A Simple Celebration + Inspiration.

We celebrated Bill's 49th simply.

A cake.

 I tried a new recipe from Pinterest for the icing... Dulce de Leche, homemade by cooking sweetened condensed milk for two hours in the oven...  It was supposed to be much runnier and much more beautiful. It was okay. I won't be making it again, and have since sent the pin the way of all unfulfilled Pinterest dreams. It was a good, honest effort, and it's the thought that counts, right?

Homemade ice cream.

Pizza.

 I was tempted to purchase the big stuffed-meat-pizza from Papa Murphy's that Bill loves, but opted for a simpler, healthier version made at home with ingredients on hand.

Bill arrived home for the evening a little before 9pm.

We snapped a pic of him at his exact time of birth.

We lit 49 candles and sang Happy Birthday.

Then he blew those candles out.

We ate cake and ice cream.

Perhaps Bill was a little disappointed in the simpleness of our celebration.

For memory's sake, I have to make mention that he asked several times if we should call the Weeds and invite them over for cake.

My response (both times), was no.

It was 9:30 pm.

The kitchen was a disaster.

I was a disaster (why I'm a no-show in the pics).

It had been a long, full day-between-two-work-days, and I had spent it trying to make progress on wedding centerpieces (mainly a full-day fail, with a final few moments of success), running to the bank to transfer $ to a child in need (in sweatpants and a baseball cap), compiling a quick birthday post on the blog, baking a cake (+ Dulce de Leche... for two hours), driving the school carpool, and driving my lone child to and from her youth activity. I kept thinking of my most-often-quoted-to-myself line from Snow White: "But you don't know what I've been through."  I was pleased with the results of my efforts, however meager they may have seemed. It felt like a widow's mite - all that I had.

I made promises of a big celebration next year.

This is helping me today:

(source)

I especially appreciate the the line, "...decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for [you]..."

I love Sister Hinckley. She was a wise lady.

I listened to this talk this week. I love the counsel we can receive from living prophets. I love that it's so accessible. I feel blessed to live at a time when more is immediately accessible than ever before (talked about this with my Sunday School class on Sunday). I felt prompted to talk with Bill about how we deal with the stress of everyday life by sharing with him this thought from Elder Perry:

"On days when the stresses and anxieties of our tumultuous life were about to get the best of us, my wife and I found a way to relieve them. We drove to a place just a few miles from our home to get away for a few moments of relief from our troubles, talk, and give emotional comfort to each other." Elder Perry goes on to say how it was a special place where they could "pause, reflect, and heal." 

I need this!

I've yet to find the right moment to share this recent inspiration (probably part of our problem - no moments not encompassed by exhaustion), but I'm determined that we find a "place," and that we utilize it in like manner. I think I'll make the discussion, and locating our "place," a date-night priority.

This has helped me a bunch this week, too:

Doin' it.