All Hail February

Because it's 10:51 in the PM

And because it's the LAST day of February.

Let it not be said that I didn't post this month.

I had lots of good intentions, but right now I am sitting squat in the middle of blogger hell for all of my good intentions. Life is such a cannibal, and I'm the main dish most days. Lots has happened this month too much to try and recap. I'll just say we had a nice little Valentines Day, we've had some warm days and some cold days, we've had the Grandma chair to snuz in as our sunny patch in the afternoons:

We've been strangely healthy, despite all of our friends being sick and afflicted. James seems to be FINALLY taking to primary. I totally credit his BEYOND awesome teachers Sister Mason and as he calls her, "Sister Ell-sky" because her name is not that and it's very hard to pronounce.

I've also been working on a project, which I'm not sure I will blog about, but I will mention, Personal Progress. Yes, Young Women's Personal Progress. I felt like I needed to do it again, 22 years later, for me. And by that I mean, to really get meaning out of it. Because let's face it, in Mesa Arizona you are expected to complete certain things like your Personal Progress or Eagle Scout and just get it done, not get meaning out of it, but just get it done, so you can have some swanky Mormon jewelry or something. It's bugged me for a few years now, so I'm doing something about it now. The program has changed quite a bit from when I was in YW, lo many years past.

I have has some very mind blowing experiences thinking about the scriptures, re-reading chapters and verses with new eyes and reading The Book of Mormon "auf Deustch". Yes, in German! For the value of Virtue, the project is to just read The Book of Mormon. The impression came to me, and it was very clear, so I didn't play my usual game of self-doubt, that I needed to read it in German. I feel like reading The Book of Mormon in a different language, one that I'm slightly conversational, and in no way religiously versed has given me a new appreciation and respect for people that investigate the LDS Church. I am reading that book for the first time with "convert eyes" and I am noticing words and phrases, literary patterns and devices and it has been amazing. I have also felt, at times, overwhelming witnesses that The Book of Mormon is true. I've always known it to be true, but my testimony has grown. I have also come to believe in, and know the power of the gift of tongues, because as I've been reading in German, I have been taught with the language of the Holy Spirit. And out of all the parts of Personal Progress that I'm slogging thru (cheerfully!), reading The Book of Mormon in German has been my favorite thing. My goal is to perhaps be able to bear my testimony in German and pray in German as well, but I don't even know how to being learning those things, as they no longer make those coolio flip charts they used to give out in the MTC and the flip charts I do have are in Bulgarian.

And with that, I bit you, February a farewell. See you next year   that is February, the rest of you in March, which is tomorrow.

A Snow-ball Lunch

Here is the view outside our front door today....

James says it's "A MEEEESSSS!" And it is. I'm presently watching the garbage truck do a 47 point turn in the cul-de-sac and I wonder if he'll be able to get back up the hill and out of here today.

I'm tired of people whining about a White Christmas. I'm from Mesapotamia. I like brown and warm for Christmas. The snow is for the birds....although, there don't seem to be any birds around today. Seriously, the snow is making me very grumpy. Grumpier than I want to be.





The only thing we could do in an event like today was to have snow-balls for lunch.



James did eat about 7 "baby oognes" (clementines) along with his snow ball lunch. I'm not a total slacker. The only good thing about all this snow is that Joseph gets to come home early, on this, his last day of work for 2011. HOORAY! Because I'm about ready to go crazy and I need back up.

O Tannenbaum

We went and fetched our Christmas Tree on Friday afternoon from the Delancey Lot. I like their trees best, because they are grown in Oregon, so they look like a Christmas tree (sorry New Mexico, but sage green does not speak Christmas to me), and I get why people have fake trees, and that's fine, but only FOR REALS in this house. I also like the Delancy Lot because The Delancey Street Foundation helps men mainstream back into society after drug addiction and/or jail. They have always been the NICEST people to work with. Honestly, the NICEST!

Not the best picture of our tree, but so you can see.

Now I have to admit I did not pick out the best tree this year. I was just excited to get a tree and I think I might have been a bit intoxicated from the delicious pine tree smell on the tree lot, and the fact that I could not really bend over and give the tree a proper look. I am after all sporting the Goodyear Blimp as my waistline these days. No you cannot touch my belly, but thanks.


An excellent example of my Mom's talents. She's made these little drummer boys from old-fashioned clothes pins and felt drums to go with them. Her decos, deco most of our tree


When we got it home, I noticed a big brown spot on the back. And then I noticed a big bald spot on the other side of the back. Then I noticed the needles shedding faster than I could vacuum them up. It's ok though, I'm just going to say it's Charlie Brown in personality and needed to come home with us. However, it will be going out of our house December 26th. (And directly do the dump...not flying on to Gilbert Road...I seriously need to tell that story to you guys -- Dil I hope you're laughing at that.)

James with BAy-BEE Twr-EEE!

The men at the tree lot also gave James a "Baby Tree" which he is in love with. He threw a great fit on Friday nite when I would not let him have Baby Tree in bed with him. After all there was only, Curious George, Bunny, Tigger, Snoopy, the Teds, Doggins, Kitty Wow, three airplanes, a handful of Hot-wheels cars and 3 or 4 books in his bed. I draw the line at trees kid. I draw the line at trees!

Christmas Village

I also did a somewhat abbreviated Christmassing of the house, and I think I like the "less is more" look. Honestly, I need to get rid of most of what I have in the decos boxes because I just don't need all those wood crafts I finally finished (yes there is a story there as well) and since we finally have a child and soon to be children we no longer need the fake presents under our tree.

So, it's looking a lot like Christmas at our house these days, and our Tannenbaum is pretty, if not somewhat balding. So I guess, I'll dedicate the tree to my Dad and his amazing hair line. Right?

Snow Day

We had a SNOW DAY on Monday. I like snow days when I can stay inside and look at the snow, which is exactly what I did. However, the boys were out and into it building, making and playing. James loves the snow. I probably should have gotten him some snow pants and boots for the winter, but being an Arizona Desert Rat, I have no concept of such things, or where to begin when buying such apparel. So he will have to just go out and play and come back in soggy wet.

The boys built a Snow Man.


Kissing the Snowman...


The finished product. James now runs into the backyard every time we come in or out of the house to kiss the Snowman.


Later on...after the boys were thoroughly soaked they came in, had HOT CHOX and did some other things like...

Watch movies...


...and build the BEST Train-Town in the history of the universe!

Liquid Sunshine

This is orange juice. But not just any orange juice from a sad little cardboard carton from the dairy section of the Piggly-Wiggly.


It's fresh squeezed, from oranges that came from the trees in my parents and grandparents back yard. When I was home for Christmas I stripped the trees and brought a box home. I would have brought 2 boxes home, if there had been room in the car. I also picked three pounds of pecans. I still need to get a rocket cracker to shell them

So thank you Dad and Grandpa and Grandma for having these trees for us. I love these oranges. It helps to have a glass of liquid sunshine on a winter day when the sun does not come out and all that falls from the sky are smallish, flecks of white terror.

More winter snaps

Some more winter snaps and a small video. Baby James seems to really like the snow! I know, it's a bit sad for me, who does not like snow. That can be Joseph's special job then....

Apparently, James went over to the wood pile and found a stick with which to eat the snow...


And, no, if you were wondering, I was not worried about the germs on that stick. There are more germs on my yucky kitchen floor right now.




And a little video of the scene...

Babe in Snow from The Atomic Mom on Vimeo.

Winter snaps

Some winter snaps...

In a bleak midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan,

earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

in the bleak midwinter, long ago.




Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;

heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.




What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

yet what I can I give him: give my heart.


Photos by: Me
Hymn lyrics by: Christina G. Rossetti, 1830-1894
Hymn name: CRANMER by Gustav Holst, 1874-1934
Sung by: Gloucester Cathedral Choir



Or here is the Harold Darke version, which is my personal favorite:




Happy Winter to all...

February Brings Hope

I know I promised a good story last week.

I checked out mentally though. It was the end of January. I HATE January. Yes, I know hate is a strong word, but it's how I feel and I hate January, I'm sorry I just do. I was really in a midwinter funk last week -- to the point I was considering peeling back the layers of paint on our old house walls to the lead paint layer and eating the paint chips. I'm still in the funk, but not as much today as say, last Wednesday night. Actually last Thursday was the worst...it just was and we'll leave it at that.

Aggg!

February gives me some hope. By the end of the month the snow in our yard will be half of what it is right now and any storm that comes usually is a "warm" storm and melts off fairly quickly.

I've also decided that we are going to have George Washington's birthday. His birthday is on the 22nd, and I am trying to decide to have the party on that day or just do it on President's Day. I'm just gonna say it now, I LIKE President's Day! I do!! We're going to be eating the "food of the day". I found a great food website from Colonial Williamsburg that I am using for inspiration.

Do you know who my favorite President is? Guess in the comments. I'm sorry though, I have no fabulous prize to give you, and even if I did, I wouldn't send it to you because that would necessitate a trip to the post office, which here is just not where you want to be. And if you think there is a story in that, yes there is.

But really, who is my favorite President? Who is yours? Leave your answer in the comments! (Hi, totally comment fishing here hahah RUDE!)

The final tale of the crybaby

An update:

We survived the week. Now, I know it might sound like I was a cry baby having Joseph gone all week. Well I was, and I'm not ashamed of it. Some people can do this separation thing well, I am not one of those people. I cracked this week, I totally lost it and I am going to accept that and move on.

But to round out our adventures...

Wednesday when I thought all trial was past, it wasn't. The power went out at 1pm. My first thought was, "ARE YOU SERIOUS??!!" It was 25 degrees out, and our house does not retain heat at all, so I had a very slim window in which to make a plan. My plan was to will the electricity back on with my mental powers and the think system. Ok, it came back on 15 mins later. Then I get a call about 2:45 from Julia. "Um, is your electricity on?" Yes, is yours? "No, can I come over with the kids?" YES!! Just call when you get here so I can come and help get them from the car. Well as fate would have it, after I reset all the clocks in the house the power went out again. The other thing is this, the only phone in our house with a ringer that rings is the cordless phone and with no power there is no ring. Julia just knocked on the door and threw her kids in my house one at a time.

Come to find out they were doing some scheduled maintenance on the power grid. I just have to say, really? You couldn't have rescheduled, for a day when it wasn't TWENTY FIVE DEGREES!!?? I'm just askin' is all.

But the power came back on and the kids had a marvelous time crawling after each other and destroying things.

Then on Thursday I heard a snow shovel scraping in front of my house. I looked out the window and what did I see? (No it was not popcorn popping on the apricot tree). But it was Mr Sanchez our neighbor. He became worried about us when he saw that after 2 days our snow was still not shoveled. So he decided to come and do it for us. He didn't shovel it all, but just enough to get out of the street if need be.

One more tender mercy came our way and for that I am very thankful.

Joseph did make his grand entrance at 7:45 that night and we were glad. He immediately went out and shoveled snow in the empty off street parking spaces our neighbors don't use. We've claimed them as ours for the season. He literally moved a ton of snow too, to get them. I think he would probably string anyone up who tried to take them.

So for now we are happy and all home. Let's not do this ever again.

The Storm of the Century!

The following are real, non-photoshoped pictures of snow. Real,live, snow. I post these to dispel your romantic notions of snow, winter wonderlands and that somehow the cold is fun. Cold is not fun people. It's just not.

The ruler from far away. This is the top of the garbage barrel on our back porch.


A blurry, but close up shot of the ruler in the snow on top of the garbage barrel. The snow hit between 9 and 10 inches here, but was at least a foot or more out in the yard and sidewalks


With both of those previous pictures etched in your brain, take a look at the back walkway. Um, ya -- we will not be participating in garbage collection this week.


This is what awaits Joseph when he gets home. See what a great wife I am. I save all the good jobs for him! I would personally like to thank the snow plow for doing this. I mean really, thank you so much!


The neighbor kids took this pic. I'm not sure what my face is doing. I;m blaming it on global warming, or the fact that snow was up my back side.


The pile of snow in the cul-de-sac. Next week sometime a back hoe will come and scoop it all away.


The stairs leading up to the house. This was about all I was able to manage. Snow is heavy, very heavy


Finally, my legs after the whole business. There was also a healthy amount of snow on my buns, but there was no way I'd every subject any of you nice people to my very large bottom