Misery loves company, right?

How do you cheer someone up without becoming un-cheery yourself? I'd love to figure that out.

My Life in 10 Images

My friend, Kalie, tagged me and I did my best to take some pics. Forgive the blurry-ness. Nothing was cleaned or dressed up in the making of this blog entry.

1. I collect...

I love fun purses and bags. It's a rare purchase, but it's an outlet for my colorful creative side.

2. One of my obsessions is...

Obsession/Cravings... I love chocolate right now. Chocolate chips, frosting on graham crackers, double fudge ice cream... Oh, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

3. My ride...

2000 Toyota Sienna that we bought when Ben started at Red Olive. It's the nicest car we've ever owned and it has improved my life as a mother immensely.

4. Self-Portrait

The real, tired, pregnant Amber. Hey, but look, I'm smiling.

5. I'm procrastinating...

I painted this shelf for Taesya and I was really pleased with how it turned out. But the Canon shelf has yet to be started, and now there's a Keller coming?!? Man, I am behind.

6. Favorite Room

Our Bedroom is the cleanest room in the house and the one that makes me feel most calm. When I grow up, my favorite room will be the library, with floor to ceiling bookshelves and a comfy couch with end table and lamp. That is my dream.

7. Our backyard

Perfect size for our family, we really like our backyard. We were just given a swing set, too, so things are getting homier.

8. One of my favorite things that I can tell you all about is...

Microsoft Excel. I am a total Excel nerd. I use it for everything: money, schedules, grocery lists, calendars, primary. I use Excel a lot. And last night in class I actually learned a few more things to love about it. Two words: fill handle.

9. My closet...

Packed with things I cannot wear. One of the joys of pregnancy. My shoes are kind of organized, though.

10. The item I can't live without is...

At the end of a long day, I collapse into my lovesac and curl up with my Davis Darts blanket. (At the end of a long day, though, the children would not be in this picture.) Comfort is a rarity for me and these two comforts are essential.

That's the end of my little photo album. I tag Leslie, David, Jenilyn, and Nicki. If you've got time, I'd love to see the images of your lives. Have a great day everyone!

Surrounded

Not a long or profound post, but an important one nonetheless:

I am grateful out the wazoo for the people in my life. Friends are stinkin' great. And family is amazing. And right now, today, I need to broadcast that I am blessed with the best family and friends. The fact that people actually think about me... blows my mind. I am a lucky lucky woman.

And p.s. my husband is pretty darn great, too.

The Bare Minimum

Elder M. Russell Ballard said that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. If I graded this day as a whole, it would not pass as a "good day." So here are the moments:

1. Canon, Taesya, and I cooking dinner together. Canon washed the potatoes and carrots, I peeled and chopped, Taesya put it all in the crockpot and mixed. The three of us lined up making beef stew; it was like a commercial.

2. Hearing them laugh together in the bathtub. Happy laughing, no one crying. I just watched and smiled.

3. Taesya said, in the nicest voice, "Mom, can I please have a graham cracker to eat outside?"

So I'm clinging to the moments cuz sometimes that's all I have. Take a deep breath and count down till bedtime. Hopefully somewhere in their little prayers they'll say thank you for mommy tonight.

Having a Bad Day

I am super grumpy today. Things are going terribly. And I have lost all motivation to make it better. Can't we just go to bed now and start over tomorrow? (It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon, so probably not.) Some days are just crummy. Seriously.