Even my food has opinions!

One of my children's favorite books to check out from the library is "Arnie the Doughnut" by Laurie Keller. Arnie is created one morning in the bakery and so excited about being bought and taken home like so many other doughnuts before him. As he is fried, iced, and covered in sprinkles, he converses with various doughnuts about the joys of being selected for purchase. Soon Mr. Bing comes into the bakery and picks Arnie. Arnie can hardly contain himself . . . until Mr. Bing takes him home and tries to EAT him! What?! Arnie screams and is horrified at Mr. Bing's behavior. Arnie calls the bakery to speak to the baker about Mr. Bing, only to learn from the baker that this is the fate of all doughnuts, to be eaten. Well, Arnie decides that is certainly not an option and so he and Mr. Bing make lists of what Arnie can do instead of being eaten. After some humorous suggestions, they decide Arnie can be Mr. Bing's pet since the apartment Bing lives in does not allow animals. Everyone is happy and our story is resolved, unless it ever rains.

My kids love this book because of the outrageous idea of a doughnut coming to life and protesting being eaten. Things like that just don't happen in real life. Well . . . at least I thought they didn't. But then today I learned that one of my favorite cookies, Oreos, has a sexual orientation. Crud. I just thought it was a treat for eating, but now it has a whole story to go along with it. Is there a new set of rules about how I should treat my cookies when I buy them? Are they going to try and throw themselves out of my van on the way home from the store once they learn I am opposed to same gender marriage? Or will they devise a way to crumble and spread themselves all over my kitchen floor, attracting thousands of ants, in retaliation for my beliefs? Am I still allowed to eat them or do I have to let them sit in my cupboard, respecting their lifestyle and not infringing on their rights? Ahhhhh! What do I do? I thought they were just cookies.

I really hope we don't have another "Arnie" situation on our hands. Are the tomatoes in my garden going to protest when I pick them because I am taking away their freedom to grow? How did food get so complicated?

Busy

I really haven't been killed off by my hormonal daughter, who was mentioned in my last post. I've just been busy using every free moment I have to visit with family or draw.

Marshall's oldest sister, and her husband, have had the honor of being called as mission president in California. As they just entered the MTC today, we have been spending the past two weeks partying with them here before they were shipped off and became official. We've had the chance for everyone in the family to get together, minus a few working husbands and the sister who lives in Switzerland. And we've just played, chatted, and relaxed, trying to calm the nerves of the Halls before they head out on their adventure to California for three years. It has been a lot of fun for the kids to play with their various cousins and for them to be entertained. Plus I have enjoyed hanging out with Marshall's sisters because they are so much fun.

As for the drawing, I kind of stumbled upon a job as a free-lance illustrator through a friend who was working on a children's book for a client. She needed an illustrator and I was willing to give it a shot. Why not get paid for something I enjoy? So I spent many hours working on illustrations for the book. However, the bummer is the project has been cancelled by said client. Major lame-o. But the good thing is I still get some pay out of it, have pictures for my portfolio, and a whole new career path that I never even considered before. It's funny that I never thought of trying to be an illustrator because I love art so much and can do it from the comfort of my home, which means I can be here for my kids. Right now I am working on building up my portfolio and then am going to send submissions to various children's magazines and book companies who hire freelancers. It is a very exciting and scary process, but I am excited. We'll see how it goes!

Sorry for not posting more, but it's just been busy. And hot. Really hot. Living in St. George in the summer does make me crabby. One should not sweat as much as we do here. It's just not appealing. I would have been one crabby pioneer.

What happened to my sweet daugther?!

I've heard tales about such a thing called the "tween years", girls becoming overly emotional, dramatic, and completely unreasonable. And whenever I came across such stories, I thanked my lucky stars that those years were far off.

Well, at least those years seemed in the distant future, but now I find myself with a ten year-old daughter and wondering who in the world she is. What happened to my sweet girl and who is this child that is unloved by the world and sorely picked upon by her parents? Nothing ever seems to go her way. Her siblings don't treat her fairly and the cosmos have alligned to prove her utter misery. The other day my poor picked upon girl made out a list of all the things we have done this summer and categorized them according to her desire to do them. There were two columns, one containing the things she had wanted to do and the other filled with the activities her siblings picked that she was forced to go along with. Such horrible unspeakable things like going for a bike ride or the park and even a visit to the newer aquatic center when she had wanted to go out to lunch. Oh the horror! The true misery of her predictament! Someone call Child Protective Services!

I had to do my best to stifle my laughter when handed the above list. I had no idea I had been torturing my daughter in such cruel ways. How can I call myself a good mother?!

If this is what happens at age ten, I am doomed. Thank goodness I have Costco size bottles of Tylenol in my cupboard because I am surely going to need them.

For the Beauty

Today in Gospel Principles we had a lesson on the creation. The teacher, sweet Darci, brought a beautiful spirit into the room that caused many of us to reflect on God's creation. He really outdid Himself with our earth. The beauty of a flower in bloom, a water fall down a cliff, a majestic mountain towering above, an animal running free and uninhibited in the wild, the tiny little perfectly shaped toenails on a new born babe. All of it is amazing and all so inspiring.

It was a great reminder to me of the beauty of this earth and how our Father in Heaven made it for our enjoyment. And I do find great joy in it. So many times a smile has been brought to my face because of the wonderful world around me.  Here are just a few of the things I love, in no partucular order. How blessed we are to have the earth.

Animals- I love animals. Always have and always will. I love to see the cute things they do, how they interact with each other, and their young are so adorable. I love my cats and the life they add to our home. 

Nature- when I first saw Southern Utah, I thought it was very rocky and ugly. Where was all the green? But over the years I have come to appreciate the beauty here. I love the many colorful and intricate rock formations done by Mother Nature. I love the rivers and streams and even the colorful cacti that surround us. It is a gorgeous place to lice with the red dirt and orange rock.

Mountains- I felt so trapped all those years ago when I moved to Provo because I was surrounded by mountains. Now I feel odd if I don't have my mountains around me. I love the mountains here. the colorful ones down south and the snow capped, tree covered ones in the north. They are an awe-inspiring sight.

My children- Each one perfectly formed, arriving with all their fingers and toes, little lips and eyes, working lungs and heart, with that smooth baby skin. They are healthy, beautiful, and unique among themselves. They are the one creation that truly take my breath away and humble me beyond words.