Hello, my name is Elizabeth, and I'm a perfectionist...

Well, Royal and I are taking this "Wellness Class" from a therapist in our stake (geographical area composed of a dozen or more Church congregations).

And, I was just reading my homework in the class notebook. I thought this was interesting:

We are like a person standing on a see-saw. (imagine this.)

Unless we stand in the very center, the see saw tips and we go down. The center represents moderation in all things, and the path of constant repentance and following Christ.

Going down one side represents perfectionism.
Going down the other side represents Outward rebellion, or sinfulness.

So, then there is this chart describing characteristics of the 3 possible paths:

Perfectionism
Following Christ
Outward Rebellion


And guess what? Perfectionism has a whole lot in common with rebellion!






But, at any rate it is interesting to me how I, being a perfectionist, married a perfectionist.

PS: Here's our latest family portrait. Look closely for several "hidden" stories.

Where have all the blog posts gone?

Greetings, Friends!

Time has been passing us like a whirlwind for a few weeks. To summarize:

Each of us has been sick 2-4 times in the past 4 weeks with a total of at least 5 different illnesses.

Fun times, right?

Our first hen died. It was really shocking actually. One night, Royal went into the coop to change the water and shut them all in, and found her lying dead on the floor. No injuries. The next day, I did find a mess in the nesting box which means she was probably sick and hanging out in there all day before she died. I am definitely concerned that whatever she had may have infected our other hens. But, I don't see what I can do except watch and wait.

Royal buried her in the yard near where a dead tree just collapsed (lots of loose, not frozen ground there.) I told Grace about it, and she would like to put a small marker on the grave for a little while. We'll probably do that sometime this week.

A large tree in our back yard fell down in the middle of the night last week. Our landlord knew the huge thing was dead, and had been dead for a looong time, but we didn't know. It was pretty unsettling. Lucky for him and us, he owns a bull dozer and had no problem turning that rotted tree into fuel for his wood stove at home.

Royal turned 30! Yea! He is getting handsomer, believe it or not. I tell him I like how he looks with a little age on him. We got him an Xbox and a movie he wanted.

Royal and I are taking a Wellness class together offered by the church. Its once/week for 12 weeks. So far, its been really good for helping me see things in a different perspective. Basically, the class is a certified therapist teaching you how to have balance and feel the love of God in your life.

Well, its time for me to go now. We've started having family scriptures before breakfast instead of right after. Now, we NEVER miss scriptures. (except when we wake up on Sunday morning already late for church. Man, I hate that!) Its working great.

The Chores List

Okay, I'm going through a little learning curve right now. Without the boring details, it boils down to me feeling like I do everything at home, and that is probably a result of me trying to be in charge of everything here at home.

So, I say to my handsomer half, "Hun, do you think we could officially designate some household jobs, so I know what I actually need to do and what you'll be planning on doing? Because, Honey, I feel like I'm doing everything."

Now, I want EVERYONE of YOU to send me details on how you've managed this aspect of your healthy, vibrant marriages. How do you "share" the household work between the homemaker and the breadwinner? (royal.spamcan@gmail.com, and he forwards it to me.)

Here's what we've got so far, which list was intended as the minimum jobs possible to run our house on:

Chicken duty AM: Royal
Chicken duty PM: Elizabeth
Menu planning and Grocery list prep: Elizabeth
Grocery shopping: Royal
Bills: R and E
Dishes: R start a load at night, E empty in morning
Trash: E
Dinner prep: R
Dinner cook: E
Breakfast: R
Lunch: E
Laundry: R wash and E dry, R fold, E put away
Personal scriptures and prayers: R and E

The Christmas Spirit

I think I've found the secret to feeling the Christmas Spirit.

So, my devoted audience (I love flattering myself....),

Try this one out, and let me know if it isn't true every time...

1. Find someone much worse off than yourself- lonely, or poor, or both- children are best. For instance, orphans, etc.

2. Spend lots of time thinking of how you could bring cheer into his life.

3. Spend some time giving to him. You can give time, attention, entertainment (sing to him, play an instrument, etc.), gifts, foodstuffs, etc. This is very fun in person, but if you are giving material objects, a secret santa approach is also very rewarding.

4. Drink some holiday beverage; eggnog, hot cider, wassail (stephen's gourmet defines good wassail), hot chocolate.

Now, can anyone use this formula without feeling the Love of Christmas?

The 20th of December

Its the 20th of December,
and all through the house,
a few creatures are stirring
including the computer mouse.

Our stockings are hung on the wall behind the tree,
And my girls know I'll fill them with candy and things.

We believe in Saint Nick, who lived long ago,
But I don't feel the need to teach the magical guy at the south pole.

Grace let me know, though, a few weeks ago,
"Mom, I DO believe in Santa Claus."

And I smiled and said, "Dear,
That's great. A lot of people do."

When friendly store clerks ask her,
"Who's coming to see you soon?"

I quickly interrupt with,
"Grandma Gail!"

For the Mormons: A forum question

For those of you who are Mormons,

Please mention here (comments) how you are going about getting your 3-month supply as mentioned in the new Church Pamphlet, "All is safely gathered in" (Is that the title?)

Are you doing it all at once? What about fresh ingredients, lettuce, etc.? How are you rotating?

Please include any tips and all details.

We are officially out of debt!

We finally paid off our last student loan!

Thank you for all your support, prayers, and in some cases financial assistance!

We are DEBT FREE!

The Amazing Shrinking...

Radio trivia:

What is the only part of a woman's body that shrinks during pregnancy?

A: Her brain.

Madagascar the Animated Movie

In case you haven't seen it, Madagascar is a great movie. You'll laugh more when you watch it a second or third time. Its a fun evening. I am officially adding it to my Christmas wish list!

Disclaimers:
1. There are several disturbing euphemisms, example: "Hoover Dam!"
2. There is one questionable song, "I like to Move it, Move it", in which the Lemurs dance. The version in the movie is edited nicely. The version in the credits after the movie isn't edited.
3. Those are all I can remember, but I'm sure there are more... I just love this movie.

13 Chickens and 58 Eggs later

Tag You're it!

I've been tagged (thanks Emily!)

So, here goes:

6 things people might not know about me:

1. If I were not Mormon, I would be Amish. I aspire to someday be able to provide for my family using Mother nature plus the help of family and friends. SOMEDAY I don't want to have to rely on Walmart.

2. One of my life goals is to found a high school that teaches teenagers real world skills. "Practicality High." Not exactly technical school, although it will have that aspect, but I am talking about emotional health, moral strength, financial responsibility (you have to have and use money to learn it), and family-management (I'm talking about old-fashioned home-ec.). Plus, we'll teach some money-making skills with local professionals teaching and getting free labor off the kids. (Landscaping, auto-mechanics, and Aquatic instruction all come to mind.)

3. My biggest parenting weakness is inappropriate anger and strictness. (Poor Grace!)

4. My biggest struggle in marriage/homekeeping looks like Me struggling to buy groceries, make dinner on a fairly regular basis, and not detesting every part of the process. (Poor Royal!)

5. I plan to retire very early. I don't intend to stop working at all. But, I'd like to have the freedom to choose my work! I'm willing to be a serious tightwad to make this possible. I think I'd like to farm for awhile. (20 years or so). I follow the bio-intensive method of gardening, found in the book How to grow more vegetables by John Jeavons. Or, Square-foot gardening. They are very similar. I am determined I could retire on $500,000.

6. I am accomplished in Sign Language, but have no credentials. Plus, its been awhile since conversing with any Deaf folks. But, our Amish friends down the road do have a Deaf teenage son! (Might get some practice in there.)

Tag you're it! Heather, Heidi and Brent!

"Not a very poetic title"... or "Elizabeth vents"

An Ode to Growing Fat while Pregnant

O Girth of mine,
Thou art a spring of life.
Life from another place
stretching forth my boundaries.

Softening all the edges
Of my body.
Really, I'm looking rather
Bloblike.

Which is why my current picture
won't be appearing here
with as much frequency
as it might otherwise be.

My Vanity is exceedingly great
to the overcoming of my sensibility.
So that even while I understand
the beauty, the process, and the necessity for it,
I am prone to cringe about my increasing girth.

Our First Jack-O-Lantern

"First you take a pumpkin,
Big and Round and Fat
Then you cut the top off;
that makes a hat.

Then you cut a hole
For the nose, the mouth, the eyes...
Making for the children a Halloween surprise.

Lemonade, anyone?

Grace held her first Lemonade Stand on Oct 20th.

She made around $12.

She gave 10% to the church, %45 to the family debt, and spent the rest on herself.

We got our First Dozen!

Monday afternoon we got our chickens.

Monday was the long-awaited day of Royal finishing the chicken coop. It is superb! The window really makes it more useable.

Royal has had ants in his pants to get the actual chickens for weeks, so we did NOT wait until the interior of the coop was all fixed up before we went to purchase and transport the beautiful birds. In other words, our poor little 7 large hens, 1 large rooster, and 5 bantums did not have roosting space or nests, and our waterer and feeders were sitting on the ground rather than hanging from the ceiling. (Thats very bad news for chickens since they knock the containers over as soon as possible..)

Note that I am blaming this poor decision entirely on my poor husband, who really can only be called somewhat responsible. I must admit, I didn't sensibly protest. After 4 weeks of anticipation, I guess we just couldn't resist another week.

Anyway, Monday afternoon we got our chickens.

We bought our 6 dark ones from our Amish friends, the Yoder family.

We bought the other bunch from a friend who wanted to downsize his miniature flock. (pictures to come.)

After 3 days now of scrambling to make this coop fit for a flock, we are almost comfortable with the chickens' living conditions.

Grace picked up our 12th fresh, full size egg this morning! One dozen! Here's the chicken chart we made to keep track!