Ch-ch-changes!

It's been a really busy month. Still busy, but here I am typing anyway.

When we bought our house, the bonus room was unfinished. Meaning everything was roughed in, and the drywall taped and textured. The builder did a cruddy job on that so when we first moved in, we had someone re-texture. Then we put the laminate flooring down, and painted. And that's all we had done for the last 3 years (other than putting every random box of stuff and piece of furniture without a home upstairs, rendering the floor unwalkable). . . until this month.

My nephew Chaz is a very talented finish carpenter. The construction business has been slow, so we had him come over and give is a bid for finishing everything up. The price was right and we went for it. Now our unfinished room is finished: awesome closets, lovely closet doors (yay!), and trim. He also built some shelves in the music room closet. We're pretty excited about the whole thing. More storage! And our house basically just grew by 300 sq feet or so, since we have this whole room to use!

It's meant lots of painting. (Note to self- in the future, paint baseboards BEFORE putting them up). Lots of moving things around. Lots of sorting. There's still MUCH to do. But hopefully by the end of this week, our bonus room will have a nice family office area on one side, and a sitting/movie watching/game-playing area on the other. Did I mention how much I love the closets? Three cheers for organization!

In other news, I (Jen) went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago. I knew the news would be bad, but it was worse than I thought. I've gained a lot of weight in the last 4 months. My energy has been nonexistent. Lots of other stuff too. . . but it was a good wakeup call. I need to care for my body and get my health in order so I can be here for my family for a good long time. I joined Weight Watchers, which I really like so far, and in the last week or so I've lost about 7 pounds. I also found out I have hypothyroidism and probably have had for a long time. Starting meds for that and some other things. I'm going to get my healthy, happy, energetic, motivated self back. I'm excited!

Matt's job is stable so far. Piano has slowed down quite a lot for me - that's one of the first extras people will cut out in hard times - but we're doing fine, and I'm kind of okay with it. Abby is doing great at school. All of them are growing and thriving. We have a sweet, happy little family. We're so blessed!

Definitive word from an Authority

I read this today, and it made me think about the way that women bicker and fight and judge and criticize one another to feel better about what they're doing. . . it's not the Lord's way. Just because I do one thing and it's right for my family doesn't mean it's right for yours. And me not doing it your way doesn't make you a better mother than I am. We just need to STOP focusing so much on how other people run their families, and look more at how we can improve our own. Anyway, he says it best:

"Each Motherhood Situation Unique
Posted: 18 Dec 2008 01:00 AM CST"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be 'full-time moms,' at least during the most formative years of their children's lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 108 "

Happy New Year!

We had a great time celebrating the new year last night at the Blackwoods' house. There were 5 families squeezed into the house, but it was just cozy and fun! The kids played together well. For the most part, the women were in the kitchen gabbing (or as my dad would say, having a hen party) and the men were in the family room playing Wii. Ah, the natural order of things.

We're a bunch of wimps though, and all of us gave up and went home by 11:15.

We really, really love this ward and the friends we've made here.

2008 was eventful, to say the least. It will be very interesting to see what 2009 has in store for our family, our ward, the country, the world. . . it seems like so much is in upheaval right now, especially the economy. Our greatest prayer (other than of course the health and well-being of our family) is that Matt's job remains stable, and the jobs of our loved ones.

I do have to say that I love this time. A chance to evaluate where we are, and where we were a year ago. To think about where we want to go over the next year. I know goals can be made any time, but I like the tradition of starting the year anew with a plan. That's what I'm thinking about today; making lists in my head and thinking of each facet of life, what can be done away with, what needs more attention, what needs tweaked. . .It's a hopeful feeling.

None of us are victims or prisoners of our past; we never have to just accept things as they are. With planning, work, determination, and a lot of prayer, we can grow into who we want to be.

Here's to a year of growth and positive changes!