procrastinating

We are sooo close to getting the basement done. We've been caulking, sanding, cutting, sanding, building, yada yada yada. When construction starts to infiltrate my dreams I take it as a sign that I need a break. I should be painting right now, and I will...I WILL...I just can't do it right now. I. just. can't!

I know in a month from now I will be sooo loving it. But when one's remodeling an older home one has to un-do all the stupid freakin' crappy mistakes that the previous owners did--and THEN build it right. It's a lot of work! So instead, here I am surfing the excruciating minutiae of the internet.....

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is an incubator for good ideas, it just takes a while for them to develop. But when you think of something, watch out! Your thoughts tend to be huge, and they come on quickly - like an explosion. You tend to be quiet around others, unless you're inspired by your next big idea.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

You Are Marge Simpson

You're a devoted family member who loves unconditionally. Sometimes, though, you dream about living a wild secret life! You will be remembered for: your good cooking and evading the police Your life philosophy: "You should listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head."

The Simpsons Personality Test

Your Personality Profile

You are dependable, popular, and observant. Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness. In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do. You are unique, creative, and expressive. You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while. And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Fine! I'm off to paint now...I'm going...going...........

dedicated to my mom & mom-in-law

Because I feel that in the heavens above

The angels, whispering one to another,

Can find among their burning terms of love,

None so devotional as that of "Mother,"...

~Edgar Allan Poe

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What is a Mother

A mother is someone to shelter and guide us,

To love us, whatever we do,

With a warm understanding and infinite patience,

And wonderful gentleness, too.

How often a mother means swift reassurance

In soothing our small, childish fears,

How tenderly mothers watch over their children

And treasure them all through the years!

The heart of a mother is full of forgiveness

For any mistake, big or small,

And generous always in helping her family

Whose needs she has placed above all.

A mother can utter a word of compassion

And make all our cares fall away,

She can brighten a home with the sound of her laughter

And make life delightful and gay.

A mother possesses incredible wisdom

And wonderful insight and skill -

In each human heart is that one special corner

Which only a mother can fill!

~Katherine Nelson Davis

my mother

In honor of my Mom on Mother's Day- a photo & memory montage:

This is one of my all-time favorite photos! On the right is my Grandma holding my Aunt's hand, and on the left is my Mom. I love the era & especially the movie marquee w/ Spencer Tracy and Lana Turner.

My mom taught me to appreciate old movies! She'd always say "They don't make 'em like that anymore." or "Actors just can't act these days." My favorite *old* movie is Singing in the Rain with Gene Kelly! Of course my mom would also say, in regards to a scenic movie, "Kids, come! Watch...it's just like being there." And, I can say with some assurety, after living in other places like the Big Apple, that it is most definitely NOT like being there. In a movie you don't get the smells & peripheral view & tastes of actually being there.

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This is a picture of my Mom when she was in third grade, or 8 years old. I love the dimple in her chin (she's still famous for it to this day).

My Mom always liked doing my hair. She'd gush over how easy it was to curl. After a bath she'd just comb it and then take sections of my hair and wrap it around the end of the comb or her finger so that I'd look like Shirley Temple. I think she was living vicariously through me as she always said that, growing up, she loved Shirley Temple.

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This is one of my favorite photos of my Mom. Isn't she pretty?! She's 17 here.

Some of the gems that my Mom has taught me and that I'm passing on to my girls are:

• "Clean up as you go--it just makes life easier."
• "Makeup should accent your natural beauty, not be seen for what it is."
• "Play with one thing at a time and put it away before you play with something else."
• "When dying hair stay as close to the color that God gave you--He knew what would look good on you."
• "Eat lots of citrus fruit--it's good for the complexion."
• "Act lady-like; keep your knees together, your voice down & always say Thankyou."
• "If you want something done right do it yourself, and do it right the first time or you'll pay twice to have someone else do it."
• "Proof read proof read proof read!" (Again, this has made it impossible for me to write in a careless *freeing* style--sometimes I hate it.)

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This is my Mom & Dad with their first born, my brother Mike, circa 1960-61.

My Mom isn't perfect, but she never claimed to be. She's made some tough choices in life and has had to struggle at times, but who of us hasn't?! She's endured the loss of a child and both parents, and has been through a divorce, but she's also supported 5 kids, by herself, while graduating from college. I've never doubted that my Mom loves me. At fragile times it was the best she knew how. At other times she's down right smothering. But always loving!

I love you Mom! Happy Mother's Day. :)

love and statesmen

There were 3 wonderful parts to last week:

• Hard work on the basement.
• A wedding.
• An educational vacation.

We started out working in our basement; laying down Pergo flooring in the "school" room, finishing walls and in general trying to get things ready in the great room for the carpet installation in 5 weeks. The weather was so beautiful that we also worked outside and put in some of our garden; namely tomatoes, lettuce, squash & cucumbers. We were in the zone! Super focused! The rest of the house was super... neglected, but we were okay with that.

Then we got a phone call. My niece, Nicole, and her fiance', Cody, decided to elope and wondered if they could honeymoon at our house while we were on vacation. (We had already asked her if she could "house sit" while we were gone.)

Ummmm.....ok. Only if we get to go to the wedding -HELLO? Who's your favorite Aunt & Uncle??? So we pulled up our boot straps, grabbed a mop and bucket, and cleaned the sadly neglected remains of our house. After all, it's one thing to have a clean house and an entirely different thing to have one worthy of honeymoon-retreat status.

We cleaned like we've never cleaned before. Then I had fun making posters that said things like "Honeymoon suite" and "Hotel Newlywed" and "Cafe Amore". We put our lace runner on the kitchen table with roses in a vase and candles and our "good" dishes. I even made a "menu" and name cards. We put our down comforter in the "good" duvet cover and sprinkled rose petals on the bed and placed candles in the room.

The next day, Wednesday May 3, we met Cody & Nicole (and their families plus Grandma) in Tooele to watch them get married. (Only got video, sorry.) They were a bit nervous, but lovely, and we're so happy for them. And, no, she's not pregnant. It's an unfortunate forcing-the-hand issue from Cody's family --their loss! They stayed that night in a hotel, and came over the next day to see us off.

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We spent four days in Southern Utah for the Thomas Jefferson Education seminar. TJed is one of the many methods I use for homeschooling. It's about building statesmen. It was started by Dr. Oliver DeMille, who then co-founded the George Wythe College (George Wythe was Thomas Jefferson's mentor). The crux of the TJ method is 1) Classics, and 2) Mentors. A "classic" can be any medium, not just literature, that you learn something from over and over and over and over again. A "mentor" is someone that will INSPIRE you in a certain subject, not just "require" you to parrot back information. The TJ method also includes phases of learning and "steps" of methodology.

It is a very good book and can be used in any area of life- financial, marital relations, physical health, etc. This was the 3rd year I've heard Dr. DeMille speak and it absolutely reaffirms not only why I homeschool, but my love for our founding fathers and the wonderful statesmen that they were.

Gene and the girls stayed around the hotel and enjoyed the swimming pool while I attended the seminar. After the lectures we went out to eat and I got to join them a couple of times at the pool. Emma loved her little life jacket and hated it when we'd get too close or hold on to her. Sarah is getting really good at swimming & diving under water for objects & propelling herself.

*****

It was such a wonderful week on so many levels. Congratulations Cody & Nicole! We love you both and wish you the very best.