Motherhood.

I have deep gratitude and love for all the mothers in my life...

...and these precious mothers-to-be.

Feeling truly blessed.
Happy Mother's Day!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Accomplishment.

I thought I would do a quick update in between all the productive stuff I've been doing around here.

(Actually, Bill just walked in. He wasn't supposed to be home between work and church meetings tonight, but he forgot his big ginormous man-bag full of church stuff that is required at all church meetings. I'm sure he's wondering what the heck I've been up to today, as the house is in the exact same order as when he departed this morning around 7:30. Um... I worked out with a friend -- I'm trying to trim down, you know --, spent a little time working on a video for the upcoming grad Open House, showered, talked on the phone with my mom, lunched with another friend -- I apparently have many friends today -- then came home to be productive, and was, somewhat, before Pinterest drew me in as I browsed for tips and tricks on my next unusually grand idea, which I cannot share because it will someday be a big surprise for somebody -- who actually would NOT be reading this because those somebodies aren't technically "here," but let's just say it's a big project for a grandma. So big and unusually grand that I don't want to jinx it by sharing, and have pinned all the good tips and tricks to my secret board. It will be at least a year in the making, but will hopefully be an unusually grand Grandma Syddall tradition. I have a lot on my mind, so productivity is somewhat limited. So, Bill -- who really NEVER asks me what I've done all day because the house is untidy -- my brain's been working overtime. I deserve time-and-a-half. Wink.)

Back to what I was going to quickly post.
(I sent Bill on his way with a water bottle and a packet of Ritz crackers. Remember - he wasn't supposed to be home tonight = no planned and well-timed dinner.)

The final presentation of Guys and Dolls came and went.
I arrived two hours early in hopes of acquiring a front row seat for Bill, Shi and myself, but instead ended up on the second row behind a row of large women. Bummer. After reserving our seats, I helped with slick-backs, curls, and updos. It's the least I could do since I WAS already there.

Here are a few shots from our almost great seats:

Mrs. A

Mr. Rivet


This past Sunday Shi received this:

Great accomplishments, girlies!
So proud of you.

I'd better go accomplish something.

Anticipation.

Yesterday was Opening Night of Mar's musical.

Shi had to work and Bill had meetings, so I attended by myself.

Mar had sweetly reserved me a front row seat. Nice.

I anticipated something fun, but was seriously blown away by the great job these middle school kids did.

I only have a few phone pictures because I grabbed a camera without a battery before heading out the door. Duh. Sometimes I wonder where my brain is, as I had just removed the battery from that particular camera within 30 minutes of leaving and plugged it into a charger. The two (2) other point-and-shoots in our collection had freshly charged and replaced batteries from earlier in the day in anticipation of such a time as this (Opening Night). I may not get that front row seat again.

The costumes were amazing. Adelaide and Nathan were superb. Mar was awesome in the ensemble.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tonight Bill and I are helping backstage so won't see much of the show, but all of us will go to the final performance on Saturday afternoon.

I have been trying to accomplish small tasks in anticipation of Shi's graduation,
like finally changing out this picture:

As I've probably mentioned before, I anticipate replacing Mar's picture BEFORE she's a senior.
I hope to have Austin, our resident family photographer, capture some shots sometime in the near future. It would be so nice if he and Britt lived closer, but I anticipate seeing them quite frequently this coming year.

Britt had a Dr. appointment and ultrasound yesterday (she's been measuring small, just like her mamita), and found that
1) the baby is finally head down and ready to move on out when the time comes
2) weight-wise the baby is right on target
3) she's 1.5 cm dilated and 80% effaced
("whatever that means" she texted... THAT MEANS YOU'RE CLOSE, GIRL! I always dilated early, but my cervix didn't get that thin until I was close to delivery.)

The anticipation is killing me.

I've been a bit edgey lately (of course I'll blame hormones + timing-that's-out-of-my-control + anticipation anxiety). I hope the stars will align and all these exciting upcoming events will be perfectly timed. However, should the timing be a bit off, I am working towards being so put together it will all flow smoothly regardless.
Which is causing a lot of little anxiety.

In anticipation, I have moved many of my YW responsibilities to the next week or so since I can't commit to anything beyond that for the rest of the month. That sounds nice and efficient, but it has caused a bit of a traffic jam of responsibilities:

* a quilt that needs to be pieced and ready to tie by next week *
* a lesson that needs to be prepared by this Sunday (found out late yesterday I was teaching it) *
* bindings for five (5) quilts *
* a camp cook meeting today (have I mentioned I was asked to be a cook for our Stake Girls Camp?) + possible assignments *

Then there's Graduation preparations:

* Announcements/Invites addressed and mailed *
(Shi will address, but I need to round up the addresses)
* House clean and organized for company + an Open House *
(both sets of grandparents are coming!)
* Banners and decorations *
* Yard beautified *
* Food planned and prepared *

And my first grandbaby could arrive at any time.
When I get notice that she's on her way, I will most likely drop everything and drive like a crazy woman to be there.
May 23rd would be ideal, giving me time to stay through that weekend.
Do you think you can swing that, Britt? (wink)

Breathing deep,

Compensation.

LHS's Prom was Friday.

Shilo did not attend.

All of her friends had dates, and she didn't want to be the only one going without one.

It breaks a mother's heart. 

A tear or two may have been shed as I perused the beautiful pictures of some of Shi's friends on FB.

I love these thoughts by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:

"Yet like everyone else, I have had times in my life when it seemed that the heaviness of my heart might be greater than I could bear. During those times I think back to those tender days of my youth when great sorrows came at the losing end of a football game (or by not going to Prom).

"How little I knew then of what awaited me in later years. But whenever my steps led through seasons of sadness and sorrow, my mother's words often came back to me: 'Come what may, and love it.'

"How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can't - at least not in the moment. I don't think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don't think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life."

Shilo has had a great attitude. I have not seen her be upset, cry, or act depressed.

Instead, on Friday, she worked as my assistant doing Prom hair for others.

She totally rocked the job and saved my bacon. And made a little bacon in the process.

"Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others."

That evening we headed to the mall to return her dress, shop for her graduation gift, and eat pizza (we tried a new place, The Mellow Mushroom - no fear of running into Prom crowds there, but oh-so-yummy, and a nice waiter with chops sideburns to boot).

We applied the money for the dress to the MacBookPro she wanted for graduation, and with her student discount ($200 from Apple, btw, if you have your college acceptance letter) and mine and Bill's pre-determined budget amount, she came out pretty even-Steven. Win!

"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude."

I have seen Shilo continuously look for the bright side, come what may.

I wouldn't have wanted her to go to Prom with just any boy - there are some pretty yucky ones out there (yucky meaning having very different standards.)

I loved spending a Friday night as a family.

Shilo would love to get her hands on that laptop right NOW, but she has to wait for graduation.

Ahhhh, patience.

"Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is the ability to do God's will and accept His timing. When you are patient, you hold up under pressure and are able to face adversity calmly and hopefully. Patience is related to hope and faith - you must wait for the Lord's promised blessings to be fulfilled." (Preach My Gospel, p. 120)

Today is a rainy day AND a Sunday. I love both.

Ambition.

am·bi·tion 

/amˈbiSHən/

noun; a strong desire to do or to achieve something,
typically requiring determination and hard work.

This past Tuesday we tied another quilt for one of our graduating YW, McKenna.

Mckenna purchased the fabric, then cut, sewed, and pieced this little baby together for a Value Project over the second week of Spring Break while pretty much working full time that week. That meant that she was at my house at 7:30 until 10am Tues, Thurs, and Friday mornings, then headed directly to work. That girl is ambitious.

I've decided that it was a pretty ambitious project to get these quilts done prior to graduation.
Of the two graduating YW left, one did her quilt on her own and has it ready to tie, the other still needs to purchase her fabric, then I will cut, piece, and get it ready to go in the next two weeks. And I still need to get the three we've tied ready for the girls to do the hand-stitching part of the binding. My goal is to have all the quilts completed, binding and all, by graduation.
Ambitious, I know.

Mar headed to school today in this:

Nice burry front-shot picture - I honestly took about 6 (phone camera), and that one was the best of the bunch. Of course the picture of the BACK turned out the best of all.
Showtime is almost here!
Hallelujah.
Mar was bummed to miss out on Take Your Child to Work Day because it's blackout week for the play and attendance is mandatory. Bill's working in Colorado Springs today, so there was no way he could have had her back in time for practice.


Our family spent last night helping some new neighbors work on their house. The house was a short sale and needs a lot o' TLC, so they haven't moved in quite yet, but they have been working all-day-every-day on getting it ready. They were in our ward before the split a few years back, and we are super excited to have them in our culdesac. With all the kids that have moved in over the past few months, the culdesac is booming with action on every good-weathered day.
Just like old times. 

Bill, Shi, Mar and I painted their laundry room, start to finish, including the ceiling. I kind of feel like we are pretty much paint pros with all the painting we've done over the past few years.
It was an am•bi•tious project since we didn't even start until 8pm, but Shi and Mar were troopers and moved the work along. It was lovely to spend the evening in such close quarters with our fam, listening to tunes and chatting it up.

With all the house makeover stuff going on across the street and to the backside of us (we had another family in our ward purchase a home in the culdesac to the southwest of us and they are working on a makeover, too), I am feeling the bug.
Since my needs are great and my budget small, I'm not thinking BIG.
Something do-able, budget-friendly, but impactful.

I've decided our first project will be to paint the kitchen cabinets.
(After I finish painting Shilo's bathroom and door... the remains of our last big project due to a flooding toilet, and not before all the big approaching events like grandparenthood and graduation.)

I have a large kitchen with many, many cabinets.
They are the cheapest wood cabinets available. Natural oak, no raised panels, plain trim.
To replace them would cost mucho dinero, so painting is the perfect option.

And I'm not thinking white. 

Here are some of my Pinteresting ideas:

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(This green is too dark, and I obviously wouldn't do the floor-to-ceiling color... but I'm really drawn to blues and greens. I think a shade of green would go the best in my house. I hope to eventually subway tile the backsplash, probably in white, and someday get a dark-ish countertop to replace our tired tile.)

So... what do you think?

A Lovely Easter.

I tried my hand at something new... bunny shaped orange rolls.

Yeah, they were good. 

So good I ate four (I had been doing pretty good on that diet thing until then).

 We made up some plates to share with friends, and kept the rejects for ourselves.

These are the not-so-bunny-ish rolls (the rejects):

I also wanted to try a new coconut cupcake recipe. Coconut screams Easter, don't you think?

They, too, were tasty, although I felt that they could have been more coconutty.

(Yes, I've had one - or two - of those as well.)

Saturday evening we colored eggs.

And made a big ol' mess.

 I saw this ingenious idea on Pinterest... using a large muffin tin vs. a million cups or bowls. The eggs weren't entirely submerged, but it was nothing a little egg rotating couldn't fix.

The girls concurred that it was brilliant.

Shi, Mar and I snapped some pictures after church on Sunday.

We went in the house to discover that Bill had come home while we were outside, so we snapped a couple pictures with him (he had already changed into jeans and we thought it might be cruel to require he change back into his suit).

Then we had a celebratory dinner.

Mar made the festive napkins.

We had the oh-so-traditional ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, asparagus, salad, and good old-fashioned jello with homemade whipped cream (we also had the do-you-know-what-they-make-jello-from? conversation at dinner). No carrot soup or fancy food this year.

Note: I started my diet again today... sort of. 

I've had a few peeps and jelly beans. Tomorrow I will try a little harder to be a little better.

 That is a big table for such a small crowd.

Mar demonstrated how her bunny napkins could also make awesome holiday party hats.

It was a lovely day spent with lovely people
pondering lovely teachings and singing lovely songs
about the One who showed the greatest love of all.
Love that.

Because of Him

We've watched this more than a few times here at our house... love it.

Happy Easter!