7 quick takes

one

My mother is working on the making of fancy pancakes (crepes) for breakfast with the girls (the boys are at Man's Bible Study) giving me time to "workout". Fortunately I remembered that I haven't blogged in like four days so the "workout" will have to wait.

She has a tiny special pan for each girl and she is teaching them how to pour in the batter, swirl and then flip the pancake. And she does it all calmly without screaming. But then they all listen to her because they know she means it. Unlike me, where they have worn me down to a shrivel of my former self. Even the dog regards me with a supercilious eye and barks wildly at me when when I desperately cry 'No! Stop Barking! Please! For the love of Somebody or Other!'

two

The general obsession with Calvin and Hobbes is reaching disturbing proportions. Gladys has been drawing God in her copy book as a Sun. In the beginning of the book she drew God like this.

God is in the sky looking down on all he has made. 

Then she switched to drawing him as a Sun. Then she joined in her syblings devotion to Calvin and Hobbes in which, you might remember, Calvin once is turned into a sun who wears sunglasses. Now God looks like this for Gladys.

I can't begin to say how much I love this.

three

Continuing on with Gladys, Matt has owed her a lunch out for a while. She picked out her clothes the day before and then got up and got dressed about six in the morning, but then when they were finally ready to go, she couldn't bring herself to smile for me.

I agree with her. Smiling sometimes diminishes the grandure and importance of a moment.

I agree with Matt too that he looks partially insane in this picture. I'm pretty sure it's because of the hat but I can't be sure.

And here is their lunch.

four

Despite what this blog may indicate, Gladys doesn't consume my every waking moment any more than any other child. She's turning out to be a drama queen just at the moment her older sister is becoming a little more grounded as a person. Elphine can carry on a conversation now without squealing or falling over which, while pleasant, is not great blog fodder. Same with all the others. Honestly, I'll take it. Calmish, moderately rational, occasionally obedient, basically cheerful, emotionally uncluttered children. Some may call it average boring mediocrity. I call it a decent, orderly, satisfying day.

five

The three oldest girls are going on a sleep over tonight and so Gladys and Marigold are busy gathering up stuff to take. They are also practically shaking with energy and hope and are breathing heavily. What are the chances of a little school work before they finally get to go......bets anyone?

six

I, on the other hand am turning my mind and heart to the fact that the bishop is coming in a week. Meals need to be organized. The church needs to be decluttered. Matt has a big pile of things to organize and do. And also, I'm starting Pageant rehearsals the Sunday he's here so there's that. Fortunately again, the Wait but Why blog  has two great posts on Procrastination the reading of which will save me from all the realities just enumerated above. So much to be thankful for in this month of thanks giving.

seven

These are the days of book writing. Everybody seems to be doing it. Even people who don't blog. People who have an old fashioned pen in the hand and a notebook in the lap. Novels, sketches, memories. Elphine and Alouicious themselves are busy writing a stack of comics. If I was a better person I would be happy about this but the problem is, the only reason I know about the explosion of the whole world writing a book is that I Too, am busily tapping away at little sketches of this and that. And the more I work on them, the more I'm swallowing down ungodly jealousy about everyone else. But I've found a great remedy for this, and no, it's not working harder and writing more. It's watching book promotional videos of terrible books I hope never to read and which offend everything I hold as good and true and right. As a gift for the weekend, I give you this.

Have a great weekend and go check out Jen!