I Did IT!

Yes, that is me with a really short 90's hair do. Me with my girls a year before my mission...a very long time ago.

I hate rejection. During my teenage and college years, you couldn't get me to ask out a guy if my life depended on it. I was sooo afraid of hearing no. It's a childhood thing...isn't it always? I've been known to do things by myself, just because I can't handle the NO word. It's like bloody knuckles on a cheese grater, hearing NO. So many things in my life would probably be different if I just had the courage to ask for them. I'm 35 and still feel like a little kid when it comes to rejection. It's time to get over it. What is the worst thing that can happen? They say no thanks. Will it destroy me? No. It wont. Will it hurt? Yes. But I'll get over it.

So I applied for the Head Coach position at Sherwood High. Am I crazy? Maybe a little. But when God tells you to do something, even if it doesn't work out, aren't you supposed to do it? He has asked me to do some really hard things lately. They didn't really turn out like I thought they would, but as time has shown me, little by little, I can see His Hand guiding me.

Can I do this with 5 kids and a husband that works an insane amount of hours? Sure. With God, aren't all things possible? Honestly, this is a part of me that I have suppressed for too long. My talents can no longer be hidden under a layer of fat and excuses.

Now I have to write an essay about why I would be good for this position, go clean the garage, hang some mirrors and a ballet bar, go on a strict diet, dance everyday instead of run, and pray like crazy that I don't hear No.

Wives Widowed By Work

There is such a thing as a Workaholic. Men and women both are guilty of this addiction. If you are a housewife, it just presents itself a little differently. Trust me, I am not a workaholic. My desire is to think more than I work. My fingers are dirty and my my butt is not spreading from sitting for too long, but I know how to relax really well. My problem is more along the lines of Procrastination. My good friends can attest to this. My point, men are much better at manifesting this disorder in my opinion. My husband has a job. Gratitude does not begin to describe the feeling I have. Life, dental, and health insurance are again part of the Laing household. Again, I am grateful that I am not having to forage in the forest for edibles...LOL!...BUT...
7:00am to midnight is just not healthy. Not six days a week. (and half of Sunday if you want to know the truth) I think I was supposed to be born a little earlier, back when cell phones and laptops were only a twinkle in their inventors eyes. Husbands might come home, but the phone is still attached to their ears. As soon as the kids go to sleep, the laptop pops open. You might get 15 minutes of one on one attention. Count your lucky stars. They say their coming to bed, but they don't. They say they'll be home for dinner, but they aren't. They say it will only be for a few more weeks until the next project is over, but then a new one starts. They are optimistic to a fault.
I'm forming a club. WWW is what it's called. I know a few of you who read my blog are already members of this exclusive club. You laugh when ladies shut down when their husband is gone for a few days or are mystified when you eat dinner alone. Getting kids ready for church alone, going to Museums, parks, sporting events, recitals without a spouse. They profusely apologize, read books on how not to take work home, justify their addiction by spouting things like "At least I have a job" or "I've got to work this hard or else I'll lose my job"....I'm not believing it for a second. It's not that I am mad. I've come to the point where if my husband isn't attached to an electrical device, I think he is asleep. Whenever we go somewhere, I drive....Why? Because my husband is on his LAPTOP! We are planning a trip across the country and I will be driving so he can still work. When we go on dates...not like that happens very often anymore...he can barely go five minutes without being on the phone or texting some client. Everything is always pressing. Everything always has to be done 2 minutes ago. You know what I've learned from being a real widow?....nothing is THAT important. Time is precious and you wont really worry about what isn't getting done when you only have a finite period of time...we all have a finite period of time. So please, all you addicts out there, take a little time to talk to people, laugh, just sit and contemplate your life, play a game with your kids, cut the grass, read a book, walk instead of run, listen instead of fix....just sayin.

I have been a real live Widow! I can say for a surety that this is worse. You want to fight me on it? I dare you....


"After saying all these, take a look at the signs below and check the ones you consider for yourself. If you check more the 50% of them than you should definitely analyze your life.

1. In the free time spent with your friends and family you are talking about work and what you will have to do.

2. You promise your spouse you will be home for dinner in half of hour but there are passing another couple of hours until you arrive.

3. You forget to call your family or to take your child from swimming classes because you are working too much.

4. When it comes about lunch, you skip it constantly or rather eat some junk food.

5. Even if you get home early you are taking work to finish it home.

6. Week-ends are not the moment to spend with your family. You must work at the project for the next week.

7. At the end of the day the cleaning woman have to wheel you and your chair aside to be able to clean the place.

8. You enjoy extreme competitiveness but you also need to be in control.

9. Multi - tasking is not an option for you, it’s the only option.

10.You are living with nothing else in mind but work."

Does this sound like anyone you know?....If it's you, rethink your priorities...switch housework or kids in there if your job is Homemaker. For the love of your family....reevaluate.

This Week

I've been sick. Patrick is sick. Evan is sick. You think that would afford me more opportunity to blog, but no. My camera's battery needs charging. Saturday was great fun. We went to a Tri-Ward breakfast in the morning which was enjoyable. We can't miss any activities, or else we wont see the adults in our ward. Then we came home, I made Vanilla Cupcakes with BlueBerry filling and fresh Strawberry Buttercream Frosting for our next party. We live next to some amazingly wealthy people who spend months in Thailand. They have art shipped over...how would that be? The kids had fun swimming and I chatted with fellow neighbors about the wonders of Sherwood. The kids won fireworks from the HulaHoop contest and Brighten is a pro Limbo girl. Next, back home to throw together a quick salad and then off to BBQ with friends and a quick jaunt to Cook Park for a Fireworks show. It was great to meet so many new people.
Sunday, we had friends over to eat the huge amount of leftovers we had. The kids had a great time, and I found a kindred spirit. I see political discussions in my future. Monday, we hung around the house and the kids put on a play. My kids are so creative. I just wish they'd learn how to pick up the aftermath. Tuesday, we ran errands, bought crafts, and spent the day with Aunt Jennifer and the cousins. I made dinner and Jenn and I made Raspberry Freezer Jam. She marveled. I showed her it really wasn't that hard...and it turned out yummy. It was a small price to pay to hold that new little baby for hours. Babies rock when you just didn't give birth to them. I'd be open to having more if the didn't come out of me!! (I did just say that, even though I want to strangle the 5 I have...better wait till I am a grandma...I'm gonna rock as a grandma!)
Wednesday, Park day was rained out. I bought a pattern instead and the kids had a spa day. Nails got painted. Thursday, I think I might have spent the whole day in bed...Momma was sick, and still am. Been praying for a friend whose son ran away. He was found after 3 days. Relief! Friday was a blur...I weeded the garden till it got dark, but besides that, I don't think anything productive got done, well I did clean the bathroom and organize the art closet. Saturday, we cleaned. We grocery shopped. We took the kids to a drive in and saw UP. And today we skipped out on church because Patrick and I are both hacking and don't want a bunch of 18-20 month olds to get sick. Hope next week is more productive and I my voice returns to normal.

Em's Garden in July

I'm too sexy for my garden boots!


Only a few more of these left...


We have a few hundred of these baby grapes...I could have a vineyard up here.


Baby Acorn squash beat all the rest.


Very first ripe blueberry...it promptly got popped into my mouth...yumm!


Most of them still look like this.


It's calling my name


The first tomatoes hiding.


These are such a great snack.


Not enough to freeze, but enough for a sweet salad addition.


You cannot imagine what these smell like!


This lavender one is so fragrant, it's intoxicating, especially in the hot sun.


There is beauty all around.


Shastas are over 4 feet tall.


And the lavender is covered in bees and bunches are drying in the pantry.
I love my garden!

Summer Dreams

In my dreams, my summer would be a well structured day with daily chores, outings, meals planned, house cleaned, and school subjects studied in a creatively deceptive way. We all would dress in calico sundresses and seersucker shorts and sip lemonade under the apple trees on our lunch picnic.

The children would frolick around and laugh, have imaginative play for hours on end, and keep their rooms spotless.

They would read the scriptures on their own and brush their teeth without me having to remind them. I would get sweet notes and drawings left on my pillow at night. I'd wear cute aprons and spend hours in the kitchen making great food
and the children would happily offer to do the dishes. The house would smell like blueberries and lavender. The sheets would hang out on the clothesline and I would read a new book every week...don't you love my lala land????

Reality is sooo much different. Having one of those days? Me too.

Who Rules the Roost?

Now for those of you totally uninterested in chickens, please feel free to not read this post. If you are the least bit shocked at "natural life" then don't read on. If you are extremely PC, please do yourself a favor and don't finish reading.



Now all of you that are still reading, I warned you. This post is not for the faint of heart... We have a lesbian in our midst! Now stop gasping....It's our big chicken, Chubba Wubba. Ever since our Rooster, Lindon, bit the big one, she has taken over. And boy did she ever! This is the animal kingdom at it's best. For about 2 weeks, the "girls" were out of there minds. Not having a male around, they didn't really know what to do. We lost 2 chickens to a predator during that time. They just wandered too far on the property and didn't stay close. That was the Rooster's job, to protect his ladies. He did a good job too. He was a looker, that guy. We all felt sad when he passed and didn't really realize the significance of his presence. So the biggest girl took over. She is now the head honcho and all must fall in line under her tutelage. If you have ever heard the phrase, pecking order, it really is true. She asserted her Masculine traits and mounted every single one of her sisters. I was mortified! My husband and I couldn't stop laughing!!! Really it was funny. But secretly, no matter how feminist you are, I consider myself pretty up there, (not card carrying) you understand that no matter what kind of relationship you are in, their is one who plays the masculine role and one that plays the feminine role. Chickens are no different. We have 5 laying hens now and we are raising 6 chicks that are now 8 weeks old. Low and behold, the 6 chicks that we have are really 5 girls and 1 boy! So move over Chubba Wubba, Pecker ( my 5 year old named him that!!!!!) is going to take over any day and things can go back to normal in the Coop...so funny, so sick, but oh so true!
This is what he will look like in a few months.

Update: We had to put the 6 little ones back in their little coop, because low and behold, the rooster is getting hen pecked. His head is bleeding...and I just proved my point. Give it a few weeks, and they will be getting along swimmingly.

I know coveting is wrong....

but this kitchen, laundry, catering kitchen, greenhouse, garden, etc...made me weep it is so beautiful. In my ever so humble opinion, it's price tag is a steal too. Too bad I don't have an extra 1.3 million sitting around burning a hole in my mattress. If I had to design a kitchen for myself or a laundry room or a catering kitchen....this would be EXACTLY what I would do. Don't the cabinets look familiar? I think they are the exact ones I had in Utah....gives me things to dream about at night....I think I might have an obsession with food preparation?! Click on the link below to drool with me.

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