And again...

Let's back way up

The "After" Ones

Here's the after shots. The girls are having so much fun in this room. I am too. :)

This is the other side of the room. Can you believe my husband moved that piano all by himself?!!!

I still have a few items on Claire's desk to put away and a poster to hang but for the most part it's all finished.

Here are a couple of my favorite elements of the room. I found this poster at an antique shop a couple of weeks ago and fell instantly in love. I still have to get a proper frame for it but don't you already love it?

I also love this little nook of the room. The aprons the girls got from Aunt Kara for Christmas add such a nice touch of color to the room.

Now, we just need one more apron for Nora's hook. *wink, wink*

I am all about organization!

This came today and I am so excited because that big pile of toys below can finally be organized!!!! Hats off to my cousin, John, for his excellent carpentry skills and for being amazingly affordable. You can't buy something that large that is solid wood for what we paid. I am still amazed that it's here. Ahh!

    (Just to get an idea of how large it is, you should know that I am not as tall as the top shelves.) I can't wait to take the after picture. Organization is like a balm to my soul.

A Quick Update

Guess what? I failed already. Nora woke up at 5:45 for her morning feeding and I thought, "Alright. This is perfect. When she is done I'll put her back in bed and it will be time to start my day." You know what happened? I got back in bed. It was a night filled with ups and downs and that much interrupted sleep can make this mama grumpy. I thought it best for everyone if I got a little more shut eye.

But I am not disheartened at all. I know that tomorrow I will try again. Yes, it is ten and we are just now sitting down to do school, but really, I think I can say that we have already completed some school since the girls have picked up their rooms, made their beds (and my bed!), vacuumed the house, ate breakfast, brushed their teeth and got dressed for the day. At their ages, all those things are still learning chores.

Now, on to the "real" school!

She riseth also while it is yet night

This afternoon I was thinking about how much better our days would be if we all got up at six in the morning. Instead of our routine taking up the better part of our morning and school not starting until ten, the chores could be finished and school could start at eight or nine. Some of you might be thinking that three hours on chores sounds ridiculous but let me tell you something... it takes a long time to fix breakfast, eat breakfast (this takes longer than anything else), get dressed, brush teeth, make beds, pick up rooms, feed Nora and clean up the kitchen.

Anyway, I was thinking at least if I didn't get the girls up at six, Jason and I could get up and I could have breakfast made and have myself ready for the day before the girls got up. That should shave an hour off the morning duties at the very least. And that way, I'm not putting off getting dressed until ten since that is the first moment I have for a shower. Then I realized that it's not likely that Jason is going to get up at six if he doesn't have to. Neither one of us are morning people. My first feeling when I had that thought was irritation that I knew before asking that the answer would be no. Then I thought of the verse in the title of this post. I realized that it isn't his job to get up so early, before he really has the need to get up. It's my job to rise early and ready the house for the rest of the family. It's my job to be prepared so that our days are as smooth and productive as possible.

It's my job to be virtuous.

So I came up with ten things that I want to try to implement this week.
It's a little intimidating to list them here before you all but I think it will be a good incentive for me. Here they are:

1. Get up early before everyone else to prepare breakfast, shower and dress, read, etc...
2. Get girls up earlier for a more efficient and producive day.
3. Be more aware of other's needs. Implement this awareness in my children.
4. Be home more.
5. Memorize more scripture with the girls.
6. Exercise with the girls every day.
7. Pray in private every day.
8. Write Lynn every week.
9. Read aloud to girls every day.
10. Cook a "J" meal once a week.

So there they are. I wouldn't mind a little encouragement here and there.
Love,
Rebekah

It's not a poem.

I am long overdue for a post. Sorry about that. I blinked and a couple of weeks had flown by me just like that.

We are doing wonderfully. There have been ups and downs and all things in between. Ugly moments and harmonious moments. Clean rooms and dirty rooms.

There's been pat-a-cakes and peek-a-boos, standing tall and falling down.

Sportsmanship and pouty lips.

Jumping jacks and weightful lifts, (all to get fat off my hips.)

I really and truly have every intention of posting much more often. I have some things I would like to report. Give me a week and see if it doesn't return to normal.

Hang in there.

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Monday, Monday

Here we are again. Another week already started. Just like that, my babies are another week older.
We have had a very mild winter this year, much to my delight. I think it might have been painfully chilly a couple of days back in December but I'm not even sure if that is accurate. I get cold so easily. Very, very cold. So I have been very thankful that in just a few weeks Spring will officially be here and with it, the sun. Guess what I woke up to this morning?
Snow.
And yes, it is beautiful. Yes, my children will be ecstatic. Yes, I will enjoy looking at it for a day but  it needs to know that one day is all it is welcome. Hear that, snow? Be beautiful and glisten today but then BE GONE. Mama has to get out this week and she doesn't want to be violently shaking while she runs errands.

Nah, I'm not really complaining. One snow isn't that bad.  (under breath chanting one! one! one! one!)

Today I start my Advocare regime. I have a friend, Holli, that started using the products back in September and she was talking about what a difference they made in how she felt. I finally emailed her and asked for a little more specifics and then did some research myself on the products. Since then, I have found out that several people I know have been using the products for years.  (Those of you that know the Settles and want to know more, just ask them.)

I would like to state that a made a little commitment, resolution to myself to exercise 4-5 times a week and buddy, I have kept it! I've lost eight pounds since the first of the year. This is the first time I've truly done the weight loss thing. Inheriting some of Grandma's metabolism had always kept me from the need until I had four babies in fine and a half years. For some reason I wasn't the same afterwards. Hmmm.

So, to sum it up, it's been a great year so far. Weight gone, one snow, and Jason became a full-time artist. That was a goal we have been working towards since the beginning of our marriage.

I don't have a hilarious or smooth way to tie all this up into a neat little ending so I'll just say goodbye.

Until next time!

Sometimes...

Sometimes it's hard to hear the truth.

Sometimes it hurts our feelings.

Sometimes it makes us mad.

Sometimes is makes us sad.

Sometimes we need to realize we aren't right.

Sometimes we need to forgive.

Sometimes we need to ask for forgiveness.

Sometimes, the truth makes us love more.

I would just like to say that I am surrounded by amazing people.

A list

When there is nothing to write about, I make a list.

1. I would of had something to write about if I had downloaded the pictures like I meant to.
2. The girls are going to be in a play this spring. Make plans now to attend. Details forthcoming.
3. We are finished with the remodeling of the schoolroom and entry way.
4. As soon as my cousin finishes building my bookshelf, I can organize.
5. This is a very, very good thing. As I have stated before,
6. I DO NOT LIKE PILES AND DISORGANIZATION.
7. I need a haircut. Should I continue growing it out or get it cut in a short style?
8. I have teeny, tiny biceps now.
9. They are hilarious.
10. I love cream cheese.

10 days later...

I love Mondays. I do! For me, they are like New Year's all over again. Except the staying up to midnight part that, if I'm being honest here, doesn't really apply to me anymore now that I'm "old." I just don't really have the gumption to voluntarily stay up that late. Anyway, I love a good Monday because it's a fresh start. A new beginning.

We had a great weekend but you can't hear about it yet because I took pictures and I want to include them in the post. Jason took the camera with him this morning so I'll try to remember to upload them tonight.

On a more wonderful and exciting note....wait for it.....Nora sleeps through the night now. Mahvelous dahling, simply mahvelous. This of course means that I can actually drag myself out of bed at a decent hour which means possibly more posts. It also means more alone time with Claire because she always wakes up about 30 minutes before the other girls. It makes for a sweet morning.

Nora is growing. At her nine month checkup, she was in the 90th percentile on her height and the 86th on her weight. She's a large girl. And so very, very happy. Last night, when I put her in her crib she started crying but it didn't last very long and Claire just told me that last night, she didn't want to just lie in her bed and listen to Nora cry so she sang her a Rudolph song until she went to sleep. It reminds me why I love that my girls share rooms.

#4

I just want to sit and absorb the cuteness.

Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh yes!

Claire, in a very excited voice: "Mommy, we are doing a lot of things to make a special night for Eily. We are doing all the things she loves the most. We have her brown bear and her gray pillow. We have been scratching her and singing her songs. Aaand, we have been telling her wolf stories like she LOVES!"

Me: "Oh that's nice.....wait, what?"

2012. Already.

How's the new year treating you? It's been a little hectic here but still a little lovely. We have been painting the schoolroom and hopefully next week the new flooring will be put down. I have a real problem with piles and right now our house has piles EVERYWHERE but they have to stay there until the room is finished.
So, I have a room to finish painting, a house to reorganize, a new school semester to get started and I have to get a script written for a play I'm directing. I have to get it typed before Wednesday and I'm freaking out just a little.  I am using a cassette recording of a Red Riding Hood musical that we listened to as children and the only tape player we have is in the van. So I will have to sit in the van and write everything down on paper and then come inside and type it. The thing holding me up is that the heater in the van is not working right now and I am a wuss when it comes to cold weather. I don't like it.

My plan today is to get all the laundry finished and pick up the house as much as I can, working around the piles. What's your day looking like?

Christmas with Nana

My mother's mother is getting up there in years and it just is a bit overwhelming to her to have a large get-together. Also, five minutes after it's over she's forgotten that it ever took place and is fretting about getting everyone gifts. This year, some of us just met at a frozen yogurt place to give her little do-dads and so she could give the younger family members some candy and stickers. While we were there, I convinced Claire to let Pappy pull her very first tooth. It was very exciting. Later on that night, I pulled the next loose tooth. We tease her that Nora stole her teeth since the two that she is missing are the same two in Nora's mouth.