a.rose

When I think about my friend Al, I think about Jon Bon Jovi and singing along to the instrumental songs on the Lion King soundtrack.  I think about lobster and Old Soakers and the sound of the ocean.  I think about delphinium and watering chickens.  When I think about Al, my best friend from high school, I think about fireplaces and Frosh and cold frosty nights.  I think about long cozy naps, and making Bubble jam.  I think about eating doughnuts in a mad frenzied panic because we've crossed the wrong bridge in New York City, and that mistake costs us 9 dollars in tolls.  (Thank you ever so much Throgs Neck Bridge. May I never see you again.)  When I think about my friend Al I think about loyalty, kindness, and how much a few simple truths can change a life.  When I think about her I think about courage and determination and never giving up.  I think about a purple pig on top of my fridge, and how it already (I repeat already!) has seven c...

Last night was Christmas Eve, that holy night, that most holy of all nights.  The stars were brightly shining.  It was the night of our dear Savior’s birth.  Long had lain the world in sin and error pining, till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.  A thrill of hope, and the weary world rejoiced! For yonder broke a new and glorious morn.  Fall on your knees, and hear the angel voices! It was a night divine, when Christ was borne.  Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, let all within us praise his holy name! Christ is the Lord, let ever, ever praise we. (1) Our Christmas story started with the trumpeting of angels.  “Glory to the newborn king!” They proclaimed. “Peace on earth, and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled.  Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies with angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem!” (2) Their audience was a group of lowly shepherds, guarding their flock of ...

I think it is time to get serious and discuss something that has been on my mind for a while.  I need your honest input, and please try to stay objective and give me the straight facts. I have three main discussion points that I would like to bring to the floor. 1. What is Spam really, have you tried it, and is it delicious? 2. How did Spam become SPAM, a word used for unwanted online messages?  I mean, for posted mail we have "junk mail", and who/how/when/why did someone decide that for emails the word should be "SPAM"? 3. I get a ridiculous amount of SPAM comments on my blog.  They used to always comment on really old posts, and I'd have to go through my archives, find the post, and delete the comment.  Not only that, but they were also fairly to extremely offensive in nature (not to me personally, but to people of values and standards in general), and one in particular for some reason or another would not delete, and I started crying, and finally had...

 I would just like to clear something up.  I even took pictures so that you wouldn't have to take my word for it.  Those of you who live around here, and see us frequently throughout the week, might have developed the opinion that I spend more time on Hallie - her hair, her outfit, the cleanliness of her face.  Because when they stand side by side when we are out and about it often certainly looks that way.  I would just like to state here, for the record, that when we leave the house they are in equal states of cuteness.  While it's true that I don't spend as much time on Hanna's hair as I do on Hallie's, that is just because it is much shorter and so I really have only three options: comb it, ponytail it, or pigtail it.  Which I do. Every day (or nearly...).  And every time while we are in the car on our way to wherever we are going, she pulls it all out.  That's why when we arrive Hallie looks great, and Hanna looks like I have le...

What they don't tell you about being a stay at home mother is that sometimes it is boring (or am I the only mom who feels that way sometimes?)  When Hallie was old enough to play, but refused to play by herself, I would at times sit down and "play" with her.  But at that age her playing wasn't all that involved, it wasn't all that interesting, and day after day of it, I think you get the picture. She's older now though, and much more willing to play on her own, and she loves imagining and playing pretend.  She comes up with the craziest stories, and she gets involved in the most intricate role playing scenarios.  And as she has grown up her favorite type of playing also happens to be what I enjoyed playing most when I was a little girl.  That's why, even though I made this for Hallie, it's usually me that ends up playing with it most.    Here you can see the fire truck on its way to save the day, and the pig on his way to the market. Bacon. ...

Five years ago today was a special day for me.  It was the day that marked the culmination of four and a half years of hard work, and I was proud of myself for what I had accomplished.  My classmates, peers, and friends gathered together in robes and silly hats and waited for their turn to walk across a stage, their name scrolling across a large screen, to collect a piece of paper in front of a crowd of hundreds of people, filled with their own friends and families. On that day, five years ago, I was not in a robe. I was not in the auditorium.  I was not with my classmates, and none of my family was in the audience.  I remember I was sitting in a chair in a building on campus we referred to as the Institute.  The Institute is a building that only a very small percentage of Purdue students know about, and yet it will always be the most special one over there to me.  The students who are lucky enough to discover it find a safe haven, a place to study, eat,...

Two weeks ago on Saturday we got a couple of inches of fluffy, beautiful snow.  Hallie begged and begged all morning long to go out and play in it.  When we put Hanna down for her nap I talked Devin into taking her out.  I sat on the couch and watched them stomp and romp and finally get down to the business of building snowmen. This is actually Devin with Hanna, she went out for a few minutes when she woke up. At first they built just a little baby one.  After that one was done they came inside for Hallie to go potty, and she was very concerned that the little snowman didn't have a mommy.  I told her to tell Daddy he needed to make a mommy snowman for the baby one.  So of course, good man that he is, he built a mommy snowman. Every morning Hallie and Hanna would check on baby snowman and mommy snowman like their very existences depended on the well being of this little snowman family.  Then one morning, after a warm(ish) night...

We've been staying after church for a couple of hours every week the past few Sundays while Devin does tithing settlement.  I realize that I could come home with the girls, but it seems to me that they are easier to entertain when there is a huge gym with basketballs, and rooms to explore, and drinking fountains, than at home with their same old same old dolls and whatnot.  So we stay. Hallie likes to stand at the pulpit in the seminary room and give talks.  I managed to write down this one as she gave it last Sunday: Thanks for my heart because it helps me think of my brain. When it comes to love you can see again. Don't ever cry over toys, just always say please. On Tuesday we go to church and then on Monday we will be taken to heaven. The only part about this that makes me nervous is that I really do go to church on Tuesdays, twice actually, in the morning for Music Makers and in the evening for activities with the young women... what if this is an "out of ...

Santa loves me, yes he does. It is unclear which of us is having the most fun, but I dare say I think it is me. Devin and I like to give ourselves the big presents early, apparently. So for the people who like to know details: It is a Schmoller and Mueller.  Don't worry if you've never heard of it, it was a local piano store in downtown Lincoln, I don't know when they went out of business but this particular piano is about 50 years old.  We bought it at a music store that was right next to the Schmoller and Mueller piano company, when they were still in business.  It is the perfect piano for our little sticky-fingered, still- learning- how- to- play family.  Although, since having it I've been playing about an hour every day and if I can say so, I am much better than I thought I was. Merry Christmas!

Hallie never took a pacifier as a baby.  She was more than happy to suck on one if I was willing to hold it in her mouth, but the minute I removed the pressure keeping it in her mouth, it fell out, and she never showed any signs of missing it Until she was two years old.  She found some of her pacifiers that I had been saving in case Hanna wanted one when she was born (she didn't) and suddenly Hallie had an intense and constant need for one.  At first I thought it was just a phase, and I thought it was kind of funny and cute, and whatever. I let her have it.  But when it became really clear that she wasn't going to give it up, it became an issue of frustration for me: I'm going to have to deal with weaning her from the pacifier when I had never enjoyed the benefits from it when she actually "needed" it as an infant. We went through a few tantrums and now I just keep them hidden out of her sight, because if she sees one lying around (as I prepare for Heather -...

One of Devin's colleagues enjoys taking pictures, and has an entire studio-like setup in his basement.  He and his wife invited us over for lunch and to have family pictures taken.  Given that we are so bad at taking pictures of ourselves, how could we pass up this opportunity? Not to mention the fact that they are from Sri Lanka, and the food was fantastic and delicious.  I've been craving it ever since... I never really saw the pictures that he took, because not only are we bad at taking pictures we are bad at printing them, looking at them, cherishing them, etc.  But I found them today! And some are kind of funny.  I present you, Rose Family circa Spring 2011.  Waiting for Mommy to be ready, or something.  I'm really not sure what I'm so excited about. If only Hallie smiled like this for all pictures, we'd be set.  Hanna is finally looking less bored with life too! Someday we'll try again to take family pictures. And someday ...

The winner of the tutu is: Tarver Family The winner of the hair accessory is: Karin The winner of the yellow watercolor by Hallie is: mimihalley The winner of the green watercolor by Hallie is: Grandpa The winner of the strawberry watercolor by Amy is: Alison The winner of the Thanksgiving magnets is: "M" The winner of the Autumn magnets is: The Plant Princess The winner of the everyday magnets is: MJ The winner of the Mary Kay makeup is: The Maughan-sters The winner of the homemade chocolate covered peanuts is: Kim Davis Congratulations winners, and thanks for playing everyone! I had a lot of fun.  I need the winners to send me their addresses to my 14 roses email address, that's at gmail and there are no spaces. Thanks!!