The Week Flew By!

So, I had a lot of people ask me if my headaches were better when the girls were gone--I guess theorizing that the quiet and relief from the stress of being a mom could somehow change my condition. That would have been nice, but no such luck.  I had a few pretty lousy days.  But, I also had a nice time spending time with King and going to the temple with him.  Such a special spirit of peace is in the temple.  I love putting aside the worldly cares and going there to learn and think of the eternal.  It strengthens my faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement for all mankind.  I am grateful I was at least able to feel well enough to do that.

Other than that, I must say I did not do much that was productive.  I didn't get any blogging done, which I wanted to.  I did clean, vacuum and shampoo the car.  Oy.  It took me pretty much a whole day.  Yep, it was that bad.  (And, in case my dad is reading this (he won't), I'll just say, Sorry, Daddy, I know you taught me batter than that.)  But, it looks great now.  In fact, it hasn't been this clean for months.  (Uh, sorry, Dad.)  And judging from the day it took me to recover from this deep clean, it won't look like that again for another few months.  (Yep, sorry Daddy.) 

King worked very hard on the bathroom this past week.  I will post pictures, for the three of you that care, very soon.  (Or as soon as I am able.)

The girls are back, and happy as ever.  They LOVED their time with Grandma and Papa and Uncle Sean and Aunt Rebecca.  I still haven't seen any pictures, but when I do, I will be sure to share some with you.  Today we are cleaning our rooms so that we can go see The Hunger Games.  We've been waiting for months!

Then, this weekend, it is one of my favorite weekends of the year:  General Conference.  Join me in watching if you'd like, on lds.org, or on your local BYUTV channel, at noon and 4:00 Eastern time both Saturday and Sunday.  You will be uplifted and feel the peace our Savior brings!   

Remodeling and Packing

Just so you know, a bathroom remodel is just as much headache as a kitchen remodel.  Except maybe a teensy bit worse because you have another bathroom to use, so the urgency to finish is not the same.  We have now had two sinks and various other bathroom parts in our living room for about two weeks.  I may lose my mind soon.  (Assuming that I have not already--we'll keep you guessing for now.)

The shower is done, though.  Isn't if bee-you-tee-ful?

Other big news at our house this week:  The girls leave tomorrow to spend the week with Grandma in California. They cannot wait!  People keep asking what I am going to do while they are gone.  For a whole week.  I am going to do all of the normal things I do...sleep in, nap as often as possible, feel too lousy to make dinner and offer cereal instead...only, this week, I don't have to feel guilty about it. :) Sweet!  King and I are also hoping to go on a couple of dates and spend at least a day at the temple.  It should be nice.  As long as I don't think about how much I miss the girls. (Or worry about the girls driving Grandma B and Papa crazy. Yikes.)  The trick the last couple of days has been finding enough spring clothes that still fit the girls.  Just when I think all of the laundry is done, they find something else they "have to" have on the trip, and we start another load.  Oy.

Coming soon, (if I don't lose my mind with the whole bathroom thing, or the whole packing the girls thing) I will post some pictures from the musical (the girls were adorable) and hopefully pictures of the bathroom fixtures actually in the bathroom instead of in the living room.  

It Was Classic

We decided it was high time our girls saw the classic sweeping saga Gone With the Wind.  It had been ages since King and I had seen the movie, and the girls had no idea what it was about.  The only thing the knew was that it had the first swear word in a film, and that it was long.  (True, that.)

We ordered pizza, filled our plates for the long haul, and settled in for the forty-seven hour show.  Being the technology savvy 21st century people that we are, we quickly forwarded over all those pesky beginning credits and got right to the story.  I felt a little confused at first, I think because it had been so long since I'd seen the show, but soon, the characters settled in, and the story-line began to make sense.  I remembered select scenes of the movie, and kept wondering when some would happen, and was surprised some scenes came earlier in the movie than I had remembered.

It wasn't until that famous scene leading up to the profanity (yes, I'm  bit slow) that I realized our mistake:  King had put in the second DVD, and we'd watched only the last half of the movie.  King and I laughed and laughed, and the girls were annoyed.  If anyone out there is interested in watching only the first half of Gone With the Wind, come on over!  I'm sure we'll get to it sometime in the next 25 years.

FYI

I heard something on the news the other day about Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,of which I am one--I'm sure you knew) that was SO opposite of the truths they (I) really believe.  So, if you have heard anything about Mormons lately, why don't you check out this graphic below, look at this article, or ask me if what you heard was true?  Because I'd love for you to hear about it from my church or me, and not some random news reporter or your friend that thinks they know all about what I believe or what my church teaches.  :)  

Also, enjoy this video of a song that I have had on my mind lately for some reason...it was one of my favorites when I was a teenager:  I Heard Him Come. Happy Sunday!

Talent Show

We've had a busy few weeks around here.  Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are preparing for their upcoming school musical, Dear Edwina.  Rehearsals are now every day until dinner time.  On top of all of that rehearsal, SB also rehearsed for a trio in a vocal competition and an opportunity to attend a regional middle school choral festival (CSWS).  That's a lot of rehearsing!

SB and her friends did a lovely job on their trio.  They had fun, and received the highest rating possible, a gold.  We were sure proud of them and their hard work.  

The concert for CSWS was fabulous, as always.  It's always amazing to me the difference it makes in a concert when just the kids that are serious about music participate.  Great sound.  But, SB wanted no pictures of her taken to remember the moment.  Someday, she'll be glad we took these anyway...

In the meantime, Snow White finished up her honors art class.  As her pieces of art have slowly been coming back from the various shows and competitions they were entered in, she's been able to bring some of them home.  I think her very favorite thing she made was the giraffe, which is actually a whistle.  Pretty cool. 

Some of her art was selected to go to a show for local school kids.  She earned an honorable mention for her colored pencil drawing of peppers.  It will be displayed in an art gallery downtown for the month.  We went to the show opening and awards ceremony to check it out.  It looked great up there on the wall. 

Meanwhile, our Cinderella is busy preparing for her Junior Festival music selections.  She will be playing two piano pieces in the festival for judges.  She's also been focusing on her studies, working hard and learning lots.  She recently gave a presentation in Biology and her teacher said, "That was the best presentation I've ever seen covering Down Syndrome.  In all my teaching years.  Ever."  She was pretty tickled. 

So, I think we've pretty much covered how great and talented the girls are.  We are proud of them and their hard work.  Now, if anyone could tell me how to take this creative energy and focus it on improving our home environment, say in picking up dirty clothes or emptying dishwashers, I would be happy to hear your suggestions.  :)