As You Wish

We were all pretty taken with Moana when we watched it as a family over Christmas break, but none as much as Sadie. She LOVED it! She has been talking about it ever since and has tried to be patient while waiting for the DVD release.

This morning she said to me, "Mom, if I came home from school and found Moana on my bed, I'd be so happy!"

I was planning to buy it anyway and I couldn't resist making Sadie's day. It's fun to make wishes come true.

Have A Nice Life

I attended my writing group again last night. What a great group of people! We laugh a lot and have a great time as we encourage each other and share our stories.

Each month, we bring a piece that we've written based on a prompt given to us at the previous meeting. But before we read those aloud, we are given a new prompt at the start of the meeting and we write for about 20 minutes. Then, if we choose, we share what we've written. Last night the prompt was a very general "gifts." That could mean a favorite or least favorite gift we've received or given. It could be a card or letter. It could be a birthday or Christmas or any other occasion. Whatever we thought of, we had twenty minutes to write. It took me a few minutes to get started, but here's what I came up with in the end.

It was 1988, my freshman year of college. I was at Ricks, a junior college in Idaho about 4 hours from my Utah home. I was still homesick when my 18th birthday rolled around just a few weeks after the start of the semester, so I was excited when a postcard arrived from my dad. I went to my room to read his note. 

"Dear Missy, Happy Birthday to you. ... Hope you have a great day, weekend, year, life, etc. I love you. Love, Dad"

As silly as it sounds, I sat down on my bed and cried. My dad had just told me to have a nice life. It sounded so...final. 

I've always been a daddy's girl, and his card reminded me that I was far from home, but I knew that my dad simply wanted me to be happy, not only on my birthday but always.

I still have that postcard, but I no longer have my dad. It's okay. Throughout my life he always made it clear that he wants the best for me.

He wants me to have a nice life.

 

A Soft Bed for Jesus

For the past three weeks we've drawn names every Sunday. During the week we do nice things for our person. For each act of service, we get to put a straw in our popsicle-stick manger. We're trying to make a soft bed for the baby Jesus before Christmas.

Some of us are doing really well (some not so much, like...um...whoever has my name). Some of us are excited to find opportunities to secretly do something without getting caught while others ask "Who has my name?" when they have a job to do, hoping their someone will volunteer. :) As you can see, it's far from perfect. But overall, it's a positive alternative to the gimme attitude that all-too-often prevails at this time of year.

And our little makeshift manger is filling right up!

Baptism and Blessing

This morning my cute niece, Ruby, was baptized and her baby brother, Elijah, was blessed. These two sure have a lot of people who love them. The room was filled right up with family from both sides who came to be a part of their special day. 

I'm so glad we got to be there, too! 

A Father's Day Birthday

Today is Jeff's birthday and Father's Day! This doesn't happen very often, but it's fun when it does. (Soren sometimes has a Father's Day birthday, too. In fact, Soren was born on Father's Day.) 

In the past, Jeff and I have gotten into a bad habit in the weeks leading up to his birthday. He'll find something he needs, buy it "for his birthday," and then use it right away. When his birthday finally rolls around, we have nothing to give him. While I did let him have one inexpensive gift a few days before his birthday this year, we still managed a couple of surprises.

One of them was discovered when Soren was putting together a personal first-aid kit for one of his Boy Scout requirements. Jeff got a good laugh out of his gift:

The kids were all in on it and thought this was pretty funny, too. They thought I was a genius for finding an actual iPad box to put it in. In the end, the joke was on them because after we all had our laugh over the "eye pad," Jeff received the new iPad he'd picked out a few days before. :) 

Happy Birthday, Jeff. I hope this is your best year so far!

(I got the best one. Wahoo!)

Twenty-One Years Ago Today

Last night, Sadie told Jeff and me that we both had to wake her up in the morning. She said there would be a special surprise waiting for us and we had to come together.

As I started turning her door knob this morning, I heard her little voice, "Who is out there?"

"It's mom."

"Okay. Is daddy with you?"

"Yes."

"Okay. You can come in." We opened the door and she said, "Turn on the light."

As we entered her room, we saw our big surprise. There, on the wall above her bed, was this:

Unbeknownst to us, Sadie drew and colored each letter earlier in the evening and waited until Jeff tucked her in. Then she climbed out of bed and put up her sweet little masterpiece.

I'm glad someone around here likes to celebrate big events. Sadie doesn't get that from me, but it made Jeff and me feel like a million bucks that our engagement anniversary was so important to our cute little 10-year old girl.

A Missionary's Pocket

Look what Sam sent me for Christmas --

Isn't that just the greatest gift for a Missionary Mum? My heart melted as soon as I saw it. And as if that missionary badge wasn't enough, that pocket was stuffed full of all the typical things you'd find in a missionary's pocket...

Yep, a Missionary Handbook and a collection of pass-along cards. Isn't that the sweetest gift? I love it so much! And I sure love that cute missionary who sent it to me. :)

An Empty Manger

When I was young, my mom read us a story called "The Last Straw" about a family that drew names and did acts of service for each other. With each act of service, they would lay a piece of straw in a manger. Their goal was to make a soft bed for the baby Jesus by Christmas day.

We've done this in our family a few times over the years, but this year I'm adapting it a little. Instead of drawing names, I want my kids to be aware of the needs around them. Rather than focusing on serving one individual, I want them to learn to see needs that will bless any member of our family or our family as a whole.

I assembled this crude manger this afternoon with popsicle sticks and glue. It sits empty for now, but I'm hoping that it will fill right up as we transform it from an empty manger to the softest bed overflowing with love and service for the baby Jesus.

And I hope this will continue way past December 25!

I'm Silently Correcting Your Grammar

Paul, a good friend of ours, is SO smart! He understands the English language so well that he's the perfect go-to source whenever there's a question about tense or capitalization or any number of tricky grammar situations. (I had to look up whether or not to capitalize "English" in the previous sentence. Paul would have known.)

Paul is also one of the funniest people we know. I've come to the conclusion that it's impossible to be around Paul for any length of time and be in a bad mood. 

When Jeff and I were invited to Paul's birthday celebration, we wanted to come up with the perfect gift. 

Shortly before we had to leave for the party, we remembered seeing a version of the above t-shirt online. Obviously, it was way too late to order one for Paul so I decided to make him one myself. After a quick run to the store for a t-shirt, I worked up a simple stencil with my vinyl cutter. A little bit of gray paint, a stencil brush and about 20 minutes later, we had our gift. 

Paul loved it! I think things are funnier when they are true. :)

Dear Jeff,

Dear Jeff,

Thanks for the saw. No, I'm serious. I really like it and I'm excited about the cool things you can cut out for me! It was just a passing comment -- "Look at all these wooden shapes people are selling. I think we should get a scroll saw so you can cut cute things out for me when I want to make something." And then, Voila! a scroll saw appeared. I know it's used and didn't cost much, but that makes it even better. You must have gone out of your way to find it for me. This isn't the first time this has happened, of course. It happened with that used MINI Cooper we saw back in 2009 that now looks so at home in our garage. It happens when I'm overwhelmed with housework and the next thing I know, the dishes and laundry are done and the floors are mopped. It happens a lot. Kind of makes me feel like my wish is your command. :)

I really am excited about the saw.

Love,
Me

Small and Simple Things

It's the little things that matter most. 

Soren loves the color green. He has several green shirts in his wardrobe, but none have been more loved than his robot shirt. He wore that shirt every chance he got. We aren't usually very sentimental, but once it was too small, we couldn't think of packing it up with the rest of our castoffs. Instead, we just tucked it into a drawer so Soren could save it forever. He loved it that much.

From a quick search through some old photos, I came across these two of Soren wearing his favorite shirt about 18 months ago. I realize you can't see the shirt very well in the first one (but look at that adorable face!), and the second one is super blurry, but you get the idea. 

Fast forward to Christmas. Sadie was making some simple sewing projects for the family and she just couldn't think of what to make for Soren. Then I had an idea. I had a small pillow form...and Soren had a shirt. It was perfect. I was so excited for him to open it on Christmas morning.

When Soren opened up his new pillow, he literally gasped! His reaction was priceless. He LOVES his pillow and was so happy to be reunited with his robot. It was the perfect gift. 

***

Side note: "Due to icy road conditions," we're enjoying Snow Day #4. The call came in during our family scripture study this morning at 5:50 and was completely unexpected. I think I like it that way best. It never crossed my mind that school might be canceled today so it was a fun surprise! 

The Spirit of Christmas

What a beautiful video. It brought tears to my eyes (and down my cheeks). This is what I believe.




#sharethegift

Share the Gift

I'm so grateful for this beautiful video to help me Share the Gift of our Savior this Christmas. It's the perfect way to start off this crazy, commercial fiasco we call December and help bring the focus back where it belongs. This is the message Sam is sharing -- the one worth devoting two years of his life for.

Christ is the Gift. Knowing that puts everything else in its proper perspective.

#sharethegift

(2025: The video was no longer available so I found this one, which I think is the same as the one originally posted, just from a different source.)

Princess Suite

Sadie has a birthday party this afternoon. The birthday girl, Emma, shares a room with her two younger sisters. I didn't think they'd appreciate something that said "Emma's Room," so here's what I came up with instead:

I glued sparkly gems onto the tiara and letters. The color is the birthday girl's favorite. I think it turned out cute! Don't worry, we have a few treats for the birthday girl alone so she doesn't have to share her entire present if she doesn't want to.

Easy Peasy - Treat Box From a Paper Cup

I love cute and fun ways to package gifts. There's something cheerful about a little package containing a small treat to say "Thank You," "Get Well," or "I'm thinking about you!" I saw a picture of these adorable treat boxes and knew I had to try. These would make fun favors for a party. They would look so cute at each place setting for Thanksgiving or another memorable occasion. Bonus: They are super easy to make! Here's how...

I used paper cups from the dollar store. They came 12 cups to a package. Any paper cup should work. If you like, use cups with a pre-printed design or put on a fun sticker or something to fit the occasion. I added a "Y" sticker to mine because we're crazy about BYU around here. (Go Cougars!!)

Start by cutting the top white rim off the cup. Then cut slits down from the top, evenly spaced, all the way around. I cut mine just over an inch deep and I cut 8 slits. You can have as many tabs as you like, just make sure they are evenly spaced. Fill it with your treat then fold each tab down in order around the cup, tucking the last tab under the first. That's it. Super cute!

Heart to Heart

Savannah needed a gift for a special friend who moved from our little corner of the world clear out to Utah several years ago. Savannah found this idea on Pinterest and I made my best attempt to duplicate it. I think these mugs turned out pretty cute and I like that both girls have one so they'll remember each other every time they use them. (Each mug has exactly the same design so that when they are put side by side, you see the whole thing.)

If I were to do it over again, I'd use mugs that were not tapered. The slope of these mugs made the vinyl design curve down and it turned the states crooked. Not a deal breaker, but something to consider. Otherwise, I'm happy with how they turned out!

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

It's Teacher Appreciation Week in our little corner of the world. The three youngest kids are giving each of their teachers three gifts throughout the week. Here is what we came up with:

Savannah found this idea on Pinterest. Super easy, super cute!

I do this every year and it's always a hit. Teachers love homemade bread!

We found out each teacher's favorite color for the background. At 24"x8", it's perfect for over a doorway. I've given a couple of these in the past and they love them. :)

 Only two weeks left of school. Hooray!!!

For Grandma's Fridge

I made these magnets for Jeff's mom and dad to hold up the grandkids' pictures on their refrigerator door. In true make-it-work-while-on-a-mission fashion, they were using one of those flexible advertisement magnets that had been cut into little strips to do the job. It worked fine, but I couldn't resist cheering it up a bit. I have been anxious to try out my new Washi tape and I think it was the perfect choice for these scrabble tile magnets. You can't tell from the picture, but I coated the top with dimensional glue for a raised glossy finish then put super strong magnets on the backs. I love how they turned out!

Les Mis

We celebrated my birthday* last night. I used all my birthday money and then some to buy 7 tickets to see Les Miserables. Soren and Sadie stayed behind with "the world's best babysitters" (Sadie's words) - two young adult girls in our ward. The rest of us got all gussied up and drove 2.5 hours to the Fox Theatre in St. Louis.

Arriving at The Fox Theatre in St. Louis

The theater is amazing with elaborate carvings and decor everywhere you look. It is no wonder they call it the Fabulous Fox! Built in 1929 and used for years as a movie theater, it opened for stage productions in the 80's. I'm glad we arrived early enough to soak it all in!

The play itself was simply amazing! Savannah pretty much cried through the whole thing. The music, the scenery, the voices (especially the voices!) - it was all so hauntingly beautiful! I wanted to just stay there and have it go on forever, even from our "cheap seats" which turned out to be much better than I expected. I first saw Les Miserables in 1993 in Edinburgh, Scotland. I took Jeff when it came to Salt Lake City in 1995. I love the story and I'm glad I was able to take my family to see it with me this time around.

Now if only I can find a way to justify tickets to Wicked in December...

*My birthday is October 8th. This was worth the wait!

Coming to Life

Do you remember way back last March when I posted about Child's Own Studio and the adorable dolls inspired by kids' artwork?

I finally got brave enough to try.

I'm not a great seamstress, but I know just enough to be dangerous. Here is the result:

By Spencer, age 3?

If I had to do it again, I would have left more of an allowance in the fabric to compensate for the stuffing. It more closely resembled the original drawing before it was stuffed. Otherwise, I'm happy with how it turned out. Spencer loves it so we'll call it a success!