Mother's Day 2026

 

I used to have a hard time with Mother's Day. My mom died a month after I turned 18, so I never had a Mother's Day with my mom as an adult. In 2020, I was finally able to take my time, celebrate my mom, grieve experiences I felt robbed of, and be celebrated by my husband and kids without having to go to celebrate someone else (I know this part is selfish). This was what I needed to heal and finally be able to enjoy Mother's Day. We still send my mother-in-law a gift, and my husband calls her. However, I am aloud to spend time a lone to think of my mom, and my husband and kids celebrate me. 

This year, we had a plan. Chad was going to make homemade fettucine noodles and alfredo sauce with broccoli and a cherry cheesecake for dessert. I made rolls the day to go with it when I made bread the day before. This dinner didn't happen. 

After church, we had lunch; Eric came over; and Chad started on the cheesecake. Then, Eric, Sean, and I planted some shrubs and flowers that I had bought not long ago. When we were finishing up the last shrub, Chad came to the back door and told me he was in pain and may need to go to the ER. He was having a diverticulitis attack from eating too much rice. We made the decision together that he would lie down, take some Tylenol, and drink some water as he monitored his pain. If it got worse, we would go to the hospital. It started to get better, but there was no one to make dinner, and we didn't have anything for a backup out of the freezer. The kids and I ordered from Red Robin instead of having the planned dinner. On the way to pick up our order, we stopped at the gas station to get soda for us and apple juice for Chad. (Apple juice was his dinner because that was what we were told to do before he was discharged from the hospital in March.) We still had the cheesecake for desert after we played a game. I continually checked on Chad through the night. He eventually felt well enough to come out of our room and spend time with everyone before Eric left. Today, it is like it didn't happen at all. 

Mother's Day didn't exactly look like we had planned. The dinner I dreamed of was not able to be made. That didn't matter. I was able to spend my time with my children, and they all got along. We laughed, we played, we ate good food. What more could this mama want?

Christmas 2025

 

This year, we had a good Christmas. Eric came over around 9am, and we opened presents together. I think everyone was happy with the gifts they received. I know that I worked hard to try to make sure to buy things that Eric, Sean, Noel, and Chad wanted or needed. We also do a not-so-secret-Santa, and I think everyone did a good job finding something for the person they needed to buy for which was decided in a drawing of names on Thanksgiving. My favorite reaction of the day was Noel when she opened her ironing board. I got her a small tabletop ironing board that she could easily tuck under her bed or in her closet because she doesn't like mine when she is sewing. Who knew that was exactly what she was wanting. Eric seemed to be most excited about the Dune box set. He lost his love of reading in elementary school, but he has found it again now that he can really choose which books he reads. Sean was happy about the video games he opened, but he also got a chuckle out of the shirts I gave him. Chad was excited about the cookbooks he got because they are not only filled with recipes, they also have the historical content behind the recipes. One of them even has the historical recipe and modern recipe. I was most excited about getting Elenor Roosevelt's autobiography. After presents, we played Clue for a while and ate a roast dinner before we went our separate ways. (Eric went home. Sean and Noel went to their dad's house. Chad and I took a nap.) 

Noel's 20th Birthday

 

Noel turned 20 over the weekend. She was so celebrated by many people. Throughout the day, she would tell me of more people messaging and texting her to wish her a happy birthday. After some tough years in the past, it made my heart happy to know that she now has good people in her life that are willing to take even a little bit of time out of their day to do such a simple thing to make a difference in her day. 

With Noel's birthday being on the weekend, we were able to spend the day with each other on her actual birthday for a change. We started the day off getting breakfast and streaming Wicked. Then, we went to Red Robin and headed to the theater to see Wicked: For Good. We loved the movie. She is actually going to see it one or two more times this week. 

After the movie, we went home to rest a bit before going to Olive Garden as a family. Then, we went home for dessert, presents, and karaoke. (All her choices.) I hope she had a good birthday and knows how much she is loved. 

It Feels Weird

My youngest child will be turning 20 in a few days. This means a few things. First, I will no longer have any teenagers. They are really all adults now. Also, she will be the age I was when I married my first husband. )Why did no one say I was too young? Oh. That's right. They didn't care as long as they didn't have to pay for it.) Then, there is the reality most people wouldn't even think of: my youngest child will officially be older than my older brother. I'm not doing great with this thought. I was relieved when the boys made it past 19. This is different somehow. 

She Scared Us

 

A couple of nights ago, Aqua scared us a bit. It was a hot day. Even with the widow air conditioners and the swamp cooler going, the house was warmer than I would have liked. Chad and I took Sophie for a walk as part of our daily exercise. When we returned, he decided to take the other dogs around the block. A little while after he got back with Aqua, she came into our room panting heavily, drooling, and whimpering. We thought maybe she got hurt on the walk. She has had issues with her paws on the back porch in the past. He took her after dark, but we didn't think of checking the temperature of the sidewalk especially since the other dogs didn't have a problem. As we observed her more closely on the bed, we realized she was overheating. I sent the kids to get the frozen meatballs (we keep them on hand in the summer to help the dogs keep cool). She seemed too disoriented to even know we were holding it in front of her. Then, we all got more scared. I laid next to her on the bed to try to keep her calm. Sean and Noel turned on the shower, and Chad tried to lead Aqua to the bathroom. She wouldn't budge and seemed to be getting worse. Then, he grabbed a towel, through it across the room to the kids, and told them to bring him a cold towel. Sean came back with a cold, wet towel and tried to cool down her paws knowing it is center for temperature regulation for dogs. When that wasn't working fast enough, Noel soaked the towel even more and draped it over her head and neck. Her breathing started to clow quickly and the drooling dissipated almost right away. A few minutes later, Chad went back to the kitchen to get the meatballs. When Aqua heard the freezer open, she shook off the towel and ran to him. Our girl was better! 

I don't know how to prevent this completely in the future. I will be giving the dogs meatballs periodically the rest of the summer when it is close to 100F. Chad will wait until later to take her for walks knowing she is more sensitive to the heat than the other dogs. If she starts acting disoriented, we will get her in a cold shower before she starts whimpering. Hopefully, these things will help her. (For anyone wondering, the water was full of cool water, and she drank some of it after the meatball.)

Finally Clean Carpets

 

I used to have a carpet shampooer that I used once or twice a year as well as anytime the dogs had an accident. At some point, it stopped sucking up the shampoo/water. Rather than take apart this old machine to figure out if I could clear the clog or fix whatever was broken, I decided to throw it out. Then, we used a small spot cleaner for any spots left by the dogs until the hose broke on it rendering it useless. That means that we have had to spot clean with all-purpose cleaner and towels/rags. I haven't been happy with this solution but it worked for the most part. I have been saying for about a year that I would just rent a Rug Doctor from the grocery store and maybe buy a new shampooer at some point. 

This week, we rented the Rug Doctor. The living room carpet was the worst it has ever been after one of my kids and their cats lived in there for a little over a month while looking for a new place. (I never knew cats could be so dirty. I will never trust another person who says dogs are messier than cats.) We pulled the couches out of the living room, and I vacuumed and shampooed them. I was so happy with the results! It was easier than the cleaner I had acquired from Chad's mom, and it cleaned a lot better than it ever had. It also took a lot less time! Later that night, Noel cleaned the carpet in her room, and the following morning, Chad cleaned the dining room and hallway. My house smells so much better, now! 

I'm sure there are carpet shampooers that work better than the old one I had been using, but until I can bring myself to put some real money into it to make sure I get a quality machine, I will be renting a Rug Doctor when it's needed. 

Trying New Things

My daughter and I have tried a few new things in the last few days. 

First, we tried the Moonbeam Ice Cream cookie from Crumbl. This cookie was available for a few weeks and came with a Benson Boone sticker that Noel put on her phone. It was a chocolate cookie with a lemon/blueberry frosting. I loved it. If they ever offer it again, I will buy buy it again. The only complaint that I had was that I only ordered one and had to share it. 

The next thing we tried was Starburst flavored Ice. We already like Ice drinks and get them occasionally. In fact, Noel used to drink them instead of soda all of the time, so I knew she would be willing to try these with me. In the end, I really liked the strawberry one and she liked the cherry. I don't know what her opinion was on the strawberry, but I thought the cherry didn't have enough of the flavoring. She found other flavors at the dollar store, but they are cheaper at the grocery store. Hopefully, they will have the other flavors next time I go. 

Noel and I like to try new things like this together from time to time. We can both be picky eaters at time, but it is fun to try stuff together within reason. 

Spiderman Quilt

 

My amazing daughter spent the last month or two making a Spiderman quilt for her boyfriend. She has made several dresses, but she has never made a quilt. I'm not sure if she looked up general instructions online or just followed a vision. All I know is that she bought the material and seeed it on her own. Once again, I am in awe of her talent. 

Planting Flowers and More

Chad took off work on Saturday to pick up an order of bees which only took about an hour, so we had most of the day together. We took advantage of that by working in the yard. Noel even joined us after she got home from work. 

Since Chad is starting his bee journey, he wanted to plant a pollinator garden. He cleared the back corner of the front yard that we tried to make a salsa garden last year and failed. It has been cleared nicely, now. He planted a few varieties of flowers, some bulbs, and some wildflower seeds. They are all known to attract bees and should help with his goal of being able to harvest honey next year. 

Noel has been wanting to make a small flower garden under her bedroom window for a while, and this was her chance to do it. She even used her own money to buy the flowers and a decorative fence. She spent quite a bit of time clearing the weeds and grass from the area she wanted to plant as well as around it to try to keep the weeds out for as long as possible. The result was so impressive that I may consider doing something similar under all of the bedroom windows in the future. Of course, we would have to look for low or partial sun flowers for the windows on the north side of the house. 

I worked on the same flower and garden beds that I have been working on for many years including the one I created last year. I cleared weeds and planted flowers and blueberries. I will plant vegetables this weekend. My plan is to use the flower bed in front of the porch as a small three sisters garden with corn, beans, and cucumbers (hoping that is close enough to squash). One of my garden beds will be another attempt at a salsa garden with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and cilantro. The other one will have Swiss chard, carrots, and one more plant that has yet to be decided. We will also be clearing room by the cherry tree for pumpkins. 

We still have a long way to go to reach my dream of a drought resistant yard without grass. My grass is all dead, and we are trying to mitigate the weeds as best we can until we can fill the front yard in with plants and steppingstones. In the meantime, we will be cleaning up the backyard that has yet to be worked on and decide on an agreed vision for that. I am hoping to have a yard that is sustainable and enjoyable for everyone. 

Easter 2025

This morning, I woke up with this hymn on my mind. This is the hymn that my dear friend sang with me at my mom's and brother's funeral. That sweet friend had never heard it before but willingly learned it for me (a service I could never repay). I told my husband that I was sad we so rarely sang it in church anymore. Then, one of the speakers incorporated into her talk. After that, as if he knew how badly I needed it, the bishop made an impromptu change in the program and had the congregation stand and sing this very special hymn. I stood listening to everyone sing as I cried in Chad's arms. I am so thankful to know that because of Christ, I will be with my family again. He lives! He made the ultimate sacrifice for us! He comforts me when I need Him the most! 

My Easter celebration was more difficult this year than I expected. I think my cousin's death has hit me harder than I thought it would and continually throws me in the a spiral of grief over my mom and brother. Somehow, today I felt it so strong. The only thing that pulled me out of it was celebrating Easter with my kids. I love my kids, and I am so grateful that they still let me spoil them in this way. 

Paige Fish Concert

 

Last night, my sweet daughter took me to a concert at a dive bar in Denver. She has played music by Paige Fish when we have been in the car together for a while. When Noel found out there was a concert that she could afford, she came to me and asked if I would go with her. I love live music and knew I already liked at least some of her songs. 

This concert was probably one of the less professional shows I have been to, but I thought it was pretty good. The bar was small, so it was packed which made it harder to see the stage and the crowd was quite young even for Noel (they sold under and over 21 tickets). The opening act impressed me, and Paige Fish sang beautifully. There is just something about a real soulful voice that I could listen to for hours. This was such a good pairing! 

I love that it is easy to find music from up and coming artists, and I love that my kids seek it out. I wouldn't be surprised if this artist is the next Sheryl Crow. 

Valentine's Day 2025

Chad and I agreed that our trip last weekend counted as anniversary and Valentine's Day. (We often combine them since they are so close together.) It kind of made the day boring, especially since I already gave the kids their gifts. However, we did still celebrate a bit. 

First, Noel went shopping after work and bought me some presents: a weighted stuffed bunny, body butter, and socks that I can wear to church and the temple because she knows I'm not a fan of wearing my purple long socks with emojis with dresses (I will wear them to church with my boots if it's cold). These gifts were so thoughtful that they almost made me cry. She is seriously so thoughtful!

Then, made a heart shaped pizza. It was a bit lopsided, but still tasty. Sean and Chad even tried to convince me that it looked more like a heart than I claimed. 

After dinner, Chad and I went out for ice cream...at the grocery store. Are we romantic or what? He even searched for the rocky road that I really wanted. 

Finally, he went to bed as I stayed up until the boyfriend went home. The sweet small thing he did, and often does, was put the remote on my pillow. He likes to sleep without the tv, but I need the distraction for my brain. When we go to bed at separate times, he puts the remote and sometimes my Kindle on my pillow so I don't have to search for them in the dark. Then, I make sure the sleep timer is set so he doesn't have to sleep without it on too much at night. (We have tried sleeping without the tv, I struggle to fall asleep.) 

I love my family and the little things they do to show love. We may not need a day set aside to prove it, but it nice to have a day set aside just for love.

Bowling with the Family

In the past, we had a tradition of going to a movie as a family for New Year's Day. It has had to change here and there for a few reasons. This year, it looked different because we couldn't all agree on a movie. Instead, we chose to go bowling. Since Eric and Noel both had to work on the 1st, we chose to go New Year's Eve. I don't know if everyone had fun, but I do know that I love any chance I get to be with all of my kids. I hope they never feel too old to hang out with Mom. 

Painting with Noel

Yesterday, while the boys were playing with their Legos and Chad his beehive, Noel and I sat down to paint each other. 

It was fun to try to be creative with my daughter, and she had all of the supplies to do it. I chose to do a pink background since that is one of her favorite colors, and she chose purple for me because that is my favorite. I wanted to show her love of butterflies, so I painted her wearing a shirt with a butterfly in colors that she would wear. She seemed happy with my choice. She gave me a red shirt since I like wearing red. When we were done, we named our paintings like professional artists do. I think they turned out fairly well for a couple of amateurs who just like being creative. 

My painting (My Baby Girl):

Noel's painting (Mi Mom):

Christmas Day 2024

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 

A Day of Celebration 

Today was a great day full of smiles and gratitude and fun. My oldest came over at 8am. The others stayed in their rooms until he got there so they would all experience the magic at the same time. This is what the saw as they walked into the living room.

They were all happy and excited as they went through their stockings and opened gifts. 

Then, we went to Starbucks for peppermint hot chocolate and goodies, made a ham dinner, and just enjoyed each other's company. 

I am thankful for this wonderful day to celebrate the Savior's birthday and spend time with family. I love this day, and I love this family of mine!

Brr Basket

 

Earlier this week, I was surprised with a Brr Basket that my husband and daughter carefully schemed and plotted to put together for me. It made me feel so special and appreciated after a week of taking care of sick people. In this cute basket, they gave me an adorable unicorn that has clear, sparkly hearts all over (they didn't show up in the picture), reindeer slippers that light up as I walk, a mermaid Starbucks cup that was later taken to Starbucks for a peppermint hot chocolate, lip scrub, scrunchies, a beautiful candle, sugar scrub, Dr. Pepper, Doritos, and candy. I am so thankful that they took the time to carefully pick out each item, trying to find exactly what I would enjoy. I can't remember the last time someone put this much effort into making me feel special. 

Her Birthday

 

Noel turned 19, yesterday! (I didn't forget to post about it. I wanted to make sure to get pictures of the day first.) She started the day finishing the outfit she was making for the evening, and she did a WONDERFUL job! I am is awe of her sewing talent. 

Then, we had Panda Express for lunch and headed to see Wicked Part 1. We loved it. Neither of us have seen the stage production, so this was our chance to see it. We already have plans to see the other half when it comes out next year. 

Later, we went to dinner at the place of her choosing with the family and her boyfriend followed by going home for presents, dessert, and a game that she chose. 

My hope is that she knows how much she is loved and felt special on her special day. 

Snow - Finally!

 

It has been snowing off and on for a few days. Today, it started coming down a lot. When Noel got off work, she was scared to drive home. Luckily, I work from home and was able to take Chad's car to pick her up. Later, Sean did his weekly trip to the corner store for snacks and said that his foot prints were almost gone when he was walking home (he chose to walk). About 30 minutes ago the dogs went out quickly, and Sophie had snow stuck to the belly of her sweater when they came in. They say we will continue to get snow through the night. Thankfully, we live north of the metro area and will not be getting as much snow as the south side. Tomorrow morning, Chad will take Noel to work before he goes, and I'll either take her a car in the middle of the day if the roads are clear or pick her up when she's off. The snow could be worse, but Sean and Noel don't have much experience driving in it. 

Finished Curtain

 

My finished curtain was finally hung! It needs to be ironed, but other than that, it is exactly what I imagined. 

I have been needing a covering for this window for many years. When I first moved in, there were only blinds that were partially broken. Those were thrown away a long time ago because Chad and I were worried about the kids' safety. I knew a lot of heat came through this big window in the summer and cold in the winter. I also hated that anyone could look right into my dining room. 

I got more serious about trying to find a solution for this large window earlier this year and decided I wanted to make something. After learning that linens were the number one thing thrown away at thrift stores, I decided I wanted to make something using thrift store items. I took Noel with me to help with my vision. We found two curtains that could be shortened and sewn together and a tablecloth that I loved as an overlay. The result is something that I love. I can't wait to make creations like this for more rooms!

Homecoming 2024

Noel's boyfriend is still in high school which means she gets to do some high school things she missed out on the year she was home schooled. This week, she joined him for several homecoming activities such as the peach fuzz game, bonfire, and the dance. 

She has been wanting to have someone really back her to homecoming instead of just the assumption she would go for a long time. She told her boyfriend this, and he delivered! 

She once again made her dress. This time, she got a bit of extra material to make him a matching tie, too. She did such a great job! I am in awe at her talent!