Private Time

I am considering going private with my blog. I have enjoyed having it open for readers, but then, recently, I discovered that blog titles can be taken from a post and it shows up on a website: blog*ed.com, which then leads people to your blogsite -- from who-knows-where. So, in an effort to keep things a bit more controlled, I am preparing to go private. If you follow my blog and would like access, please leave a comment, or e-mail me at mari4u@hotmail.com -- so I can include you in the welcome wagon. :-) I will give it a week . . . or maybe a little longer.

Home Improvement

We are trying to improve our home, one piece at a time. I do not consider our home a fixer-upper, rather, a home that deserves to be spoiled. ;-) I love our home. It is small, but it is ours. (OK the banks, but it is in our name!) It is a home that longs to be beautiful, and so that is what we are trying to help it become. Our latest face-lift for our home was a pretty big one. Here it is . . .

Before

After

I totally LOVE it! It took us a while to pick which one we liked best, and this one won the prize. I think it is quite the improvement! We have a garage door opener now and everything! Hooray for making things better than you found them! :-) (We love to do that!)

Walt Disney

Sammi's school class has been preparing for their "talk show" with famous people. The students got to choose a person who they could study, do a report on, and then act like -- in front of the class. Sammi, a complete Disney-nut, was thrilled to pick Walt! (Never-mind that she would have to be a man!) She loved researching his young life, his accomplishments, and she learned a lot of inside things about Disneyland and it's creation. She was thrilled.

Yesterday, she did a run-through of her talk show questions, with me. I was cracking-up -- I should have recorded it. She was trying to talk in a deep voice and she kept raising her eyebrows. She was saying such great things, too. Sammi is not afraid to get up in front of people, she said she likes it. She has definitely inherited her father's humor, acting skills, and eyebrows. :-) She was totally in character -- she WAS Walt! I hope she does well today -- parents were not invited! She did say, however, that when she got up for their rehearsal yesterday, everyone clapped before she even did anything. I told her she was brilliant for picking someone that everyone knows and loves and WANTS to know more about. I mean, really, who does not love Mr. Disney?! I know I do!

Sammi has to get ready all on her own, so I made her practice doing her own mustache (I did send her to school with eyebrows!) Hopefully, it all turns out OK! Oh, and thanks to Daniel for contributing his church clothes, it was very kind. :-) Good luck to Sammi! I just know she will love every minute of it!

LOTR and the BOM

Last weekend we decided that it was time for the older kids to watch The Lord of the Rings. I just knew that Sammi and Daniel would love it. Sammi has been an extreme Harry Potter fan, so I thought she might really enjoy THE movie of ALL movies. :-) Now, there are, of course, some parts of the movie that are a little too scary for them, and some of the images are just a little too graphic -- even for me! During these parts, we all hide our eyes. :-)

I can remember the first time I saw it, I was overwhelmed . . . everything looked so real, so amazing. But the kids who have grown up with Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. -- the movie was not as shocking for them. They are used to amazingly awesome special effects. They have high-expectations! I mean, really . . . they have already seen huge spiders, dragons, wizards, strange creatures, large battles, and loads of magic. But still, their high-expectations were met; they were impressed, amazed, and awe-struck.

It was really fun to watch the movies with them and to see it through their eyes. It made it new all over again! There is a lot to follow, a bunch of details missing -- so we tried to fill in the gaps. The kids particularly liked Legolas (of course!) Every time he would do something they would drop their jaw and comment on how amazing he was. I must admit, he captured most of my attention as well -- the first time I saw it. ;-) Eomer was also an eye-catcher . . . there are lots of lovely people to admire. :-) (Don't worry, Charles agrees with me . . . though I think he prefers Aragorn.)

It is such a well-casted movie. All the characters are just right. It is always so fun to watch. I really appreciate the time and effort that went into creating it. I love that miniatures and models were used, that the armor and costumes were hand crafted, I love that the shire was created, and that the buildings were actually built. For that reason (and many others), in my opinion The Lords of the Rings series blows Avatar out of the water. (I know . . . I may stand alone in my opinion!)

This Friday night is #3 Return of the King . . . the kids are going to flip! :0) They (and I) will be sad that they are over . . . for now.

Last night, after finishing Two Towers we had our nightly scripture study. We decided to read about the Stripling Warriors. We pulled out our Little People toys, and as I read out loud, Charles moved the Little People into position -- so we could see the war strategies. It was SO helpful, it really brought the story to life. We then related it to what we had just seen, with the wars and armies from the movie, and the kids (especially Daniel) were so excited about it. Daniel thought it was especially amazing that the Book of Mormon was true, and that unlike LOTR -- the miracles and amazing things REALLY happened. He was so cute about it. It was a really good experience and I think we will be using Little People from now on, to help us with battle scenes. And, thanks to LOTR, the kids had very real images to use so they could try and comprehend the battle scenes of the Book of Mormon. (Which can be hard to envision, at least for me!) The scriptures became exciting! THANKS LOTR for bringing the BOM to life!

The Plague

For the last three weeks, someone in my house has been sick. It started with William, and the stomach flu, which I came down with, then Sammi. It was just awful. It lasted, for me, about 6 days. And when I thought it was gone -- it came back to haunt me and Sammi for round two! Then Daniel got sick. He had a deep cough, and he was home from school for awhile. Now it is William. He has been coughing for the last 4 days, and he has been sleeping (coughing, crying, kicking me) in my bed, while Charles has been enjoying the comfort of the couch. I have not slept much, lately. Our home is contaminated, for sure.

Anyhow, it has been a rough couple of weeks. We have never had such a long drawn-out round of illness. It has been quite lame. I have been off-and-on at the gym, too, which has been hard for me, especially when I am feeling well, but with sick kids -- they, of course, take priority to all else.

I am looking forward to good health, and for everyone to be well again. I have realized how much I love my normal routine. When it is thrown off (like it has been for 3 weeks!) it is NOT so fun! Ahhhhhh . . . health. It is a beautiful thing . . .

I see you

Sometimes I get into a groove where I am just shuffling people along through the daily activities. Sometimes I feel as though I am "looking through" everyone, rather than looking at them -- really seeing them. I started to realize, I had scarcely taken a moment just to really chat with the kids, ask them questions, and dig a little deeper into their lives. Of course I "talk" to them daily: I offer advice, tell them "NO!", what to wear (or not to wear!), I tell them to do their homework, gather for prayer, read scriptures, take a bath, what to eat, etc., etc. But I wanted to take time to sit down and enjoy them, to see them -- to connect.

So, last night, that is what I did. I asked them to come to me, and we began chatting about anything. I asked them fun questions, and we just had some time together -- talking and laughing. It was so nice. I was laughing so hard I was crying. I could not get over the fact that Daniel's best-friend, Scott, has a nickname: "Chunky-Trash-Can". The way that Daniel said it -- squealing with delight -- was hilarious. Had I been with Mary Poppins, I would have been soaring to the ceiling. It was so silly!

As I watched them interacting with me, I realized how beautiful they are. They are mine, and they are so precious to me. My rose-colored glasses were in place again. I felt a great love for them. Their eyes twinkled, and their smiles sparkled. I began to adore them, all over again.

As they grow, and things become a little more fast-paced -- I have noticed that the sweet moments have to be created. I used to spend my time just watching them (Sam and Dan), playing with them, even dressing them up -- just for fun! When they were small (like in the picture above) they were always with me, and it was all about our time together.

Now that they are in the "Big, Big, World" I need to invite them to me, I need them to "come to me". I need to love them more -- not just at a distance, but cuddled next to me. I want them to know that I DO see them. I do love them. It was a great thing -- to really talk with my children; to take the time to look into their eyes, to validate them (and me!) -- it was precious.

After the fun chatting, came the show . . . there is nothing more fun than showing-off for your parents . . . how I love my silly-heads! They are so full of life, energy and JOY!

My Heart has been Turned . . .

Victor Dee Cram and Emily Isabella Rasband Cram

(My great grandfather and great grandmother on my mother's side)

Also known as Nan's parents. :-)

I have really enjoyed learning more about my family, and my history. There is much work that has been done, but there is still much work to do. I am just as excited about the stories and the people, as I am about getting their information for the temple. I love to learn about where I came from and who "my people" are. It brings about feelings I have never experienced; I feel a kind-of time-warp euphoria. Almost as if I am sitting right beside them, and the pictures turn from black and white -- to beautiful color. I can smell the aromas, see the homes, feel the love, and my ancestors come to life. It is really a magic I cannot describe adequately.

My parents recently sent me a little more information, and I have been devouring it. One morning, when I was not having the best of days (we had ALL been sick for a long time), I decided to plop down on the couch and soak up some family stories. As I was reading, I unexpectedly started to weep, I felt great joy, and satisfaction with life. It changed my perspective. We spent Sunday night reading it out loud as a family, and the kids really loved it. It is exciting for them to hear about how people lived, so long ago. And they are their people!

Just a few excerpts from Emily Isabella Cram history:

Their home was lovely, but after ten children it really wore out. But it was orderly and clean. "Sometimes I wonder how mother stood our gangs. Her arms were always outstretched for us, or around us. The eight loaves of hot bread, the homemade soups, Saturday night baths in the big iron tub were all a story of their own in our lives."

"A bed was kept on the front porch where many song-fests were held. It was a joy to hear Mother's beautiful tenor voice." "Mother always took the harmony -- tenor or alto -- whatever was needed." Sometimes as we all lay in bed before going to sleep, we'd all sing -- upstairs and down. We'd sing anywhere -- in front of the house, canyon parties or just riding in the car. "

Of Emily it was said: "She was such a peaceful, happy person to be around. The corners of her mouth seemed to be turned up in a permanent smile. I remember she always had pretty hands and always kept her nails manicured beautifully -- polish and all. Embell had long, strong, brightly (mostly red) painted fingernails. She loved make-up and jewelry. "We all came before mother, but I never in my life saw mother without a clean dress, hosiery, and neat little shoes on, and gloves, and a hat to match when going to town." She loved getting "dolled up". Mother dressed modestly, and was always a lady . . . she was beautiful in all her habits. Embell never wore a pair of slacks -- she didn't like them. She always wore a house-dress and silk stockings and a lovely apron.

She was the community practical nurse and mid-wife. She never expected or received any remuneration for the services she provided. "Mother delivered the Leaver twins; they were always special to her. When Lorna was born she nursed another boy. When Mark was born, she pumped, and saved the milk between nursings and a father would take it to the County hospital for one of his twins -- that could not have survived without mother's milk."

There are many more stories about her family, and I have some great stories about my father's family, too -- great stories about very faithful people. It is so exciting for me, especially, to learn about those who joined the church when it was in it's infancy and those who were missionaries when it required tremendous sacrifice.

Again . . . just a shout out to find your family. Though temple work is, of course, the goal and important -- some of the greatest things happen when you are finding out about your family. You discover who they were and why you are who you are. :-)