Heaven on Earth

Yesterday I took Clara to my mom's because I had to go into work. It was around Noon and I decided I should never go into work at Noon on a beautiful February day. As I walked to my parent's front door, all I could think about was the warm sun shining above me and the green, lush grass below me. Right then and there I decided that tomorrow {today}, Clara and I were busy from about 10:00am to 11:15am. We had some important things to attend to. We had a swing to glide on, some grass to lay in and some sunshine to enjoy. When we arrived, I decided that approximately 1000 sf of my parent's front yard that we spent over an hour in is my Heaven on earth. (Well, for about 8 months out of the year, anyway). I don't think there is anywhere else I'd rather spend my free time. Cool green grass and big trees for shade if it's over 85* and comfy lawn chairs to sit in the sun if it's under. So peaceful. So relaxing.

{Clara says, Look Mom! I am ice skating!}

The Story of the Night Light

In general, Clara has been a great sleeper. She stays in bed at night, she takes great naps (pretty sure she's not napping right now though) and usually, it's done without a fight. Even switching her from her crib was a breeze. About 6 months ago, she started waking up in the night and coming into our room. Sometimes she'd sneak in and I wouldn't realize it until morning that she was in our bed. But most of the time, I'd wake up and Jason or I would take her back to bed or give her a hug and kiss and send her back to bed. After that she'd stay in her bed the rest of the night. It wasn't that bad, but waking up in the night regularly got old so Clara and I had a little talk. I wanted to know why she had started doing this. She told me that sometimes when she woke up at night, she was scared because it was dark. She's always had a night light in her room, but it wasn't very bright. I proposed that we buy her a new night light so if she woke up, she could see the light and go back to sleep. She was so excited to get a new light, but mostly because I let her get a Sleeping Beauty one.

Sleeping Beauty or not, it worked like a charm.

Until last night.

Clara woke up crying. I went into her room and once she calmed down I asked her why she was crying. She said she was scared so I asked of her of what. She said, "My light."

Nothing beats 3-year old manipulation.

Brain Dump

Friday - Clara got to have a sleepover at my parent's on Friday so Jason and I stayed out late. We went out to eat* and then watched a movie. We had a good time, but when we got home, it felt a little strange without Clara. Clara, on the other hand, had a grand old time and was ready to do it again Saturday night.

*Restaurants - It dawned on me Friday night that Jason and I have totally opposite ideals when it comes to good restaurants. Totally opposite. Some restaurants I don't mind on occasion, but I would never in my life choose to eat at Jason's favorite restaurant, Famous Dave's. There is not really anything on the entire menu that is even semi-healthy and in my opinion, it doesn't taste good. Friday night I gave him the usual, "We can eat wherever you want, except Famous Dave's". But then I felt bad and figured occasionally it won't kill me to let him go where he wants, even if it's Famous Dave's. So we ate there. And I didn't like it (never have). And really, the fat, salt and lack of fruits and vegetables they serve may actually kill me. So next time I might reconsider lifting my personal ban on that place.

Sneaky Satan - The movie we watched on Friday was pretty funny. There was almost no language, the romantic scenes were controlled and overall it appeared to be a descent movie. However, when I was telling my mom about it, I realized every relationship (I think there were four romantic relationships) in the movie had immorality woven in. I bet Satan was so proud, a movie that was visually and audibly okay (not quite wholesome) but laden with situations that are socially acceptable but morally inappropriate.

Saturday - We went to the temple, had a primary activity day (I have a child in primary!), bought 3 wedding gifts (we have 4 wedding gifts in the next month) and a bridal shower gift, went to a bridal shower and went to a reception. It was a busy day, but every happening flowed so smoothly to the next. I never felt rushed and I never felt stressed. It was a good day.

Pictures - I don't really take pictures anymore. But with most things I do, I have a reason. In this case, I have a few. First, Jason has been using my camera for work a lot lately so I don't have it strapped to me at all times. Taking pictures with my phone is never the same. Second of all, I've had a really long dry spell of good pictures. It seems my pictures never look like I envision them. Part of this is me not being a good photographer and the other part is not having a fancy camera. So maybe I feel a little sorry for myself and I'm pouting. I'll work on it.

Perfect Morning - This morning I ate fresh strawberries and an oatmeal muffin while enjoying the rain, Clara and Jason. It was as perfect as a morning can be.

Sunday School - I always have something to say. However, I mostly don't open my mouth in Sunday School. Today I was wondering why and it dawned on me that I'm totally intimidated by guys at church. Guys at work, my guy friends, etc., they don't intimidate me. Just guys at church. I've always felt like my gospel knowledge is inferior to anyone that's been on a mission so I'm too embarrassed to say anything when they are around.

Charity - I've always wanted to be more charitable. There are so many aspects of charity that it's definitely a life-long pursuit. Until several nights ago, I felt like I was making a satisfactory effort to be charitable. I was reading in Moroni 7:45, which I've read probably a hundred times. It says (with my self-evaluation on my efforts, not accomplished areas, noted): And charity suffereth long (check), and is kind (check), and is not puffed up (check), seeketh not her own (check), is not easily provoked (has this always been in this scripture?)... I finished reading the scripture and then re-read it several times and wondered why the "is not easily provoked" part never stood out until now. Unfortunately, I'm very easily provoked. I don't have a short temper, really, but if someone wrongs me, I'm very easily irritated. I want to force them to acknowledge they are at fault and I am wrong. I want them to admit their follies while I fume with irritation. I have always excused my behavior saying it was just my personality. But as I read this scripture, I realized it's an important part of charity and a trait that can be developed with practice. Now for the hard part, actually doing it and trying to reshape that part of my personality.

TV

This week has been a little chaotic and this weekend isn't going to be much relief. It's not all stressful chaos, just lots going on. However, my week has been made better thanks to the Olympics. I don't really watch TV. In fact, I kind of hate TV. We didn't own a TV until 8 months after we got married. Sometimes I wish we didn't have one. But, this week Jason and I have been watching the Olympics while I work and he studies and it's been way too much fun. Especially when we call in to win the HDTV and we both call over and over and over every night, knowing full well the odds are not worth the effort.

1. Evolution & 2. Love

1. Evolution of the Valentine Monkey

A few weeks ago I stumbled across these cute little monkeys and decided they'd make simple, cute Valentines for Clara to give to her friends. I didn't exactly consider I'd be making 20+ so it took longer than expected. Plus, it took a few tries before they looked monkey-ish. I hadn't found my bumpy pipe cleaners at the time of my first attempt to construct the monkeys but figured it wouldn't matter. However, in the following photos, left to right, top to bottom, you can see how the monkey evolved here in the Penrod home. The first one I made looked like an Elmo/devil/monster. I thought, This guy needs something. I tried changing the eyes. But then he just looked like a space age Elmo/devil/monster. Then I realized the ears needed to be bigger and red to match the rest of him. That and the bumpy pipe cleaners helped, but it still wasn't exactly right. I changed the eyes because without the small, beady eyes, he looked less mouse-ish. The final product still didn't look like the ones online so I went back and realized I think the reason they looked so much like monkeys is because they are hanging by each other. So I tried it with mine and behold, the monkeys. Too bad we didn't have two to give to everyone...2. Love on Valentine's Day Eve

Let's be honest, Jason and I don't really date. Time, money, babysitter, exhaustion and laziness are factors. But last night we planned to go out to celebrate this day of love. The initial plan was to go somewhere fancy, but I thought it'd be more fun to have a simple dinner and then go shopping or just spend some time talking. Funny how when you're married you spend so much time together but there's never time to just sit and talk. We didn't have any exact plans as to what we were going to do, which made it a little more fun. We ended up going to Smeeks to get some little treats for Clara. While there, we got our photos in a photo booth. Can you believe Jason had never done that before? Then we ate at La Grande Orange. I had never been, but have been wanting to go and it all worked out perfect, actually. We were already in the area, we parked right away (tiny parking lot, so this was a major bonus) and they had food options that worked for both of us. See, Jason did not want to eat there considering their primary menu items (pizzas {he likes pizza, just not the "good" kind :)}, salads), but obliged to go since we were already nearby and he knew I wanted to eat there. Lucky him (and me, because then I didn't feel guilty for coercing him to eat there), their special last night was strip steak. The atmosphere made it easy to relax and have a nice visit about us, goals and dating. My food was great, his steak was delicious and very reasonably priced (especially considering the quality) and we both left fat and happy. Oh, and in love.Happy Valentine's Day.

Get Up & Go

When Rachel was here for Christmas, she gave me a CD of MP3's. For some reason, the time I spend listening to music has steadily declined over the last few years. The only explanation I can think of is that the music on the radio gets worse and worse so finding music that I like takes more time so I don't bother. However, I've been listening to my CD from Rachel almost daily and it has totally transformed our morning routine. After I make breakfast and we eat, the fun begins. I turn up the music and Clara helps clean up. I get the dishes done, the kitchen cleaned and I exercise. Of course plane trips, boat rides, train rides, fighting off bad guys, getting snakes, singing into microphones, trying not to drown, playing hide and seek, trying to do lunges with a 30 pound monkey on me, playing "chase" and dancing episodes are frequently infused into our routine, which only makes it better. It's nice to have some energizing music around again, get the kitchen clean first thing, exercise more regularly and dance like a fool with Clara.Other happenings this past week...

I finally got my windshield replaced after this crack grew to about three feet long. It sure is nice have a clear view while driving.One night I really needed gas but didn't want to stop because it was late and I had been gone all day working. My light went on and I'd been driving on the same tank of gas for 428.5 miles. It made me feel like such a dare devil (and kind of like an idiot too). Living on the edge for sure.

Clara baked with me and needed an apron. This one fit her just perfectly. Perhaps I need a full length apron too.

Okay, if you live in Mesa, chances are you've seen this awesome store off of Main Street.

Every time I drive by, I wonder what in the world is inside. Every time until this last week, that is. I was in desperate need of some "bumpy" red pipe cleaners and Michael's doesn't carry them. I found them online for less than a buck for a dozen, but shipping was $8. I decided to try this place out and let me say, it was awesome. A little, or a lot, off the wall, but their selection of pipe cleaners and pom poms doesn't even compare to Michael's. Other than finding the pipe cleaners I needed for $1.49/package, my next favorite thing about the place was the zig zag aisles that were so close to each other, you couldn't look down the aisle to the other side of the store. I'll be back. Even if it's just to explore.

I had to work Wednesday and we are out of bread so I was really in need of a good, quick breakfast that was filling and healthy. I quickly threw some frozen blueberries, spinach and pineapple juice in the blender. It was delicious and looked like tar, but even Clara loved it.

I promised myself (for the fifth time) that I am not going to make my own tortillas until I own a tortilla press. Do you blame me? Circular tortillas are not one of my strengths. Obviously.

The little princess in distress. Clara climbed to the top of the food storage to pout.

{Don't mock my method of storing this food... I don't have much room around this place.}

Goodnight

I could tell you about...

The day I attempted to make little monkeys with Clara (for Clara's valentines) that look more like a mix between a devil, Elmo and a monster

Clara finally getting to ride her bikeErin & Jason's baby "open house" our family went to (the camera didn't make it)

My weekend to do list that I haven't looked at since I wrote it

The delicious lemon cookies I made for dessert at my mom's (everyone loved them... but I did put at least twice as much zest and juice as the recipe calls for)

How you know you're in North Scottsdale when you are the only one with glasses like this (ha ha, just kidding, not cool anywhere)

My realization that baking on Fast Sunday is not fun

My realization that I am glad I don't cook dinner every Fast Sunday (sorry mom)

How I prolonged bedtime 30 minutes to chat with him and her ('cause conversations with them are always enjoyable)

The funny things Clara said today

or

Tell you about my "Just Because" goal

But since I was up until 3:30am working last night and had to wake up at 7:30am for church, I'll pass. Goodnight!

Bedtime

It's a few hours past my bedtime. But I'm not asleep. Obviously. 'Cause I can't type in my sleep. Every so often, more often than I like, I can't go to sleep. Well, really it starts out with me not wanting to and then before I know it, I can't. It begins with having to get something for work done. I get the work done, which puts me past my preferred bedtime on Thursday night. At that point, since I'm already an hour past bedtime, I think, what's another two? I am dreading waking up when it's still dark knowing I'll be so sleepy so I procrastinate. That's right, I dread waking up after only a few short hours so I procrastinate going to bed. Makes perfect sense. Somehow, my thought process is totally logical around Midnight. And then I start to think. And think and think and think. About everything. Houses, too much work, too little work, babies, messy room, piles that give me anxiety, moving, my ideal life, my reality, drugs, food (I made the most delicious dinner tonight, just ask Jason but if you don't, I'll quote,"I would pay a lot of money for that at a restaurant"), money, life, things to blog about, other's struggles, etc., etc. And then, I decide my procrastination is foolish. I change, wash, brush, pray, snuggle (with my blanket... I'm not a human snuggler when sleeping) and close my eyes to drift off to sleep. Except at this point, my mind is so wired with thoughts that the drifting takes too long. Sometimes hours. Especially if I focus too much on going to sleep. Because then my anxiety kicks in knowing how quickly the hour of the alarm is approaching and, you guessed it, that keeps me awake longer.

So now I guess I have two problems: 1.) I'm kind of crazy and 2.) I'm going to be really tired tomorrow. :)

Hilarity Explodes

Clara has always made me laugh. But lately, her ability to do so has been in hyper drive. On the way home from my mom's last night, as I was frantically trying to write down the funny things she was saying (while driving), I realized there is no way I can record the entirety of her funniness. Only having a recorder constantly on her would make this possible. Ah well, such is life. Just another reason I am hoping Heaven has movie theaters that we can watch replays of different days/times from history. However, here are a few of my favorites as of late:

{I had to run inside to get something real fast so I left Clara in the car}
A: I will be right back. I have to grab something and will be really fast.
C: Okay, don't get a ticket.
A: What?
C: Don't get a ticket in the house.

C: Mom, I really want you to take me to the doctor because my finger hurts because Dad clipped and clipped and clipped it
A: Clara, your finger probably hurts because you pulled the skin off it. (PS Jason hasn't clipped her nails for a while)
C: But it really hurts so I want to go to the doctor.
A: Well, we only go to the doctor if it's an emergency.
C: There is an emergency in my finger.
A: {Laughing}
C: Mom, there really are emergencies in my finger.

{After seeing a bra box at Costco with a model on the outside}
C: Mom, that lady is not modest. Her boobs are covered up, but I can see her belly.

And for the other thousand conversations I can't record, this picture oughta do.