When I was on the high school yearbook staff I got to go to editor camp. Our yearbook adviser's dream was that some year, some day, one of his editorial staffs would use the theme "We Did Stuff" for that year's book. He had apparently been trying to convince high school kids for years to use this theme.
The Britton's theme for the past week would be "We Did Stuff." We didn't do stuff every day that equaled amazing. We did some things that were very important to us. But mainly we just did stuff that happens every week. Normal things. The things that make up life.
Annalisa lent me a book called Contentment: Inspiring Insights for LDS Mothers. I liked the book for many reasons. (I also didn't like the book for a few minor reasons, mainly because stop citing quotes from sources other than the original, it makes you look lazy!) One great quote was from President Eyring and it said something to the effect of not expecting life to be filled with amazing, out of the ordinary, exciting adventures. If we are constantly getting bored with our everyday lives, we're not being content with the blessings that God has given us.
I'm grateful for the ability I have to have fun adventures and outings with my husband. But I'm more grateful for the fact that we have a pretty normal life. A normal life filled with love, appreciation, service, and joy. I wouldn't want to be on this journey with anyone else than Rich. That fact has been drilled into my soul with ever-more intensity in the past week of "stuff."
Many things in life are changing and hard decisions are being made. And we will certainly have days full of crazy, very unordinary things, but I most look forward to just being content with my pretty wonderful, normal life.
October 25, 2009
October 14, 2009
Only in America
I mopped the kitchen floor tonight. Why? Because my parents are returning to America. And apparently I only clean when they make a trip to America. Except this is not a trip. This is a to-stay-forever arrival.
After Rich and I finished cleaning the house in preparation for the Milletts' grand entrance, he commented that when we have our own house it will never be clean. At some point in the night Rich also sang some of the song "Only in America." We then discussed whether this song was from Fievel Goes West or Fievel Goes to America. I made sure he knew the official name was An American Tail. I then realized that was not even a song from the movie. The actual song is "There are No Cats in America." I'm pretty sure I haven't seen this movie since I was 8, but I know this is why I may have some dislike of cats--this movie, or the barn cat that gave me ringworm as a child. (Note to Kate: I like your cats. They do not give me ringworm.) Those Kindergarten pics of mine are a testament to the fact that you should not play with a barn cat.
THAT WAS WAY OFF TOPIC.
But here is a clip of the song just in case. Good times.
Back to cleaning. . . I assured Rich that, of course, I will be better at cleaning when we have our own house because I will be home more. And I won't have a stove that is SO HARD TO CLEAN. Also, in my head I thought, "I will always clean before my mom comes to visit." Apparently I feel that cleaning is a precursor to my mother arriving at any location. Is this my need to please her? Or is it linked to the fact that she is a bit OCD? (Whereas I, though not completely dirty, am okay with the fact that sometimes the side tables are dusty--a lot dusty.) I'm not sure. But at least she gives me a reason to clean. Though, as Rich said, I'm certain our cleaning of the window shutters are not completely up to her standards.
I do like the kitchen clean though. And I was driving myself nuts with how out of control the kitchen has been for the past month. Due to some typhoons in the Philippines, Mom and Dad's arrival was delayed by two weeks. Therefore, Rich and I had time to prepare the house properly. I was also able to finish the bottling. So now the water bath canner and the food dryers are put away. I HAVE SO MUCH CABINET SPACE.
The mopping of the floor has been needed since the beginning of September. But really, why mop the floor of the peach stickiness when there was surely to be pear stickiness and applesauce stickiness to follow? There is no reason why. The sickness really made the canning process drag on longer than it needed to. That, and being pregnant and slow makes it longer to do things than it probably should. Plus I had to do double batches of everything since my mom wasn't going to be home in time to do her own fruit. But the good news is that I canned fruit all by myself! I'd done applesauce before, but this was the first year of venturing peaches and pears.
In the end, the fruit is done and away. The floor is mopped. And Mom and Dad are coming back to America.
We are going to live together and eat the fruit I bottled for us.
FAMILY MAGIC!!
After Rich and I finished cleaning the house in preparation for the Milletts' grand entrance, he commented that when we have our own house it will never be clean. At some point in the night Rich also sang some of the song "Only in America." We then discussed whether this song was from Fievel Goes West or Fievel Goes to America. I made sure he knew the official name was An American Tail. I then realized that was not even a song from the movie. The actual song is "There are No Cats in America." I'm pretty sure I haven't seen this movie since I was 8, but I know this is why I may have some dislike of cats--this movie, or the barn cat that gave me ringworm as a child. (Note to Kate: I like your cats. They do not give me ringworm.) Those Kindergarten pics of mine are a testament to the fact that you should not play with a barn cat.
THAT WAS WAY OFF TOPIC.
But here is a clip of the song just in case. Good times.
Back to cleaning. . . I assured Rich that, of course, I will be better at cleaning when we have our own house because I will be home more. And I won't have a stove that is SO HARD TO CLEAN. Also, in my head I thought, "I will always clean before my mom comes to visit." Apparently I feel that cleaning is a precursor to my mother arriving at any location. Is this my need to please her? Or is it linked to the fact that she is a bit OCD? (Whereas I, though not completely dirty, am okay with the fact that sometimes the side tables are dusty--a lot dusty.) I'm not sure. But at least she gives me a reason to clean. Though, as Rich said, I'm certain our cleaning of the window shutters are not completely up to her standards.
I do like the kitchen clean though. And I was driving myself nuts with how out of control the kitchen has been for the past month. Due to some typhoons in the Philippines, Mom and Dad's arrival was delayed by two weeks. Therefore, Rich and I had time to prepare the house properly. I was also able to finish the bottling. So now the water bath canner and the food dryers are put away. I HAVE SO MUCH CABINET SPACE.
The mopping of the floor has been needed since the beginning of September. But really, why mop the floor of the peach stickiness when there was surely to be pear stickiness and applesauce stickiness to follow? There is no reason why. The sickness really made the canning process drag on longer than it needed to. That, and being pregnant and slow makes it longer to do things than it probably should. Plus I had to do double batches of everything since my mom wasn't going to be home in time to do her own fruit. But the good news is that I canned fruit all by myself! I'd done applesauce before, but this was the first year of venturing peaches and pears.
In the end, the fruit is done and away. The floor is mopped. And Mom and Dad are coming back to America.
We are going to live together and eat the fruit I bottled for us.
FAMILY MAGIC!!
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