Full Circle Mother's Day

I have always had many mixed thoughts and emotions about Mother’s Day. I would say that this “holiday”, more than any other, brings on a variety of feelings to most women depending on what season of life you happen to be in. While currently being thrust into a season of my life that I did not expect for a few more years, I am pondering Motherhood quite deeply these days.

Since today I cannot be with most of my loved ones, whether they be far or whether they be in the Spirit World, I decided to decorate myself with reminders of them. Today I wear my mother’s beautiful ruby and diamond heart ring, and a tiny Navajo turquoise and sterling silver ring that my dear grandmother gave to me. On my wrist I wear a beaded crystal and silver bracelet that my daughter made, and my Eagle Scout mother pin on my shirt. And, even though I am with my dear husband today, I wear some lovely diamond stud earrings that he gave me for an anniversary a few years ago. These simple yet dear items envelope me in memories and warm thoughts of past years and precious moments gone by.

During the long wait for children to arrive to us, I skipped many a Sacrament Meeting on Mother’s Day. Even though I knew I would hear lovely talks focusing on “all women” being Mothers, I just couldn’t take it. When my children were little and I was feeling overwhelmed and tired, I didn’t skip the meeting, but endured hearing about all the wonderful mothers in the room and felt that I did not measure up to any of them. Today, definitely a little older and hopefully slightly wiser, I appreciated the words of the youth speaker, a mother of adult children, a young father, and of our dear bishop. Their words touched my heart and lifted me – is that because of my “season”?

My mom used to tell me that” what goes around comes around”. Today seemed like a “full circle” day in my life.

Sweetheart Tag Part Deux

My dear friend Amy (one of my former Mia Maids) tagged me recently - but I actually already answered most of these questions s a few months ago on a Sweetheart tag.

Since I have not posted much lately, I will take the easy way out and answer the questions that were new on this tag:

Where does he work? Can't tell you or he will have to shoot you.

Who mows the lawn? NEVER me, used to be our missionary son, now it is Richard.

Who pays the bills? I do

Whose parents do we see more? Well, since 3 out of 4 are in the Spirit World, I guess we now see Richard's mom the most....

Exciting, I know..... ha ha.

Before and finally, After

A few weeks ago I posted photos of Leslie's room re-do, and asked for suggestions to help us organize her ONE bookcase in her teeny, tiny room. We finally completed the task last night.
What I WANTED to get for her room were these from Pottery Barn Teens ( (I LOVE that catalog, but never want to spend the bucks to buy anything in it....maybe someday when I am rich - HAHAHA). Today, however, when I downloaded that photo, I saw that these containers were actually on sale and I guess I could have perhaps purchased some of them.... oh well, too late. I couldn't WAIT.



I remembered I had seen some similar galvanized containers at Ikea recently, so I went there and bought what you see here.

My dear sweet daughter has a few learning disabilities, and one of them truly causes her great difficulties with organization. We have learned over the past several months that using colors is key to helping her organize school work, etc., and for us is quite a breakthrough (DANG, it took us long enough - she is 16!). So, my goal for her was to make sure EVERYTHING had a specific and labeled place. She told me that, visually, the best way to label her new containers was to have the backgrounds be different colors with the words being black. The smaller containers could have white backgrounds, but the words needed to be in bold colors. She associates the colors way before the words. That is how her brilliant mind works.

So, at Wally-World I bought some magnetic frames and created the tags that would fit inside. Since these are metal containers, it worked perfectly! When we change what is inside them, we can easily change the labels without ruining anything.

She is thrilled because it is easy; I am thrilled because it looks nice and will be very easy for her to maintain.

Under her daybed are still several other containers with her "stuff". There are tubs for scrapbook supplies, photos, keepsakes, and parakeet supplies. She knows that if she gets too much stuff and it won't fit any more in the containers, then something has to GO -the containers cannot overflow. That will help her to purge when needed. She needs the VISUAL to help her to complete organizing tasks, thanks to her learning disabilities.

We have decided to turn those into strengths. Ask us in a few months if this system worked - I pray it does!!

Organizer Chocolate

For all my organized and/or "organizer" friends, I discovered a new benefit to cleaning off your desk area. I have not been able to actually SEE the actual top of my desk for a few weeks due to all the stuff on it. So, I cleaned it tonight (while listening to AI and waiting for "The Office" to come on) . Look what I discovered in my drawer! Ah, delight - a little secret chocolate! Such a fun little surprise to reward my hard work. OH, and guess what I used those little trays for that I bought last week?? Yep - currently holding desk supplies. Who knew??

UPDATE --- OK, well, Erin knew....

Make that Home!

Our newly called apostle, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, told us during General Conference that LDS women are “makers of the home”. I loved that! I am a MAKER of a HOME.

When we were first married, I taught school for three years while we anxiously waited for our babies to come. We tried to save most of what I made and then adjust to living on Richard’s income as much as possible (believe me, as a Federal worker, it wasn’t much!!). We planned carefully that way so that I could stay home when a baby FINALLY came along. When baby boy came, I quit teaching school that very day. I was now a HOMEMAKER. Homemaker? Hmm…. That didn’t fit me. It seemed like an old-fashioned term, and I didn’t feel like an old- fashioned woman.

So, every time I had to fill out a form where I had to put “occupation”, I would write “Stay at Home Mom”, or “Full-time Mom”. Even though I have always done a little part-time job here and there, I emphatically told Richard that when people asked him what his wife did, he could NOT say I was a Homemaker. Sometimes we would try to be funny and would say or write “Domestic Engineer” or “Domestic Goddess”.

Times have changed. Mormon wives don’t always have the option to be a stay-at-home mom in order for their families to make ends meet. Some of them don’t choose that anyway. Some women choose to “stay home”, but don’t do much with that opportunity to truly nurture and teach their children. I haven't always been perfect at that myself. I am not here to judge. I am just grateful for the way our lives have been blessed by the choices we made in that department. It even matters more now as we still raise our teenage daughter.

So, back to my original point – All women, single or married, working out of the home, working in the home, staying at home,

we can all be the MAKER of the home.

That little phrase should put to rest all the arguments and jealousies regarding this “issue” amongst LDS women.

Let the recipe SHOW!

Today has been a cold and dreary day - didn't feel like Spring at all.
I definitely am affected by the weather - So, I sat at my computer way too much.
BUT - look what I found!! This fun website called Delight.com has all kinds of cool things. It appears to be quite a "green" site. While I appreciate all that Heavenly Father has created for us, and definitely feel that we need to care for our earth, etc., I do believe this "green" thing has gone way too far. That said, there are some very unique and fun things here. I print recipes from friends and from the internet all the time. I have my own way or organizing recipes in 4 x 6 photo albums and just slide them into the little photo sleeves. However, this thing seems to be way better than that! I just may have to order one!

Pretending to be Organized

I love Target. I love the Dollar Spot. I know that many of you love it, too, because I have either read that on your blogs or we have discussed it. However I particularly only love it right AFTER a holiday. That is when the coolest stuff is there in my opinion. That is also when my FAVORITE dollar old lady reading glasses are there. I buy many pairs at once and put them all over the house, in the car, in my purse, etc.. They don’t last long, so I need lots of them! You 30-somethings will get that in a few years….

Today, on this blog, Creative Organizing (thanks to my idea girl, Erin) I saw cute little galvanized tubs, which were purchased at said store in said dollar spot. So, while near Target today, I went in and got some. I can be trendy and unable to resist peer pressure as much as the next girl. Did I know what to DO with the little tubs? Of course not. But I bought a few. I also bought some of their cool gardening stuff as well (ask me in a few weeks how my little herb garden is doing, which will be placed in…. one of these new little tubs! OH my!)

So, a few months ago I bought this at Target. I have the world’s smallest bathrooms and worst storage available known to woman in this house. All you girls with your big bathrooms and bathtubs, and walk-in closets, be grateful. I thought this little shelf would be a great little item under my very out-of-place pedestal sink in the aforementioned no-storage bathroom (no, I did not choose it – the previous owners installed it). Low and behold, while getting ready to write this post, I find that this is supposed to be a SHOWER shelf. Who knew? I also of course have a very tiny shower with no place to put anything, so I just may well get another one of those puppies and try it in the shower – well, that is, if there is enough ROOM for it and me at the same time. That is questionable….

Ok, so since I bought that little shelf thingie, I have been looking for little “holders” to “hold” things on the little shelves that would be attractive. What could I find that will fit? AH HA!!!! You got it – these little galvanized tubs ALSO come in little buckets with a handle and…. they fit! I feel so creative now. IF I actually had time, I would put it all together for you and photograph it like you all are so good at doing. But alas, I gotta run…… I must not be so creative as I thought.

And, I don’t have the patience to WAIT to post this later….°Ü°