If You Want It Here It Is Come And Get It....

I'm not going to lie. This week has been hellish. Hellish to the point that since Sunday we have just been laughing every time something breaks because how many things can break in one house in one week? One tiny factor in our hellish week was a little issue (water leaking through the ceiling) with the washing machine. So today, I am anxiously (because laundry has been piling up for about 1 3/4 week now and frankly i am on my last pair of shanties and our whole family has been sharing a towel since last Sunday) awaiting the delivery of our brand new washer and dryer. If anyone is in need of an Amana Commercial Quality Dryer featuring automatic dryness control and seven (count them) seven cycles it's yours. It will be hauled away by the delivery men (is that presumptuous of me? I should say delivery persons, shouldn't i?) at approximately 2:00 p.m. The dryer was born in 1999 and has served us well. It still works fine.

If you'd like a very broken washing machine with a BRAND SPANKING NEW pump installed by the very handsome (but apparently not so handy) Ryan Scott Kidd, it is also yours. You may want to consider the fact that it will flood your house before you take this baby home with you.

Hurry and reply. I have a feeling they are going to fly out of here...

Until Things Settle Down and I Can Do a Real Post...

Enjoy this. It's a wedding invitation. So creative. So clever. So fun. Also, i want to live in Ohio now. Look at that charming little house and the green grass and big trees. Ahhhhh....

Today At Church.

Today we were late for church.  I mean sit-in-the-foyer-because-it-would-be-dumb-to-go-in-and-find-a-seat-for-the-closing-song kind of late. 

We sat down and Crayton ever so reverently started whispering to me.  I stopped him short and asked him if he brushed his teeth today.  The answer was a timid “no.”

I told him after letting him know what exactly his mouth smelled like that he should go out to the car and get some gum.  The really minty kind. 

He came back in chewing and Piper piped up saying “No fair.  I want gum!”  I whispered to her that he only got gum because he didn’t brush his teeth.  To which she said, “well, I didn’t brush my teeth either!” 

It was right about now that Lennon marched over demanding that the injustice of Crayton getting gum and not her be made morally straight.  Immediately.  I whispered to her that Crayton only got gum because he hadn’t brushed his teeth today.  And to please be quiet, because Lennon has two volumes.  Sleeping and really, really loud.  It was then that Lennon shouted “well I didn’t brush my teeth either!!!” 

Needless to say, we weren’t late to church today because the children were too busy grooming themselves.  Goodness gracious.  

Auditory Memories Just Might Be My Favorite

On Saturday night I put clean sheets on my bed.  On Monday morning Crue spilled a whole box of crackers in my bed.  Monday night I brushed off the big chunks and collapsed into bed.  Every night since I have done the same thing. When I am scratched and scraped by the remaining cracker crumbs I remind myself that I forgot to change the sheets again today.  Note to self: change sheets tomorrow.  Then I drift off to dream singing this song that was a childhood favorite.  Music is such a huge part of my childhood memories.  It made and makes me happy.  And let's face it, who doesn't love Barbara Mandrell?

Also, just so you know, another Barbara Mandrell song is the theme song for my New York post coming soon.  Any guesses???

***yea for Greta! she wins the 'hero for the day' prize!!!***

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get

Remember our anniversary activity?  Well, you may or may not have noticed that my inability to remain in a state of structure is causing me some angst.  As of late, it has gotten worse.  Much worse. 

We went to New York.  Came home at 11:30 p.m. and left the next morning for Utah.  We got home from Utah and started swimming lessons.  Swimming lessons consume [consume- to devour, use, burn up, incinerate, expend, destroy, burn to the ground] my whole life.  We get the big kids off to school in the morning and rush out for swimming lessons and by the time we get home it is time for lunch and naps and then after naps I barely clean up breakfast and lunch messes before someone is awake or the big kids get home and we start homework and dinner.  Top it off with trying to run every night (which I love and am finding very delightful and freeing and exhausting and hard), the father/son campout which turns into mommy{has to make her daughters feel special and indulgent and loved even more than normal}/daughter weekend, speaking in church on Mother’s Day, helping take care of Mother’s Day gifts for every woman in the ward and every other one of my daily tasks and I am left to wonder, when is a girl to blog?  Really.  When?  I know that it can be done because lots of people do it.  Like her.  Really, 5 kids, one on the way, and still blogging EVERY SINGLE DAY.  How Amy, how?!?!

I think it all goes back to my inability to remain in a state of structure.  I’m working on it. In the meantime enjoy this picture of Lennon on the way to swimming lessons.  She is wearing a beanie with her headband over the top, her swimsuit and (of course!) her snow boots.  The hand in front of her face is her newest form of being obstinate [obstinate-stubborn, determined, fixed, unmoved, persistent, tenacious, mulish, headstrong, inflexible, pigheaded, compliant (Antonym)].  Never a dull moment with that one I tell you.  

Dear Brandi...

Dear Brandi,

 Just a little something that I thought you should know.  This information could possibly help your stay here be a little more pleasant.  Today while I was laundering sheets, getting ready for your arrival, this sweet something popped up.  Again. This thing has been around for about 3 years now.  I have thrown it away countless times, hidden it, and I’m sorry to say, it has a mind of its own and it always comes back.   It. Will. Not. Go. Away.  So, I just thought that you should know that it doesn’t belong to them:

Or him: 

Or me. 

 It is Ryan’s prized yard sale find.  Don’t be afraid.  It’s just a little plastic poop.  I don’t think it’s funny.  I roll my eyes every time that it shows up in my path.  But I’m beginning to think that since it won’t go away, I should embrace it.  As if changing Crue’s bum 70 times a day and wiping sweet Lennon (after she thought she could tackle it on her own) isn’t enough fecal encountering for me.  Well, while you are here, it won’t be enough for you either. 

 Also, if Lennon asks for her Super Hero shorts, I’ll leave them in her top drawer.  I think that about covers it.  Watch out for the fake poop.  Make sure Lennon has access to her Super Hero Shorts.  The rest is a breeze.

 See you soon!

Love,

Nat

p.s. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming and doing this for me.  I love you!

My Sweet Sweet Grandma.

This little lady is my grandma.  She is a spry 75.  Her name is Dorothy.  Dot for short.  She is stronger than she thinks.  She is funny.  She is feisty.  Really feisty. She makes me laugh.  She is also beautiful.  Really, she is gorgeous but “doesn’t take a good picture.”  And if you tell her how pretty she is, she’ll tell you to shut up and say “Oh, I am not.”  Then she’ll shoo you away like you’re a sticky fly.  When I was taking this picture she swore at me.  And I laughed.  Then she did too.  She loves Lifetime {television for women} movies.  She has always worn pink rollers in her hair in the mornings.  If you want to come see her, you will have to wait until they are out.  She used to always let me wear her jewelry and her fancy boots and shoes when I was little.  She loves to shop at Wal-Marts, K-Marts and Big Lots.  The Family Dollar is a regular stop too.  She knows better than anyone I know how to stretch a dime.  She has 3 glass candy jars that have sat filled on her counter for as long as I can remember.  We didn’t even have to sneak the candy.  It was just for us and no one could tell us no.  She makes my favorite chicken and dumplings and a mean pumpkin pie.  She loves troll dolls and cabbage patch kids.  She thinks they are “so damn cute”.  She loves old country music.  She used to dance with us in her kitchen to the music coming from the fuzzy radio that was in the corner cabinet.  She has mothered 6 children and has lots of grandchildren who all love her very much.  She has great-grandchildren who love her lots too.  She loves with too much of her heart and so it has grown much too large for her little body.  On Monday she is going to have surgery to fix it.  She found out that she has this heart problem 2 days after she found out she has stage 4 ovarian cancer.  Before she got the results she worked in her yard to keep her mind off of things.  It has been a rough week and I am very grateful for the modern medicine that Xanax is.  Otherwise my sweet little grandma would have to sit and worry.  Even more than she usually does.  Even more than she already is.  Of course, even now, she is worrying about everyone else.  It’s a good thing that she is spry.  It’s a good thing that she is feisty.  It’s a good thing that she loves too big because we all love her back just as big as she loves us.  It’s also a good thing that she is so pretty.  Just because that never hurts anything.  We are all praying for her and loving her to pieces.  It’s not going to be an easy time for her but everything will work out.  It will.