Sunday Selections

This year, our ward music chairperson is having families choose the Sacrament Meeting hymns. I can't wait until it's our turn, although I really need a whole month.  Today, while I was sitting in the car for an hour and a half while Grace slept, I spent some time thumbing through the hymn book trying to decide what I would choose. I have two Sundays planned out.

Week 1:  Opening:  Praise the Lord With Heart and Voice
               Sacrament:  How Great the Wisdom and the Love
               Rest:  Hope of Israel
               Closing:  Sabbath Day


Week 2:  Opening:  Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning
               Sacrament:  'Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love (long version)
               Rest:  Hark, All Ye  Nations
               Closing:  Children of Our Heavenly Father



Your turn:  Tell me what songs you would choose if you were in charge of Sacrament Meeting for a day.

Unrelated, but cute photo

What We're Reading

Preston: Cougarboard, American Realist Literature

Emily: On Agate Hill - I bummed it off Janet's bookshelf back in September and I've enjoyed it.

Lauren: Owl Diaries Series; Princess in Black Series - These are perfect for her because the chapters are short and they have pictures so it keeps her attention.

Andrew: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole; Should I Share My Ice Cream?; and unfortunately, Curious George's 5-Minute Stories

Grace: Animals; I Love You Through and Through

Have you read anything life changing lately?  I can always use a good recommendation.

How I Would Spend $700 Million

If you weren't aware, the Powerball jackpot is up to 700 million dollars. Preston texted me earlier today saying he was tempted to buy a ticket, which led me to wonder how I would spend $700,000,000. I know it's not a productive use of my time, but it gave me something to think about while I was picking up our completely trashed house this afternoon.  These are all assuming that Preston continues working and we continue to live in this area.

1. Pay off all our existing debt. It's not a small amount, but it is just a fraction of $700M.
2. Buy two new cars. Probably a truck for Preston and new minivan with all the bells and whistles for me.
3. Hire a contractor to undertake a home remodel. The first things that come to mind are extending off the back so Andrew can have a normal sized room, the girls' room and can be split in two, and we can add a shower to the bathroom up there with a separate entrance. Also, a complete kitchen remodel with an island where the table currently is and a dining area at the back. Also a remodel/enlargement of the downstairs bathroom, connecting the garage to the house, and putting in a high efficiency gas furnace and ductless air conditioning. Oh, and a radon mitigation system. Also, a deck off the back.
4. Buy a fancy grill and host a barbecue without asking anyone to bring anything.
5. Hire someone to come and clean for an hour every day.
6. Hire a landscaper to mow and do the mulch.
7. Set up college funds for each of the kids.
8. Buy a sleep number bed and a fancy pillow.
9. Hire an interior decorator to paint and add tasteful decorations that match our style (minimalist; classic).
10. I would continue to cook because I mostly enjoy it, but we would definitely eat out more and at fancier places (when eating out means Wendy's, it can only go up).
11. I guess I would need to hire a financial planner to invest most of this and plan for our future.
12. Buy every kitchen gadget I've ever wanted, including a Blendtec blender, a food processor, cookie and muffin scoops, a microplane zester, a spiralizer, and new knives. I would have plenty of storage and someone to wash them, so it wouldn't be a big deal.
13. Give you all $1,000 amazon gift cards for your birthdays.
14. Whenever one of you has a baby, I would buy all of your diapers.
15. Offer to host our next family reunion at Disneyworld.
16. Give the kids memberships to the Children's Museum, the Aquarium, the Science Museum, the Zoo for their birthdays or Christmas.
17. Travel abroad every other year.

I'm running out of ways to spend money, and I haven't even spent two of my 700 millions yet. I guess there are worse problems. What would you do with that much money?

Un-newsworthy News

Nothing very interesting has been happening around here, which why I had nothing to share for the C. Wm. Scoresby Family Chronicles. But here is some news that isn't really news for your reading pleasure.


- I fished a dead bug out of Grace's mouth this morning.

- Andrew's new frequently repeated phrase is "Then what?" It goes like this:
 
   Me: Pull up your pants.
   A: Then what?
   Me: Then flush the toilet and wash your hands.
   A: Then what?
   Me: Then you can go back to playing.
   A: Then what?
   Me: Then I don't care what you do.
   A: Why?

- Lauren and Andrew's newest game is called "Doggie School." From what I can tell, it consists of shutting yourself in the bathroom and running around yelling, "Parent pickup! Parent pickup!"

He still likes ice cream, but that's not news.

-Lauren took some pictures of the microwave microwaving.

She also talked Santa's ear off.

-I made some wheat, dairy, egg, soy, seafood, and peanut free muffins for Preston, and Lauren was kind enough to take a picture. These are chocolate banana muffins with chia seeds, coconut oil, and buckwheat flour. They're not bad, but I would never make them this way just for fun.

I caught Andrew mid-sneeze in this picture and I just think it's funny.

That's the "excitement" around here. What's happening at your house?

Grace at 7.5 months

Grace doesn't get very much attention on the blog; actually, the blog doesn't get much attention anymore, but it's Grace's fault. She continues to be the most difficult child of our three, although I would venture to guess that she still is not as difficult as some of yours were, not to mention any names...

Anyway, she is doing well and here are some pictures. She's officially the fattest of the three, but she wears it well.

Hanging out with her BFF.

She is getting really good at picking things up and getting them in her mouth, which is great in that it means I can just throw some puffs or soft food on her high chair tray to keep her occupied while I cook, but not great in that it means I have to step it up as far as cleaning the floors goes. She has already choked on pieces of leaf a couple of times. 

Pictures of Andrew Sleeping

Ace stopped taking regular naps a year ago because I didn't want to fight him every day. I probably should have fought through it and at least made him do some quiet time in his room. Heaven knows I could use some quiet time away from him now. He still falls asleep in the afternoons sometimes, though, and in some interesting positions.

Too tired to get dressed

You know you're tired when you fall asleep on the wood floor.

I should put him in time out more often.

He might exceed the height limit.

These two can't keep away from each other. They were so happy to be reunited in the same room when Grandpa came to visit.

Next post:  Pictures of Grace Not Sleeping

Quote

I finally started reading Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. At the rate I'm going, I might have it finished by the time we start studying church history in 2017. It's a little slow right now. But I did want to share a quote I liked from Asael Smith, Joseph's grandfather. I went ahead and modernized the spelling and punctuation.

Wherefore, my dear children, I pray, beseech, and adjure you by all the relations and dearness that hath ever been betwixt us, and by the heart rending pangs of a dying father, whose soul hath been ever bound in the bundle of life with yours, that you know one another, visit (as you may) each other, comfort, counsel, relieve, succor, help, and admonish one another, and while your mother lives, meet her (if possibly once every year). When she is dead, pitch on some other place; if it may be, your older brother's house; or if you cannot meet, send to and hear from each other yearly, and oftener if   you can, and when you have neither father nor mother left, be so many fathers and mothers to each other. So you shall understand the blessing mentioned in the 133 Psalm. 


I think this was Mom's greatest wish for us. It's hard to do, seeing as the six of us live in six different states, but about whom else can you say that your "soul hath been ever bound in the bundle of life with yours?" Fortunately, we have more technology and easier means of communication and travel than was available in Joseph's day, and I hope we use it as much as is practical for us.

By the way, I don't mean this as a thinly veiled attempt to guilt you all into visiting us here in Boston, although I would be thrilled if you did!