Things

Tomorrow I leave for upstate New York. It's the last time I'll go there to help out the Middle Brother. They're moving, you see. To Utah. I'll be helping out, but on my own turf.

Because it is the last time, I must remember to do all the things I love. It feels a little bit like saying goodbye to home.

Ma and I are driving.

Yes, we are, in fact, crazy.

I got a big, fat raise earlier this week. For the first time in my professional life I'm making what someone of my education, competence, and abilities ought to be making.

It feels awesome.

To celebrate my recent raise I'm going to buy an ice cream maker and tubs to keep my ice cream in. I'm aiming to have at least four different kinds of homemade ice cream in the freezer at all times. Sorbets and frozen yogurts also count.

This is in addition to my goal of having popsicles in the freezer at all times.

Yes, life requires both popsicles and ice cream. Every day. Always.

I have lots of goals for 2015.

I've thrown most of them out. Not out as in never to be seen again. I'm trying to focus on what really needs to happen in my life. With all the crazy going on there's only room for a couple of them.

My priority list now consists of three items, the third of which is completely useless and means little when it comes to tasks to complete. (Priority 3: Live Well) Which means I actually have two items on my priority list for every day. I manage to get them both done maybe half the time.

Good thing my priority list isn't any longer.

I also have a priority list for Sundays. It also has two things on it.

Item 1 on the every day list and the Sunday list are the same. Item 2 is not.

I'm obsessed with my house. I love it. It makes me happy to come home to it.

Everytime I do something to my house to make it a little more mine I love it all the more.

I recently moved in one of my pianos. My little brown piano that I grew up with. The one where I spent thousands of hours of my childhood practicing. Not exaggerating. I walk down the stairs and see it sitting there, waiting for me. I smile.

I looked up my former piano teacher. She's still teaching. After I see the witch doctor (read: chiropractor that specializes in natural remedies that has cured other ailing pianists of their tendonitis) I hope to take from her again. Hannon here I come.

Now that I have a house of my own, Ma thinks it's time I looked into investment real estate.

Um, Ma. I just bought a house.

She is also excited by the idea of pallet furniture. An exchange of the other day.

Ma: [excited face] Guess what!?
Me: You want to buy me a cookie.
Ma: Yes, I do. Also, there are entire websites dedicated to using old pallets to make things. Like tables and boxes. [face that says she's just given me the world]
Me: Oh, yeah. They do some cool things with those old pallets.
Ma: Uh huh. I was thinking maybe you could use old pallets to make stuff. For your house! Isn't that a fun idea? [really, really, really excited face]
Me: Well, yeah, that does sound fun. Unfortunately, surplus pallets has never been one of my problems.
Ma: But the websites! There are so many project ideas! I can show them to you.
Me: Sounds fun. I still don't have any pallets.

That really did happen in my life. The Ma is still excited.

I've been dreaming up shelves to build that can house the music for my piano. I've committed in my mind to what I'd like to do. I can't wait to put it together.

The parents house their music in two filing cabinets. Two, tall, ugly, metal filing cabinets that I'm still too short to use well. Even on my tippy toes I have a hard time seeing what is in the highest drawer.

I've started eating two Tums every day to try and counteract the effect of the carbonic acid I've begun imbibing on a daily basis. Pretty sure my bones feel stronger. Lots stronger.

I have a chaise in my bedroom. A real, live chaise. It's awesome.

I have more socks than three of you put together. I easily have five dozen and wouldn't be surprised if I had an even hundred.

I have fewer socks now than I have ever had in my lifetime ever.

The only socks I have ever purchased for myself are my running socks.

The Ma likes to buy socks.

The Little Sister and I go shopping together once a week. We double cart it, each with a babe. Thank goodness she thinks she's done. I can't push two carts with a babe each. I'm not that talented.

When we give the little one a cookie he smashes it into his mouth and holds the crumbs in his two fists. He sucks on these crumbs through the whole shopping trip. He likes his cookies.

The older one thinks he ought to be able to walk on his own. He knows what his favorite things look like and will put packages of cookies, jars of applesauce, and cans of fruit in the cart while you're not looking. He's not two yet.

The two words he says most often are Tate (his little brother) and coke. He knows what life is all about.

He knows who Nana, Papa, Momma, and Daddy are. He has no name for me but instead greets me with a scream.

When he finds he needs a name for me, either Nana or Momma will do.

If you tell him my name is Meggy, he laughs at you.

I have two roommates. I love when they are both out late. When they are home, we chat in the evening. When they are out, I climb into bed between 8:00 and 8:30. I am an old lady.

I wrote up a summer bucket list maybe a month and a half ago. It's gonna be one, big, fat fail this year.

My summer has been fabulous so far and it's only going to get better.

I spent the morning installing a water softener in my house.

Yup. I have a house. In which I installed the water softener.

Bam. Master plumber am I.

I have been crunching numbers like crazy for the past month. Never before have I been so poor. Never before have I been so obsessed with my living space.

Seriously obsessed over here.

It's been a long time since I posted regularly.

When I think of the last year or so a lot of words come to mind.

Crazy

Awesome

Exhausting

Fun

Not fun

Long and slow

Fast, fast, fast

When I think about it, it's hard to realize that so much time has passed because it was one crazy ride. At the same time, it makes sense that so much time has passed because happenings were packed in as tight as they could get.

This is not a promise of regular posts to come.

I wanted to pop in simply to say that life is incredible and I'm in a good place right now. A happy sort of place.

Life.

Freaking awesome.

My Favorite Brother

I have three brothers. I'm in the habit of telling each of them they are my favorite. Like this.

Brother (little, middle, or big) does something awesome for me. I say, "You're my favorite brother."

The little brother, on these occasions, smirks in a way that says, of course I'm your favorite. I am, after all, the coolest.

The middle brother raises his eyebrows and makes a funny face that says, I'm happy and flattered to be your favorite but you have two other brothers and we need to be fair to them.

The big brother laughs in a way that says he thinks it's a joke and makes some silly comment or motion that displays his obvious superiority as a brother. Like flexing his biceps. Also as a joke because he and I are jokers.

I have three brothers and each is my favorite. I'm the luckiest sister in the world.

My Year in Books

What I did in 2014

This post is late. Nine days late. Consider it a testament to my long year.

I became a green smoothie making master. When I make them, they are delicious. Also, very green.

I spent three months in NY taking care of my sick sister-in-law and her three kids. I spent one month in UT taking care of my sick sister-in-law and her three kids.

I learned what it is like to be a working mother and that I don't like it.

I bought and used hair product. It made waking up in the morning and getting my hair out of the way for the day so I could be a working mother much easier.

I read 69 books including 8 classics and 17 nonfiction books.

My plan to read a classic a month failed.

I visited Boston for the first time.

I visited Phoenix for the first time as an autonomous adult (I have vague memories of visiting grandparents in Phoenix when I was three or four, which clearly doesn't count).

I visited:

• Phoenix (twice)
• Boston
• Ballston Spa, NY (three times)
• San Diego 
• Iowa (for the 100th annual powwow!)
• St. George
• Park City
• Concord, MA
• Minute Man national park

I visited Orchard House and The Old Manse.

I learned that Concord grapes were developed in Concord, MA.

I learned that Paul Revere's ride was an even bigger bunch of bunk that I had heard it was but there is a large memorial gravestone and a memorial where Paul Revere was stopped on his ride anyway.

I visited the olive grove in Phoenix and saw olive trees for the first time.

I ate a peanut butter cookie made with olive oil that was delicious, unlike the peanut butter cookies with olive oil I tried to make in 2013 which were not delicious.

I wore a streak of green in my hair for eight months.

I tried about 10 varieties of apples I had never had before. I think my favorite was the Kiku apple. Yum.

I tried three varieties of pears I had never had before. I loved the starkrimsons.

I made pear butter for the first time.

I learned that if I can run four miles in May and I spend the summer not running, I probably won't be able to run four miles in November.

I bought a running hat with a hole for my ponytail. I love it.

I bought three new pairs of pants and eight new pairs of shoes. (This was clearly not a year of no spending).

I bought ten new nail polish colors, none of which I have used.

I did something that I've been putting off for over a decade. First I was in denial, then I knew but was too stubborn. Now that it's done, the rest of all my years will be better. (i.e., ma thinks there's a chance some man might actually fall in love with me now and ask me to have all his babies. Cause I'm not so grumpy anymore. The suspense might just kill her.)

I helped ma purchase 675 lindor truffles for the christmas season. The caramel ones were not delicious but the sea salt ones were very delicious.

I read the Old Testament and still don't understand most of it.

I paid off my car.

I was called to the best church calling ever. I was the fourth sunday relief society teacher, a calling I've never had before but subbed for on occasion. I was released three months later at which time I commenced weeping and wailing and gnashing my teeth.

I bought a few special issue magazines on canning but didn't can a thing.

Ma and I used more vegetables from the vegetable garden this year than ever before despite being less available to use garden things.

Among the garden things, I made a bunch of freezer, blender salsa bags. Fresh salsa all winter long.

I became an auntie to one new nephew.

I started lots of projects that I didn't finish.

I reduced my two and a half shelves of unread books to one and a half shelves.

I reduced my shoe wardrobe significantly enough that they all fit in my closet and I no longer need to keep some of my shoes under my bed.

I gave away lots of clothes to my sisters and often see them wearing things that look much better on them and get used a lot more. Win.

I learned to make a really good loaf of 18 hour bread.

I spent most of the year eating homemade bread only. No store bought for us.

I ate more black raspberry, marshmallow milkshakes than a single person should ever consume.

I finished a novel but then decided it wasn't finished and jumped back in.

I started but didn't finish a short story in October featuring the ghost of a lonely young man.

I used up 21 fat quarters from my store of fat quarters and I feel very accomplished.

I started drinking caffeine on a regular basis. I'm a nicer person with a little bit of caffeine in my system, dang genetics. I prefer my caffeine as diet coke with some delicious syrups and a bunch of half and half in it. Then it's more like candy than coke. Yum.

I started getting serious about family history work and I've made good progress.

I ran holes into several pairs of running socks.

I surprised my father with my physical strength.

I killed three house plants. They aren't particularly forgiving when you go out of town on a frequent basis.

I got a new plant a week before the end of the year. I'm sure it will be dead before the end of 2015. Poor thing.


Since we're eight days in, I'll tell you now that 2015 has been great.

I've read two books from my need to read shelf in my room.

I've bemoaned my shelf and a half of need to read books to more than one person, wishing I could spend hours picking out books at the library instead.

I've signed up for a 5k.

I've laughed with friends and family.

I pants shopped for my sister who really, really needed it.

I've exercised on some days and not exercised on others.

I taught a freaking awesome lesson on 2015 intentions.

I've experimented with wet styles (i.e., out of the shower styles) for my shorter hair. Ponytails don't work. Braided buns work better than expected.

The Best Thanksgiving Ever

My best cousin is coming for Thanksgiving (hi Steph!). We've been best cousins since that fateful day when she decided she wanted a pen pal and she picked me. One of the best things to ever happen.

We had a long conversation this morning about all the delicious things we are going to make. She wanted to talk to me weeks ago but I kept putting her off. Bad cousin? Probably. She'll keep loving me anyway. We're best cousins, after all.

We're going to have pies and cakes and turkey and five different vegetable dishes and a fruit platter that looks like a turkey and a vegetable platter with a bread cornucopia. We're big into this food thing.

It's going to be the best Thanksgiving ever. Not because of all the food (my food lists fill a page, front and back, in my planner), which is going to rock. Nope. It's the talking and laughing and loving that's gonna make this Thanksgiving a winner.

PS As of half a week ago, I'm back in Utah.

PPS I can't get it into my head that time still passes when I'm in New York.

PPPS Happy Holidays!

Three Things

Nol-Man

• When we go on walks together he uses one hand to hold mine and the other to find his belly button. He puts his little finger on it and doesn't let go.
• I've taught him several new words including dapper and mess. We're currently working on delicious. Yum is functional, but delicious is functional and fun.
• I've also taught him to do up his own buckles. He finds them fascinating and will play with them for twenty minutes at a time.

Livvy Loo

• Her favorite thing is to tell me how fast she is. After spending twenty minutes in the bathroom, singing to herself while she does her business, she'll run out with a big grin on her face. "Was I so fast!? My body just wants me to go fast in the potty!"
• I recently went on a shoe raid after she'd gone to bed. She insisted on wearing her favorite shoes which were a size too small. Five minutes into any car ride she'd start howling. "The shoes are pinching my toes!" This might qualify as a cruel to be kind moment.
• I am so so so glad skinny jeans are trending. I love to dress Livvy Loo in skinnies. Her long legs and tiny waist size make them uber adorable. I ignore the wealth of skirts and dresses bursting out of her closes so I can see her in her skinnies. Particularly since she practically refuses to wear the adorable jean vest hanging in her closet. As soon as I turn my back it's on the floor. I think she thinks it's a jacket. Either, it doesn't work in any outfit because it doesn't stay on.

Ella Belle

• The best times are when it's just me and her and there's nothing to distract us and she talks and talks and talks. She's not one people would consider a talker but she's got a lot to say 
• She prefers her tennis shoes to her cute boots or her lace overlay sneakers. Better for having adventures in. A girl after my own heart.
• I walk her to the bus most mornings and often pick her up, too. It's weird. People with kids walk kids to the bus stop. I am not a people with kids. Except I am?

The Middle Brother

• He's stressed out of his mind, poor guy, and being finished with the LSAT hasn't helped. But I have a secret weapon. Orange jello salad.
• Sometimes I linger in the hallway outside of Nol-Man's room when he's going down for the night. The Middle Brother hardly sings anymore. I get it. He's got a wife and kids and more on his plate than any one person can handle (read: why I am in New York). I miss hearing it.
• He wore a pair of awesome, pink sunglasses on his company's breast cancer awareness day. With his sunglasses and his pink, turned up collar, he looked model worthy. I don't think he'll ever wear the sunglasses again. Tragic.

His Cute Wife

• She has sold two of her paintings. She's done two more to replace them. I'm proud of her for creating.
• She's been putting Nol-Man down for his naps. At first he refused to go down for her. It had been months and months since the last time she'd done it and he just wanted her to hold him and love him and sing to him and play with him. Now he goes down without a fuss because he knows she'll be there, bright and happy and ready to play, when he wakes up.
• She thinks I make the best green smoothies ever. I think. She thinks everything is the best ever so it's hard to know what actually is. In any case, I'm going to keep making them, and she's going to keep eating them (or else) so it's best all around for her to think they are the best ever.

The Ma

• She's been baking bread like crazy. Nearly a batch every day. She hopes to put a stockpile in the freezer. Only problem is, we eat her bread like crazy because yum. I ask you, how did the world ever go from homemade to store bought? Blech.
• She constantly gets lost on these New York roads. They pretty much all look the same so it's not surprising. She makes me do all the driving which I don't mind a bit. I love a good drive on a windy road surrounded by trees in fall colors.
• Ma is an errand runner. She runs errands in Utah. She runs errands in New York. I suspect if she were living in the Alaskan tundra she'd be an errand runner there. I am not ashamed to admit that she wears me out.

Me

• It's important to me the girls are dressed cute for church and school. I take time each night to pick out their outfits for the next day. Ella Belle is consistently one of the best dressed girls at the bus stop.
  I've wondered, will this be important to me when I'm a mom to my own kids, or is it just important because they aren't my kids?
  I always do my best work for other people. Maybe it's time to do some of my best work for me? Or is that selfish?
  I'm confused.
• I'm the best lunch packer ever. At least, I'm a much better lunch packer than I was when I first got here. Ma and I don't buy a lot of cookies and things. The Middle Brother's mother-in-law, who was here before us, buys a lot of cookies. I am ridiculously delighted when I pack a couple of cookies or an extra pack of fruit snacks in their lunches, knowing how happy they'll be. Funny. I do everything I can when they're at home to make sure they don't know there's cookies in the pantry or ice cream in the freezer or pretty much any sweet treat anywhere.
  I hope I always take time to pack a lunch for my kids. Who knew something so simple could be filled with so much love?
• The Middle brother lives in an apartment complex with a dog park. There is not a children's playground. There are a lot of families with children living here. It's a good family sort of place. Yet they have a dog park. And no playground.
  When did our world become a place where a place for the dog to run become more important than the children?
  I don't get it.