2 posts in one day!!

Afton's owl quilt arrived today! Nate's mom made this, by hand! for her. Enjoy.

Easter Pictures

I see the snow outside this morning and it makes me happy that I already did the kids Easter photos! Sunday was so sunny and warm! What happened?

Holi 2010

A few pictures from Holi.
Celebrated at the Hare Krishna Lotus Temple, Sp. Fork, Utah 2010

The Lotus Temple and early crowd.

On the way, not a spot of color...


On the way home, it is all over!

Some of the henna work I did just for the occasion.

Me and My BFF Mandy!

Belly Dance Performance!

Here is the video from last night! Sadly, my camera corrupted all the picture files! :(

Close to Home

"If you don't have a home, you can buy one there!"

So with Nate applying to grad schools, I've been looking into each possible city to help us decide which would be best for our family. Checking on rental properties, public schools, crime rate, etc. I've also looked into things that can be familiar to the kids to help settle them in. Luckily, each of the cities have IKEA.....my children love IKEA. Seriously, they ask to go there all the time!
Another familiar place: Sunflower Farmers Market, not every city, but there is a location in Tempe, AZ which is a prospect and I lean closer to moving there everyday! Nate will be flying down on April 9 to visit ASU, they asked him to be in their PhD program! Woot woot!

Another way to help the kids settle, we've decided on applying to adopt a retired Greyhound. We've looked into it a lot, it is a myth you have to have a big yard BTW. They do great in apartments and condos as long as you walk them for 10 min a day and let them run once or twice a week. They are such gentle dogs! They don't bark, they come potty trained, they like to snuggle, they don't shed much, they have very few health concerns, they are already spayed/neutered, and so on.
I've wanted a dog for a long time! The dog I really want weighs about 160 lbs, that is 100 lbs over the weight limit of the apartments I've looked into. (I really want a Newfoundland.) So anyway, adopting one would save a retired racer from a sad ending. Many are "destroyed".

I'm sure once we decides which school to go to, it will be much easier to plan on the move. I'm really liking the sound of Tempe right now, not really feeling the Orlando. He still has to hear back from Rice in Houston, that is his first pick if he gets in. Oh the heartburn and nerves!

If you haven't seen/heard this yet, now you have:
The IKEA Song

Monday night is curry night!

Patak's is my secret weapon.

Throw some rice in the rice cooker, brown some cut up chicken, simmer in Pataks= Awesome.
I also like Tasty Bites Punjab Eggplant, already to be heated up and served. It is amazing!
My kids love this meal! I change out which curry sauce to use each week. We never get sick of it!

This is really the only night I "cheat" with dinner. It isn't exactly from scratch-I -made-it-myself. But it sure is yummy!!!

But I don't want to clean!

I have been so lazy the last couple days! I woke up this morning, looked around, and

was shocked at the state of my house! Wow!

Laundry (dirty and clean) seems to be everywhere, toys scattered in every room......
I should be cleaning, not blogging. oops! I woke up with the symptoms of an UTI and really, I don't want to move around. I think I'll delay cleaning. BUT MY GUILT WILL EAT ME ALIVE!
I've got a great system for days when the chores seem overwhelming. A timer. I spend 15 minutes in each room, you'd be amazed how much you can get done! In just 1 hour 45 minutes, a big difference! Now if I can just get my lazy butt up and actually do it....(I still haven't showered or dressed, but I did put on deodorant!) I really just want to curl up with my book (Inkheart) and ignore the world today. {sigh} Oh well! Mommies don't get sick days!

I love my van!

This is what my new van looks like!
Remember what I thought of the old van?

Ok, So I'm still in a mini-van, not the Tahoe I dream of, but oh well! At least it is better than the money pit I was driving. Such an improvement! My husband loves me. :)

Will it ever end?

A light at the end of the tunnel.

School, heartache, money problems, pain, and so on.
It is only temporary.

And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murders, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
-Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-8

One of my dearest friends pointed me to that scripture years ago while I was going through my divorce. It helped renew my outlook on life. That same dear friend is going through a horrible trial right now. Just 4 weeks ago, they went to find out the gender of their new baby. A girl! It wasn't the only thing they found out. Their little angel had Turners Syndrome, and would not live. 2 days ago, her tiny heart stopped. Today, his wife will deliver her stillborn. A broken body. An empty body.

This is the second friend that has lost an unborn child in the last month! My heartaches every time I look at my own perfect baby girl. The most amazing thing about these two families: their faith. They KNOW the plan of salvation to be true. They KNOW they will hold their daughters and raise them. They KNOW our Heavenly Father is a god of love. They brought two angels to the world that needed to depart swiftly. How blessed they have been! How honored! It is an unimaginable pain for me to even think about and I am in awe at their strength.

Mail came today. Nate's graduation acceptance came today. Tears of joy! There is an end! After the struggles, the sacrifice, the lack of sleep. In just a little over the month my husband will be walking at BYU and accepting his diploma! He has managed to maintain an awesome GPA, secure scholarships, support his family of 6! He has worked so hard for this! There were people who said it couldn't be done. He'd have to drop out and work. He proved them wrong, he stayed in school. I don't know what the future holds for us. He wants to continue on to his masters right away and it will take us outside of Utah. He got his first "rejection". It was the school I wanted him to go to, University of Massachusetts. I wanted to live near Katy and Mom. My heart broke when they told him "DENIED". He was only turned away due to a professor not turning something in on time. Oh the anger I felt!

This has been a tough week. So many mixed emotions, so many tears. I find peace at little moments: Afton smiling and cooing at 4 am. Raedin's unexpected hugs and kisses. Evelynn's melodious giggle. Taylor's infectious smile.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We get closer every day.