Function vs Beauty

A home with a special needs child takes on a completely different form/function than a home that doesn't have a child like Levi. It's all about safety, easy access, and easy clean up!

The furniture yanked out of the bedroom and stored all over the rest of the house.

Not a pretty floor. Makes the bright used to be cute green walls look very out of place. Should I repaint? Naw! The bright green is good camo for the booger art next to the bed.....

A vinyl bedroom floor. I don't think Martha Stewart will be calling me anytime soon.

Little Cotton Rabbits Easter Surprise

A package arrives all the way from the UK. It has a pretty label. What could possibly be inside?

A card, with a sweet note.

Christmas at Easter time! Very fitting. Happy wrapped packages.

Two packages for me.. (not pictured and I don't know why... cuz I'm lame, that's why).... a package for The Native's.

A package for my dear friend Kristen...

Frannie! This sweet little foxes name is Frannie!

Kristen got a little foxy loxy too! Showing off her panties. And Kristen says I'm a bit out of the barnish! I didn't flash my foxies panties.... just sayin....

The other packages I put in our Easter baskets and waited to open them. When we opened the tissue paper The Native's found bunny chocolate from the UK that tastes like chocolate should! And I found these cwute wittle hedge hogs!!

You need to go to Little Cotton Rabbits blog. The little animals she knits are unbelievable. Not only in how cute they are but down to every little detail. Perfection. Her finish work..... I envy.

That isn't the only reason to visit her blog though. Just getting to know Miss J is like sitting in your yard on a spring day, with warm sunshine on your back, sipping some sort of a pleasant drink, eating cookies, and having a pleasant conversation with a dear friend. Truly.

Sneak Peak

Whilst I am busy upstairs laying new floor in Levi's room...getting all sticky and covered in horrendous glue.....

The handsome, dashing, Mr. B

Here's a sneak peek at some prom photos.

Mr. B and his beautiful date Miss C.

The goofy yet beautiful youth who spent part of their evening in my home.




Makes me wanna be asked and dress up for prom!  I'd have to lose a few pounds first though which means I'll have to quit snitching The Native's Easter candy.......  never mind.  I don't need to go to prom.

When The Fairy Dust Wears Off.......

Dear Momma,

I know you told me there would be days like these....... I just didn't know there'd be so many in a row followed after nights like these...... 

Love,
Rachel

Friday night the egg dying began. The Easter bunny comes on Saturday at our house. Makes it so Sunday we can focus on the resurrection and spiritual aspects of the day.

Egg dying was always magical to me as a child. If I put my egg in for x amount of minutes..... how much darker can I get it?

I'd really wanted to try different ways of dying eggs this year. I'd seen a blog that showed you how to wrap your eggs in old silk ties and it left the dye from the tie on your egg. Pretty cool looking. Natural dyes. I'd wanted to try those this year too but, The SM had been out of town at the beginning of the week and I had sick little ones..... it just wasn't meant to be.

The one tradition I am NOT allowed to let slip is the egg bread. The braided bread that is full of colored Easter eggs. Like a colorful wreath. My adopted son from down the street dyed those eggs for me. How I managed to not get photos of the older Native's dying eggs is beyond me.... Might have something to do with spending hours and hours sewing an Easter skirt for Henny Penny that I didn't finish until late that night anticipating how cute she'd look at church the following day.

With The Native's all snuggled in bed, the Easter bunny was able to come and fill baskets to brimming with little treats and goodies and eggs that had been dyed such vibrant colors by The Native's were hidden through out the house.

The next morning, Saturday, I came downstairs. I saw something suspicious on the carpet. I moaned. Oh nooooo! I found more, and more. Egg shells and remnants of eggs that had been.....

The dogs. They'd not been tied up when the little Native's got up and they had gone to town. I was so mad at them! The three younger Native's had few eggs to find. The dogs had found and eaten most of them.

Knowing full well what would follow, I tied up the dogs not wanting to clean up any messes!

All day they stayed tied. That night, thinking if any eruptions were going to occur, they'd be over with by then, I let the dogs sleep with The Native's as they always do. Especially Levi's dog. It is important that Levi's dog be with him.

Sunday morning. Easter morning. I arose and came downstairs and started the Easter bread. I knew The Native's would love having the warm bread for breakfast. As I started to mix the ingredients, the dogs were let out of bedrooms and brought down stairs to be fed and taken out. They were acting strange. I started to investigate and was horrified at what I found.

Hours it took me to clean up the mess. I tried to keep the spirit of Easter. I was frustrated. The bread didn't get done in time. I tried to control my temper. It was Easter, we'd been building all week up to this point in our family each day making Passover week special. I lost it. I swore. Then I got mad at myself for swearing. I tried to calm down. I continued to clean up the mess. I yelled, I slammed a door, my feelings inside were raging.

I fell to my knees and poured out my heart to my Father. I didn't want that day to be as it had. I'd worked so hard all week building up to a day that I wanted to be a spiritual feast and I had driven the spirit out of our home because of my anger and temper. I wanted those feelings to go away.

Henny Penny was sick. The skirt I'd made.... she couldn't wear....

I went to church worn out.

The music started. The first hymn sung. My spirit started to relax. The meeting progressed and the choir sang hymns that were a balm to my soul. We came home and ate the Easter bread.  The Native's didn't care that they had it for lunch instead of breakfast. They dove into their baskets.

A metaphor perhaps? Life has lots of dog puke and doo doo in it, but thanks to the Savior's atoning sacrifice for us, He cleans it all up and makes it better.

Not a pretty spiritual Easter metaphor but one I learned yesterday. Even on crummy days like yesterday, He can make it better.

This message brought to you from the barn. This is Rachel speaking. Over and out!

Magic

I have always felt that children are forced to grow up too fast.  Childhood is such a short period of time and then the heavy responsibilities of adulthood weigh heavily for the majority of our lives.  This is one of the reasons that I have home schooled The Native's when possible.  I want my children to be children for as long as possible.

I am reading a biography right now about a WWII POW.  He was taken by the Japanese and at such a young age, went through and survived.  A time when a lot of young men would be considered in the prime of their lives, their twenties, was gone.  Child hood snatched cruelly from so many lives.  War and hard times will do that.

As we have celebrated Passover week and Easter weekend, I'm sure I come across as ridiculous putting together Easter baskets for the older Native's and as I sit here and watch them look for eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny I smile and enjoy that even though they know the truth, it is still a magical moment in their lives that they look forward to.  Allowing them to be children.

I know that in a year and a half, my oldest will be leaving the nest.  My oldest who has already had a lot of responsibility placed on his shoulders from a very young age.  Call me silly, but I enjoy giving him and the other Native's some childhood magic because I know that when the first leaves, the second will be perched ready to leave and then the next, and then the next........... and I will be left with The SM and God willing, Levi.

When that happens.........  watch out because I better have grand babies by then that will need some magic!

In The Meantime........

While my computer is still broken and I am borrowing another.......The SM is in Texas and so hasn't had time to fix my computer......... Kristen has thankfully written up a lovely post (no surprise there) about the pre prom goings on.  You can read all about it here and see photos she took of the event. 

I promise!  As soon as I get my computer fixed I will be posting photos of the lovely ladies in their finery.

Until then, I am up for two nights and two days now with a crying squirming little one with a tummy ache.  Even if my computer was working, I'm too busy holding him as he moans and twists and squirms trying to get his tummy to feel better.  I feel like I'm back to the typing with one hand while nursing days.  So, with that said, I bid you adieu........

Dear Momma

Dear Momma,

You've been calling and I've not been answering my phone so I know you are coming up with all sorts of horrible  imaginations as to the state of my well being.  I'm fine Momma.  It was a busy weekend.

My computer broke so I can't upload any photos to show you the shenanigans that went on here but I assure you, when I do, you will be inundated with them.

I know you are worried.  Last week was hard.  The Native's were home on spring break.  I had all sorts of plans but spent the time on the couch.  Monday and Tuesday I was unstable.  Felt like if I sneezed I'd go into a fit of seizures so I just did what I do best and kept the couch from sneaking across the floor. 

You'll be proud of me.  Wednesday I woke up and it was the first day I didn't feel unstable.  When The SM called at lunch and I told him that, he said, "Let me guess, you're out killing yourself working in the yard then."  For once, I didn't.  I stayed on that horrid old couch and continued to rest.  I wanted to put all my energy into Saturday.  You remembered didn't you?  Mr. B had prom on Saturday?  Yeah.  Mr. B, his date and four other couples came to the house for prom dinner.

Anyway, I rested on Wed.  On Thursday, Kristen and Charlotte drove me around to go grocery shopping and to get some more decorations to add to last years stash.  By the time I got home, I was unstable again.  Now that just irritates me something else.  You can take a lot away from me but if I have to give up shopping too...... well, that just might break this camel's back!

So, I rested some more.  Friday, I again rested.  I needed to go to Cost-Co to pick up a few last minute items and Mr. B's tux at the tux store.  Laws he looked smashing.  You'd have been drooly proud of your grandson.  Looked like a million bucks!

The camel's back 'bout broke.  Came home and dropped dead on the couch again.  Oh Cost-Co...... how could you be too much for me???  I have to say, I was a might discouraged at that point.  How was I to put on prom dinner for Mr. B and all his fancies the next day?

I'll tell you how.  I woke up on Saturday and I said a prayer.  I asked Heavenly Father to help me.  I told Him I wanted to do this for Mr. B real bad and would He help me.   I got up and studied my scriptures for a bit and then I went to work.  The Native's and The SM pitched in and we flew all day like sixty.  I kept going like I'd never been sick in my life!

Kristen and Charlotte came a few hours before the guests and helped me decorate, cook, and do dishes. 

The guests arrived....... they looked like a fairy tale.  It was wonderful.  I served them and then I went and sat on my old beat up can't live without me couch and I marveled.  I'd had a great day.  The guests left after much thanking and telling me how wonderful the food was and how the boys wanted to marry in my family so they could eat my cooking.

Time to clean up.  The SM helped me and I fell into bed awhile later while The SM waited up for prince charming.

Yesterday, Sunday I awoke and felt like I had before Saturday.  Now, some might look at this and say I'd over done it but here's what I think Momma.  I think, that God heard my prayer and answered it in a big way.  That is what I think.  I'd had a hard go of it the previous Saturday with my shake rattlin' and rollin' and that takes a lot out of me.  All week I'd been going through the usual recovery process.  Heavenly Father gave me a gift.  He gave me Saturday so I could do something for my Mr. B.  He knew me putting on prom dinner was important so He gave me that day. 

I thought about that all day yesterday.  I tried to go to church but ended up coming home part way when I felt the shake rattle and rollin' starting to want to rear it's ugly head again. 

There's lots of ugliness in this world of ours Momma but I know one thing.  God hears and answers our prayers.  Nothing ugly about that.

Now stop your worryin' Momma.  I'm doing just fine. 

Love,
Rachel