|
February 28,
2008 - I'm still not quite up to par in any aspect of my life, but I'm trying to get there. Last night was our book
club meeting (we read Traitor by Sandra Grey and the overall opinion was positive - although it did seem to appeal more to
the younger sisters than the older ones - for what that is worth!) It was also our Blue and Gold Banquet and the Pinewood
Derby. I absolutely hate the Pinewood Derby and am so thankful that this is Clay's last year. We always have some catastrophe
with it and for the past two years Clay has had to borrow a car just to participate. This year I bought him a fancy kit (3
times the cost of the ones at the scout shop) at Hobby Lobby. It was already carved so all he had to do was paint it. He was
so excited he opened the kit months ago and by the time he and his father sat down to work on it - parts were missing. I searched
through kitchen cabinets where the kit had been stored and came up with all but the little caps that held the wheels on (pretty
important). We thought we were going to have to start over but after searching through bags of trash, I found the caps and
we had the car together. The only problem was - the caps kept falling off. Clay won 3rd place and probably could have gotten
at least 2nd if his wheels had been secure. I felt guilty for his lack of success. Oh well. And
to top that off, we were expecting Tommy's mission call yesterday but it didn't come. We don't know what that means. Will
it come today? Will it come next Weds? Did the stake clerk fail to send it off and has it not even been submitted yet. Anyway,
I guess he'll get it eventually. But as usual nothing can be easy and nothing goes according to MY plan!!! February
19, 2008 - Please forgive me for my lack of 'journaling' and general neglect of my website. I've been neglecting
everything. I was sick for most of the month of January and still am not completely healthy. Then since Laura and Harrison
and Grace were coming for a visit - I decided to do a couple of long-overdue home improvement projects. I started by recovering
my couch and loveseat. I've never done anything like it before and while the results were not perfect - they look better than
they did before. Then - it was kind of like a story I remember from a Sunday School lesson
called "Broken Down Town". In the town nobody ever fixed or painted or cleaned up anything (hence the name). But
one day a boy decided to paint something (I think it was the garage). So he went to the store and bought some paint. Once
he got the garage painted, the house looked shabby, so he had to paint it too. Then the condition of the neglected yard was
more noticeable so he had to cut the grass and then plant flowers, etc. Soon the neighbors felt that their homes didn't compare
well with the freshly painted house - so they painted theirs too. And eventually the whole town was beautiful and had to be
renamed. This same concept became a problem for me. After recovering the couches,
the rug looked bad - so I had to get a new one. Then once I had the den looking good - the kitchen seemed worse than before.
So I painted it. I'll take a moment out from my 'Broken Down Town' analogy to tell you something funny Andy said. He was helping
me paint and in the process we had to strip off the border that had been along the top of the kitchen walls. Under it we found
two more and several coats of paint. I said it was funny that at some point in the past we had painted the various colors
and put up the old borders and thought they looked nice. Now we didn't think so and were putting up something new. Andy considered
this for a few seconds and then said "Yeah, well I don't really like this yellow color we're painting it now either."
Good old Andy. Now back to my story. So, I got the kitchen painted and that made
the old vinyl floor look worse. So I bought those adhesive vinyl tiles that look like tile and put a new floor on my kitchen.
I finished up just a few hours before Laura arrived. Then - of course my old curtains didn't match. So I was sewing curtains
until minutes before we left for the airport. I had to leave Andy and Emily home to hang the new blind (since the old one
didn't match either) while we went to get Laura and Harrison. Now, for the true irony. We had the house looking really pretty
good when Laura got here. But since then - with all the coming and going and confusion - it's been a mess. So all the updates
didn't really make that much difference. Oh well. I tried. January 22, 2008 - Okay, I'm still not finished with the sequel to HD. But I decided
to raise my head for a minute to discuss multi-tasking. Now, ordinarily I'm not a big fan of the concept (although I think
it's a reality for most women). But I had an experience last week that has made me reconsider. During the past few weeks I
have been remarkably unproductive. It's like every day I start out with big hopes, by mid-day I'm adjusting my expectations
- I won't get as much accomplished as I had hoped, but there's still lots of time for progress. By mid-afternoon I'm feeling
discouraged and by evening I decide to scrap this day - along with the many others that preceded it - and hope for tomorrow.
On one such day I was trying to make dinner (I always put off the preparations until too late so I have to go into 'frantic'
mode to get the food ready by the time Butch gets home - and if dinner's not ready when he gets there he'll eat something
he's not supposed to - so it's a pretty important responsibility). Anyway, I was making spaghetti. The kitchen was full of
steam from the noodles and I was chopping vegetables for a salad and trying not to burn the garlic bread. Then I remembered
that I hadn't read my scriptures yet that day (one of the few New Year's Resolutions I'm still clinging to). So I called Clay
in and explained that the day was getting away from me. I couldn't stop cooking to read, so I wondered if he'd read to
me while I cooked. He agreed. There in that warm, steamy, garlic-smelling kitchen he read to me in his sweet
10-year old voice a chapter out of the Book of Mormon. It's a memory I will treasure for many years to come. And speaking of multi-tasking, last night while I was making chicken pot pie (frantically because I'd waited too
late again) I reviewed Tommy's information online and then he submitted his mission 'papers'. There was a time when he had
a sweet 10-year old voice too. Where did the years go... December
28, 2007 - I made it through Christmas - and it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. We stayed busy (too busy) but that
helped me not to miss the kids who weren't here. Jamie, Paris and Tommy arrived on the Tuesday 18th. Since Jamie and Paris
weren't going to be here at Christmas we 'celebrated' with them on Weds night. Then they left on Thursday for the Reneau's
house and for the cruise on Saturday. We haven't heard from them since they left - but hope all is going well. They should
be back near a phone on Sat so maybe I'll get a call then. On Saturday we drove to Montgomery for a quick visit with the Brannon
Family. Then we rushed back to help with a reception for the son of some of our best friends. On Sunday we got up early and
drove to Decatur to spend the day wtih Butch's mother. We went to church with her - the ward where Butch and I met MANY years
ago - and then to a Brown family 'get-together' on Sunday evening. We spent the night there and ate breakfast with Butch's
family before heading home on Monday. I still had some Christmas shopping to do and needed groceries for my Christmas dinner,
so Butch and I went to Walmart. He HATES Walmart on a regular day so I didn't have any hope that he'd enjoy it on Christmas
Eve afternoon. But he was a good sport and we had no illusions of getting through fast - so it was almost fun. Cathy and her family came over that evening to open presents. Then we were planning to sit around the fireplace eating
tangerines and assorted nuts and drinking eggnog and hot chocolate - but it was too hot so we skipped the fire - but we had
that odd combination of foods (Butch picked them). We made the kids watch A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott (they wanted
to watch The Scorpion King instead). Then Butch went to bed and the kids set out their own Santa stuff - ridiculous I know.
But there wasn't a chance I'd be able to stay up later than them. On Christmas Day I never changed out of my pajamas. We ate
and visited and at least talked to everyone except Jamie. And before I knew it the day was over. Now I'm already thinking
about next year! A dear friend of mine, Cheri Crane, tagged me on her blogspot (http://crane-ium.blogspot.com/ I
am TERRIBLE at games but since I love her - I'm going to try and fulfill my 'tag' obligations. First I was supposed to put
the rules of the tagging - which are you put a link to the person who tagged you in your tag (see above), you list 7 unique
and interesting things about yourself (I'll try to do that below), you 'tag' 7 other people and then you let them know they've
been tagged. I'm going to do the first two. 1. I don't have a middle name (other than my maiden name) -
but I wish I did. 2. I always wanted to have 10
kids (it seemed like a nice round number when I was single and childless) but 8 was quite enough. 3. I was a terrific liar as a child (which was embarrassing for my parents but has
paid off in book-writing) 4. I was baptized in Hawaii
and took hula lessons there. 5. I was once walking
across a neighborhood in a rainstorm and stepped into a drainage ditch (water up to my shoulders - still holding my umbrella) 6. I was called to be a Stake Relief Society President when I was
26 years old and had never even been a ward RS president (strange things happen in the mission field - I wouldn't recommend
it). 7. All my babies weighed more than 7 pounds
and the largest weighed 10. Okay, I was reaching toward the end. I'm even less interesting than
I thought.
|
|
|
December 4, 2007 - On Sunday we attended a Creche exhibit and
a friend of ours told Clay that most nativity sets are erroneous because the wisemen didn't actually come at the same time
as the shepherds. As we discussed this I realized that Clay needed to have a little instruction on what really happened. So
for family night we read the first two chapters of Luke. Something that really hit home for me as we talked was the fact that
many people involved in the Savior's birth had to put their lives on the line for Him. Zacharias ended up losing his life
in the protection of his son John. Elisabeth had to raise John in the wilderness to keep him safe. John basically gave his
entire life to preparing the way for Jesus. Mary faced public disgrace and even stoning when she agreed to be the mother of
the Savior even though she wasn't married. Joseph had to have great faith to accept the angel's words and help Mary bring
the Lord into the world - and then protect and care for Jesus throughout his childhood. And, of course, no sacrifice was greater
than the one made by the Lord. So this Christmas season I want to rededicate my life to the service of the
Savior. I want to put my life on the line for Him. I want to be like Mary and submit to the will of my Heavenly
Father - even if I don't understand. I know we are blessed when we walk by faith. I'm thankful for all the great examles
that have gone before us and for the precious scriptures that remind us of them. November 28, 2007 -
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. We had a nice one (and certainly have plenty to be thankful for). It was a slim crowd
at my house - only Butch and me and Emily, Andy and Clay. Cathy and her family came by later for dessert and that livened
things up a little. I made way too much food - since I'm used to feeding an army on such ocassions. But my kids out west all
had a nice holiday and as my sister keeps telling me - I'm going to have to learn to be happy that they are happy without
me. I'm having a little trouble with that. We are anticipating a similarly low-key Christmas.
Jamie and Paris are going on a Disney Cruise with her family so we'll see them for a few days before Christmas - but not on
the actual day. Laura and Josh and little Harrison are staying in Idaho. Grace has to work during most of the holidays so
she's staying in Utah - but I hope she gets to make short trip to visit Laura on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We'll
have Tommy home and will start the process of filling out his mission papers. He wants to have them submitted on February
1st so we'll get his dental form signed and his teeth cleaned during his visit. The big
topic with the three children I have left (you know what I mean - at home) is Christmas Lists. We told them to list ten
items in various price ranges and Santa would chose what he wanted to get them (based on his limited budget - after all he
does have to buy for all the children in the world). Butch never makes a list and rarely wants anything much for Christmas.
I usually get him some type of religious reading material - since he doesn't really 'get' reading anything else. But this
year he wants one of those tacky aluminum Christmas trees with the little color wheel that shines up on it - just like the
one he remembers (fondly) from when he was a kid. I remember those trees. We didn't have one but my Nana did. I do remember
thinking it was pretty cool when I was a kid. I guess it's just nostalgia that's making him want one and if I can't find one
cheap I know he'll get over it. But for the next week - that is going to be my mission in life. He works hard and doesn't
ask for much - so I know he deserves it. I just can't figure out why he WANTS it!!! November 15, 2007 - Coming to you from Alabama once again! We had a really wonderful trip
out west. I enjoyed so much just being a part of Laura's every day life for a while. It's been a long time since we've been
able to spend that much calm, quiet time together. And of course I loved being with little Harrison. The blessing on Sunday
was wonderful. Both grandfathers and 5 uncles (3 Farrers and 2 Greens) were able to participate. I hope to have pictures soon,
but Laura is having some computer problems at the moment...Anyway, it was terrible leaving
Laura and Harrison and Josh, but we did it (some how). We drove to Utah on Monday and went straight to the incredible signing
at the Clinton Seagull. It was a lot of fun and I hated leaving there too - but I did! We drove from Clinton to Provo and
checked into our hotel. Then we drove up to Sundance and ate dinner with Grace at one of their fantastic restaurants there.
Then she had to get to FHE at her bishop's house, so we headed back down the canyon. I dropped Butch off at the hotel and
went grocery shopping for Tommy. Then I went to his apartment and cooked a Mexican Fiesta for him and his roommates. Then
we picked up Butch and drove to Jamie and Paris's (very cute) apartment at Wymont so he could see how nicely they have it
fixed up. They had gone to Walmart and purchased Christmas decorations as their family night activity. Then Butch and I said more fond (sad) farewells and headed back to the hotel. On
Tuesday we flew home (separate airlines - long, boring story so I'll spare you!) My kids here had the house clean and signs
everywhere welcoming us back. Cathy and Abbie picked me up at the airport, but I didn't get to see Andie until last night
and she seemed like she'd forgotten me. I'm keeping her some today and tomorrow so we can get reaquainted. I've almost
got the laundry caught up and the bills paid and will try to dedicate most of today to finishing the sequel to Hazardous Duty.
I had a good turn out at most of my signings and appreciate all those who made an effort to come!
And I can't believe that next week is Thanksgiving. Where did this year go? November 1 - Coming to you from Idaho!!! Baby Harrison is absoultely precious and I am enjoying every minute of
my time with him (and Laura and Josh too of course!) I'm also missing Butch and the rest of my family in Alabama - but then
I can never be completely happy!!!! When I bought my plane ticket for Idaho back in the
summer I chose a date a few days before Laura's due date. I wanted to get here right before the birth - but I also wanted
to have as much time as possible with Laura after the birth so she would be back on her feet before she had to tackle motherhood
without me. This was a tall order, but I thought I had picked the perfect date and prayed hard that things would work out.
I'll admit that I was pretty disappointed when Harrison arrived three days before I got here. However, I have a new perspective.
First, I'm very thankful that I was able to come at all. There were times in our lives when a trip across the country wouldn't
have been possible (for various reasons). Next, I'm thankful that Harrison arrived safe and sound. He had some issues with
his heart rate and oxygen levels during his delivery and I'm convinced that he needed to be born right when he was and
that postponing his arrival - even for the few days necessary to allow me to be here - might have been disastrous. I'm thankful
that the Lord put Harrison's best interests in front of my selfish ones. And did I mention that he's precious??? October 25 -
Laura's baby is here!!! His name is Harrison Michael Farrer and he arrived early this morning weighing 7 pounds and 9 ounces.
I forgot to ask how long he was, but I will find out that information and add it later. I'll also put pictures up on the "About
Me" page as soon as I get some. Laura said he looks like a swollen Alien who has been in a boxing match. Doesn't
that sound beautiful!!!! I was really disappointed that I couldn't be there but there was nothing that could be done about
it. So now I'm just looking forward to meeting him. I fly out on Saturday and have so much to do here between now and then
that I won't have much time to be sad.
|
|
|
October 23 - I know, I know - it hasn't been even CLOSE to a
week yet - not to mention the usual two weeks between entries. But after my last saga about how much I'd learned over the
years, I just had to write again and admit that I haven't learned all that much - or at least I'm
not learning the right lessons. Yesterday while leaving the church parking lot after seminary, Emily almost ran over a motorcycle
policeman (she was changing lanes and didn't put on a blinker or check her blindspot). So we had even a worse fight than we'd
had on the way to school the day before. The only difference was that Butch got involved (via cell phone) and made us both
apologize before Emily got out of the car for school. She later apologized (for real) and said she was just embarrassed and
scared and frustrated. Which I can completely relate to. I spent the day making a quilt for my new grandson. I used to make
them all the time but it has been a while and I've apparently forgotten everything I ever knew. It took forever. Add to that
the fact that our air conditioner decided to die (it was due - since it's over 30 years old) and it was - of course - unseasonably
warm yesterday. Then last night I picked Emily up from work and we hurried over to Bessemer Academy to see what was left of
Andy's last JV football game. Emily was driving (and did very well despite the fact that it was raining). But when we got
back to the car after the game we realized that she'd locked the keys in the car. My purse (with the other set of keys) was
also locked in the car (I'd done that on purpose trying to keep my purse from getting wet). So we had to call Butch. He
came and got us all (completely drenched and discouraged - although Andy did win!) This morning I found a locksmith to come
open the door and now I'm $50 poorer, but I do have a vehicle. On the way to school today Emily said, "Wasn't yesterday
like one of the worst days ever?" I agreed that it was. Hopefully things are looking up!!! October 19, 2007 - Are we SURE it's not Friday the THIRTEENTH???? While I was gone to
pick up the kids from seminary UPS called Butch to come in early. So he left without breakfast or a lunch. Even
though that wasn't my fault, I still feel guilty. Then I was making Clay's lunch and realized that we were out of everything
- chips, Little Debbie Cakes and juice boxes. For most kids buying a school lunch would be the obvious solution, but he's
a picky eater so a school lunch to him is equivalent to torture. I checked the lunch menu to see if by some miracle
they were serving pizza or chicken fingers or even hot dogs - something he'll eat. Naturally today they are having fish sticks.
So, I told the kids to hurry and finish getting ready while I made a quick run to WalMart. Emily is learning to drive and
our driveway is steep, so she parks on the road. This meant that I had to walk down the hill that is our front yard to get
to the the van. I slipped and fell and slid a couple of feet in the wet grass. I didn't hurt myself, but my clothes
were damp. During my drive to WalMart Clay called and said he'd left his lunch box in the other van (the one Butch had at
UPS). So I told him he'd just have to use a WalMart sack (of which we have PLENTY). I got the stuff I needed, hurried home
and made his lunch. Things were looking up. Then on the way to school Emily and I got into a fight about driving. She doesn't
appreciate it when I give her advice/instructions. But I feel it is my duty to teach her - not just to provide her
with an additional passenger. I leave a week from tomorrow headed to Idaho and we really need for her to be able to drive
to school and work while I'm gone. So, both Emily and I feel the pressure. Anyway, we had words and she finally said she was
going to fail the driver's license test on purpose. For the next few minutes I thought of ways I could punish her.
And then, in mid-evil-thought, I had a perfect memory of a day many years ago when Cathy was 10 and Emily was a newborn. I
had six little children back then and getting the older three ready for school in the mornings was tough. I had to make
lunches and double check homework and supervise tooth-brushing and make sure that everyone was dressed properly (I had one
- who shall remain nameless - who would occasionally skip the underwear step of getting dressed). My goal was to get the school
kids out the door so I could concentrate on the three who would still be at home. On this particular day Cathy wanted me to
fix her hair. She held the brush and followed me around while I attended to other things. Finally it was time to leave and her hair still wasn't fixed.
I told her I was sorry, but I just wasn't going to be able to do it that morning and we rushed out the door. She didn't cry
or complain, but I knew she was disappointed. I thought about Cathy and her hair all day. For me, getting the kids off
to school was one of many hurdles I had to get over during the course of my busy day. I just wanted them to be clean
and fed. But for Cathy, how she looked was very important and would effect the way she felt all day. I can't go back and change
that day long ago - and Cathy certainly wouldn't want me to fix her hair now!!!! I have to live with the regret, but I can
learn from my mistakes. So instead of sending Emily off to school mad and guaranteeing that she would have a bad day, I apologized.
When she climbed out of the van she was smiling and I was thankful for that memory of the day I made the wrong choice -
since it helped me to make the right choice today. October 8, 2007 - On Friday Clay's 5th grade class made a trip to Moundville - which is an Indian burial ground about an hour from
where we live. Almost every child had a parent who went and since this is small-time private school - we all drove our own
vehicles instead of riding buses. Things started off fine. I got in line behind the other parents. Clay was set up in the
passenger seat beside me with snacks to eat, juice to drink and George of the Jungle playing on his Dad's portable
DVD player. We made it approximately 2 miles before getting a flat tire. It didn't blow out, but just sort of oozed all the
air out. I got over to the side of the road without any problem and turned on my flashers. Then I called Clay's teacher to
let her know we would be along as soon as the tire was changed. As it turned out before AAA arrived, a passerby stopped and
changed my tire. A Bessemer police officer stopped and watched him (I guess in case he turned out to be a crazed maniac who
preys on women with flat tires). The whole process only took about 10 minutes and we were back on our way. I was sort of under-whelmed
by Moundville. Maybe the flat tire put me in a bad mood. Or maybe it was the 90 degree temperature (and 100 percent humidity).
But It seemed like they were more interested in selling fake Indian souveniers than teaching the kids anything about the people
who had lived there. But Clay got his face painted (2 stripes of yellow and two of black on his cheeks). For some reason that
little bit of paint made it all real to him and when we got home he got out the box of poster paints and covered himself with
multicolored stripes. I now understand why warriors started this practice to scare off their enemies. He was a sight. October 4, 2007 - The past few weeks have been particularly busy around our house. We still
haven't recovered from the craziness at the end of the summer (the trip to the beach, Jamie's wedding and my trip to Utah
with Tommy). And if we don't recover quickly - things won't be in good shape when I leave again at the end of this month
- when I'll be staying for the longest length of time ever! All fingers crossed here, please! The good news is that it looks
like Butch is going to be able to fly out the last weekend I'm in Idaho so that Laura's baby can have both grandfathers there
for his blessing. I'm hoping Jamie and Paris and Grace and Tommy can come too - so there will be a good representation
from the Greens. This week a close friend lost her
mother and another had a scare with breast cancer. My grandmother isn't feeling well and both my granddaughters have been
sick (Abbie had bronchitis, Andie an ear infection and both are on the mend). So tender feelings have been close to the surface.
Last night I spoke at our Young Women in Excellence program. Their theme was "Daughter of a King" and in an effort
to inspire them - I used the story of Esther. In reviewing what is written about Esther in the Bible, I was impressed by the
fact that she was sent to the earth with particular talents and abilities at just the right time to save her people. But even
though she had the tools necessary - when the big crisis arose in her life, she asked Mordecai to have her people fast and
pray for her before she approached the king. There are so many times in my life when I'm faced with a problem or crisis and
I charge ahead - I guess assuming that the Lord wouldn't give me the challenge unless I could handle it - so I do. How much
better would everything be if I would take the time to pray first? And maybe even ask others to pray in my behalf? I'm going
to try to find out. So the next time a real crisis arises - calls for prayer requests will go out!
|
|
|
