An Apple a Day...

Well, now that it's just about time to get out the Halloween decorations, I thought I would share a post about a wreath I made right around the time school started back up. Right about the time my life became not mine again. Right about the time I started having almost no time to blog. But I digress.

While walking the aisles at Wal Mart the other day, I noticed these beautiful, bright red, FAKE apples in the floral section. You know, the section you never walk down because you don't really need any fake daisies at the moment. I am happy to report there are treasures abounding in that aisle. Everything you see here came from that aisle. I bought a grapevine wreath, the red FAKE apples, four packages of yellow grass-looking stuff, and one package of green grass-looking stuff. I also bought floral wire and those wire pick things for the apples because I don't have them just laying around my house. (I know, what self-respecting crafter doesn't have that stuff just laying around the house?) I took them home and got out the trusty old hot glue gun and worked away. The best thing about this project was that I got to have an hour long conversation with a dear friend on the phone while I was doing it. How's that for multi tasking?

If I had really been thinking straight, I would have taken pictures of the step by step instructions for this kind of wreath. But I was too wrapped up in my conversation to be really thinking straight. So here's what I did, in non-photographed order:

1. Lay a small bunch of the yellow wheat-grass onto the wreath form and wire around with floral wire. The grass I used was very fine, so it would not stay on its own just with the wire. I put a little bit of hot glue on the grass and laid the next section of grass's ends on top of the hot glue and then wired it a little further up on the grass.

2. Continue all the way around the wreath, spreading out the grass a little bit as you go to make it look like a fan.

3. Take smaller sections of green wheat-grass and lay on top of the yellow sections, wiring and gluing all the way around the wreath.

4. Insert wire picks into the bottoms of the FAKE apples. Insert pick into the wreath form through the grass, and then hot glue the bottom of the apple to where you want it to hang on the wreath, just for extra stability. You can also add a little bit of glue to the end of the pick, but you really don't need it. Continue with all the apples all the way around the wreath.

5. Find a cute spool of ribbon in your craft room (I used light green gingham wired ribbon), thread it through the wreath, tie a big old bow at the top and artfully hang the ends of ribbon down. Trim the ends of the ribbon into a chevron, or inverted V. Hang it on your door for the PTA ladies to see when they come to your house.

This was actually a really fun project to do. I had always seen those Martha Stewart segments on her old show where she would make wreaths and do this stuff, and I never thought I had the time to do them. They do take time, but the avenue for creativity is open and you can come up with some amazingly darling things if you just take an hour and play around with some hot glue.

The Unfinished Product

So, prepare yourself. This is the blog post where Margo acts like a total and complete brat. There. I said it. So we had our house painted a few months ago, and it only cost half a million dollars. Then we had the windows replaced last month, which was about two million dollars. And those were two of the biggest jobs I thought I wanted done to make me finally have a long and torrid love affair with Grace Kelly. However, it has seemed to exacerbate our already shaky relationship. We just aren't jiving. The trim color we picked seemed great at the time, but once the windows were in, they all just seemed to clash with one another. I have thought about this for weeks, and let me tell you how annoying it is to think about something so material and bratty for so long. It's annoying. So today, my nice neighbor Mike took me on a little field trip to look at some of these darling cottages with beautiful paint jobs. And I think I've found the solution.

I'm going to pretend I don't have orange brick on my house and paint the trim a nice tan color. Not cream, that's too light. Not taupe, that's too much the same color as the stucco. A nice, middle of the road tan to balance out the stucco, brick, and window colors. The fact that I'm even having this conversation with myself is enough to make me move to Guatemala to live in a hut with dirt floors to make me appreciate what I do have, which is a house without a leaky roof but with a leaky basement, a house with a kitchen but not a pretty one, and a house with happy people inside but with one discontented mother. I am such a bad paint picker anyway, I have no idea why I thought I could pick paint for a huge, expensive, long-lasting project like this. It's the epitome of Marge Madness.

The Dodge Days of Summer

This is how I felt this morning when I got up, showered, and got ready for the day:

This is how I feel now:A tad bit worn out and a little wilted. Here's the funny thing: I have done nothing today. I would expect to feel that way after a day of painting or working in the yard or carousing the streets of Salt Lake City with my kids. But all I've done so far is sit around and watch other people work. The people who are actually working are doing this:It's amazing to think that this is all that's holding your house together. Screws, wood, and a little well-placed caulk. It makes you grateful for central air conditioning and argon gas technology.
And this is what happens to a house when the One in Charge (me) sits around all day, wandering from room to room looking at moved furniture and blank, curtainless windows:
And this is what the kitchen looks like. You're right, that's not the kitchen. But it's where all the stuff is so it doesn't get broken.

What's that? You don't know what this is? I call it an old-fashioned mess.

But in return I get these.

And these.

I guess it's worth dodging a little work to watch the wonder of professionals. It's actually worth dodging a LOT of work to have professionals do some jobs. It's true, some jobs really can't be do-it-yourselfers. All I know is, if that was me trying to put those windows in, there would be a black cloud of profanity swirling above my head and dirty little children running through my circle with matches and scissors. But thanks to these guys, there's just dirty little children running in the circle. No scissors.

And the wilted feeling? I think it's more from stuff overload. You can cram a lot of stuff into a house and even make it look cute. But once you move it around and mess it up, you're stuck with looking at all the stuff that you may be dodging. Apparently we have an entire Toys R Us store located within our walls. I'm okay with that. I'm just not okay with looking at it. But, as Scarlett says, tomorrow is another day. Fiddle-dee-dee.

Pioneering Spirit

In Utah on the 24th of July we celebrate the pioneers who settled here about 150 years ago. Usually on holidays like this I find myself at a parade or doing fireworks or at least having a barbeque to mark the occasion. But this year I am spending the day doing ordinary things and thinking more about what it takes to be a pioneer.

Really, when you say "pioneer," it doesn't mean that you have to travel a great distance in grand discomfort and eat bugs to stay alive. Actually, I think that's called "Survivor." It means you do things you haven't done before because you believe you are bigger than the fear of the unknown. I have full respect for the pioneers of old, from the Native Americans who ingeniously figured out how to survive on an entire buffalo, to the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock who survived without any training in homesteading, to the medical and scientific pioneers of today, whose innovations have changed our lives. (Mostly I'm grateful for the iPod, but I'm sure there's more than that.)

So today, I was treating myself to viewing myself as a pioneer in my own little world. I was patting myself on the back for the things I have done even though I didn't really know how to do them. This year especially I have learned so many new skills that I had always wanted to do, but shied away from because I was afraid of failure. The simple act of trying is often success enough. For example:

This year I figured out how to run a 5K. Never been a runner. Always afraid of the pain. But I bought these beautiful, expensive, fabulous shoes and we go on adventures together now.

I've learned how to grow dahlias. Plant. Water. Repeat. It was pretty easy.

So was growing 12-foot sunflowers.

I actually grew corn that matured and produced EDIBLE ears this year. The key? Daily watering. I know, it sounds so simple. But you wouldn't believe how many days I ran outside at 8 p.m., realizing I had forgotten to water.

Making 27 jars of jam from bushes in my own yard was rewarding. And I felt a bit of pride in the fact that I paid attention to my mom all those years in the kitchen growing up. And proud that I was responsible enough for her to invite me there in the first place.

I always wondered how to cut little boy hair. This year I learned how. It's not as easy as it looks.

I've learned how to be an organized and enthusiastic Primary music chorister. It makes the calling so much less stressful. And...dare I say it? A little bit easier.

And I started a blog. For me and the three people that read it.

Although I didn't start a new community from scratch, or bury a child along the trail, or learn to cohabitate with Indians, I am a pioneer unto myself. Each new endeavor is a journey of discovery and mental strength. Each success or failure is a step along the trail. Most days I think I know where the trail is headed, sometimes I lose sight of it. Even though I didn't know how to do a lot of those things, I tried not to get caught up in the "right way of doing it" and just concentrated on doing it. And I have a lot more things I need to learn how to do but still don't know how yet. I need to learn to swim long enough to compete in a race. I need to learn how to let go of unnatural micromanaging about the decor of my house. And, as with all parents, living with a teenager is a new domain for me. Don't let the fear of the unknown keep you from discovering what it is you are truly capable of.

What things are you waiting to try but haven't yet?

A Virtual Tour

Since we are all so "plugged in" nowadays, I had a thought about something I heard not too long ago. I loved this conference talk by Elder Gary E. Stevenson from April 2009's General Conference. In it he talks about closing your eyes and taking a virtual tour of your home.

"Imagine that you are opening your front door and walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it clean and orderly?"

This is the entryway in my home. I love that when I come into my home or visitors come through the front door we immediately see our picture of the Savior. I know it's just a drawing, but it always makes me slow down and re-prioritize whatever busy-ness I find myself caught up in.

"As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior?"

I have already talked about the importance of a family picture wall here, and I know all of our artwork can't be family photos, but ones like these just make me happy. And in our front room we have two of my favorite paintings.

My husband and I both love Arnold Friberg. We have one of these,

which I think almost everybody in America has at least some form of in their home, and one of these, which is a little-known painting by Friberg of LDS missionaries in Denmark in the 1860s. My kids always ask me what this painting is about. We have good talks about it.

And I don't know if these are uplifting or not, but they are cool. These are old calendars that Friberg painted for the Northwest Paper Company in the 60s. We have a huge game room that was in desperate need of huge posters. They are really beautiful. And more evidence of our fascination with Friberg.

And you can never have too many Vermeers in your house. Never! (If anyone cares, I cut this out of a book and stuck it onto the tacky paper that comes with a clearance frame with no glass. Instant elegance!)

"Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer?" I have to say I love my room. And I have had a personal goal to read the scriptures every night before I go to bed. I'm doing pretty good so far. I've only missed a few days this year,which is unheard of for me. See, they're right there on my nightstand.

"Is your gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting conversation and family time?"

Although my kitchen is not necessarily my favorite place in my house because of it's clunkiness, I have done my best to make it clean, bright and inviting. I know my children and I will remember the times we spent with them sitting at the bar talking to me while I fixed dinner or did some other domestic ritual. This is where we have family home evening, do our homework, make Crayola masterpieces, and have baking adventures.

"Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without contention?"

I am hoping all of you have a spot like this in your house. I think if you don't have a junky area out there where people can see it, you seem a bit odd. Also, I think we need to work on our contention level here. (Wyatt, that means you. Being second player on XBox is not cause to hit your brother.)

Perhaps you, as I, found a few spots that need some “home improvement”—hopefully not an “extreme home makeover.”

So, back to my original thought. I know, I know. This is a big wind-up. Elder Stevenson calls this a virtual tour. I thought the play on words was interesting. We should walk through our homes looking for virtue, which I define as something lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy. There are so many things in my house that I feel need repairing or replacing, but I simply don't have the budget to change them. My vainglorious hausfrau self really, really, really wants these things to be perfect. But I think that defeats the purpose of having a virtuous FAMILY home. Without the people and the messes and the quirks, homes are just houses. And houses are no fun. But home is where the dreams come alive and hope springs eternal, and you can always find a friend. At least that's what the kids say.

The Past is Always There

This is one of my favorite things I have done in my house. This is our family photo wall. I've seen other variations on this same idea, different size frames that are all the same color, pictures in a straight line, pictures of generations of the same family all in the same frame. You probably have a wall like this somewhere in your own house. And if you don't, well, you should know by now I'm going to tell you why you need one.

My kids love that they are famous enough to have "made it" to the wall. Their favorite thing is looking at who they were when they are babies compared to how big they are now. I love that we have old pictures mixed with new ones. I love that our ancestors are the people we compare ourselves to here. My children love to come up and look at their pictures and see if they look like anyone in the family when they were little. We have some priceless moments captured on our wall. My mom and me playing at the beach. Jeff's dad on a horse at age 3. Abby and Emma's first portrait together. Our Grandpas who served in the military. My great greats who immigrated to America and made the best life they could out of nothing. It seems like the most important parts of life are represented. Serve your country. Have a happy childhood. Live a good life and make it to old age. And most of all, stick together.

Grace Kelly...The Finished Product

Well, here she is. Totally painted not by me. I know you've all been dying for the finished product, so now you can rest easy knowing the job is done.

Lest you think I can only name my own things, here are the houses in my circle that I have also aptly named. This would be such a cool cocktail party trick, if your cocktail party were outside in your street.

This one here's Audrey Hepburn. Quiet elegance with a little spunk on the side. So lovely inside and out.

Here we have Lauren Bacall. All-American, traditional, and not afraid of a little face lift when necessary.

This is Katharine Hepburn. Plain, straightforward, unassuming, and built to last. She's very low maintenance. In fact, I think I've only ever seen the owners mow the lawn, nothing more.

This one here may be Greta Garbo, because she is hiding behind all those trees and bushes.

This is Elizabeth Taylor. Lusciously beautiful with a European elegance. And don't forget the air of confidence oozing from that landscaping.

This is Maureen O'Hara. She's got beautiful windows and lovely red brick. It kind of makes you long for Ireland just looking at her.

This one here's the biggest one on my block, and I call her Marilyn Monroe. She has star power. She's bold and flashy and has all the bells and whistles. She even has this cute little weathervane. A weathervane! That's like peroxide blonde to me; enviable but unattainable.

Are there houses with personality on your block? I'd love to hear about them.