Mother, I love you, I love you I do....

I often go walking in meadows of clover and I gather armfuls of blossoms of blue, I gather the blossoms the whole meadow over, dear Mother all flowers remind me of you!

That song gets me every time. I start bawling like a baby. I wish I could describe the amount of love, respect and admiration I have for my Mother. This picture is of my Mom holding Avery after she was just born. It is one of my favorite. It's like she was inspecting this little one and showing her approval all in one glance. It meant the world to me. She gave me a card we had bought years and years before that she said she would give me one day when I had my own, which seemed completely implausible at the time. She always believed in me and knew I could do whatever I put my mind to.

My Mother is the most amazing woman I know. I don't know how she raised us 6 wild and crazy kids but she did and I think we turned out okay! My Mother has always been a beacon of strength, her kind soothing words calm me just at the sound of her voice. My Mother always told me I was beautiful, even when I know I wasn't, and she still does. My Mother always brought me to her side to watch what she was doing, how to sew, make pies---I had her pie crust recipe memorized when I was 5, how to treat people. Obviously I didn't listen all the time but I tried. I should be a better woman for the example I've had.

Besides having her with me after Avery was born, one of my other most precious memories was the day I was married. I have always been cheap and when I got married I certainly didn't want to put my parents out. Mom and I carefully found a pattern, saved our coupons for the right sale at Jo-Anns and then of course put off sewing the dress till the last moment because we were also renovating the house that summer. I had tried on the basic pieces of material when she was pinning them together but never again. Two days before the wedding I didn't think she'd get it done. We were going to go rent a dress. My Mom was still in the motel sewing furiously that morning and showed up 15 minutes before the ceremony. I was mortified and scared but I had that underlying faith in my Mom's ability. I was right to have it. I put the dress on and it fit like a glove. It was perfect! I actually felt bad for the other brides there that day because my dress was so much prettier than any of the others. But it wasn't that it was prettier, it was as simple as the answer I gave to one of the temple ladies when she asked me where I got my dress...."My Mom made it."

My Mom is amazing, kind, loving, funny, brilliant, beautiful, righteous, faithful, obedient, compassionate and more than anything her love is unconditional. There are many more words I could use but I wish I could verbally explain the feeling in my heart for my Mother. I know a name, a glorious name, sweeter than any other. Listen I'll whisper that name to you, it is the name of Mother. Mother I love you, I love you I do.

Cringe! I A spotlight!

Well I know it would shock many of you who saw me love drama in high school or have experienced the so called drama of my life, but I actually don't like being in the spot light. Especially as I have gotten older and with the more apparent flaws, I don't like eyes on me and I am quite content to sit at the back of the room and quietly observe. This month I am spotlighted on the Paper Cottage Blog which is kinda fun and kinda embarrassing. So here's a toot on my own horn.....
http://mypapercottage.blogspot.com/

I'm always playing catch up!

So if you were to ask anyone who's been around me lately my most common statement is that I'm always playing catch up. It feels like no matter how hard or fast I work I'm still falling behind. So what is now to be my usual fashion....here's a recap of the last couple of months!

I finally got my own work space that will help keep all the dang dust out of my house, well that is until I walk into it....:) I also started working on my blog for my little business http://sweetpickledesignscompany.blogspot.com I have been so busy and been making some fun things! So you can check out my silly happenings there!

We moved everything out of the shed into the garage and all my crap in the garage into the shed. This was originally supposed to be a wood working shed which is why I was so drawn to this little house in the first place. It has lights, electricity and is insulated with 2 windows even! I should have done this a long time ago but then again I didn't think or know this would turn into a full time gig.

So after it taking 2 1/2 hours to clean Avery's monstrosity of a room, she was happy to decorate it too! She found one of the signs Candy and I made this fall and promptly hung it up. When Britt got home that night he peeked in to say hi and she quickly said "The sign on the door, read it." That was it, and a shocked Britt stumbled to me and said you won't believe what Avery just said to me. It was pretty funny.

Not so funny is the little note she made that she hangs every once in a while....

She tricked me by having me spell out Allowed on a piece of paper. Ha Ha.

Another hilarious moment was while I was threatening with keeping her bedroom clean....she is obsessed with a certain little bat from Littlest Pet Shops that I of course have been hanging over her head for motivation for a while now. She is now an artist who expresses her feelings through her art. This is one of the pictures, the first one was much more detailed but I can't find it....and yes she made lots of duplicates to make sure her point was made.....

Angry Mom=Sad Avery=Broken Heart/Hurt Feelings=No Bat:(

I couldn't help but laugh!:)

Since I'm showing off her artwork, here's one of her latest that I just loved! She's getting good! Avery is obsessed with Halloween and everything about Halloween since it's her birthday time of year! It also doesn't hurt that I love Halloween too! I just got a kick out of these mummies....

One of my favorite photos of Avery! She had the poofiest pony tail this morning and was so smiley, I love happy mornings!

Avery had a pajama and pillow party at preschool to learn about the letter "P" that week! Wow getting to wear jammies to school is fun!

On Conference Saturday and in with my total guilty complex of feeling like I've been neglecting my daughter, I gave into her constant begging to get her ears pierced. These pictures turned out so hilarious!

I'm trying not to be scared.....

Ouch!!!! A friend of mine saw this picture and said it was the crustiest look he'd ever seen! Thank goodness it only lasted about a minute.... A few minutes later in the car and Avery was begging to call anyone and everyone to tell them about her new earrings! I have to admit I was scared to call my Mom and Dad. They didn't let me get my ears pierced till I was 12 and even then when my Mom brought me home from getting them done at the JCPenny's salon, my Dad said in his scary general authority voice "If God wanted holes in your ears He would have put them there himself." My Dad's disappointment in me has always been a very effective force in my life. So when I got my second holes, I snuck and hid them with my hair for several months until he noticed while we were visiting my brother Cam in the MTC. Thank goodness for the crowd of people around us, so all I got was a "look". Again a visit home a few years ago after President Hinckley told us to have only one set of holes, my Dad reminded me of this and I haven't worn a second set of earrings ever since. Thanks Dad for your disappointment in me, it has motivated me more than you could know. That all sounds weird right?;)

Easter was "hare" and gone before I knew it! Avery and I made some yummy sugar cookies for our neighborhood egg hunt, I frosted and Avery sprinkled. We make a great team!

Thank goodness for pretty dresses from Costco! This was a lemon cream with pink flowers embroidered on it. I love pretty dresses!

Avery got a bunch of ring pops in her Easter basket and ate them into a sugar coma. It was to cute of a picture to pass up! THE ICING ON THE CAKE....

Well I was so excited for Spring Break to come, we were headed to Utah for a lacrosse tournament and so excited to visit Grandma Mattie and Autumn and Allen. And then....my pretty washer....not even 3 years old.....died. Could life get any crappier? My computer crashed on a Thursday, the Washer died on Friday and the furnace was on a the fritz and I would lay awake at night listening to it, waiting for it to blow us up in our sleep...... So my Dad knowing I wouldn't call a repairman, did it for me and my heart was broken....completely, I was on the ground weeping, contemplating all the crappy luck we've had this last year. Seriously, could my life get any worse? I'm totally serious about being on the floor crying. I was pathetic and I know it.

Well my wonderful hubby stepped up to the plate and went and picked out the ugliest most institutional looking thing he could find but that worked great. Only problem is our limited space in this place didn't allow me to stack them anymore and I was now in desperate need of shelves. Once again my Dad to the rescue. I called on my trip to Utah and sent Britt on his own while I stayed home and built shelves with my Dad. It was so much fun though and revitalized my soul! Not only did we put in new shelves and got it painted but we put down new linoleum (a great find from dumpster diving at my parents construction site this summer!) It fit perfect and looks so much better! Now I have so much more room! I am so grateful to my Dad. He helped me in more ways than he knows!

Later that week I met up with Candy and her boys and we took the kids to the park to play and ride bikes. Avery had so much fun she said the funniest thing on the way home...."Mom, I wish the whole world had no more grass......that it was all sidewalks for me to ride my bike."

Here she is doing her meditating....where she got this I have no idea!
Avery and I on the see saw. Avery and Zach had a blast with me making them fly through the air. This was one time I was glad for a big bum for my nephews amusement.

I finally got to use my stroller again, this time with Andrew. He was so funny here. We wrapped Avery's scarf around him to keep him warm and he just didn't know what to do with it.

Nathan, Zach and Avery posing on their bikes!

The kids all piled into the back of the car. Avery and I just chillin one afternoon. There's a reason I don't take many pictures of myself, I'm shocked at how haggard I look anymore.

Avery lost her second tooth. To this she now says, "my mouth is a bank Mom! I just have to pull out teeth and it gives me money!" In my world....I wish!

Britt trying to yank it out to no avail. Only a grumpy kid.

Avery finally got it out on her own while watching TV. So there ya go. 2 months recapped. Britt is finishing up with his boys Lacrosse team and doing great! They have their playoffs this next weekend and it has been a great experience for Britt. I'm no longer working in the shop at Paper Cottage except to teach classes which is a total blessing. I am so glad to be able to work from home. I am so thankful for the great ladies I have been able to work with and met through this crazy hobby of mine. I feel like I can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and I am glad for that. Avery is growing like crazy. I can't believe she is almost in Kindergarten. Seeing her teeth come out, holes in her ears....it makes my maternal instinct kick in like crazy. How did I get so lucky to have her? Of course I wondered this through her barf-o-rama Sunday night all over my bed, my carpet and floors, and while I did the pukey laundry into the wee hours of the night. I was just grateful at the end of it that she was okay, I'm okay, we're all okay. And it's okay to be okay.