what a beautiful mess

You know those times when your eleven year old starts to whine and complain because her headphone wires keep getting all tangled up?  Well here's your solution: Not only is it time consuming but it keeps your pre-teen busy and not bored ..at least for a bit. It's colorful and pretty and fun. And that's a win-win situation... Trevor experimented on our wall with paint.  I like the color but I think we're going to go with something a little darker.  But he did an awesome job at mudding and sanding...now to do the rest of the room! ~ Patience is a virtue ~

This morning I heard a loud rushing sound coming from outside and went to see what it was.  To my surprise, it was an airplane flying over our house~ super low! It was dusting the farm that's behind us and so it kept flying above us over and over.... Oh, to be as excited as a child again... (actually, I was...I was about to get in the shower and didn't until 30 minutes later...it was fun watching it!)

And I already have a problem to solve. We are going through way too many cups. This is only half of what we actually went through today.  When I was growing up, my mom had a shelf with a mug for each of us that had our names on it.  It was a great idea then and it'll be a great idea now!  The only hard part will be enforcing it. Emily came up with a great idea for an activity: It's a pretty ugly fridge and I think a note to dad makes it look better. They've had a lot of fun so far; Annabelle's written some Shel Silverstein poems, Emilys written down snacks, Stephen wrote a note....Tomorrow I'm going to write chores on it.  Unfortunately, that will take all the fun out of it for the kids. Tonight for FHE our lesson was on baptism. Stephen's baptism is this Saturday at 10:00 and we couldn't be more excited! We discussed the covenants he will be making and the covenants the Lord will make with him. It was a long lesson but one that was ...

A really good Friday night. We had some friends over for dinner, talked until about 10:30 when they left and then we sent the kids to bed. First hiccup: Joshua cut his lip and upper gum open when he jumped off a rocker and the corner hit him in the mouth. It looked a whole lot worse at the time than it actually is. Second hiccup: I put the movie "Big" on for the kids to watch while eating their nachos. As us adults were eating in the kitchen I heard some very embarrassed 11 year old's telling me to come here. I went to see what was wrong and saw Tom Hanks copping a feel on whoever the female character was in the movie. It was a 1980's movie with a PG rating and we all know what those are like....not good. I felt terrible. How sad for my babies to have to see that and lose a bit of their innocence. But other than that it was a great night. And a great start to a great weekend.

 I love to cook and bake. I especially love to make healthy food for my family. But I also love to bake crazy cake, brownies and cookies (now that they no longer spread all over the cookie sheet). Since I try to make us eat healthy (which actually just means no processed foods or packaged foods), when we do have crackers in the house, my kids go crazy with happiness (not really, but they do love a good cracker). Today the hot items were Chicken In a Biscuit's and Wheat Thins Spicy Buffalo. And to be honest, I don't buy crackers because they take up valuable room in my grocery budget. So since they had a lot of crackers today, for dinner we had steamed cabbage and pita with hummus, lettuce, and bacon. I recently found a pita recipe and I love making them. And they actually really, truly taste like store bought pitas...I promise. Today was a pretty good first day of summer. We had a bit of a rough start but it ended fabulously. Josh and Carl were both able to sneak i...

Our parties yesterday turned out great.  Josh and I were able to spend the day together riding bikes at the park through the sprinklers  (not as fun as it sounds),  watching a movie, eating lunch and ice cream cones and changing light bulbs.  Once the kids came home from their last day of school (yay!), I cleaned out backpacks, art supplies and went through the remaining school work.  It's always a big mess when I do that which why you can see my bag of skittles  I had to help get me through it.  While the kids had their own party, Trevor and I went out on a much needed date.  We planned on a movie but since there were no movies playing that didn't have to do with aliens or  cartoons, we instead ate at a little Mexican place. We then (tried to) rent a movie but there was nothing we wanted to see.  So we walked to Broulims, bought treats to eat while watching a movie that we own...

I remember hearing a talk given by President Eyring who at the end of the day would recount the ways the Lord had blessed him. I think he may have written it in his journal but I'm not positive. Here are the things I've been blessed with today: Correction; and by that I mean, when I've done something or said something I shouldn't have, someone was there to correct me. Today the correction came from a friend and from myself. Diet Dr. Pepper, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and family. Today the wind was horrible. I'm not grateful for that because I can see no good in it. Tomorrow we are having a couple of parties here at the Haslem house. Since it will be the last day that me and Josh will have all day together, we're going to rent a movie, buy some lunch, drink some soda, eat some candy, and buy some balloons (the balloons are josh's choice although I'm not opposed to them). And when the kids get home from school, we're having a party for t...

Sometimes, actually most times, at the end of the day, I start recounting all the things that I didn't do with my time. I started to do that tonight until Trevor reminded me to focus on the things that I did do. And as I thought about it, I realized that I actually did do a lot. I made bread and some snacks for the week: graham crackers and hard boiled eggs. I watched a little boy for a friend, and a little girl for another friend~ both very sweet babies. I washed sheets and actually put them back on the beds before it was time to say good night. I did the dishes 3 different times. I cut up my seed potatoes so that I can plant them, hopefully tomorrow. I watered my raspberries and pumpkin that have already been planted and watered the tomatoes and squash plants that are still in the house waiting to be planted. I picked up dog poop and started to remove the grass from around a tree so that hopefully it'll begin to thrive. I made veggie burgers for dinner which most ...

A year ago this coming August Trevor and I went to the temple. On the way home, Trevor informed me that he felt the prompting to start a business cleaning empty apartments. I was shocked. He didn't really clean things at home (not because he wasn't willing to) so I wondered how in the world he was going to clean other houses everyday. But he felt strongly that this is what we were supposed to do. Over the next few months, he was getting everything in order; putting together a business plan, researching the market, talking to potential customers, etc... He received his business license and was incorporated. The name of his company? TSH Cleaning and Maintenance. And he had a really good logo made up also. Then the time came to quit his secure, steady, really good job. And he did. His boss was very understanding. Having been a previous bishop he understood promptings and the need to follow them. A few days went by and his boss called him asking what it would ...

There is no better place than Idaho.  Rexburg is the fifth Idaho town we've lived in and the fifth one we've loved.  It just must be Idaho. Tonight after the kids went to bed, Trevor and I strolled the yard like the English~arm in arm.  It was beautiful. Today was a great Sunday.  We spent a lot of time watching the chickens and playing with them.  Carl can sit out there and stare at them for a very long time.  The way he stares makes me think of how he looks when he's about to get a treat.  Not good.  Trevor put a chicken to sleep.  It was actually kind of sweet watching him rock it gently.  He tucked her head under her wing and just swung her back and forth.  I didn't even know chickens went to sleep.  (I know, I know...duh, right!?!) For some reason the kids like to pick Carl up and walk with him.  It always makes them laugh.  I think it's pretty cute also.  After ...

If you can guess what it is, pat yourself on the back.  "...soothe him; save him; love him; tell him you love him and will be his. Who in the world cares for you? or who will be injured by what you do?" Still indomitable was the reply — "I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad — as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth — so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am quite insane — quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can co...

Annabelle was a sweet little pilgrim from the Oregon Trail.  I personally thought she looked just like Laura Ingalls Wilder...without the buck teeth.  As with every extra activity this school has done, it was fantastic.  Have I said how much I love the school my kids are at? They've gone to a lot of schools, this ones number 5 and it's the best one ever...

Back when I was a young girl I didn't think about being happy. I went through my days knowing what my future would be like and never doubting it. And that was fine. I turned seventeen, met Trevor, and happiness became something more apparent. The future that I knew would happen, happened. Happiness was long drives through Zion, walks and swinging at the park, meals together, going to movies, kissing. We got married and it was final and lasting and forever . Soon after I delivered Emily, I started to question my happiness. My life wasn't the same as the lives of the people in the books I read. Those fictional characters went through horrible things and came out almost perfect. It was an unattainable image that I couldn't ever see my life as being parallel to. I wondered many times why my life wasn't as perfect as the people in books. It didn't seem fair that I could barely handle a crying baby and rambunctious toddler and still stay sane. I quit reading those boo...

I get to be with my favorite people....everyday. I get to bake their favorite birthday cakes.  I get to laugh daily. Either by how goofy my kids act, the things they say or the looks they give me.  They let me hold them and let my try to make them feel better even  when they feel way too old to sit on my lap. I love being able to teach them to work whether it's outside,  or taking care of Carl or the chickens.  Being a mom means that I had to first get married.  And I LOVE being married.  (I know I had lips at one time...) And I love being able cook them healthy food.  I present to you:  SLOPPY SAMS A vegetarian version of Sloppy Joes.  It was another great Mothers Day; full of reminders of why I love being a mom  and that there is no other thing in life I could do that I would love more.  Happy (belated) Mothers Day!

for Stephen who turned 8 years old! We bought him a "big boy" bike for his birthday since he's had a small one for awhile now.  And to celebrate his growing older: a pocketknife.  It's an Old Timer knife, the same kind Trevor had when he was a kid.  And it certainly wouldn't be a Haslem birthday without our ghetto candles.  We had to sing faster than normal because the matches were burning pretty fast.  After his cake he received his eight spankings from each of us.  I especially like the look both me and Trevor are giving in this picture: (And I can't even explain the looks; I'm baffled.) All in all, it was a great day celebrating Stephen.  We love him so much.  He's seriously an amazing kid....

I love this picture.  This is where I sit to read most afternoons  but I think Annabelle makes the spot look even more enticing... Today the girls and I are taking a little road trip to Boise.  We're going to visit Candice and Quinn and to see Quinn graduate college. Trevor is staying here to be with Carl and the chickens...which makes us girls totally sad... BUT him and the boys will have a great weekend together.  They already have lots of fun things planned. My sister Jessica had her baby yesterday.  Layla Jade Madsen.  Holy heck, she is beautiful! I can't wait to meet her in real life instead of through cell phone pictures... And now I'm off to clean up the house before we go outside to till our garden spot!  Trevor took the day off so...we're gettin' things done people!

We went to an Orchestra tonight as a family.  Not just for the culture but because Emily was playing in it! Here's the 5th graders getting ready and setting up: We all greatly enjoyed it... Can't you tell?!? Emily has done such a great job practicing and getting ready for tonight. We are very proud of her. 

(title has nothing to do with the following post; it's only a comment on the picture included) Trevor does this thing where if I put myself down, he makes me say 5 good things I've done today.  I'm not sure what exactly I said tonight to require this painstaking activity  but I still had to come up with my "list".  So here it is: 1. I sat down and read a book.  2. I went outside with the kids.  3. I got on the treadmill even though I'm sick.  4. I took the girls to a watercolor class. and I can't remember what I said for number 5.  (the kids had a great time in the sprinklers today and yesterday and I predict they will tomorrow also) He still wasn't satisfied so me made me say 5 things I like about myself.  It's kind of annoying in a "hmm...he really loves me so I must not be too bad." And to be honest (I also mentioned this to him in the midst of my "list")  I have gotten much ...

Number 1 joy being:  You can dress however you want.  And not feel the slightest bit strange. (until you take a picture and put it on the internet....then you might feel a bit weird.)

Or it could more appropriately be titled "How not to be a lady". I'm the adviser (teacher on Sundays) to the Beehives in my ward and the other day I was talking to my leader about the girls in our group. She mentioned a concern she had to me that has since been on my mind very frequently. She talked of how important it is that we teach our girls to be feminine. I agree with this wholeheartedly. I believe a woman has a divine role as a feminine being. We have qualities and instincts different than our counterpart that is necessary to raising children, being wives and having an influence on the world around us~ whether it be the small town we live in, on our street, in our neighborhood or in a big city. What I do not agree with is the assumption I made based on what she was telling me (and I could be off..like I said I assumed and you know what they say about people who assume....). From what I gathered from our conversation, to be feminine, you would not want t...

When life hands you lemons...or too dry of bread dough,  you make lemonade...or doughnuts.  Both are equally delicious.  However I was out of lemons but I had plenty of dry dough.  And when you have a face (or maybe four faces) as cute as the one above,  you can't help but want to make them happy.  To sum it all up, it's been a very pleasant evening of cooking and baking...

Let's start with Emily.  Emily is getting taller everyday. She now surpasses Annabelle by almost 4 inches.  She loves playing the violin and plans on doing it again next year.  She has started babysitting which has allowed her to earn money that can buy more than just candy.  I can see that her testimony of the gospel is increasing all the time.  She isn't very vocal about it but it's just something that a mom can sense, I think.  She has an awesome sunday school teacher who is a proud feminist (ie: liberal) and a professor at BYU-I.  I really appreciate the different perspective her teacher brings to the gospel and  I think she's a great example for 11-12 year old girls.  Emily loves to bake and cook, be creative, hang out with her friends and learn.  She always has a book or two...or four that's she's reading.  Annabelle: This girl can be crazy, in a good way.  She still doesn't walk anywhere;...