Think Happy Thoughts

I don't like getting wet in the rain, but I do like to listen to the rain on my rooftop.
I hate it when my feet are cold, but I love my soft slipper socks.
I can't stand wearing turtlenecks, but I love sweaters.
I really dislike the inconsistent temperature controlled by our furnace, but I do enjoy sitting by a fire and reading. (Just bought another case of firelogs yesterday, and trust me, it won't last long around here.)
It makes me sad that the trees will soon be naked and gray, but the colorful fall leaves I see all around me are so beautiful right now.

I'm trying hard to focus on the positive...and it's only September!

A Dry Day

You may know that dry days are almost as rare as sunny days around our house. But today was a very special day that met both uncommon conditions, in more ways than one. Yes, it was sunny and pleasant, weather wise, but also...

Hannah stayed dry in her panties ALL DAY LONG! Yahoo! We ditched the diapers on Monday, and today was her first day without any accidents. And that put me in a sunny mood, even though I wished we could have left the house (and the nearby potty) for longer and enjoyed more of the sunshine outside.

That's ok. The sun will (eventually--who knows when) be back, but hopefully the diapers are gone for good. :)

Good Sabbath

Today was a good one. Doug stayed home to nurse himself back to good health, so it was me and the 4 girls heading to Sacrament Meeting. They were surprisingly well-behaved today, which means that I was able to get a lot out of the meeting. The theme was "Reverence", and the speakers were inspirational. I came home feeling well fed.

Driving in the car this afternoon, Lauren said to me,
"I'm glad that Heavenly Father is real, because then we don't have to be invented."
She went on to list all the creations that would not exist if He wasn't the one who created them.

It's so nice to have a pretty-darn-perfect Sabbath Day once in a while--just to know that they still exist, even for imperfect me. What a gift after a rather long week.

I'm grateful.

The Worst: Part II

Guess who's sick now? The nice guy, Doug. No good deed goes unpunished. The poor guy started puking his guts out in the middle of the night. And what did I do to help him feel better? Well, I gave him more room. I scooted over to the farthest edge of my side of the bed and turned my back to him and worried all night that I would breathe his air and catch his sick germs. Because, vomitting, that's one symptom I have not experienced in the past week, and I'm not seeking to elongate the list of symptoms I have expereinced with my recent illness.

It just goes to show who's the more compassionate half of this couple. (Hint: It's not me.)

The Worst and The Best

Viral respiratory infections are the worst.
It started as an itchy throat, but I toughed it out. Then along came a dry cough. The next day, my nose started to drip. I'll stop there, but suffice it to say that every night since Thursday night, I have gone to bed thinking "Tomorrow I'll feel better." And then I feel worse the next day. It hasn't stopped me from normal life until today, when Doug made me take it easy.

He is the best.

He stayed home and let me sleep in and hang out in my pajamas all day. He got the girls off to school. He worked from home. He did laundry. And he made me a yummy lunch. Now he has taken all the girls to the park, and then he's bringing home a pizza for dinner. He is truly the best.

But as wonderful as he is, and as nice as my lazy day has been,
I really hope I'll feel better tomorrow.

What's for Lunch?

Today I made black bean dip. I've been snacking on it with pita chips, but I think I'm going to make a quesadilla and dip that, and officially call it "lunch". I probably should have soup, because it might make my throat feel better. I have an annoying itchy/sore throat, which came on yesterday. Emily started hers a day before me, and she has stayed home from school for two days now. And it's only the second week of school. This is not a good beginning.

Anywho....here's my yummy black bean dip recipe. (Actually, it's not mine. Originally, I got it from Family Fun.) You should make some. Your tastebuds will thank you, even if your throat complains.

BLACK BEAN DIP
1 15.5-oz. can black beans
1/3 cup medium-hot salsa, plus 1 tbsp. for garnish
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish (optional)
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced

To make the dip, drain and rinse the black beans, setting aside 1 tablespoon for garnish. Combine the black beans, salsa, cilantro leaves, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Garnish with the black beans and, if you like, cilantro leaves or salsa. Makes 1 1/4 cups and serves 4 to 6.

Bloody Gums

Why is it that going to the dentist fills me with more dread, not less, the older I get?

When I was a kid, I think I had at least 9 cavities in my baby teeth. Even though I eventually lost all those, my mouth is still full of lots of silver (and some white) fillings. What I'm trying to say is, in my youth, I was very familiar with Novocaine and a drill in the hands of my very gentle dentist, Dr. John. Even with all that familiarity, I don't recall any fear or pain....until I was about seventeen.

That's the age I was when I'm pretty sure I hit full immunity to Novocaine, and dental visits began to hurt, and thus, fill me with dread. At the age of eighteen I had my wisdom teeth removed, and thank goodness Dr. Adams was very liberal with his administration of the laughing gas. I only remember coming to once, as he was tugging to extract a giant tooth, and he saw my eyelids flutter and told the assistant to crank up the juice...and then I was out again.

I still fear cavities and fillings, but I haven't had to deal with that fear much as an adult. Did I start brushing more vigorously and effectively? Perhaps. But now they tell me that I'm brushing too well, and it's giving me some gum issues. Which brings me to the point of my title. I had a dental exam and cleaning today, and it was incredibly painful and bloody. Might I mention that this appointment was at 6:00 am, I had skipped breakfast, and my stomach complained about the fact that bloody saliva mixed with a few grains of tooth polish was the first thing it got to digest for the day.

Question: If my gum tenderness is, as they say, caused by aggressive brushing, then how could it solve anything to hack at my gum line every six months with a small ice pick? Doesn't it make sense that, because of the way they scrape at my poor teeth in the dentist's chair, I'm inclined to believe that I must not be brushing well enough, and go home and redouble my efforts?! Who's confused here, me or them?

I had to eat soft foods today. My teeth are very tender. And flossing tonight was terrifying.

Clark, is this normal? Is this the type of torture they teach you in dental school? Breanne, is there a compassionate dental hygienist out there? Especially at 6:00 am, for crying out loud!

Awkward

Guess what today's YW lesson was about...Ok, you might not guess, and then I'll have people leaving comments wanting to know the answer, so I'll just go ahead and tell you. I had to teach a group of Beehives about the Sacred Powers of Procreation. Yikes. That was probably the most nerve-wracking lesson I've ever had to prepare. I used to think (and actually, I still do) that teaching Gospel Doctrine would be seriously intimidating, because I don't feel like I know enough to teach those lessons. Well, this lesson wasn't difficult for that reason (I'm pretty sure I know more than all the Beehives about today's subject), but it was awkward for other reasons. a) they are Beehives, and they are silly about just about any topic you could think of...especially this one!
b) I felt like I needed their parents to sign consent forms first
c) I really hope that this was not the first talk on the subject for any of the fresh 12-year-olds!
d) I can just imagine the conversation those families had on the drive home from church today.
Mom: So, honey, how was YW today? What did you guys talk about?
Beehive: Sex.
Mom: WHAT?!?!

So, I've been building up my anxiety over the last couple days, for the above reasons. And then, to make it even worse, I ended up with only FIVE MINUTES, literally, to teach the lesson. That's exactly enough time for me to get their attention, delve into the topic, solicit a bunch of red faces and eye rolls and a couple of giggles, and then say "Amen".

Good thing we have Stake Conference next week. Maybe with two weeks before I have to teach them again, we will all have gotten over today's awkwardness.

I Never Seen

This is the way Hannah adds great emphasis to a compliment: She adds those three words, "...I never seen," at the end. For example, she might say, "This is the best dinner I never seen!", or (my personal favorite), "Mom, I love you. You are the best mom I never seen." That's how she woke me up this morning.
It's good to know she still thinks I'm the best mom, even after her struggle on the potty yesterday. She made poops in the potty (yay!), but only after overcoming an hour-long struggle against her fears and my encouragement. Anyway, it's progress, and hopefully this week she'll get the hang of it all.
So, how are things going for all of you? :)

And They're Off....

Three of the four girls are now in school. Hannah is very jealous of her sisters! So am I, to tell you the truth. Who didn't love elementary school? This is the first and only year that they will all be at the same school. Aren't they absolutely adorable?! (Not to mention, brilliant!)

Happy Birthday to Emily!

We celebrated Monday morning with a special breakfast made by Daddy (it's so nice when these occasions fall on holidays!), and opening some gifts.

Then we went to the zoo.

The celebrating continued into the next 24 hours. On the last day of summer vacation, Emily had a birthday party. It was a dog theme. The guests got to paint ceramic puppies, play Pin the Tail on the Dog, eat hot dogs and cupcakes for lunch, and make dog pins to wear.

The two hours flew by. In fact, Emily was disppointed that there wasn't enough time to play Dog Bingo. But it was a fun party and she received lots of nice gifts that she's trying to learn to share willingly with her sisters. I learned that 8- and 9-year-olds still enjoy running around the house and screaming, if the party parent doesn't maintain a pretty tight structure to the party.