Repairing Holes

First of all I want to mention a giveaway going on right now over at Xazmin's in honor of her 100th post. They are some way cute homemade personalized blocks...this lady is so crafty! Go check it out!

Okay, so I'm participating in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop again this week. The prompt:

**Today I will....**

Today I will rejoice in the fact that the hole in my wall is now gone.

There has been an unsightly hole in the wall behind our front door for...oh, a long time. Originally we had a door guard on the wall for protection against this type of thing...you know, when the door gets shoved open and the knob slams into your wall. Well, the guard fell off and I'd been bugging Jimmy we'd been meaning to fix it for months but kept putting it off. Finally the inevitable happened and one of the kids jerked the door open and BANG...a dent in the wall.

"We need to fix that!" I kept nagging reminding Jimmy but it never happened. After a while of repeated door bangings the dent became a hole, then eventually a giant gastly gash.

I hated looking at that gaping blackness against my wall. It was such an eyesore. It was a constant reminder of something that needed to be fixed but I was waiting for Jimmy to do it. In an effort to make myself feel better I painted the walls in that room, hoping it would help. It didn't. In fact, against the freshly painted clean walls the hole in the wall stood out even more.

Today I repaired it myself. I went to Lowes and purchased a repair kit, some compound, a scrapper thingy, some spray texture and in less than an hour the hole was gone. I'm no professional and you can definitely see the imperfections of my work but I don't even care. That ugly, haunting jagged gash is gone.

Yesterday I fixed another hole I had but this wasn't the gash-in-the-sheetrock type. It was the wounded heart kind. After weeks and weeks of carrying hurt feelings and bitter thoughts about a person who at one point had been one of my closest friends, I decided it was time to repair it. Because no matter how much I tried to improve other areas of my life, the fact remained that I had an eyesore in my heart and it was staring me in the face. It seemed like the longer I dwelled on it and kept looking at it, the bigger and bigger it was growing.

But shouldn't she try to make it better? Shouldn't she have to fix it? I kept justifying to myself. Afterall, I was wounded, too. But just wishing and waiting was not working. So completely out of the blue yesterday, I had an urge to picked up the phone and just dial her number. I didn't know what I was going to say. How do you go about repairing a mess of emotions? But to my great happiness and relief she was as willing to move forward as me and in less than an hour the hole in my heart was gone.

Like the wall behind my front door, our relationship isn't exactly the same as it was before it was damaged, but that ugly, haunting, blackness is repaired and I can finally feel real peace.

Princess Scrapper is A FINE Example

We started something new at the house last week. For the record it was my Jimmy's idea. We decided to try and offset some of the "negative parental feedback" (also known as hounding, criticizing, nagging, and occasionally--by a mother who will remain anonymous--huffing) with something constructive and positive. Actually, the first recipient of the "FINE Example award" sort of set this all into motion.

Meet Leah. She is the family princess. Adorable, as you can see, and unique in every way possible. She is the most maternal and sweet natured of my children....

UNTIL....she feels she's been wronged and then she turns into this:

So a couple weeks ago she got sent to bed for beating up her older sister (this is one tough princess, people!) whereupon she proceeded to exclaim a sordid variety of outbursts one of which included, "I HATE Mom!" (Don't feel too sorry for me. I'm not the type who goes to puddles over a dramatic six-year-old. I know she loves me.) This declaration was followed by many loud crashing sounds coming from her bedroom upstairs. Jimmy went up, I stayed down. (Because frankly, I can outmatch her fits any day of the week and I wanted to avoid that pretty little demonstration!)

So, to break this down a little, Leah's infarctions included:

1. Breaking Fine Family Rule Number One: She didn't show respect and

2. Breaking Fine Family Rule Number 54679: She threw a fit.

The punishment from Dad: Nothing sweet comes out of your mouth, nothing sweet goes in it. Grounded from treats for a week (including after school snack...do I hear another back pack post coming? Oh dear me!).

Anyways, as always I forgot about the incident the next morning. I was making her lunch and asked if she wanted a cookie. Nope, she reminds me. "I can't have that stuff 'till Saturday, remember?"

And so for the rest of the week she faithfully reminds her forgetful mother that she is grounded from all sugary treats and I was way impressed. I told Jimmy about it and he decided to institute the "FINE Example award" and presented her with a candybar during a special family awards ceremony to commend her on showing exceptional * INTEGRITY *

So now we're on the lookout for more "FINE Examples" illustrated in the family and you should see how the kids straighten up their behavior when I say, "I'm looking for a FINE Example...."

Ahhh...I love our last name!

FMM: 5 Senses

I have been looking forward to Mondays thanks to Kasey's prompts that help us all share a little somethin' about ourselves. Today it is about the 5 senses. For each sense we are supposed to list 4 things we like about that sense and one thing we don't. If you'd like to join in just follow the link to her website and link up! It's an easy way to post something new and a great way to make new friends!


SMELL

1. Flowers
2. A good laundry detergent
3. Baking bread
4. Baby's breath (not the flower, the real deal!)

I dislike the smell of overbearing, musky perfume.

TASTE

1. Chocolate
2. Italian food
3. Mexican food
4. Cheesecake

I dislike the taste of fish.

TOUCH

1. Newborn babies
2. An embrace from Jimmy or the kids
3. A soft, cuddle blanket
4. Clean sheets in my bed (amen Kacey and Tanielle!)

I dislike the touch of anything icky and slimy. Gross.

SIGHT

1. Jimmy walking through the door at the end of the day.
2. Temples
3. Flowers
4. A clean home (mine preferably!)

I dislike the sight of a pile of dishes.

SOUND

1. The absolute quiet of when the kiddos are in bed asleep.
2. My children's laughter
3. Good music (Sarah Brightman currently)
4. Morning birds

I dislike the sound of anything scratchy and abrasive...like the screechy sound of a screw being drilled in too tight in a stud. Oooooh! That hurts my teeth!

My first Blog Award!

I got back from taking Romy and Teags to the doctor for their 4 year and 1 year checkups. Yeah, three hours in that icky, germy place, thank you. But the wait was worth it because we switched doctors and I love love loved the new one. Such a difference! Anyways, after 9 combined shots and a knocked out toddler (No! I did not! She was just worn out, thank you very much.) But I will admit I would have liked to have been knocked out while waiting in that teeny tiny room for so long with two restless kiddos! Anywho...I came home exhausted and depleted and much to my surprise found this:

It's my very first blog award given to me by a bloggy buddy, over at

This Is The Year. Thanks so much Xazmin!

It made my day (and I love reading your blog, too!)

The Rules of Accepting and Sharing this Award:

1.Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show an attitude of gratitude.

3. Link to your nominees within your post.

4.Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received this award.

5.Share the love and link to this post and the person who nominated you for the award. Tell us how you've come to have an attitude of gratitude.

I don't think I've mastered the art of having a grateful attitude but I do know that it's one of the most important attributes we can have. I believe every good thing we have in life is a gift from God and truly I give Him credit for everything wonderful in my life and the list is a long one. It includes the basics like my husband and children and the Gospel, but also encompasses the little things like finding a new doctor that I really like or the oomph to finish my exercise in the morning.

Once I read a book ("Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach) that recommended writing down five things that happened each day that you were grateful for. I tried it for quite a while and was amazed to find myself watching, waiting, on the ready to spot it the moment happened--that thing I was grateful for that I could write in my Gratitude Journal that night. After awhile I began to notice something: it wasn't the spectacular moments in my days that determined my mood or whether or not something was going to be important. It was the day-to-day occurrences that I wanted to remember, cherish, and be ever grateful for: the way my daughter's eyes sparkled when I pushed her on the swing, the moment my son rested his head on my shoulder as I read him a story, the three squeezes from Jimmy's hand in mine--our special way of saying, "I. love. you."

And the funny thing is that the more you are looking for things to be thankful for the less you are looking for things to complain about. And that is a beautiful thing. Perhaps I should pick up an old habit again!

Now...I nominate this award to go to the following 10 grateful bloggers: Shalene (private), Sally, Holly, Alyson (private), Channy, Gene, Ashley, Lisa W.(private), Gayle, and Suzi. Your blogs make me smile!

Popping the Question...

The previous post about my junior year high school Prom got me thinking. (The year was 1996 in case you played along and guessed!) I'm not sure when or why exactly this custom started, but back in my day you just didn't simply 'get asked' to Prom. The Big Question always required Effort (yes, with a capital E!).

In fact, I distinctly remember a conversation with one of my friends where we resolved that we would indeed not agree to go to Prom with any boy who simply just asked. Nope. We were worth more effort than that, thank you very much. After all, everybody knows that the more he really likes you and wants to go with you, the cooler and more creative the way he'll think to ask you with, right?

And so my junior year I came home from a late shift of working at Dairy Queen to find my entire room--yes, my entire room filled with balloons. They all had a message inside of them and it was my job to pop every. single. one. of them before finally, I popped open the balloon with The Big Question in it, "Will you go to Prom with me?" The whole ordeal took over an hour. I remember because my mother has the whole thing on video.

So my question to you is...how did YOU get asked to Prom or how did your Hubby pop the Big Question to you? Was it a big, creative production? A quiet romantic setting? Did you have to pop a million balloons or was it strewn across the sky in fireworks? (Come on...it wouldn't surprise me!) Leave a comment and tell us about it!

Prom Tag

I was tagged by Tanielle over at Polka Dotted Daisy to post an old Prom picture of mine. Don't start laughing yet, ladies, because I am going to be tagging 5 of you when I'm done!

THE RULES

#1. Leave me a comment guessing which Year this photo was taken. I will post the correct year in a few days after a few guesses come in...how fun!

#2. If I TAG you...DIG up your old Prom picture...post it and lets guess the date too...(if you really are that self-conscience and don't want us to know the date...maybe we can guess the decade?)
~If you are married to your Prom date let us know!
~If you are not...try to post a Prom picture of your Prom & a second picture of your husbands prom too...let us know where each of your Dates are now...and their relationship status!! (and of course YOU are way cuter than his Prom date!)

#3. I am gonna TAG some people...and then those taggers need to keep it going by tagging 5 other people! Ready? Here goes....

Actually, I dug and dug but could not for the life of me find the actual "Prom Photo" we took at the dance. So you'll have to settle for some (VERY BAD) shots we took at my house before we left for dinner. Mom has the uncanny ability to chop the heads off of just about every photo she takes, and these were not exception. So I apologize in advance for the bad pics, but they were all I had!

I didn't marry my prom date, though at the time I thought I would. Like Tanielle, my boyfriend went on an LDS mission and I was married before he came back. But I have some really fun memories that I'm still thankful for! We keep in touch a couple times a year and I hear he is doing well!

And, my husband's prom picture? Yeah. He's much older than me and I don't think Prom was actually invented yet! :) In truth, I asked him and he said he didn't go to Prom. He was hoping to take me but at the time I was still in preschool. (love you, honey!)

So there you have it. Now...I tag

1. Tori O.

2. Shalene G.

3. Rachel @ The Kooky Queen

4. Sally @ Sally's World

5. Gina Gae @ A Handful of Life

"Make new friends...

...but keep the old.

One is silver, the other gold."

(Author Unknown)

We had Game Fight Night at our house last night and invited my two Best Friends since middle school and their families over to play Settlers of Catan. Can I just say

it was so much fun!

(Note Rachel's #1 sign. She cheated won! By the way, that's my baby she's holding.)

Seriously, there is nothing like being with the two friends who have known me the longest and the best. Together we've been through teenage drama, boy craziness, high school stress, college separation, marriages, and child bearing and rearing. (Even if ONE of us claims to have forgotten most of it!) Although Telsie moved away for several years, she recently moved back with her husband and children and it is so much fun to be reunited again!

I don't think our husbands were prepared to see their 30-year-old wives giggling like school girls when we got together but I have to admit that I haven't laughed until I cried in a long LONG time and it was a great feeling. I was euphoric the rest of the night. I hope my girls are as blessed as I was to be surrounded and supported by lifelong friends! (Love you Rachel and Telsie! Really, nothing compares to the comfort of an old friend and I am so grateful you're in my life. )

Telsie, Trish, Rachel in 1996 (I think!)

13 years (and many children) later

But next time, Rachel, I'm going to win the game!