Right when they're supposed to

The daffodils and tulips finally bloomed and I can't tell you how excited I was. It had been weeks of watching the green leaves come up, small buds form and it was agonizing to wait and see when they would finally explode with color. I anxiously asked Morgan when they would bloom and his (wonderful, patient and frustrating) answer was, "Right when they're supposed to."

At last the flowers came, like a sigh of relief, that finally spring might be here.


Pattern: Garter Stitch Silk Slippers by Erica Knight
Yarn: Jager Trinity
For: Holly's (expected) baby girl to match the hat I knit for the baby shower
Mods: none

These slippers have been done for a while, just waiting for me to sew the ribbon onto them and for Holly to come pick them up during our weekly playgroup. Holly was thrilled with them and said she wanted to put them into her hospital bag...especially since the hat was already packed and needed something to match it.

It fills me with such joy to think that a new baby's first shoes and hat might be ones made by my hands. I still have Emma's coming home outfit and whenever I take it out I have to hold back the swelling in my chest. To hold your child and bring them home for the first time is a huge rite of passage for parents and I feel honored to be a very small part of that. Best wishes, Holly! I know how anxious you must be and your bundle of joy will be here...right when she's supposed to.

Hippity Hoppity

Easter here was fabulous! Instead of the usual egg dying we all painted wooden eggs that we can keep. Emma is especially adept at hand-painting eggs. Next year I'll make a little Easter tree we can hang them on. :)


On Saturday, Emma went on an Easter Egg Hunt in the park for the first time. The anticipation was nerve wracking, especially for a toddler, as she watched them spread the eggs out on the lawn. There was almost a collective wail from all the children 2 and under just seeing all those bright and colorful eggs being flung about that they couldn't go grab immediately. Kind of like in those zombie movies, only whiney-er.


After Emma picked up her five eggs (there's a limit, similar to fishing), the Easter Bunny came hippity hoppity to the park only to be mobbed by hundreds of children. Since it was nippy out we decided we would rendezvous with the fluffy giant at the mall where the clime was more hospitable. Oh. my. gosh. I have rarely seen Emma so excited as she was to go sit with the Easter Bunny. All she could do was smile, hug and ask, "Bunny, what's your name?" Sadly, bunnies don't talk so no answer was given but I don't think she minded.

Sunday was another great day with a picnic in Provo Canyon, bubbles for everyone, a half-finished duck made by Mama (yours truly), a long walk, hidden eggs in our house, chalk drawing on the driveway and lots of love. We hope your Easter was just as nice!

Good Stuff

Recipe of the Day: Black Bean & Couscous Salad is great with grilled chicken added. Morgan gave it a thumbs up and I love how fast it is to make couscous. High in protein and fiber but low in calories is fine by me, too. Dig in!

Invisible

This came to me in an e-mail and I thought it was well worth sharing. I wish I knew who wrote it so they could have the credit...though it occurs to me that "taking credit" isn't really the point. The story talks about "Mom" but I feel like this applies to dedicated Dads, too. I hope you can take a minute and read the entire thing.

The Invisible Mom:

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Odds n Ends

Hello out there! We are still alive and kicking. It's been a busy week with lots of fun stuff going on. Last week we:

*Went to the Museum of Ancient Life (AKA the Dinosaur Museum) with our good friend, Naomi, who was visiting on her way home to Alaska. Emma thought the dinosaurs were neat but some of them freaked her out a bit. Not surprising considering the "thunder storms" in the produce department of the grocery store scare her lately.


*Made White Chocolate Coated Pretzels. Soooo yummy and super easy. Melt chips in a bowl in the microwave. Dip the pretzels in and let cool on wax paper. Enjoy!


*Completed one sock of a pair. Details when they're both done!

Blah

I am tired. I keep trying to post something interesting or funny with pictures but blogger hates me right now and after my third attempt to upload pictures failed I decided it all could wait. Or never get posted. Whatever.

This daylight savings thing has thrown me and I'm grouchy because today my trainer at the gym took all of my measurements. Not good. No progress since October...as a matter of fact, I don't think I've really made any progress at all by having a trainer. Note to self: never sign up for a trainer again.

I have all of these crafty projects waiting for me but I'm just too sleepy to want to do them. On the down-side, if I just decide to bag it all and take a nap I won't be tired tonight until midnight, again. Whine whine whine. I think I'll just go lie down on the floor and be grouchy.