Weather Forecast: Short Sleeves in the Snow
Temperatures have finally warmed up a bit - and have stayed pretty consistently in the 40's lately. It's been really nice to see the sun shining and the snow melting, sure signs that we're getting closer to spring!
The girls were pretty brave mid-week and were outside playing in the snow with short sleeves!
And while we're on the subject of exercise, something I will really miss, when Amber and the girls move out, is all the times when Abby and Gwen come into my room while I'm exercising first thing in the morning. They typically just jump right into whatever I'm doing and do it to the best of their ability. It's super fun when we exercise together!
Usually Gwen just climbs up onto my bed and snuggles under a soft blanket to watch Abby and me do all the work. But this time, on Monday, Gwen was the one who wanted to exercise with me! :)
Abby and I are good at sharing space on the yoga mat because she is older and understands the need to try not to collide into each other. Gwen is still learning, ha ha. So usually I end up giving up my space on the mat altogether when Gwen joins in. But that's okay. Because it's time well spent together.
I worked at a smaller election on Tuesday, filling in at the last minute in a precinct way out in Osgood. It's about a 25 minute drive from my house - completely diagonally across town from where I live. I'm in the SE corner of Idaho Falls. Osgood is in the NW area outside of Idaho Falls. Mostly it's just farmland and rural roads.
As I drove out to the precinct location, which was a little LDS Church out in the middle of some farm fields, the sun was just coming up. It was so beautiful that I had to take a couple of quick pictures before starting my day.
Something AMAZING that I learned while working with the ladies all day during the election, was this: There's a relatively new technique for making beautiful countertops and it's called Stone Coat Countertops. It's a DIY version but it's super simple and beautiful and inexpensive!! The chief judge that I sat next to all day, Annette Wilding, had already done a bathroom vanity with her daughter using this method. Now they are preparing to do her daughter's kitchen countertops. And after that they will do Annette's kitchen countertops! Here are some links that she shared with me to get me started.
First of all, this is the website for the company itself: Stone Coat Countertops.
Next, here are a couple of amazing YouTube videos showing the techniques:
Long version: https://youtu.be/kznkcaoLNao
NOTE: The shorter version shows how they do a black marble countertop. THIS IS WHAT I WANT OURS TO LOOK LIKE!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amte_QbjfEk&ab_channel=RK3Designs
Amber had the wisdom and foresight to purchase a little red wagon as a mode of transportation for the airports and other travels. The girls love it! And it fits both of their car seats plus Gwen!!
Scott is TOTALLY on board with this, too! He's been watching several how-to videos that Stone Coat Countertops puts out on YouTube. They show you step by step what to do. And it's at a FRACTION of the cost of granite, quartz, etc. So we're SUPER EXCITED!!! They even sell their products on Amazon, so that's pretty awesome!!
The basic technique is this: you start with whatever surface you have. Sand it a little. Add 2 coats of primer. Lay down the color layer. Epoxy over the top to seal it. Boom. Done. You can be artsy all you like to design your own marble, or rock-like surface, in whatever colors you choose, adding veins or natural-looking features. And it's long lasting and strong, but at a fraction of the cost of actual granite or otherwise. Again, we are SUPER EXCITED to do this!!
We will probably have to wait until Amber and girls leave in May, once Weston is done down in Louisiana. The drying time is at least a couple of days, and it will be a little messy at times. It would be hard to keep the girls out of the kitchen for that long . . . But Scott and I, once it's just the two of us again, can just cook on the BBQ grill out back or eat leftovers or even go out to eat while we're working on this big project. :)
And speaking of Amber and the girls . . . They are in Louisiana right now!! Their cute little family is all together for an entire week down in Shreveport.
I dropped them off at the Idaho Falls Airport on Thursday morning. They dressed for warmer and more humid temperatures, but it was a bit frigid outside trying to get this picture! We really had to hurry and then get everyone indoors.
The girls really had fun using the walking pathways while waiting for that second flight. Amber took the cutest (and funniest) video of Gwen trying to figure out how to get on it again.
Video: (1:08 minutes)
And apparently they all did great on the plane rides, too! Gwen happily ate lots of snacks and Abby happily colored in her notebook. Amber also had an I-pad with several movies downloaded for them to watch.
On Saturday, Amber shared some pictures of all the fun they've been having in Shreveport. Notice that the girls are wearing shorts and a t-shirt with sandals!!
Above: Shreveport Boardwalk
Below: Shreveport Aquarium
They are in the midst of making some really big and important decisions right now. And things are definitely coming together for their family.
I think about how many dominoes have been set up over the past year and all the specific steps that have had to fall into place to get them to this very point right now. Plans were made last spring, those plans fell through, new plans were made, some of those fell through because of COVID-19 and some had to be rearranged. Lots of uncertainty, many questions, some hopes, and some doubts. But with an underlying trust in God and in His plan for their family, things are starting to become very clear and VERY QUICKLY!
It's like the telescopic lens of their career path had a cap on it for the past year. They've just had to trust that they could see The Big Life Plan at some point, and in the meantime be ready with eyes on the smaller viewing lens, waiting for that larger lens cap to come off at any moment. Now the cap has been removed, and the lens has been cleaned and buffed so it isn't as blurry to their view. Now they can see the beautiful path in front of them. And they are EXCITED! That is a beautiful process for them to be a part of, and for us to all be a part of. There is a plan for each of us. And God is in the details of our lives.
A couple last thoughts for today.
I had a spiritual awakening Wednesday evening after a young women's leadership training meeting. I felt the urgency to take my calling more seriously as I work with the young women. I felt the impression sink deeply into my soul that I am here to build confidence in each girl for whatever lies ahead. I am here to rescue them, and to help them during this portion of their mortal journey.
It sunk so deeply into my heart, that as I walked home in the dark, I marveled at the night sky. I saw myself with an eternal perspective in mind, that I am small, but that with God, all things are possible. I saw myself as great in the eyes of God, as great as the expanse of the universe, and that He loves me tremendously. He also loves each of those girls that I serve. I need to help plan activities that are meaningful and impactful for them. "Fun" is just a tool. "Fun" is not necessarily the end goal.
I stopped on the corner near my house and said a short prayer in the dark, with eyes pointed up to heaven. I promised Heavenly Father that I would follow the promptings and guidance of His Holy Spirit as I serve these beautiful girls.
And after a few tries, I finally got this photo that captured a couple of the twinkly stars on that crisp and clear night. (night mode helps) (and zooming in on this photo might produce better results, too.)
I felt like I needed to capture the moment so that I would never forget the feelings that I felt. I'm grateful that the night sky was clear enough so that I could see up into the heavens. :)
And lastly, I had a fun date with Abby and Gwen the day before they left for Louisiana. I took them over to the Trackside Mall, an antiques emporium by the railroad tracks in Idaho Falls. I was on a mission to find things that had buttons for pushing. It's for a secret project (for them). I'm hoping to have it finished by the time they get home on St. Patrick's Day.
The girls and I wandered for about TWO HOURS throughout the 3 large floors of antiques, knick knacks, and miscellaneous junk. They did so great! Nothing broke, nobody got lost, and they listened really well to me. They even began to follow my lead if I noticed that an area or "booth" had too many GLASS items, which quickly led to my saying, "Let's not go in THAT booth. Let's find another one!" Abby was old enough to understand why we shouldn't go in there, ha ha. Gwen likes to touch EVERYTHING!!
*Update from my Dad: the green glass items that my mom had are insulators. They keep the electron flow in the wires. A transformer changes the voltage, either up or down. :)
We found a few items with buttons to push, and although this cool antique register was super fun, it was way out of my price range.
From the left: Trish Meyers, Chris Bennett, Amy Schmutz, me, Barb Vance, and Meigin Larsen.
I will share my secret project in next week's blog.
Until then, . . . Happy St. Patrick's Day! Don't forget to wear something green! And celebrate your Irish Heritage - if you have some, which you probably do, because most people do! LOL
Oh - and one LAST LAST thing. After church today, I was visiting with some of my lady friends outside. Trish, the one on the left in the photo below, wanted to celebrate the occasion by taking a group photo. She hasn't been to church in quite some time because of COVID, and this was her first time back because her husband was asked to speak today. (He did a great job!) As soon as their vaccines are completed, they will be attending regularly once again.
And this was the view of the front of my house, notably relishing in the sunshine as I walked home from church today. Notice that there is no bobsled run anymore. And I'm okay with that. :)
Comments
Post a Comment