Hopeful Homemaker

Joy, week 14 – Easter Edition

April 8, 2012 jennifer Easter, JOY in 2012

Happy, happy Easter! What a wonderful, joyous day it has been! How grateful I am for the mission of Jesus Christ, for his perfect example, his Atonement, his resurrection. My heart has been so full of happiness today.

I don’t have much to say about the week. We spent most of the week sick, and by Friday were back on track. We had a soccer season start this week with a win that felt awfully good. Saturday was busy and on Saturday night my husband and I took our five daughters to see the BYU Ballroom Dance performance. It was spectacular, as always. My favorite parts of the evening were the moments when our two year old was so swept away by the music, the moves and the costumes that she would suddenly start waving her arms around or jumping and dancing. It was adorable.

The unusual week changed our Easter celebration and I learned a good lesson from it.

The decorations were never unpacked. Only my ceramic lamb made an appearance but it was enough. I am learning that celebration is an important part of feeling joy. It’s when we recognize the moment as something worthy of our notice, when we allow our hearts and schedules to focus on those things that bring joy. Savoring such moments also provides us with joy down the road as we recall warm memories.

I’m learning that too often I envision productions when a spirit of celebration is sufficient. I picture so much, my list gets long and struggling to live up to my own expectations can kill the celebration if I’m not careful. I let go of the production this year and let our Easter celebration be simple.

Years ago I bought some old rail road spikes to give my children a better picture when they think of the nails in Christ’s hands, wrists and feet. They joined our simple vignette as well.

Everything was simple. The food was traditional but simple. The day was gorgeous… sunny and mild with the sound of sprinklers running and children talking. Blue hydrangeas and vintage blue china made me smile contentedly.

I’m sure that next year my list of things to do for Easter will be equally long again, and I hope I’ll be able to accomplish many of them. Still, it was good for me to see how things can play out with equal amounts of joy when I am unable to deal with the list. I want to remember this lesson and take it to heart.

It’s spring break this week, and the timing was perfect. I am always a relaxed mom when there’s no school on Sunday. Tonight my brother and his family stopped by and we talked until late, knowing that we weren’t messing up a school schedule. I’m excited to shift into low gear for the next five days.

Have a great week!
Jennifer

My Favorites

April 5, 2012 jennifer Gardening

As I’ve mentioned before, last fall was my first experiment with planting daffodils. I planted about 15 different varieties and it’s been delightful to watch them come up this spring. I want to quickly share my top three favorites:

First up, this white daffodil. I’m completely loving the snowy white color. I’ve also noticed that the single color makes me appreciate form and line more.

Next, this gorgeous Ice Follies daffodil has the most beautiful double center!

Finally, this Winston Churchill daffodil is my #1 favorite. I was pretty sure it would be when I planted it last fall. It’s a bunch daffodil, which means there are multiple blooms on each stem. The delicate touch of bright orange is breathtaking.

This is also a double daffodil, and I’m really enjoying these “double” flowers with their extra layers of petals. The centers remind me of last year’s dahlias , which blew me away with their beauty.

Which is your favorite?

Jennifer

Yuck.

April 4, 2012 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

I love this picture, taken Sunday afternoon, of my husband napping in the living room. It makes me smile for many reasons. I love that he loves his naps, and almost always gets one on Sundays, no matter what else is going on. I love the sight of him all bundled up in his black hoodie under one of my favorite quilts. I love the memory of him sleeping with his arm over his face to block the sunlight filtering through the all-white room and also to mute the sound of our 14 year old son playing the piano a few feet away. And yes, he was playing because he wanted to wake up his Dad and play a game of ping pong.

Of the ten of us, all except for that funny 14 year old boy has had a day or two like this on the couch. We’ve had a fast-moving flu bug going through the family and yesterday was my turn. I always feel bad for my children when they’re sick, but this one seemed to be quick and fairly light because several of the children threw up once, slept a little, and were fine. Not so for me! There’s nothing like suffering it yourself to increase your compassion for your children who have already been through it. And there’s nothing like being completely sick to make you incredibly grateful for the competent help of a 13 year-old daughter who ran the house and took care of the children all day.

Gratefully, I’m mostly back to the land of the living today, and we only have one child home from school. I’m really hoping that it’s about run it’s course and that we’ll be back in the swing of things by the end of the week… just in time for spring break! My goal for the week (before so many of us got sick) was to get the house clean and organized so that spring break could feature less work and more play. I feel more buried than ever but I’ll do my best to catch up!

I feel a little anxious about Easter. There was so much I planned to do that I haven’t touched because we’ve been playing sick again. More than anything I want my children to feel the spirit of Easter and have their hearts rejoice in Christ. Creating those moments takes time and planning and my week has certainly been short on both thus far. We have been doing one thing every night which has brought a wonderful spirit into our home at the close of each day. We’ve been watching some of these videos before bedtime. They’re a great way to review highlights of the Savior’s life and teachings in anticipation of watching the videos of his suffering, crucifixion and resurrection. I highly recommend them!

So I’m off to pick up the trail of two-year-old clutter all over the house, figure out how to catch four students up on their homework before the break, and pull our house and lives back together… now that it’s Wednesday afternoon! What do you do when you’re crazy behind?