The Pioneer Woman

For months, my BFF Sarah LaPray Abbott has been gushing to me about The Pioneer Woman Blog. I never took the time to really look into it. She finally won me over when she cooked one of pioneer woman's recipes for me (on her birthday, nonetheless). That's just the kind of person Sarabi is. Someone who cooks for others on her own birthday.

Anyhoo, I was finally convinced that this pioneer woman was worth looking into. And now I'm hooked! She's humorous and realistic, providing readers with a look at her life as a rancher's wife, amazing photographer, and unbelievable cook. I definitely think you should check it out. http://thepioneerwoman.com

Knick Knack Paddy Whack

I just found this photo of a laundry room on one of my new favorite blog's, http://placetobloom.blogspot.com/. The whole blog post that features this laundry room is dedicated to the perfectly decorated house of someone I don't know. Chock full of a color palate I'm too bashful to try and well-placed knick knacks I would never dare showcase.

And I felt the need to offer a heaping dose of "Ross Reality" to the world. Never in my life has my laundry room ever looked like this. Nor will it, unfortunately. My sister-in-law, bless her soul, has a laundry room that looks like this. And every time I leave her house, I have a nervous breakdown. There is no trace that she actually does laundry there.

And the knick knacks! There is no way a well-placed knick knack would remain well-placed at my house. I visited a neighbor yesterday with my two youngest. She had a wine rack (though she doesn't drink) with beautiful, decorative glass bottles on ground level. Really? I spent the entire duration of what was supposed to be a "meeting" rescuing precious items from the evil clutches of my 18 month old!

The Narrator

It just occurred to me as I made these posts, I'm not in any of these pictures. I'm just the reassuring voice of the narrator that you never see. Why is that, you ask? Yes, like all women, I rarely like pictures of myself. But more than that, I'm always the one taking the pictures. I've convinced myself that if I died, two things would happen 1) my kids would have a hard time remembering what I looked like, and 2) there own lives would cease to exist in pictures. Thank goodness for moms--the faceless narrators of our lives!

There is obviously no picture to accompany this post. Because, of course, there wasn't taken.

General Conference

I love General Conference. Love it. But watching it the way I want to is a futile and frustrating effort with four little kids. The cute conference packets sent home by the primary can only sustain them for so long. On Saturday, we emptied about twenty storage bins full of our kids old clothes in front of the TV. We spent all day sorting, folding, and labeling as we listened to some amazing talks.

Sunday was Easter. We had an early morning Egg Hunt, our traditional Sunday morning muffins, and then settled in to watch some more Conference. Between sessions, the Duncans came to eat Easter Dinner with us and then stayed to watch the afternoon session. Okay, so I don't know if "watch" is the appropriate word here.

Tiffany and Brigham snuggled up together on the smallest couch they could find, and Megan arranged a cute scavenger hunt for the kids that ended with finding bubbles and candy. Dan was sprawled on the floor and snuck in a few winks of sleep as the kids crawled over him. Jeffrey just sat on the couch, offering an occasional directive or giggle.

Easter

This Easter, we had a great lesson from Grandpa Ross about the meaning of Easter, followed by dinner and an egg hunt at their house. We were watching Jeffrey for the weekend and he thought the Easter egg hunt was wonderful. He had been very concerned that the Easter Bunny missed his house that morning. Quincy was even able to snag a few eggs before the older kids got to them!

Spring Break

My sister-in-law was nice enough to invite me and the kids to her in-laws place in St. George for Spring Break. Our husbands both had to work, so we had a great adventure with two moms and eight kids. My kids loved the novelty of a mini vacation and the chance to thaw their spirits. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and put sunshine back in our souls!

We hiked in the red rocks, swam, ate ice cream, and let the kids scooter around the neighborhood. Fisher thought the whole thing was the bees knees, so thanks Hansens for a wonderful time!

Reading and Loving

I have just returned from a Spring Break adventure with my four kids and without their dad (he was working). It was glorious and fun-filled as they revelled in the novelty of a mini-vacation. More details on all that later.

I was able to steal away a few precious moments here and there throughout the vacation to continue my reading of Emma Lou Thayne and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s book of essays, “All God’s Creatures Got a Place in the Choir.” It’s been a delightful opportunity to laugh, cry, and wonder. It’s been a springboard for a lot of reflection on the relationships in my life, my personal identity, my view of the world, and my testimony.

In it, Emma Lou Thayne said, "I write because nothing seems really to have happened to me until I write about it.” And so it is with me. Which means I have lost a lot of precious things because I have written them. So, here's to writing . . . and blogging, for that matter, with greater conviction!