Polka Dot Dresses

We've been getting American Girl doll catalogs in the mail.  Angel has fallen in love with the dolls and their colorful clothes.  She is especially smitten with the idea of having a matching dress with her dolly.  She had been asking for a doll with blond hair for a while, so when I saw this one at Costco for a-whole-bunch-cheaper, I snapped it up.  For Christmas, I made them matching nightgowns.  The Angel was thrilled.

Recently, I was innocently walking through a store (and it wasn't even a fabric store!) when this pink polka dot material called to me.  Nay, it jumped off the rack and grabbed me.  It screamed, "Take me home to your daughter and make matching dresses for her and her dolly!"  What could I do?  I bought some yardage, brought it home, and let it sit in the bag for a few weeks.  Take that, screaming fabric.

One night, I got industrious and cut out the pieces for both the big dress and the little one.  Then I let them sit for another week or two.  Gah.  Hate half-finished projects!

So I finally sewed them up, and they were much easier than I thought they would be.  And of course, she is delighted!  It makes me happy to see my girl happy.  Now to see if any of my boys want a pink polka dot dress.

Table Troubles

There are a few challenges to moving into a house that you did not pick out.  We moved in so my dad would not have to move out.  We mostly fit, but there are a lot of parts about the house itself that just don't work out very well.  And some of them are challenging enough that if I was looking to buy or rent a house, this would not be the one I would pick.

One of them is the dining room.  There isn't one.  

This house does have a nice, big kitchen.  In fact, I remember hearing my mother say that it was one of the biggest reasons they bought this house.  The kitchen had a u-shaped work area with a large peninsula.  The other end of the room boasted enough space for a family table.  A dozen years ago, my folks remodeled the kitchen and took out the peninsula.  In its place they installed a large island and put counter-height chairs around it.  It is a lovely size for cooking and kneading dough and spreading supplies all around.  And it seats four diners very comfortably.  But there isn't room at the other end for a table any more.

When we moved in, I had to leave my beautiful big table (which could happily seat 12!) at the old house.  I was so sad to see it go.  We moved in our smaller table, but even it is a little too big for this space.  We push the long side of the table against the wall and still have to squish between the table chairs and the counter chairs.  Since no one can sit on the wall side of the table, half of the family has to sit at the counter.  

Half of us are here, and half of us are there.  Folks at the table have to do a little shimmy dance to get out of their chairs without upsetting anyone else and walk over to the counter to get more food.  Both sides have their backs turned to the others, so there is no conversation. We all pause for the prayer, but after that it is every man for himself.  The kids help themselves to food, eat, and then leave - often without more than a half dozen words.  There is no family togetherness, no discussion of upcoming events or how-was-your-day.  Even at lunchtime, when I have fewer people around, the counter chairs are full and I have to eat standing.  It's not working for me.

I decided to try something different.  I pushed the table into the adjoining family room and shoved all the couches over to make room.  

Now I can actually put the food on the table, and everyone has to sit together.  The change has been noticeable.  We talk and laugh and connect.  I feel like I have my family back!

Unfortunately, it's still a bit too tight.  We can't get into the laundry room or to the back door when the table is out.  We have to push it in close to the couch and pull it out for every meal.  Even when we do pull it out, the people in the chairs have to be very careful and still, as the backs of the chairs are butted up against the wall.  And you do have to do a little skipping dance to get past the table and get out the back door.  Oh, and the little ones, who are the only ones skinny enough to fit on the bench, are leaning up against (and wiping their dirty hands and faces) against the back of the couch.  Not good.

The family room is a trifle squishy now.  I could take out some of the furniture, but then there wouldn't be enough places to put all of our heinies.  We have a lot of heinies in this house, and I need a place for us all to sit.  Back to that family togetherness thing I want.

On the positive side, I do like the extra room I have at this end of the kitchen.  I moved the exercise machine in here until we can figure out what to do with it, since it is clearly not getting used.  I think I can smell its dust from here.  I just wish I could take a little bit of the room from the kitchen and stick it onto the little bit of room we have in the family room and make enough room for us all to eat. 

Or I could just get content with never having my family eat together.

Nope.  Not gonna happen.  We shall come up with something.  Maybe?

Mission Monday

I love Monday mornings, as I get to read letters from my boys.  Love them so much!  One has been out 29 weeks, and the other for 49.  Where has the time gone?  I'm chuckling, seeing a few British spellings that are starting to come from South Africa, like "rumour."  I bet that will increase in the next year!

From South Africa:

I love being a missionary! As I think about what has happened this week, it is amazing to see just how much the members are growing.

It has been interesting as Elder Weber and I have started focusing more on the members that we have in the past, and not just only focus on investigators. Our members have started bonding together in ways that are truly amazing. That and we have had more referrals from the members and less actives because we have been working with them, and let me tell you, they are solid referrals. Wow, is all I have to/can say. It is amazing what working with the members can do.


I found out that Madagascar has had yet another cyclone.  This one, Tropical Cyclone Haliba, went from the Mozambique Channel, across Madagascar this week.  It travelled just south of Antananarivo, so it didn't hit directly there, but they've been having some pretty solid rain.  It is over the Reunion Islands now, and headed away from Madagascar.  This week will bring more rain, but then this cyclone should be done.  I wonder how many more there will be.

From Madagascar:

The water is still going up... which leads to our Malagasy morsel of trondradrano. It means like the water is going up or is high. (choon-jah-jah-noo)  Despite that, we had quite a few investigators at church on Sunday, which was fantastic. The ward has really been helping us out with them, so props where props have been earned.

Next week is transfers week and speculations are coming out of the woodwork. I'm just hoping that I get to stay here and that Elder Glazier will be coming up here to work in Tana so I'll finally see him! That would be sweet. He doesn't want to though, but he'll come around. Living in the big city is pretty nice! You can buy everything your heart could imagine as long as it doesn't require first world factories! And sometimes there's some of that stuff too! I've really enjoyed getting my nice cheap ties!

Walking With Opa

I just found this picture I took last fall, when the grass was still green and the trees still had leaves.  The sun was just as shiny today, but the air has an unfriendly bite which reminds me that it is not yet wholly spring.

My Dad and I cruise the neighborhood most days.  We try to go daily, but we usually make it four or five times a week.  When we first moved in with him (has it really been six months ago?  No, it's nearly been seven.  Wow.), he could make it halfway up the street before he needed to pause for a rest.  After waiting in the middle of the road for a few minutes, he would declare that his knees were shot and we would slowly shuffle back home.  Now he regularly walks about a mile around our neighborhoods.  

As we set out, he holds up his cane and leads the marching band.  Up and down, he waves it to the music, uses it as a golf club to whack at random rocks in the road, or holds it in two hands in front of him like an old Sinatra dance.  By the time we are headed back, however, he is glad to have the extra support of the third leg.  

It's good for him, this walking.  And it's nice to be outside in the sunshine.  So grateful for bodies that work!  What a blessing.

Valentine's Weeks

They lasted.  Who knew that roses would last?  Usually they are droopy after a couple of days, sad-looking but still fragrant at four days, and begging to be removed before a week is up.  My sweet husband bought me an enormous bouquet of roses and lilies for Valentine's Day, and they lasted for more than three weeks!  I love the gorgeous fragrance every time I walk down the hall.

Can you smell them from this picture?  Mmmm...

Maybe he really loves me after all, to get me the magic kind of roses.  

Thanks, Dear.  I love you, too.

The Curse of the Bacon

We had a date.  We were going to a jazz concert at the local university.  "He would be home about dinnertime, and then his folks would come by and pick us up.  A good old double-date, in the back seat of momma's car.

Earlier in the day, I had been at MegaMall, cruising through the aisles with the twins.  Somewhere between new socks and and cat food, we came across the sale rack.  I'm a sucker.  I stopped for a brief moment (because I never have more than a brief moment when the twins are around) to peruse.  For something for me.  There usually isn't anything there that anyone would want.  If it was wanted, someone would have already purchased it, taken it home, and loved it, right?  But I found it.  A new shirt.  My mother would have called it a blouse.  It was woven, but as soft as your favorite old t shirt.  Fitted and flowy in all the right places, and the perfect shade of green.  I don't buy green very often because most of the time it is either a yellowy-neon green, or too olive.  I can't wear either of those trendy colors.  But this time it was exactly the same hue as my eyes, and I was delighted.  And on sale!

I snatched up the shirt and hurried through the checkout.  The faster we can ring up our purchases, the fewer checkout candy temptations we have, you know.

I put it on as soon as I got home and checked the fit in the mirror.  Yes, I know, you are supposed to check the fit before you buy it.  That's why they have dressing rooms in the stores.  But the twins and me and dressing rooms don't mix.  It would be bad.  But the fit was perfect.  I loved it!  I pulled off the stickers and cut of the tags, and rushed in to make dinner so I wouldn't be late for our date.

While the veggies were defrosting I dashed into the bathroom to put on some makeup.  While the sauce was simmering I did my hair (but not over the sauce.  That would leave long hairs in the sauce.  Ew.).  I slid a dab of bacon grease in the frying pan to saute the onions.

And then it happened.  The bacon grease popped and spit globules of hot grease all over my new shirt.  My new shirt!  More than 20 dark spotches appeared across the front of the perfectly green fabric.  I settled the stove and rushed to the bedroom to take it off.  I looked up the best internet remedies for removing grease from fabric.

I spread the whimpering shirt on the clean counter (maybe it was me whimpering) and coated it with corn starch, to soak up the grease.  I carefully blotted with paper towels and shook off the extra.  I rinsed the shirt and smeared shampoo all over the front.  I wrapped the now-entirely-wet shirt in a plastic bag to soak while we went to the concert.

In the morning, I continued my ministrations.  Presoak, wash in the hottest water possible, line dry.  After the process, I anxiously unfolded the shirt - and the dots are still there.  Mocking me.  Bad words.

I should have bought two shirts at the sale.

And I should wear my apron while cooking.

Mission Monday

From South Africa:

(...the teacher in Sunday school) asked the question, "How would you define miracle?" That caught me way off guard. Over the course of the lesson, he showed, because one member asked why miracles had stopped, that miracles still are happening today. So I have been thinking a lot about how I would define what a miracle is and it has been really rewarding to dive into some of the examples of miracles in the scriptures.

So the question is, Without using a dictionary or looking it up, 'How would you define what a miracle is?'  I would love to hear what everybody thinks...

Miracles DO happen, ALL the time. All we have to do is look for them. They are all around us and they are amazing! I love being a missionary because I get to see lots of miracles in my day to day life. The Lord really does love us and wants the absolute best for us!


From Madagascar:

(We had a baptism) and our ward mission leader didn't show up to take care of everything, so there was no water in the font... On top of that the font was covered in dirt from the last baptism. "Covered in dirt?" You might ask, "why was it covered in dirt??" Well, we're getting there. Anyway, the faucet on the font takes about five hours to fill up the font, so our bishop grabbed the fire house and used that to help fill up the font a little more quickly. Yes, I did make sure to get a picture of that, don't worry. Then the water was brown. Not just slightly brown, but very brown. It was so full of silt that not only could you not see the bottom of the font, you also couldn't see more than a foot deep. So you could say that we pretty much baptize in the river...

I heard that there was lots of heavy rain and flooding in Antananarivo (hooray for news on the internet so I can stalk my boys!), so I asked him about that.  14 people have been killed and tens of thousands have been evacuated from their homes.  Of course I asked!

A picture of the flooding from Aljazeera.com

Yeah, the water is way bad. And it's been getting worse. I'll send some pictures next week. Our area is one of the low points so there's lots of water. We had to use a canoe/gondola style thing to get to some investigators' houses! We're just good though, there aren't any problems with us. Yeah, we get soaked and have to wade through water sometimes, but it's nothing too bad.