Compound Eyes At The Beach . . .

It seems that whenever we are at the beach we spot dragonflies. Such busy creatures, flitting speedily to and fro, landing for just a second here or there. Chris spotted this one resting in the sand right in front of where we were sitting. At first we thought he might be dead, but he was very much alive and willing to pose for a few quick photos before the Hubby helped him off the wet sand and back into the air. Did you know dragonflies have six legs, yet cannot walk? How impractical.

Chris also found this little fellow resting on a broken reed outside of our beach house, his wings glistening in the morning sun. I am so fascinated by dragonflies! Look at the intricate wings. They are so delicate, and yet they carry that bug near and far at a lightning fast pace. And the eyes. Well, you know the eyes have it. Enough so that I named a seven year old blog after them. Tens of thousands of tiny facets help the dragonfly to see beyond what our human capabilities can even comprehend.

 

Chris found this Dragonfly on the last day at the beach. Missing wings and compound eyes, but still flitting to and fro, trying to see beyond her human capabilities.

Play Hard, Crash Harder ...

Owlie was SO, SO excited to head to the beach this year. I think last year it finally clicked with him how fun it could be to spend a day in a giant sandbox with yummy food and family surrounding you. He talked about it non-stop leading up to the trip, culminating the day before we left with the exclamation, "I am so excited to travel!"

He worked hard at the beach. He dug and dug in the sand. He jumped and jumped the waves. He ran and skipped, hopped and rolled around like a crazy kid. After three days of vigorous work, towards the end of the third day he simply climbed onto the lap of his Mema and cozied in for a snuggle. I am now in search a similar picture from the first year we took him to the beach. He definitely takes up more of her lap now, but he just loves his Mema so much.

With the wind whipping around and the waves crashing in, it was about thirty minutes before the sounds had lulled a squirmy, active five year old into looking like this:

He was happy to sleep there for about an hour before Mema transferred him to my arms to sleep a bit longer. Maybe because she needed to get her cell phone out of her bra? Whatever the reason, it just goes to show another way I think the beach is a perfect vacation for kids . . . play hard, crash even harder!

PS. These pictures are made even more precious to me by the fact that this was the last year my parents will join us at the beach. They are moving to Utah next Summer. Insert gigantic crocodile tears here.

Found the picture! Same towel, five years later! Look how tiny he was. Now I will go cry.

Eleventh . . .

We just got back from our eleventh year at the Delaware Shore over Memorial Day weekend. This annual trip has cemented itself in my heart as a favorite family tradition. We all need it. It is the like an oasis in the desert, giving our parched and worn bodies a much needed drink of rest and relaxation to get us through those last few weeks of school until Summer.

 Every member of my family looks forward to the beach for different reasons. Owlie spends much of his time digging holes, burying himself in the sand, making friends with all the other little kids around him or jumping the waves. As long as a snack or drink is in his hand when he demands it, he’s pretty happy and self sufficient at the beach now. It seems like just yesterday I was spending all my time convincing him to NOT eat the sand.

I love this shot of the Hubby. He’s hot! He loves to be active on the beach. Football, frisbee, sand darts, kite flying or walks down to the dock make him the most happy. Or sitting in a beach chair with a handful of licorice or pistachios. Must have every year.

This year I was committed to less sitting and more doing with the kids. Chris and I realized pretty fast that the paddle ball game he got for Christmas was going to be our favorite thing to do. We got up to 392 consecutive hits. He’s not afraid to dive all over the place. I’m a bit more reserved. And yes, I have resorted to wearing a long sleeved surf shirt to avoid getting burned. Sunscreen and I are not friends (allergic to most kinds) so this is the solution.


RedDog has been and always will be our treasure seeker. He brings me various shells and rocks throughout the day to bring home for his collection. I love that he has a treasure in his collection from each year we’ve come to the beach.

And then there’s this girl, who was the bravest of us all and actually got all the way into the freezing cold water. She also spend time spraying SunIn into her hair, chatting with her friend Kate, laying in the sun, taking pictures and throwing football with her dad or frisbee with her brother.

More beach report to come this week!

Calming Down …

 

I have given myself exactly fifteen minutes to write today because I need it to help me calm down.

Things are a bit crazy over here right now. There are some big things going on which require my time, focus and concentration. Sadly, I am not good at focusing and concentrating, so I have had to implement some strategies to help me get things done and remain calm.

Here are a few of the things I have promised to do for myself each day to help me be successful and calm, in no particular order:

1. Read my scriptures every day. The Hubby and I have been on a roll and have now read every day for the past 141 days. I look forward to that time of contemplation and enlightenment.
2. Move my body every day. I am exercising for about 40 minutes each morning. It is hard. I don’t love it. But I do love how I feel afterwards and it is helping me to sleep so much better. By the way, have I mentioned I have sleep issues?
3. Make a list each night before bed of the things I have to do the next day. I write everything from scriptures to exercise to blogging down because I like checking things off of lists.
4. Attack things like laundry and housework in small, non-intimidating chunks. This means I do two loads of laundry from washed to put away every day. I also clean a bathroom or vacuum and dust a floor of the house. But I never do it all at once. This means the whole house is never clean, but I’m okay with that.
5. Call one friend or my mom or a sister each day. I feel the stress leaving my body as my chats with them help me decompress.
6. Spend one on one time with the kids. I read Harry Potter to Oliver or go on a walk with Soren. Late at night I go in and lay on Hannah’s bed and we talk about her day. I need to feel connected to them in real and meaningful ways.
7. Say no to things or let go of things that simply stress me out. Sorry friends that I couldn’t do a ladies night last weekend. And teachers, I really do appreciate you, but there will be no end of the year gifts from my kids – just a handwritten note of gratitude.

I have found that if I do these things each day, my mind is clear and able to work on the larger tasks in front of me. It has really helped me feel calm inside. When I’m not totally freaking out.

One last thing I do is cut flowers from my yard, put them in my house to make it beautiful, and take pictures of them so their beauty will be with me forever. Serenity now.

And I still have two minutes and twenty-four seconds left. Sweet!

MoPro 2015 …

On Saturday Christopher took a beautiful girl named Emily to Mormon Prom.

Many of the LDS kids in our area don’t attend the school sponsored Prom because the environment there is not great. Instead, they suit up in their modest (and really, quite lovely) formal attire and join seven to eight hundred other Mormon kids for a Prom that is well lit, has clean music and dancing, plus tons of other fun activities during the night. As a parent, I have great peace of mind knowing my son is taking someone else’s daughter to a place where neither he nor she need feel embarrassed or uncomfortable at any time.

 

We helped Chris buy his first suit, a new bowtie that coordinated with his date’s dress, and a corsage to slip on her wrist. He has become a pro at hand tying his own bowtie – no clip ons here! He looked so handsome.

A large group of almost thirty kids gathered for dinner at one house with parents combining efforts to make the night a “fancy” affair. Right at 5:00 when we should have been taking pictures, a torrential downpour began, causing girls to run with dresses and hairdos to protect. We did sneak in a few pictures after the storm and the cloudy skies made for perfect lighting.

Chris drove our van (super cool car) full of kids to the Prom. They had an absolute blast! I’m so grateful our church provides this alternative Prom for the youth to attend. The great news is that it just keeps getting bigger and bigger because now lots of kids who aren’t LDS are starting to attend as well. Chris is already looking forward to Mormon Prom next year.

 

Coping With Loss . . .

About a month ago Hannah received a sobering text from her best friend saying they’d just leanred their dog had a tumor in it’s abdomen and would likely die in the next few months from complications caused by the tumor. Hannah loves her friend so much that she was teary after reading the text and quickly came asking me what she should do for Nicole. I suggested two things immediately – pray for her and call her. She did both but felt like the phone call had seemed superficial.

Later that night a thought came to me. I’m not a pet person. I have horrible pet dander allergies. I’ve never been endeared to an animal in the way many pet owners are, but I do understand that the grief associated with losing a pet is real. I decided I would ask the family if I could take some pictures of the kids with their dog as a way to help ease their sadness about what is an immanent loss in the near future.

It’s the only think I could think of that I could do to help.

So I photographed a dog. A very fast, happy, energetic, busy and loved dog. It was so much harder than any human subject I have ever taken pictures of, but still I think I was able to capture a few moments for this family to cherish.

I am not a professional photographer, but there have been a few times when I have been able to use my “hobby” to help other people. It is when I am the most grateful for this burgeoning talent.

New Go To …

If you’ve been living in a world where sugar cookie bars are a reality, why oh why didn’t you tell me? If you’ve been living under a rock, like me, I’m about to set you free.

A few months ago Hannah had to take dessert to a track dinner. She wanted me to make sugar cookies, but I immediately said no as I had just recovered from making fifty Salt Lake Temple shaped cookies frosted with gold sugar on the tips of one of the spires. Too much work!

Then as I was browsing the Pinterest, I came across a few rave reviews for a sugar cookie bar that claimed to have all the deliciousness of regular sugar cookies with two thirds less work, so I decided to give it a try.

We’ve now made “THE BARS” three times. And believe me when I say this recipe is a winner!

All the benefits of rolled and cut sugar cookies, but so much less work. So tasty. And the frosting I’ve been using, which is from another sugar cookie bar recipe, is light, fluffy and creamy. I’ve gone pink with multicolored jimmies all three times I’ve made them because it makes me think of the big sugar cookies you can get at gas stations, but you could do whatever color you’d like.

Here’s the recipe

Sugar Cookie Bars (modified slightly from A Little Bit Crunchy, A Little Bit Rock n’ Roll)

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
4. Add the vanilla to the creamed mixture and then slowly add the dry ingredients.
5. Press into a greased 13 x 18 inch pan and bake at 375F for 15-18 minutes. (You can use another shaped pan that is similar in size, but a 9x13 will be too small.)
6. Cool and frost (see directions below).

Frosting (via Sally’s Baking Addiction)

3/4 C unsalted butter, softened

2 and 1/4 C confectioners sugar

3 Tbsp heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

salt to taste

With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy - about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if frosting is too thick. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. I usually add anywhere between 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Beat in food coloring, if using. Frost cooled bars. This frosting makes enough to cover the entire pan generously. Add sprinkles if desired.

Let me know if you make these. They are delish!

Then & Now …

Every once and a while Quite often I find myself in a bit of a mental freak out due to time, how fast it’s flying, how much things are changing and how I have no control over it. I just want to slow it down so badly, making it possible for me to truly savor every moment I have with my children at home and my parents living nearby.

For Mother’s Day I had only one request this year: I wanted a nice picture with my kids. As the mom who wields the camera around these parts, I am rarely in any of the photos. So we grabbed the tripod and headed down to the wooded path in our neighborhood. We took about thirty minutes worth of photos, and let me tell ya, there are some GEMS.

But as I came back home to look at the pictures and came across the one above, there was something that felt very familiar about it (see below).

In five years time, I guess not that much has changed after all. I feel better already.

The Sabbath Is A Delight …

Part two of our family home evening was spent reviewing Elder Russell M. Nelson’s talk from General Conference, The Sabbath Is a Delight. (click for link) It was such a great talk to end conference and one we needed to hear!

We all agreed that though we keep the Sabbath holy in respect to worshipping at church, not frequenting places of business or doing many of the other things we do during the week like sports or hanging out with friends, we could all work harder at making the day more sacred by what we do in our home.

We each committed to doing two things on Sunday after church that would bring us closer to God and family.

Samantha: Interview children and record personal histories of kids on Family Search, including audio and photographic files. Read/study the next week’s Relief Society and Sunday School lessons.

Travis: Do Family History work (ie. indexing). Continue to do personal interviews with the children on Fast Sundays.

Chris: Work on indexing project. Spend quality time with family.

Hannah: Read the New Era magazine. Learn to play new hymns on the piano.

Soren: Read two chapters of the Book of Mormon. Work on Family History with mom or dad.

Ollie: Spend meaningful time with family. Avoid whining and screaming. (trust me, this would really help our Sabbath out a ton.)

By doing these things, hopefully we will find more joy in our Sabbath and see that it continues to be a day set apart from the rest of the week for specific purposes. Elder Nelson put it beautifully when he said,

“What did the Savior mean when He said that “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”? I believe He wanted us to understand that the Sabbath was His gift to us, granting real respite from the rigors of daily life and an opportunity for spiritual and physical renewal. God gave us this special day, not for amusement or daily labor but for a rest from duty, with physical and spiritual relief.”

I am happy to report that the past two weeks of Sacrament Meeting have seen marked improvement by the children. I have gotten more out of the meeting and feel spiritually fed. I will let you know how the second part goes after a few weeks of trying it out.

A Bucketful Of Living Water . . .

We recently had a Family Home Evening that I’ve been meaning to write about, not because it was remarkable, but because I want to remember what we talked about and have a place to keep each of our goals written down.

Three separate talks prompted the lesson we shared with our kids – Elder Russell M. Nelson’s talk from April General Conference entitled “The Sabbath Is a Delight”, a talk given by our Stake President Guy Hicks at regional conference about showing more reverence during Sacrament Meeting, and a talk given by a woman in Texas which I heard while visiting Ronalin a few weeks ago about choosing to get more out of the Sacrament Meeting hour at church.

We started out with an object lesson to get the kids’ attention (especially Oliver). I had three items on the table – a gallon of water, a small cup and a large bucket.  I asked them to imagine they had gone all week without water. They would probably be pretty thirsty. Then I told them on the seventh day, I would bring them water. They had to decide which vessel they would choose to receive their water in: the cup or the bucket. Of course they all wanted the bucket. I poured the cup full and gave it to one child. Then I filled the bucket with the rest of the water and gave it to another.

Analogy time! I explained to the kids that each week we go six days without the concentrated worship of Sacrament Meeting. On the seventh day, when we come to that meeting, the Lord is ready to fill our buckets with living water (John 7:38, John 4:10) if we come with the right mindset and attitude. But when we only show up with a small cup to receive it, we certainly won’t quench our spiritual thirst. We have to decide each week if we’re going to bring a cup or a bucket.

As a family we set goals to help us get more out of our Sacrament Meeting worship. Some of the goals are:

• Prepare on Saturday with prayer to be ready to receive the Lord’s instruction and will the next day.
• Don’t overwork or stay up too late on Saturday, thus making ourselves too tired to be fully present on Sunday.
• Be in our seats, listening quietly to the prelude music at least five minutes before the meeting begins.
• Use the restroom and get a drink before the meeting begins (Oliver).
• Take notes in a journal on the talks given or testimonies borne.
• Sing each hymn with worshipful intent.
• Do not touch our siblings.
• Do not use technology in the Chapel.
• Have conversations with other ward members in the foyer instead of the Chapel to help maintain reverence.

The idea that what we get out of our worship service is a personal choice we make really resonates with me. I have spent a long time wrangling small children in church. They are all grown to a point now where they can listen and so can I. I am excited for this new stage in our Sunday worship.  I’ll write more about the Sabbath part of this FHE on Monday.

[Picture is the most recent family photo we have. Taken a month ago when saying goodbye to the remarkable Elder Seal]

Scientific Theory …

I don’t have anything monumental to write about today. Just a random thought that’s been brewing.

A few weeks ago our Bishop came by to visit us. I had cut some pink flowering dogwood branches and put them in a pitcher of water in the family room where we sat talking. He commented on how beautiful they were. Then he said this: “Have you ever looked at something like that dogwood and thought to yourself there’s no way the universe, the Earth, everything in and on it just is because of some scientific explanation?”

I looked at the dogwood flower, thought of all the different flowering blossoms I’ve been photographing this Spring and immediately KNEW the answer in my heart and mind. God made this beauty for us to enjoy. God is responsible for the flowers. He created them for our pleasure and joy. For MY joy.

Of course, I believe He used scientific procedures to accomplish His creating. I believe He uses laws and order to do all things. He is a being of order. He is a being of creativity. I marvel at His creations. This Spring has been a great blessing to me in respect to loving and appreciating the glorious handiwork of God.

I’m so grateful I have this knowledge. It is so gratifying to walk or drive around, admiring His creations and giving thanks for them in my mind, in my heart and out loud as I pray to Him. As my heart fills with gratitude, I find that I am able to see and appreciate even more of what God has made for me.

Thoughts On Waiting …

This little turtledove was waiting for something out on our deck today. His head kept bobbing back and forth, side to side. He was checking out the world, patiently waiting for his turn to jump into the fray.

Today I am also waiting .

Waiting for news about my dad who is having surgery at this very moment. Waiting on the Lord for blessings of help and healing to carry him through it. Waiting, but unlike the turtledove, I’m head on into the fray, life swirling around me. This kind of waiting is purposeful and unavoidable.

Sometimes I fall into the trap of another kind of waiting. Waiting for things to get easier, better, more to my liking. Does anyone else do that? Almost always when I do, I find myself disappointed, my expectations unmet, or opportunities lost because I didn’t take action at the time. It looks a little like this:

I’ll wait to contact that friend after my life is a little less busy.

I’ll wait to forgive that person until they apologize to me first.

I’ll wait to love myself more until I’ve lost that weight and fit in those clothes again.

I’ll wait to develop that talent until my kids are all out of the house.

I’ll wait to say something to that teacher until the situation has blown over.

I’ll wait and see if they really need my help, then I’ll volunteer.

Sometimes waiting is a necessity. We can’t control a situation, but have to be patient for its resolution or the timing to work out so we can proceed. Other times, our waiting is self imposed and really works contrary to our benefit or the benefit of others.

In those cases I’m ready to stop waiting on the things I have control over. I’m ready to be more purposeful and action oriented. Time is short. I don’t have to wait to do so many things.

The second after I took the picture of this bird, it shot off the porch suddenly, startling me enough that I let out a little yelp. It had decided which direction to go. The waiting part was over. I felt excited. It’s time to fly, people.

My House Sparkles . . .

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I get up at 5:50 AM with my two oldest kids who attend an early morning scripture study class. I don’t have to get up with them, but I choose to because I want them to know they are important to me. I want to spend a little time with them before they are gone from me all day. I am completely tired when I do it. But I do it.

Last week I was lying on the couch after they’d gone and a ray of sun came streaming in through the transoms by our front door. It was bright and instantly lifted my worn out spirit. I was mesmerized by the shaft of light, not only by its radiance, but also because in it I could see millions of tiny dust particles floating almost weightlessly in the air.

Is that gross? I’m sure a part of me should have immediately jumped off of the couch and run for some cleaning supplies, but I could not do it. I was transfixed. So instead, I grabbed my camera, laid right back down on the couch and tried for about a half of an hour to capture what it was I was seeing.

This shot is the best I could do. It reminds me of fairy dust being sprinkled for good luck or magical powers. I’m going to stick with that feeling, because it seems much more glamorous than the reality.

Let’s be honest. I have six people living in this house with various comings and goings, sports equipment, backpacks, briefcases, shoes and bodies moving about. It is a dust producing predicament. Plus we are in the absolute prime of the pollen releasing Spring season in Virginia – a time known to leave a skim coat of yellowish green dusting on every single surface outside. I dust, Swiffer and vacuum my house at least once a week, but no matter what there is another coat of dust the following week.

I can’t change it. But I can change my view of it.

In this dusty house, life is lived to the fullest. So when I see dust motes floating in the air or a coating of dust on a flat surface, or I can write my name in dust on the dresser in Chris’ room (frequently I just write “Dust Me”), I will remember this picture and the beauty of this moment and I will tell myself that my house sparkles.