Day 485: StackerMallows

So, you know how I'm sorta always talking about my awesome friends?  Well, one of them has the audacity to be moving away in a couple months.

Boo.

And, get this, she's going on vacation for a month or so between now and then.

Double Boo.

So, we had a little "farewell" party tonight.  Roasting s'mores and chatting 'round the fire.  And laughing.  Lots and lots of laughing.  And a friend might have "accidentally" flung some coals on me and almost burned my foot--or worse--a hole in my jeans!

Good thing "almost" only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and one other thing that I can't think of right now.

One friend brought those Jet Puffed StackerMallows.  I love s'mores, so I've been super excited to try them.    But when it got down to it, I realized that the round marshmallows are bigger.  I don't really like marshmallows until they're roasted--and then I LOOOOOOVE them.  So, I could bring myself to try even one of those skinny StackerMallows.  It was a big ol' round one for me every time.  Not that I ate more than I should have, or anything...

Anyway, it was all kind of Joyful Moments.  And I'm coping with her leaving the same way I always cope with good byes--DENIAL.

That's the way I roll.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments enhanced by the use of Denial!

p.s.  I had so much fun, I forgot to break out the camera!

Day 484: Can't Concentrate

HH is listening to some awful song as I'm trying to type, so if this post lacks my usual literary genius--it's his fault.

Good thing he's so gosh darn sexy.  How cute is he, trying to teach Sweet P how to swing her little putter?

This was our fun activity this morning.  I've been in a bit of a funk again.  (My health is just being really lame and my psyche is really struggling to rise above it.)   So, HH came up with this idea to get us all out of the house, having fun.  I don't know that I had any true Joyful Moments, but this definitely helped thaw my cold, grumpy heart.

Then we all took a nap.

Then we headed to the park to join some friends at a festive barbecue.  We have great friends.  Surprise. I know I've never mentioned that before.  Hanging out with HH and them was a Joyful Moment.

But then we came home and Baby B stood while trying to pet the dog.  As much as I am saddened by him growing up, it was a Joyful Moment to see him finally making progress.  And he just looked so cute standing there all wobbly and proud.  Then, only moments later, he waved and said "Bye bye" to HH and the other kids while I was taking him off to bed.  That's the first time he waved.  And his first word.  Again--Joyful Moment.

But, what the heck?!  Can we spread this whole growing up thing out, over a couple of days, at least?  Preferable, a couple months.  I'm really in no hurry here.

And, of course, we talked off and on throughout the day with the kiddos about what Memorial Day is all about.  We've got all kinds of military heroes on both sides of the family.  I am so grateful for their service and dedication to freedom.  Especially those who are currently serving our country.  Thank you!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that don't involve any awful music!

Day 483: Cornbread--Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That

I hope you read that with an accent from the Deep South.  If not, go back and try again.

So, I'm still really struggling with the aftermath of being struck by the plague.

Seriously.

I've had to take a nap every day this week.  Just to survive the day.  I NEVER take naps.  Never ever.  Never.  I just can't fall asleep.

Until now.  Now, it's all I can do to stay awake until it's nap time.  And then I have to drag myself out of bed when nap time is over.  I thought I was tired before, but this has taken it to an all new level.

Remember how I was out way past my bedtime last night?  Well, then we have church from 1 PM to 4 PM.  No nap time.

Today was rough.

So, my Joyful Moment was baking and eating some of my favorite cornbread for dinner.  For real.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are like, totally, for real!

Day 482: They Think They're Just Fishin'

Have you heard this song by Trace Adkins?  It's a little more twangy than I really appreciate, but it's a cute song anyway.

Especially because HH just took this kids fishin' today.  I wasn't sure how Baby B would do, so we went to the Farmer's Market instead.

HH and the kids were gone quite a bit longer than expected.  HH was stalling, praying they'd each catch a fish.  And finally, they did.  They were so proud and excited when they got home!!!  Listening to them tell me all about it and seeing the following photos was totally my Joyful Moment.

And they did catch and release, so there was nothing too nasty (besides their clothes and hands and faces!) for me to clean when they got home to put a damper on my Joyful Moment.

Not sure what's on her face, but Sweet P was pretty proud of her little fish.

Little M was excited to show me this big ol' fish he caught.

Ah, so sweet.

And then we went out with some friends to celebrate one birthday (although, we discovered that of the six of us, four have birthdays within the next two weeks).  Many more Joyful Moments were to be had eating yummy food, enjoying good (and sometimes strange) conversation, and then rocking out with Rock Band.

Good day.  Good times.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments making memories that qualify as a "big 'un"!

Day 481: Bye, Bye Kindergarten!

Oh.  My.  Sweet P finished Kindergarten today.  That makes me the mama of a 1st grader.  What?!

We went to Red Robins (as the kids say it) to celebrate!

We gave Baby B his first taste of lemon.  Because nothing says, "Happy Last Day of School!" like those cute pucker lips.

Here's my pretty princess, though.  Going through her little Kindergarten portfolio and seeing how much she's progressed this past year was today's Joyful Moment.  She's so proud of herself and it makes me happy.

And she looks stinkin' cute in her little tee ball hat.  Which I'm pretty sure she's going to be wearing every day this summer.

Which probably means we'll get to do a frantic search for it before each and every tee ball game.  Hooray!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and a glorious start to summer!

Day 480: Kismet

Over a week ago, some friends made plans to go out together this Saturday.  Which means, that I've known for over a week that I need to contact the babysitters and make sure they're available (we have two cute sisters who come--how luck are we?!).

Of course, with this little Darling Pants, how luck are they?!

Have I mentioned lately how much I loathe making phone calls?  It doesn't matter who the call is to--the doctor, the school, a friend, the babysitters, my mom--I dread picking up the phone (sorry, Mom!).  I don't know why.  It's just a MAJOR struggle for me.

So, as of this evening, I hadn't yet reached out to the babysitters.

Sweet P had her first tee-ball practice tonight.  (Side note:  I took pictures, thinking it would be today's JM.  But it was cold, and everyone had to go to the bathroom because apparently they ignored me when I told them to go before we left so I had to drive them over to a nearby business establishment to do their business in the middle of practice and then I looked around and realized that my children all had dinner on their faces still and it was embarrassing and did I mention it was COLD?  Not to worry, I know future Joyful Moments will certainly take place at tee-ball.  Just not so much tonight.)

That was a long side note.  Even though it was in parenthesis, I feel like we need to kind of refresh.  So, after tee ball practice we headed over to Target to get some tee ball gear.

And you'll never guess who we bumped into!  Except that I spent the first half of this post talking about the babysitters, so maybe you will.  Because that's who it was.  How excited was I?!  Excited enough that it really was today's Joyful Moment.  Because I don't have to make a phone call!  Except, I just realized that I did still have to make a phone call to confirm with their mom because it was just one of the babysitters and her dad at Target.

Huh.  Well, weird.  That still felt like my Joyful Moment when I reviewed my day.  And now I've typed this ridiculously long post saying very much about very little, so I'm not changing it.

I hope you've enjoyed this mental journey with me.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that make sense all the way through!

Day 479: Girill!

That's me.  I'm a Grill Girl.  Girill.

Get it?

If not, don't worry about it.  My illness seems to have wiped out several brain cells and I'm hardly ever even sure what I'm talking about any more.


But I can still grill.

This is our grill.  I got it for HH last year for Father's Day.  It made him happy.  I like making HH happy.

Tonight we fed the missionaries again.  And I grilled almost the entire meal.  Grilled pork tenderloin.  Grilled potatoes and onions (with fresh herbs from my herb garden!).  Grilled asparagus (some people on the Internet say that asparagus is amazing with balsamic vinegar--they lie!).  And then a new crescent roll recipe that I baked in the oven.  Topped with homemade strawberry jam.

I'm not gonna lie--it was pretty yummy.  Except that the asparagus really would have been better balsamic vinegar-free.

Still, it went over quite well and almost every bit of it was devoured.

And then we ate cookies.

I didn't grill those.

But all of that grilling gave me a Joyful Moment.  Even if it was raining.

Wishing you all Joyful grilling Moments!

Day 478: The Slipper and The Rose

It's an awesome movie.

You can see a poorly made trailer for it here.  Not that I really ought to be judging, as I have no clue how to do such things.

Back to the movie, though.  It's fabulous.  And loved by most of the women who I love most.  And maybe some very enlightened men.

A couple months ago, I suddenly needed to watch it.  Is it possible to crave a movie?  If so, that is what I experienced.  It's no longer in production, so it's very difficult to come by.  My sweet HH reached out to the interlibrary loan system to see if it was to be had.

And then we heard nothing, so I forgot about it.

Until about 1 1/2 weeks ago, when he received an email stating that it was in at our library!  Sweetness!  All the way from Sitka, Alaska.  Amazing!  So, I invited all of my girlfriends to come experience it with me.  None of them had ever seen it!  Tragic.  Tonight we watched it.  And it was my Joyful Moment.  I'm not sure if any of them appreciated it quite as much as they ought to have.  But I think everyone had a good time.

And one of my awesome friends gave me a pedicure while we watched.  Like, a professional pedicure.  My toes look so amazing.  How spoiled am I?!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in meeting all of your movie cravings and getting pretty toes, too!

Day 477: Through The Dark Clouds

Today I am just sad.  I'm finally starting to feel not sick, but my energy is still so low.  I can't fathom getting back into any sort of a workout routine again--let alone the one I was doing before all of this hit.  I can't even get caught up on the house work and errands I put off all of last week.

I'm pretty sure my old routine is a big part of why I got SO sick, but I'm struggling to figure out how to get an acceptable routine--and therefore my happiness--back.

That being said, I did find Joyful Moments.  One was the first peonies blooming in our backyard.  I didn't take a picture yet because it's nowhere near as pretty as it will be in a bit when they all blossom.

Another was this:

It was even cuter in real life, without the harsh lighting from the flash.  I love my sweet little thumb sucker in all his darlingness.

And finally, I sat down and played the piano and sang my heart out tonight.  While HH kindly got the kids ready for bed without asking me to stop, even though it was rather disruptive.  I don't have the amazing singing voice I've always wished I had.  But when I sit and play the piano, I like to pretend anyway.  For a little while, I can tune out reality and whatever is bugging me and it always makes me happy.  So, that was the final Joyful Moment I'm going to share with you tonight.

Thanks for listening.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments made even better by a whole lot of darlingness!

Day 476: Graduation!

That's right, Sweet P graduated tonight!

From Suzuki's Twinkle Variations.

Get EXCITED!!!!  (Only if you weren't already, that is).

So, I kind of explained it the other night, but the way this worked is thus:  It started with about 10 students playing some more challenging, advanced pieces and then the songs got progressively easier.  As the songs got easier, more students joined the group on stage depending on what level they play at.  Sweet P was kind of near the end, so the majority of the violinists were on stage by the time she went up.  It was really really neat to watch them all play together.

And we were so proud of our Sweet P!  It's hard to tell how many kids were up there.  I'm really bad at estimating, but I'm going to go with at least 75?  She's the super cute one in pink, about 4th or 5th from the left.

Anyway, this was a totally awesome Joyful Moment as a proud mama tonight.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that get progressively easier, and not the other way around!

Day 475: Hibachi San

So, after being holed up in my house trying to recover (we're now suspecting pneumonia just may have been part of the mix of my afflictions--hooray!), I decided to muster up all of my energy for a fun night on the town with my gal pals.

There were birthdays to be celebrated!  Namely (or picturely), the two on the right.  Through the smokey haze of the hibachi grill.

I've missed my gal pals.

Last night my emotional state took a rapid nose dive.  Too many successive days of being wasted tired, without my exercise-induced endorphins, and no clear end in sight set the stage.  And then there was some slight discord between me and HH and bada bing bada boom.  Bad news for us all.

So, HH semi-forcefully nudged me out the door, knowing that this event was exactly what my sad soul needed.

And he was right.  A night of chatting and laughter and hibachi flames rejuvenated my spirits.  Because we all know, I have really great friends.  And they just have that effect.  They are Joyful Moment bringers.  Which is why, hanging out with them tonight was my Joyful Moment.

But I did have to cut the night short because my sad little body was way too tired from all the fun.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments with Joyful Moment bringers!

Day 474: Girl Time

Sweet P has another violin recital on Sunday.  This one is a special Suzuki Graduation Recital where all the kids learning via the Suzuki method here at the North Pole get together and play, like in this video.  Although, Sweet P is still a few songs away from this one.  It's really cool.  I'm sure I'll be posting more about that on Sunday.

I took her to the rehearsal today.  Things were running a little behind, so we had a bit of a wait until it was her turn to join in.  Mostly, we sat and watched the other kids playing.  But we also did some chatting, some back rubbing, took some pictures with my phone, and giggled.

It was really sweet.  And it was my Joyful Moment.

It's funny because we didn't used to have the best of relationships.  And then when we began violin, I worried it would destroy the relationship we did have.  But, it's actually made it way better and become such a great opportunity to share positive time together.  I love it.

And I'm so proud of my Sweet P for working so hard at it!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments resulting in new photos to post on your new phone to replace the boring ones that came programmed onto it!

Day 473: Do You Have The Thyme?

Because I do!

Remember this?  Well, I planted those herbs in a pretty pot.  Unfortunately, even Z has been adversely affected by my illness and has been naughty a few times.  Twice she has dug up my sweet little herbs!  I've tried to give her extra attention and I think she's doing a little better.

Mamas should never be allowed to get sick.  Everyone goes crazy.

But I digress.

Tonight I made some magical chicken with gnocchi soup.  Chicken + Garlic + Onions + Soup = Healing Powers.  I'm sure I will wake up cured tomorrow.

But my Joyful Moment tonight was cooking with fresh thyme.  Grown in my herb pot!  That's the first time I've ever used fresh thyme.  I think I should have done a little more.  But still, it was exhilarating.  Yes, exhilarating.  It made me so happy!  I always feel like such a professional chef when I use fresh herbs.  Growing them makes me so happy happy happy!

Wishing you all exhilarating Joyful Moments!

Day 472: Patience, Patient

I have a problem.

When a doctor orders me to stop exercising for a certain amount of time, I find myself plotting to do all the things I never find the time to because I'm at the gym every morning.  I try to convince myself that these things are restful, but they aren't.

Vacuuming the upstairs of my house (restful because I didn't carry the vacuum up or down the stairs)--not really restful and resulted in a renewed fever and an afternoon in bed.

Baking cinnamon rolls (restful because the recipe requires no kneading)--not really restful and resulted in a messed up recipe and salty cinnamon rolls.

Making a quick trip to Hobby Lobby (restful because it's just driving across town)--not really restful and resulted in a broken glass jar and some unsafe driving.

Making 12 big jars and 3 baby jars worth of strawberry jam (restful because it's simple and quick)--not really restful and resulting in one very tired mama.

But opening my fridge to this beautiful sight (in case you're counting, one jar was open and on the table as a central part of our dinner) was an absolutely Joyful Moment.  However, I'm pooped.  I've never had the pleasure of making freezer (or any other type) of jam before.  I've helped my mom and my grandma slice up strawberries in preparation for the task, but I've never done the whole thing by myself.

I'm proud of myself, but it was definitely more work than I expected.  And just for the record, I WAY prefer Ball No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin over the SureJell for less or no sugar recipes.  I just do.

Changing topics--do you know what is even better than strep?  Sharing it with Baby B and HH!!!  Okay, not really better.  But I did anyway.  Neither has been officially diagnosed since the throat culture process is SO unpleasant, but they were given antibiotics because I already endured that on behalf of the entire family.  Baby B has an ear infection to justify his and HH apparently has gigantor tonsils.  So, he was banned from the office this morning.  Normally, I'm not a big advocate for antibiotics.  But in the case of Strep throat, I say GO FOR IT!

He still worked quite a bit.  And slept quite a bit.  But somewhere in between all that (and while I was finally putting my feet up after a long day), he took the kids outside to play.  After quite sometime he called me out to join them.  I reluctantly got back on my feet and headed outside.  So glad I did!

I wouldn't have missed this proud Joyful Moment for the world.  HH has wanted to teach her to ride with no training wheels for at least two years.  Someone else in this family hasn't been ready for that yet. Turns out someone else was wrong, because Sweet P was ready and picked up in pretty quickly!  Without tearing any holes in her one pair of good jeans!  And I'm so proud of her on both fronts!!!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments where your good jeans remain intact!

Day 471: A Picnic & A Program

Thursday is Little M's last day of preschool for this school year.  We're both okay with that.

But today, his class had their final program at the park.  Followed by a picnic.

This was my Joyful Moment.  Watching these cute little kids sing and dance their hearts out.  In this picture, they're goin' on a bear hunt.  Amazing how the "fuzzy little tail" part made them giggle EVERY time.  So cute.  Little M really loves to sing and dance, so I thoroughly enjoyed watching him have a blast. And I was so thankful that I felt well enough to be there and wasn't stuck at home in bed.  (Although, it would have been great for HH to actually get to participate in one of these sweet events.)

The picnic was as enjoyable as any meal eaten during extreme wind conditions could be.  Actually, even better, because Baby B kept grabbing food off of my plate, or out of my hand, and then promptly throwing it on the ground.  And then whining because he had none.

It was fantastic.

But then I got to watch my cutie pie play with all of his friends (while Baby B enjoyed a cookie) and the Joyful Moments began again.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments sheltered from severe wind conditions!

Day 470: Out Of Principle

I'm not going to mention a word about my health.

One Joyful Moment today was when a friend brought over dinner tonight.  Does it count as not mentioning my health if I explain that cooking is one of the things that just kind of wipes me out in a surprisingly short time, leaving me wanting to go to bed while everyone else eats.

It was great to be able to enjoy dinner without fighting the urge to lay my head on the table.  And the dinner was pretty and delicious to boot.  Triple Threat Joyful Moment.

Then this evening, HH took over my job of mowing the lawn (he's so sweet!) and alerted my attention to these:

Cherries!!!

And these:

Plums!!!

Joyful Moments!

And hopefully, the source of Joyful Moments to come--if we can figure out how to keep the birds away!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments full of fruitful prospects!

Day 469: Grim Reaper, Get Off My Back!

Okay, so sometimes I'm a tinsy bit dramatic.  But it kinda feels like I am deathly ill.

As much as I tried to take it easy yesterday, it's really just quite impossible to host company and do so.

And today I'm paying the toll.  Actually, I began paying last night--with horrible coughing fits that lasted for quite some time.  Fun fun fun.

And then I couldn't get out of bed this morning.  My dearest darlingest HH got up and took care of everything.  My Joyful Moment was finally getting out of bed after 9:30 (I never sleep in that late) and eating delicious French toast made by my sweetie.

He really is the best.

Sadly, I was unable to make it to church today because I spent the whole day in bed.  But I was able to sleep quite a bit, so I am optimistic that I will be able to turn the corner on this and stop being so whiny here.

In the meantime, thanks for reading anyway.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are far far away from the deathly ills!

Day 468: IT'S MY FIRST RECITAL!!!

If you know Little M, just imagine the crazy voice he uses when he gets really excited and yells something enthusiastically.  That's how he made that exclamation that became today's title.

It was pretty exciting.

Can you see how excited they were?!

They did great.  Little M is one of the younger students, and thus, was appreciated by all simply for being absolutely adorable.  And Sweet P was superb.  It was really satisfying to see other new-ish students and to remember how Sweet P once sounded compared to how well she played and how improved her posture is today.

Joyful Moments for watching them both and for being the proud mama of both.

And many more Joyful Moments hanging out and touring around our *exciting* little town with my b-i-l and his friend.  They really are a lot of fun.

Biting into the cinnamon rolls I worked so hard to make and realizing that although I cut all the other ingredients in half (it's a HUGE recipe), I forgot this when I was adding the baking soda, baking powder, and salt--not very much a Joyful Moment.  It was quite tragic, really.  One more reason why one should not bake while seriously ill and under the influence of large doses of penicillin.

Thank goodness for kind, understanding, and forgiving company!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that require ALL CAPS IN EXCLAMATION!!!

WHY?

Blogger appears to be having struggles.

I posted yesterday.  And it has deleted some of your comments from prior posts.  I'm  hoping it will figure out its issues and bring everything back.  If not, I'll re-write yesterday's post.  It was a fun one.  I'm deathly ill and for some reason I went into great detail.  I hope Blogger brings it back, because I don't know if I can ever replicate such a wonderful post.

But I will be posting afresh tonight no matter what.  Unless I go to bed too early.

Day 467: I Got Out of Bed

That wasn't necessarily a Joyful Moment, but it was at least a big change from yesterday.

Did you notice that Blogger is starting to catch up?  It finally posted my long, woeful tale of misery.  Enjoy that one.

Today was not as bad as it could have been, but I'm still struggling to accept just how much this  infection has really got me.  My brother-in-law and a friend arrived tonight to stay for a couple days, this was, of course, my Joyful Moment.  I really like him (and his friend is quite nice as well) and always enjoy hanging out with him.

But the preparations for their visit just about killed me today.  Vacuuming the upstairs, cleaning those guest bathrooms, and doing four loads of laundry revived my once broken fever.  That was a most unjoyful moment.  But, fortunately, I was able to lay down and rest while the boys took their nap and that did me a lot of good.

HH took over with getting the house in order and preparing their rooms once he got home.  I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband.

Now, I just hope I can get better so I can enjoy their visit!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments on those days where just getting out of bed is quite an accomplishment!

Day 466: Streptosicklycoccus

So, I woke up Sunday feeling a little more unwell than usual, but I'm in a semi-sickly state the majority of the time, so I didn't worry about it too much.  Plus, HH did almost all of the cooking and clean up and childcare, so I was able to rest and recover a bit.

I've still been feeling slightly under the weather all week, but managing to excercise and be productive, for the most part.

Then, yesterday morning, I woke up with a sore throat.  Bummer.  But this happens, so I didn't let it slow me down.  Well, not too much anyway.  That night my friend/visiting teacher came over and we visited for a while.  She is a delightful person and I love talking to her.  And even in the course of a normal conversation, I feel like I almost always learn something about living better, or being a better mom from her.

After she left, I came downstairs to post here and upload Baby B's photos.  As I did so, it was like time fast forwarded and the kind of illness that you normally feel building over two or three days hit me like a semi.  I had a bad case of the aches, major muscle fatigue, and serious unwellness.  The disease progressed throughout the night and I spent most of it shivering with chills, or trying to break a wicked fever.  Which, is actually the only reason I've ventured out of bed right now.  Sitting up hurts, but my fever was way to hot for me to stay in bed.  Fortunately, my computer room in the basement is always a little frigid.

My sweet HH immediately offered to stay home when he saw how I was feeling last night and I realized I had no choice but to take him up on it when I woke up this morning.  He took care of getting the kids off to school, and even cleaned up, and helped with their violin practice before they left.  While I went to the doctor.  I never get fevers, so when I do, I know it's serious.

After cringing and shivering in the doctor's office for 45 minutes (and taking part in one of those fabulous throat cultures) he came back to tell me I have strep.  Lots of penicilin.  Lots of rest.  No exercise for two weeks!

I've tried to avoid Baby B since I'm still in the contageous stage, but since he's a total mama's boy, he's really been struggling with that.  HH was really great about dealing wtih his sadness, though.  I just finally caved and asked him to bring him to me for a bit.  I really hope I don't regret that, but it was my Joyful Moment.  He instantly calmed down and just snuggled in with me and lay there quite content for several minutes.  And I was reminded yet again, what a precious gift this darling baby is.

Now, if I can miraculously recover enough to clean both guest bathrooms, vacuum, dust, mow, and bake cinnamon rolls before HH's brother and friend arrive tomorrow night, well, then I'll have another fantastic Joyful Moment tomorrow.

Anyway, the fever is now exchanging places with the chills and my body is struggling to remain upright, so I'm going to close this cheerful (if a bit whiny) post and go back to bed.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments with only the good kind of fever!

Day 465: Bring Me My Lab Coat

I am told that no one besides myself could see the top photo in yesterday's post.  I believe I fixed that.  And you owe it to yourself to check my darling Baby B out.

Sometimes some people in my family think I'm a doctor.

I did take anatomy, a couple physiology courses, sports injury, and nutrition in college.  That almost deserves an MD.

So, my little sister called this morning to ask Dr. Cheryl's advice on her poor sick cutie pie baby.  Lucky for her, Dr. Cheryl is an expert in poor sick cutie pie babies.  So, I dispensed all of my vast wisdom on how to care for and cure the common baby cough/cold.  Placing greatest emphasis on just enjoying the opportunity to snuggle a baby who is squirmy and independent when at full health.

I'm really bad at making phone calls.  Really.  Really.  Really.  So, I hardly ever get to talk to my little sister.  And even though it was sad news that induced the call, it was still my Joyful Moment to be able to chat and visit with her for a bit.  She's a cute new-ish mommy.  And a sweet sister.

And then I ran 3.5 miles!!!!

But I'm still going to claim the phone call as today's Official Joyful Moment.  Because it was even more special-er.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are the most special-est!

Day 464: Tire Dressing

Before we get to that though, I just have to share:

This is one of the delights from yesterday's post.  Every time I look at it, I kind of scream inwardly.  He is just too cute to handle!

And check this out, same bowl, same wayward foot.  Same precious, beautiful, darling, perfect Baby B.

Okay, before I go demand another baby from HH, we'd better scootch over to tire dressing.  Mostly, because I felt that it would be cheating to have the same Joyful Moment two days in a row.  So, the above was just a little freebie.

You're welcome.

Do you know what tire dressing is?  I didn't.  Not until tonight, anyway.  It makes tires look all shiny and new.  And I have been in possession of a bottle since the car salesman talked HH into buying some crazy car care package when we bought our Sienna last year.

The Sienna has been desperately requesting a wash for some time now.  Tonight, we made it a family affair and acquiesced.  And then I kind of went a little overboard.

I blame HH.  When we bought the car and it was all shiny and new, he turned to me and said, "Alright, now you can go trash it."

Admittedly, I hadn't really taken the best care of my prior car.  The kids and I were always in it, eating and whatnot and it just got messy.  And it seemed like a waste of time to clean it out when we'd just turn around and mess it up again.

But I have this weird thing about me.  If someone challenges me about something, I get really stubborn in resisting.  Just ask my parents.

So, I've done a pretty spectacular job of keeping my car clean.  The interior anyway.  We're talking wiping it down and vacuuming frequently, shampooing the carpets from time to time, conditioning the leather, etc.  The only thing I don't wash is the glass covering the odometer and speedometer stuff because HH wrote me a love note in the dust and I can't bring myself to wash it away.  Slightly pathetic, but true story.

Anyway, tonight I decided it was time to take care of the exterior in like manner.  So, after washing it, I let the kids go ride their scooters while I buffed the paint shield stuff on and then sprayed the tires and rear bumper with the dressing.  Man, my car looks g-o-o-d!!!

And staring at those sweet looking tires was my Joyful Moment.  Slightly pathetic, but true story.

And now that I typed all of that up, I realized that my other Joyful Moment was using the Bosch mixer HH got me for Mother's Day for the first time today.  It was EXCELLENT!!!

And would have made for a much shorter Joyful Moment, but now that I've already typed the rest up I'm going to leave it.  Plus, you'll probably be forever grateful to me for introducing you to tire dressing.

You're welcome.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that make everything look shiny and new!

Day 463: Pictureless

Today's Joyful Moment was caused by a picture (actually, about a million of them), but I don't have any pictures to show for it.

Not yet, anyway.

Two of my friends are fantastic photographers.  How lucky am I?  The same two who took Baby B's newborn photos, actually.  And they were kind enough to take his one year photos this morning.  I got to see some of them and I know I'm probably a little biased, but seriously, they are so adorable!  Probably because the subject is one of the cutest things ever to crawl the earth.  But also thanks to my friends' skills and vision.

Thanks Photo Phriends!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and the pleasure of being able to see some of these cute photos when I get them!

Day 462: Flowers, Cards, And Candy

HH likes to sing that song to me.  It's pretty much as good as the real thing.

So, today was FANTASTIC!  Fantastically full of Joyful Moments, that is.

It started off with yummy breakfast in bed (actually, first was a little snuggle time with Baby B so HH could bring my breakfast tray in without his "help".  This was super sweet because he was really missing me, having been put to bed by the baby sitters the night before).

And an amazing assortment of gifts.  Sweet P has been hard at work all week making me cards and stories and pictures.  Little M made a project at school.  This is the first year they've really gotten into it and it made it even better!

HH has always made sure to make Mother's Day special and this year did not disappoint.  He miraculously got me the Bosch mixer I decided I wanted on Thursday.  I still can't believe he got it here in time.  And I am soooo soooo sooo suuuuuper excited for all the great things I get to make with it!!!!!  Joyful Moments galore!!!

Then at church I was treated to pie with all of my church friends.  Well, the girls anyway.  Best Mother's Day gift from a church group Ever.

In addition to my breakfast in bed (which I took in the kitchen since I wanted to spend time with everyone), HH made me an amazing dinner.  It was seriously some of (if not THE) best chicken I've EVER had!  And I'm really picky about chicken.  And then he cleaned up the whole kitchen by himself. I love my HH.

And of course, I can't complete this post without mentioning the Joyful Moment when I called my mama to wish her a happy Mother's Day.  She's awesome.  She continues to teach me so many essential truths and concepts in how to be a great mom.  I want to be like her when I grow up.  She's just one of those people that pretty much everyone who knows her loves.  She's both my mama and one of my best friends.  I could not ever ask for a better example or friend.

I love you, Mama!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and a very happy Mother's Day!

Day 461: To Market, To Market

To buy a fat pig,

Home Again, Home again

Jiggety Jig!

You know you love that song.

We bought more than expected at the (Farmer's) Market this morning--but no pig.  Thank goodness!

This was our bounty.  Oh!  I just realized I forgot to include the purple asparagus in the picture.  Sad!  It's very thick and completely purple.  I'm super excited to try it.  And it came from our CSA membership!  We also got those three herbs (which are now planted in a cute pot on the patio) from the CSA.  Our CSA is a little different, we get to pick and choose what and how much we want each week and then the deduct from our prepaid account accordingly.  HH was a little hesitant about it this morning, so we didn't get very much.

We also got 12 pounds of honey!  Because it goes in the bread that I make, so we don't have to eat store bought.  Which means we go through honey pretty rapidly.  The vendor saw the kids eying those cute little baby honey bears and kindly gave each of them one (because he was so enthused that I had just bought that HUGE jug of it).

And the final little package is a fungus foot soak.  It's a gift.  But since foot fungus is kind of personal, I won't tell you who it's for.  I don't think he reads this blog, so it shouldn't spoil the excellent surprise.  (For anyone wondering--HH does read this blog, so it isn't for him).

Anyway, the whole morning hanging out with the family at the Farmer's Market (and rocking out to Alabama's "Born Country" on the way home) was a fun filled Joyful Moment.

Later, we finished off the day by attending the temple with some of our friends.  ALWAYS a Joyful Moment!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments full of jiggety jig jigs!

Day 460: Extra Time

I tell you what--I've been waking up early all week to read my scriptures before beginning the rest of my day and what a difference it makes!  It's like I have three extra hours added into each day.

Take today, for instance.  After getting Sweet P off to school Little M and I mowed the lawn (don't worry, I have a push reel, so it's perfectly safe for him and his little toes to be out with me).  While I was mowing I discovered that the peonies are beginning to bud.  Even though I know it will be quite the wait before those buds turn into flowers, it was a total Joyful Moment!  I'm so excited for the gorgeous display they bring to my backyard!

Then I went to the gym and ran three miles.  Met a friend at the library for a bit.  Came home and did lunch.  And then realized that it was still an hour before nap time.  Usually, naps are right after lunch.  So, the boys and I headed down to the play room and played trains.  I don't have to tell you what a sweet Joyful Moment this was.

After putting the boys down for naps, I cleaned out the garage.  Which inevitably led to cleaning out the shed as well because I needed to move all the winter stuff (i.e. sled and snow shovels) from the garage to the shed and it didn't make sense to move one mess over to another mess.  It was a lot of work, but both areas look so much better that the clean freak in me experienced a very satisfying Joyful Moment.  And the wife in me experienced two Joyful Moments--one in anticipating how pleased HH would be to discover that I had tackled these two jobs we've been discussing doing for quite some time, and the second when he arrived home and expressed his happy surprise.

And just barely, while tucking Little M in, I whispered to him, "I had a lot of fun playing trains with you today."  He's been in trouble for one thing after another all evening, so he was probably expecting a scolding.  And I could just tell how happy my whispered words made him in the way he responded, "Me too!"  And then he must have thought I didn't hear because he repeated it even more enthusiastically.  And it was a sweet Joyful Moment all over again.

Moral of the Story:  Studying the scriptures is far more productive than staying in bed.

Authors Side Note:  But it's a good idea to go to bed early, too.  Staying out late with girlfriends, while exceedingly fun, leads to exceeding tiredness by the end of the next day.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in putting the Lord first!

Day 459: Charmed Life

Every now and then I rise so far above the depression that I'm able to see my life for what it is.  And I realize that I really do live a charmed life.  Sometimes that makes me feel guilty, sometimes it makes me nervous because I know trials are sure to follow, but for right now, I'm just totally grateful.

I appreciate all your kind comments and support.  I have been dumbfounded to watch my readership of this blog really blossom over the last couple months.  In all honesty, when I switched the format from a discussion blog, to my daily postings, I expected that I would lose all of my (probably only about 4!) readers due to boredom.  I appreciate the interest that you take in my simple joys.  And more importantly, your support and encouragement.  I love when you share your Joyful Moments as well.  It's nice to share something so positive.

Can you tell that today was a fabulous day?

This morning I decided I would lift weights at the gym briefly, before running errands while Little M was in preschool.  And then several of my friends showed up to lift weights, too.  And it was really fun to have our usual chit chat as we did arm raises, lunges, biceps curls, and then practiced our silly walks.
Excellent.  And I would have liked to have chosen this for my Joyful Moment, but there was more.

I joined those same friends (plus a few more) at a restaurant this evening to celebrate one friend's (brief) break between semesters.  She just completed a ridiculously difficult semester and we've missed her!  So, it was a fantastic Joyful Moment to be able to reconnect with her again.

And I ordered enchiladas.  This is very typical of me, since they are one of my very favorite foods, but this restaurant had a different take on the typical enchilada.  And I liked it!  And you all know how frequently food is a source of Joyful Moments for me!

Later, most of us reconvened at the bowling alley.  I did not bowl because I'm terrible at it and had no desire.  I just went for the conversation.  And one friend's Texas Sheetcake-Turned-Cupcakes.  I'm just being honest.

And that might have been an even joyful-er Joyful Moment.  We had so much fun!  And I discovered that I'm friends with some pretty amazing bowlers!  Our friend who just finished her semester actually started the game off by bowling a Turkey!  (That's three strikes in a row for those of you who didn't grow up with an insanely skillful bowler for a grandpa).

And in between dinner and bowling I was able to (somewhat miraculously) do a couple returns and finally find a pair of shoes to go with my grey pants that I LOVE but can never wear for lack of suitable shoes.

Was this my longest post ever?  Maybe so.  But now you see why I feel that my life is charmed.  There were even more Joyful Moments that I didn't share with you here!  The last one, and one that I must share out of gratitude, was of course, coming home to my kind, considerate HH who made it possible for me to go out and have fun without having to worry about what was going on at home.  He handled all the crises of the evening on his own, had the kids in bed, and the kitchen sparkling by the time I got home.  He definitely puts the majority of the charm in my charmed life.

I have the greatest friends and family EVER!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that take a novel to share!

Day 458: Foot Crackin'

Today was full.  There was a lot of good, but also a lot of stress and worry.  And in all the busyness, I was not as aware of the Joyful Moments.

Tonight we headed to the chiropractor for a much needed visit.  I have been wanting to ask him to adjust my foot since I injured it back in early February, but haven't because I feel bad asking someone else to touch my foot.  Not that I have particularly gross feet, or that I suppose it would be the worst thing he's ever done, I just felt uncomfortable about it all.  HH was unaware of all of this and brought up my plantar fasciitis to the doctor.

He, of course, quickly dismissed my embarrassment and set to work.  Not only did his chiropractic care make my foot feel better immediately, but he also told me some exercises and stretches that will help it to really heal (it's still been a bit tender and achy, in spite of all my hopes), in addition to continued chiropractic care.

That, my friends, was the best news I could receive at that moment.  Especially, because the most stressful event of the day occurred right before we left the house for his office.  It was nice to have something so great to focus on instead.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments with out awkward foot touching!

Day 457: Mom, DO NOT Read This Yet

Or you will ruin your Mother's Day surprise.  But I'm just to excited about it not to post!

Just in case you don't avert your eyes quickly enough, I'll post pictures of another part of today's Joyful Moment first.  Some baby booties I made for a friend's new baby!  (With major help from another friend)

I fell in love with both of these fabrics, so I wanted to make sure both showed.  And I made those pretty brown flowers on the toes!  I'm really proud of myself!  Joyful Moments!

So, now that I'm finished with Baby B's birthday parties, it's time to get caught up and finish all my other projects and endeavors.  And I was able to get almost all of them done today!  That was a Joyful Moment in and of itself.  But then a lot of them involved doing something for someone else--and as we all know, serving others is a surefire way to Joyful Moments.

As I was reflecting over how amazing it was at how much I accomplished today, I remembered that I woke up a little early this morning and did my scripture study first thing (instead of last, as I have been for a while).  And I have no doubt that because I made that a priority, Heavenly Father helped me be more effective with the rest of my time.  Joyful Moment of gratitude!

Now, for the Mother's Day Surprise.  I made two of these (also with extensive help from yet another friend).  One for my mom and one for HH's mom.  And as I'm looking at it, I'm realizing that I photographed it upside down.  That chain actually looks quite pretty on the other side.  Just imagine that.

At any rate, I'm super proud of these too!  And super excited to send them off (almost) in time for Mother's Day!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments where things actually turn out the way you imagined them!

Day 456: Glimmer of Hope

So, I think I already posted a Joyful Moment about being able to go for a short run after my super long hiatus due to the dreaded plantar fasciitis.  But I am compelled to post about it again.

Because this morning I ran pain free.  It was a very short little jaunt because I was low on time and I didn't want to push my luck, but IT.  WAS.  AWESOME!!!!

Seriously.  I was beginning to doubt that I'd ever really be able to run again because it still hurts every time I run.

Every time, until today, that is.  And now I can hope.  Just a little bit.  But that is infinitely better than nothing!

The End.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that induce hope where there was none before, but where it is so desperately desired and needed!

Day 455: Grandma's Jewelry

Last time I visited my mom I was able to get some of my Grandma's jewelry.  A couple necklaces in particular meant a lot.  Today I wore my favorite one and received a bunch of compliments from my friends.  And it was a Joyful Moment receiving these compliments and being able to share that it was my grandma who possessed such excellent taste in jewelry.

Pretty much anything that lets me bring up memories of my grandma provides a Joyful Moment.  I miss her.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments graced with excellent taste!