.    

Warning sign

A few weeks ago, Drama Queen really "needed" to go shopping for some clothes.  

She made this the wallpaper on my computer.  

I took her shopping.  But not before reviewing some basic spelling with her (i.e. hapens vs happens).

 

Christmas Wishes

Freckles just got glasses.  Aren't they cute?

Tonight we made Christmas Lists....and Freckles wrote a note to Santa:

What a sweet note.  And I'm sure Santa appreciates that she gave him lots of options and even took price into consideration.  Hmmmm, I can hardly wait to see what Santa will bring her!

*Blue Eyes got distracted tonight, and didn't get her list done.  Hopefully she can finish it tomorrow so we can send it off to the North Pole.  And Drama Queen went to a friend's house to do homework so her Santa list is incomplete too.

catching snowflakes

Last night for family home evening, we ran down to the public library (which, for being free, costs us a lot of money every year.  We can't go a year without losing a book, and don't get me started about the over-due fines we accrue...but the girls love to read, so really it's a small price to pay for the amount of books we go thru).  When we walked out of the library, it had just started snowing.  We figure if it's going to be freezing, there might as well be snow on the ground, especially at Christmas, so we were thrilled to see flakes falling from the sky. The girls spent 5 minutes trying to catch them in their mouths. 

And then we got cold and ran to the warm car. 

A good day.

Today was a good day.  Well, aside from the fact that Blue Eyes (whose eyes incidently, are starting to be more green, but we're not going to change her name) was sick.  She was moaning and tossing in the night and I was certain that it was the "dreaded" moan---you know, that horrible moan that precedes vomiting.  It wasn't.  It was the moan of a fever and a sore throat.  And it's my fault.  She had strep throat a week and a half ago.  And I stopped giving her the antibiotic which was helping her feel so much better.  It got pushed to the back of the fridge and I forgot.  Until today. And now she's back on the medicine and feeling much improved.

But back to today.  We left Blue Eyes home for a short while so we could attend sacrament meeting, after which I headed home and left everyone else at church.  I put on my jammies and Blue Eyes and I lay on the couch, all cuddled and snuggled up underneath two blankets.  Ferocious the dog also joined in and warmed my cold body (brrr!  it was snowy and cold out today!).  And then we decided we should read.  So I read the Ensign and Blue Eyes read The Friend until neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer and we slept.  It was heavenly.

When the family got home from church, it was The Guy's turn for a nap.  He slept while I read some more, wrote in my journal and finally got on my feet to make dinner.  Freckles wanted to help me.  We chopped onions and garlic and sauteed them in olive oil and butter.  And then added butternut squash.  The smell floated past the kitchen and thru the house.  mmmm.  We heated crusty bread in the oven and made a spinach salad.  And set the table with goblets and candles.  The blinds were closed and sparkling orange was poured in the goblets and we invited everyone in to dinner by candlelight.  And christmas tree light.  It was lovely.  Only Drama Queen refused to eat butternut squash soup.  It sounds disgusting, she said.  So she ate bread only since she isn't a fan of salad either.  

We cleaned up dinner and Freckles and I made chocolate chip cookies.  Divine, delicious chocolate chip cookies.  And we gathered on the couch, drinking milk (except me, I drank a little Coke Zero) and eating cookies while we watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  We unanimously voted that this is a new tradition, to do this the first Sunday of every December.  Except Drama Queen wants something besides butternut squash soup for dinner.  Fine.

I left out a few details, like sibling squabbles, someone getting their mouth washed out with soup (for saying "butthead") and the part where I ate 5 cookies (or was it 6).  So much for my sugar-free diet I've been faithfully following for the last 2+ months.  I'll return to it tomorrow.  But as for today, I felt so abundantly blessed to have a beautiful family, a warm safe home, food on my table, and the chance to reflect on the life of our Savior.  A perfect day in my book.**

**and I'm sure The Guy would agree, except that he's alone in bed and is wondering why on earth I stay up so late, doing who knows what on the computer.  So I'm going to go join him in dreamland. G'night.

Yes, I did...

 I just had a most amazing, creative, inspiring weekend.  Thanks to my dear friend Heidi Swapp, I had a serendipitous encounter with the Spark ladies (Margie, Liz, Rhonna & Jefra) and was somehow invited to attend SPARK! (thank you, thank you, thank you very much, Margie!!)  Seriously. One of the most fabulous and fun weekends of my life.   

Walking into This is the Place Park was absolute magic.  Flowers, garlands, ribbons, banners, candles, lace and streamers hung from every tree and building.  

But that was just the beginning.  What we found inside was even more magical.  Fabulous classes and hands-on demonstrations. (I even learned to crochet, which I am thrilled about.)  I was like a sponge, just soaking in all the delicious, hands-on, tactile and 

And I left SPARK filled with inspiration, new ideas, creative energy, and new friends.  Loved getting to know these women and learn their stories and share with eachother.  I must admit at first I was a bit intimidated since I was by myself. No security blanket by my side.  But it didn't take long for me to find beautiful, charming and all around lovely new friends....

See what I mean?  I only managed to put my foot in my mouth once (that I can think of).  It might have involved asking two ladies if they were mother and daughter.  They weren't.  Friends.  Oops.  After it came out of my mouth, I knew I shouldn't have said it because although they clearly were not the same age, the difference wasn't that big either.   

Other than that, things went well.  I even had a moment in the spotlight, when I was asked to share my experiences with breast cancer at the final dinner before the auction (which raised funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation--how cool is that!).  Each attendee was asked to bring a handmade item and I was blown away by the talent and generosity of everyone there.  

It was a perfectly perfect weekend!

 

only I didn't say Heaven's....

 My mother never ever swore while I was growing up.  Ever.  To this day, I haven't heard a single cuss word come out of her mouth (although she came close in 1988 when one of her children was certainly deserving of being sworn at.  But I'm not pointing fingers, Michael) I'm not much of a swearer myself; in fact, I have taken pride in not swearing in front of my children either.  Until recently.

It's hard to picture my sweet children giving me a hard time.  But occasionally it happens.  Let me set the scene on this particular day...it was a Saturday.  The Guy had a chance to go golfing with some buddies and I was all for him getting out and enjoying himself. So the girls and I worked on chores and getting the house cleaned up.  But soon things headed south and all three girls were angry and upset at me for making them do something they didn't want to do.  The details aren't important.  The point is, after an hour and a half of hysterics, I hit breaking point. 

"Stop crying and just do it, for Heaven's sake," I yelled.  Only I didn't say Heaven's.  I said the H word. Which sent Drama Queen into hysterical laughing and the other two into deeper hysterical crying.  

It's a good thing The Guy turned off the ringer on his cell phone while he golfed. He had several messages and a text waiting when he finished golfing.

From Blue Eyes, who maintained control of herself and very bravely articulated her disappointment in me:  "Dad, I'm sorry to bother you while you're golfing.  I guess I shouldn't tell you what mom did over the phone.  But, well, oh I don't know.  Ok, fine.  Mom said the H word at us today.  Ok bye."

Freckles wasn't able to contain her emotion on her message:  "Dad. sob. sob.  Come home.  We need you here.  Mom called me the H word today.  sob. sob. sob.  Please come home."

And then I texted him: "The girls were hysterical today.  I said the H word.  And I don't regret it."

And well, I still don't.  After they settled down, the girls actually did what I asked them to do.  It's like my dad once told me (and I've only heard him swear twice), "there's a time and a place to swear."  I guess I figured out mine.