It's a Miracle!!!

(Read my previous post to understand this one.)

The repairman just showed up.

Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!

A.C.

As you may remember I fell through our ceiling from the attic back in November. I mean who could forget that? Clumsy me still has a knot in my leg from it. Well anyway, during the fall I broke a PVC pipe that takes condensation from the unit in the attic and carries it outside when we are using our central air unit (I'm sure that doesn't make any sense but just go with it). We procrastinated fixing it and are paying for it now. It is in the 80's today with 75% humidity. AND it has been raining off an on. So it feels like everything has been misted with a water bottle. We have windows open, fans blowing and ceiling fans shaking like they are going to fall out of the ceiling and the repairman has still not shown up again today. We are melting here.

Lesson learned?

Fix something that you break right away rather than wait until the 11th hour. If we had fixed it back in November when we weren't using the A.C. we would be feeling pretty darn cool (no pun intended) about ourselves right about now. It is better to be prepared than to not have any oil in your lamp.

Time to go eat one of these...

Stationery Card

If you are in my family and you see this post don't tell Mom what you saw. This is her Mother's Day gift. By posting it on my blog I get a coupon for $10 off my next order. And who doesn't love a coupon? So don't tell her what I made for her, please. Got it??

Pretty Print Monogram Thank You Card

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Spring Break

We are in the midst of SPRING BREAK right now and have had a nice week just hanging out at home. We have made accordion paper eggs, bird feeders and painted t-shirts using a contact paper template of a peace sign and a flower. We have de-junked closets, sorted through too small of clothing, and cleaned up lots of messes. Tomorrow we are having park day and lunch with the kids' friends. We also have on the agenda to color Easter eggs and make paper butterflies.

It has really been enjoyable to have this time to relax and do fun projects with the kids. They have gotten along well (for the most part) and have cooperated (for the most part). I feel like a lucky mom to have my three children. They are such GOOD kids. I was certain that I would be losing my mind (today was a close call!) but we have actually fared well and had a great time.

We are looking forward to Easter and a visit from the Easter Bunny (he's always a generous guy). We are having dinner at the Johnson's on Easter Sunday to round out our weekend. As we celebrate the Atonement and our Savour's gift to us we are ever grateful for our many blessings here in the Burke house.

Random Things

So I have some radom thoughts that I jot down when something happens or I see something that I wanted to share.

~Saw a guy driving an El-Camino with a riding lawn mower in the back of it. I laughed!

~Saw a mailman driving, holding a lit cigarette and holding mail in the other hand. I didn't know that they were allowed to smoke. I guess I have just never seen one smoking while on the job before. No wonder my mail stinks sometimes. I am betting my mail travels through many nasty hands before making it to my mailbox.

~They must have had the prom here because all the teenage girls at church were wearing some questionable dresses. I have to say that many of them were "on the fence" in regards to modesty. Our girls need to know that they are beautiful in modest clothing and that they don't need to conform to the standards of today. We are a "peculiar people" for a reason.

~Trampolines are fun! And those parents that freak out if it doesn't have an enclosure around it are nuts and need to calm down.

Green Beans

Last night we had green beans for dinner and Emma wasn't too fond of them. She was the last one left at the table. We all left the kitchen and were doing other things while she was finishing. She came and told me that she had finished so I headed to the kitchen to start clean-up. When I walked in I noticed green beans all over the floor under the kitchen table and under her chair. Emma was standing there watching me and I said "Did you drop your green beans on the floor so that I would think you ate them?" She brought both hands up and covered her face and said "Are you going to punish me?" I couldn't help but laugh at her. Dusty told her that she needs to wait until we have a dog to do that so that she can cover up the evidence. It was so funny and all we could do was laugh. She was thrilled that her punishment was only to sweep them all up.

A Clean House

"The only advantage in not being too good a housekeeper is that your guests are so pleased to feel how very much better they are."

Eleanor Roosevelt, "My Day" Syndicated Column (June 7, 1939)

I ran across this quote in one of my favorite magazines, REAL SIMPLE, and thought it was perfect for me. Those who know me well are aware of what a clean freak I am. I cannot relax until things are clean and put away. It just stresses me out to see it messy. But I also have those days, like every mom does, where I just can't pull it together and when it sounds so much better to go and get a pedicure rather than clean those toilets and fold the laundry. So, I have no guilt when I take a break and do those things for ME. After all, my neighbors will feel better about themselves after seeing all the dishes in my sink :)

By y'all

Wednesdays

When I was growing up, specifically in high school, Wednesdays were always my busy day. They were hectic and I was always running from here to there. Wednesday was our long day at school. We had a weird schedule and Wednesday's just happened to be the long day. From school I went straight to symphony practice at another high school which lasted until 5:30 or 6. By the time I got home from symphony practice it was usually dark. I would hurry and chow down some dinner and then head to the church for mutual. By the time mutual ended at 8:30 and I got home it was 9 and I still had homework to do, which sometimes kept me up until 10 or 11. I did not like Wednesdays!

So now that I have my own children we are falling into the same pattern. It seems like on Wednesdays, the busy day, that the kids have extra homework or they have a hard time paying attention to finish their homework and chores. For example, tonight we have an activity days recognition night that we have to do a display for as well as bring dessert for. Oh, and we have to wear Sunday dress (not a big deal, but it just means one more thing for me to get the kids to do - change into a skirt or dress). Jacob has cub-scouts which means I also have to get him to change, but not too soon before scouts because he will get dinner all over his uniform. Dusty is also teaching an architecture lesson to the Webelos tonight. So we are busy!!

And I have struggled to get them to finish their work and focus. Alexis is mad at me because she won't have any free time before we go to the church. But that really isn't my fault since she is the one who decided not to do her reading yesterday and has to do extra today. And I am feeling grumpy and am nipping at my kids. I have got to turn this around before I head to the church!

I don't want to dread Wednesdays but how can I make them go smoother? The only thing I can think of is to pray. Or I guess I could just quit going to all of the activities (just kidding).