Heels & Photo Shoot

As the year progresses Rebekah continues to grow. We again needed shoes. I'm working on giving the Bee more independence. She chose heels. As I tried to talk her out of it I remembered that I'm working on giving the Bee more independence. I asked her to show the unsuspecting daddy her new shoes when she got home. And yes, poor daddy; baby girl is growing up. 

The next Sunday this happened:

It was then I realized the insane rate is growing, bit the bullet, and bought my daughter a size 12 yr dress. 

We bought both the red and the blue. A girl should have two dresses, yes?

Then there was the day we played around in the spare room. 

We also made a few videos. I'll include this one:

Don had asked for an updated picture of the Bee and me. I tried a serious one first.... 

Then a more serious one. 

He didn't like either of those. Something about crazy hair...? So when I helped out a family working on an orchestral piece I got this one. He said it was better. Which is crazy because of the lack of half our faces, but whatever. 

A Birthday, More Golf & a Puppy

My big brother's birthday was this month so Rebekah and I drew him a folding surprise:

Don and Rebekah are officially on the golf train. He's excited. She's excited. And I get pictures while I'm home in the quiet. It's all good. 

Although I knew they were going to get new clubs for the Bee, I wasn't so aware of them coming home with a puppy. 

But for right now it's the best kind of puppy. Lots of noise, but not much drama or mess.

The new puppy joined us for dinner. Luckily, she likes croutons. 

I wanted a picture of the new clubs. Don wasn't too happy about being in it, so I forced the one and then let him go. 

My little golfer. 

This was after a daddy daughter practice session after the latest lesson. So fun to see them loving something together. 

Gratitude

A few months back our Prophet President Nelson gave us a challenge to heal through gratitude. He asked us, for the next week, to flood social media with gratitude posts. I tend not to get too personal on social media so this was a somewhat difficult challenge for me but I jumped (albeit thoughtfully) in to the social media stream. 

I admit I loved reading other's posts on what they were grateful for. And I loved that it lessened the amount of hate and frustration that pours forth from that venue. It was a beautiful week.

It's months later now and I felt I should go back and put my gratitude posts somewhere I can find them and remind myself of the time. Hence the following post. Since it's small, I will write out the post.

I am grateful for the technology we have to be close together even during the pandemic - even though we are many miles apart. Zoom calls, FaceTime, texts, IM's, instant video chats; we can even send videos through text! I hate to imagine this pandemic without technology! I remember the days of letters sent through the mail taking weeks to arrive. And now to be able to pick up the phone, actually see the person you're calling and not have that old stipulation of only calling after certain hours for the best price or to worry about "long distance charges" and so forth.

I am ever so grateful fo the loins from which I sprang and for that which sprung. My wonderful Starland & Barney grandparents; my aunts, uncles, and cousins; my loving and patient parents, my brothers, their wives, and my nieces and nephews; my mother-in-law, my husband, and little girl have all added to that which has become me. If I am anything good, if I can do anything good, it is because of their great influence and example in my life. They inspire me to choose the better part. 

This morning my daughter sent me this picture via our iPad. I am grateful after years of patience - of asking, begging, pleading, and assisting in the bed making process, she has made her bed on her own and is proud of her efforts. I am proud of her. 

I am also grateful for the symbolism: for a loving Savior who is patient with me and stands by me during the process of life, ready to assist at any time so that I can make my proverbial bed and feel the sense of pride in the completion all the while knowing I could not succeed without His help. 

I am grateful for my education. Parents and grandparents who taught me the value of hard work, a daddy who inspired me to become a music teacher, a mother who gave me the musical skills to be proficient with the piano and achieve a vocal scholarship to help pay for my education, amazing professors who believed in me - and even hired me to work at the Department of Performing Arts so I could spend copious hours in practice rooms. 

I am grateful I have never had to wash clothes down at the river. I am grateful for heaters, air conditioners, running water, indoor bathrooms, stoves, microwaves, etc and so on. I am also aware not everyone has those same blessings. And so I am also grateful to be a small part of an organization that teaches us to look outside self, to learn about the world and what's going on with others and find ways to share and or be of service, and that "True Christianity is Love in Action"; it also has a welfare program, humanitarian aid program, education and other programs to which I can donate in the hopes of helping others that I cannot otherwise reach. 

I am grateful for books. I tend to do a little reading now and then. With all that I've read I'm continually amazed at what I don't know. From history to sympathy, books can be phenomenal teachers. 

I'm grateful for a mother who stays on FaceTime to help me overcome my phobias of cooking and raw meat, all the while encouraging me and calming me by telling me to take deep breaths; who only after the turkey was out of the oven mocked me by comparing our morning FactTime with a scene out of MASH where Hawkeye has Father Mulcahy preform a tracheostomy by giving directions over the radio all the while Radar is in the background freaking out about how gross said tracheostomy was going.

One more: I am grateful for good people. I am grateful that the majority of the world is filled with good people. People who are good and kind, people who go out of their way for strangers, people who know you so well they can feel when you need a phone call. I am so grateful for all the goodness in the world. And I am grateful for a prophet who knew we needed to focus on the good there is in the world and to instead of only seeing the hard, to bring that goodness to the front of our eyes.

One Saturday

Our Saturdays have been spent up north with mom. Lately Don has also included golf lessons for The Bee.

He's hoping that she'll get to the point that they can go golfing together Saturday mornings. I'm kind of hoping that too. It would be good for the both of them to have something they can share.

.

Such a cutie.

Rebekah in action:

Love this.

After Rebekah's lesson we headed back to grammy's, left Rebekah there, and went to see the progress on the house. We have doors. I'm excited to see this on the house. 

We also have a furnace. 

And windows.

Plumbing and electrical are coming in. 

This was suppose to be a full size window, but I've never understood a large window in the bathroom. One would have to keep the curtains down but the purpose is light, so.... I asked them to put in a transom instead the window in the hopes of keeping the light and not needing the curtain. I was hoping for something like shaded glass so that it wouldn't be as see through, but this is what we got. Someday I may regret the transom. Time will tell. 

For Sale

It finally happened. Our house is up for sale. Mr. Scott came down and took pictures. Made for a crazy morning. Actually a crazy few months.

I started the packing / decluttering / cleaning process back in December, having goals for each month (eg: December I wanted everything out of the attic). Little by little we took things to Don's mom's garage and once that was filled we put things in her spare room and finally her shed. Apparently we have amassed a few things in the 10 years we've been married. I'm thinking most of it is books and Rebekah toys.... 

A week before Mr. Scott came out I started cleaning windows and floorboards. The weekend before I made a list of everything I felt needed to be done and had Don tell me what actually needed to be done for the pictures, acknowledging the fact that I'm extremely overly concerned about cleanliness. 

Monday morning I started the last minute cleaning. Don had an appointment that morning so it was me and The Bee.  She was actually very helpful but I think I started wearing on her for she was quite glad when Don got home. 

Somewhere around 11:30 Don asked what he could do. I hadn't made it into the office so I suggested he take care of that. He looked in the office and came back, tried to take the broom from me (I was sweeping the kitchen), told me the office was fine and he would finish sweeping so I could shower before Mr. Scott came. I think my reaction was, all while holding tightly to the broom, "you think the office is FINE...?!" I finally let go of the broom and took care of the office. Yep. I was somewhat high strung. 

I finished the office, showered, and just opened the bedroom door to hear Don letting Mr. Scott in the house. Couldn't have been closer. 

Mr. Scott said our house is a 10, however, I've seen some that he's said were in pristine condition that were so definitely not. We are talking cat hair all on the floor and wall seems, kitchens that need to be fumigated, cracks in floors, etc. Ah well. Like I said, I'm somewhat high observant of my surroundings. But, it's what makes me a good musician so there's that. 

Rebekah and Mr. Scott had some good moments. She showed him around outside. 

But then he put the for sale sign up front. No more good moments. 

And then this happened. 

Rebekah came in and cried. Daddy comforted her and I tried as well. But it's really grammy who won the day. I suggested she call grammy (which, after the last few times will now be my go to for any crisis in the future). After she talked to grammy for a few minutes the tears stopped and she was excited again. I'm sure that will be quite the rollercoaster as we continue to June. 

I took some videos of the house so I can look back and remember the good times here. There are so many things I love about the house. I am also excited for the next chapter, but it's good to have memories. 

This is the front room, spare bath, and Rebekah's room. You get to see her space model and her hand made International Space Station. 

Master and master bath

Oh yeah, and I made bread that day too. Can't believe I did that. 

This is the dinning room that we use as an office. You'll also get the start of Rebekah's phone call with grammy. How sad is her voice....

After Mr. Scott left I had to get back to the read world. Here's all the clean clothes that were in the washer / dryer. 

Here's our robot vacuum brush. It worked very hard for me that day. 

And bless Don's heart, he got me some chocolate for my hard day of work. 

He also got one for him and The Bee. Now let's play guess which wrapper belongs to who's egg:

That nice flat piece of course is mine. Rebekah's is on the right, Don on the left. Did you guess correctly? 

February Books

This was an interesting lead up to the revolution. Nathaniel Philbrick is not my favorite historian but he writes well enough. I just don't find the emotional texture I find with Brands and McCullough.  

I wanted to like this junior fiction more than I did but at the end it was just okay. A couple deaths, broken people healing, oh and sharks. That's about it. Some of the characters could have been written out and not missed much. I felt it was overly long and there were a few moments where I thought, "really....?" So, not on my long list of recommendable. 

Story about a girl who has cerebral palsy, her journey through life and how she found her voice. Also about her "inclusion" in school and her interaction with other kids. It's pretty good. Not my favorite but teaches a good lesson in empathy. 

I read John Ferling's Adams VS Jefferson, thought good things, decided he was worth reading again, so I chose this one. It was good. I compare it to McCullough, which is not as bad as it sounds; different authors write differently, each bringing out separate events and conclusions. What I liked about Ferling's account: the sheer difference of it, and the lack of political or personal attachment he had for the subject. In Ferling's view at times Adams was good, at times he wasn't. McCullough's account was much more exciting and even emotional to read. Adams seemed to almost come alive on his pages where as Ferling's was more sterile.  Both good but if you are going to read just one aim for McCullough. 

This was a fabulous read. Turns out I really like Doris Kearns Goodwin's books. She points out how both Eleanor and FD needed each other and yet couldn't seem to truly get a long. I liked that it wasn't just about the presidency, the war, or whatever else was going on in the background but was more about them and their relationship. Highly recommendable. 

The author states in the back of the book that after going to a museum exhibit about Amistad and learning there were children on Amistad, she decided to write the story, however there was little information available; only a few various letters written by one of the female children so the author chose to write a fictional account instead of a historical account. That makes sense and it's basically how it reads. I was hoping for more considering the high marks it was given. I think someone could do better. 

A thought provoking Black Lives Matter introduction for young kids. There are things that I really liked and there are some things I question but it is pretty worthwhile overall. It does contain discussion about African Americans getting shot, police officers getting off, etc and so on so consider your audience. 

Same subject as the above but this goes about it differently. It's a mystery and yet tells the story of an African American family in the 50's. Again, very good but consider if your audience is ready.  

Middle grade fiction concerning depression. The main character's mom has depression and she tries to figure out how to help her. Very insightful and even touching at times. 

It's an interesting piece of history from the Civil War but I don't think the incident merited such a big book. Could have been a lot shorter. Although it is the Civil War time period, I felt it was unnecessarily harsh, violent, and dark. It was also very long and drawn out. Unfortunate. 

I was somewhat concerned when I started this book but the story about kids who have fallen through the cracks and their burnt out teacher was hilarious and heart warming. Highly recommendable. 

There's so many books out about Abraham Lincoln I figured this was just one more, however there are many aspects to this book that make it stand out. Through his speeches, letters, and interactions the author created a plausible portrait of Lincoln's personality. There were aspects of his personality that were brought forth that I didn't care for but Lincoln is a flawed human like the rest of us. Knowing that makes what he accomplished even more fascinating. Highly recommendable. 

I enjoyed this realistic (time period 1899) book however I was disappointed with where it left off. Upon further inspection it turns out the story didn't end for there is at least one more book in the series and it looks like this series spawned another. Recommendable, but I'm pretty sure I'm not invested enough to finish the series. 

Mainly a mini biography of these 5 authors who happened to have had contact with a certain square in London. Although I know a little more about them now, unfortunately I don't feel I learned enough to tell anyone about them except that many had alternative lifestyles which is really not what I was wanting to learn. And the attachment to the square was pretty insignificant in many cases. To sum up, I found this less effective.

I read her Homegoing and found it well worth while so I was watching for another book from this author. This was entirely different from Homegoing but was also highly interesting and all consuming, although hard to describe. It has strong religious aspects as well as insights to race, depression and addiction. All in a fictional account. 

A pre-teen boy learning how to manage a life with an autistic brother and (SPOILER ALERT) the loss of a mother. It's middle grade fiction but I wouldn't put this in Rebekah's hands just yet. But it's very good and highly recommendable. 

Another middle grade fiction about a 12 year old and her building a relationship with a wrongfully incarcerated father. It's pretty good as well but again not something I'll hand Rebekah any time soon. Side note: the main character is interesting in baking (just like Rebekah) and watches a kid's cooking show that's on food network. So, tonight (February 26th) we're watching the first episode of that show for "Ice Cream Friday" instead of some Disney Junior show. So yeah for semi productive TV that both kid and parents can watch! 

Middle grade fiction in poetry form about the efforts to get children out of England and into Canada during WWII. Focuses (again - SPOILER ALERT) on the teen, his feelings about his step mother, his travels, the sinking of the ship, time on the raft, and eventual rescue and reuniting with family. Pretty good but kind of intense for the younger middle grade kids. However, it is possible it's only Rebekah that's overly sensitive so what do I know.

I keep saying I am done with WWII historical fiction and yet here I am again. But seriously I've got to be done. I got half way through this extremely well reviewed book and decided I needed to up the reading pace so I could get to the end faster. It's one thing to learn about what happened but it's another to bury yourself in the literature over and over again. This one is slightly different: although the first part is the camp and people dying, the last is the main character and how she keeps 13 Jews in her house so it focuses on that rather than the camps but it's still starvation, depravation, and so forth. 

I wasn't able to finish this one. I started way back in October 2020; it was so heavy I wasn't able to finish it before it was due. The thesis is you physical body is highly effected when someone goes through trauma. The section I stopped at had to do with trauma that happened in the persons life when they were children, going through all the different types of abuse adults inflict on children and all the disorders that happen in their adult lives because of the abuse. Maybe it was the pandemic or maybe I was appalled by the state of the world (the statistics the author quotes are horrifying) but I couldn't get through it. I waited a few months and tried again with basically the same results. Today I went back on my audio account determined to finish the book only to find out the library no longer offers that book. So, I'm officially calling it quits.