I'm A Failure

I just ate 16 tootsie rolls and I'm blogging instead of packing and cleaning. One would think I have no self control in any area of my life. But one would be only partially correct. I could've eaten a Haagen Dazs bar or a 600lb Gorilla ice cream cookie sandwich (thank you, Costco), but I just stuck to the tootsie rolls. And, my body is so sore because I packed and cleaned and was on my feet almost all day long. My feet hurt, my muscles are stiff, my back kills and my hips make me feel old and frail. I don't want sympathy, just making sure you know I'm not completely lazy for not packing tonight.

Plus, there's too much activity in this head of mine. I gotta let some of it out.

First up, The Grateful Day of Bramma. Saturday, my mother came over and a.) kept me from sitting on the couch for five hours straight and b.) helped me pack. I think she should be in charge of my moving plans. After all, she had to pack her 4,300 SF house and her six kids to move out of state all by herself since my dad had already started his new job. That night, Clara's prayers included, "thankful for the grateful day of Bramma..." It was a grateful day indeed.

Meet A Neighbor. Today we went to the new house to clean. One of the neighbors was out mowing his lawn and came over to say hi. We visited for a long time and I felt all warm and fuzzy knowing we have nice, friendly neighbors. Even if their grandchildren are Clara's age. Oh, and his business partner? My parent's neighbor. Small world.

Irrigation. I am so excited to have irrigation. Even it means scorpions, it also means CHEAP water for our lawn, bushes and the plethora of trees. Something for little kids to enjoy is just a bonus. Clara got her first taste of it today, since it just happened to be irrigation day. However, the best news I got today was that we don't have to turn it on. Our HOA handles all of it, even paying the annual fee. No remembering the day and time and then waking up in the middle of the night, worrying if there are scorpions in the irrigation boots and trudging out to the back corner of the yard to turn the water on/off. Sweet.

Smells. We cleaned a lot today at our new house. I love having my mom's help. And since Lily was there to keep Clara entertained, I was able to get stuff done. Between the smell of cleaner and the air fresheners I bought, the house already feels more homely and I am that much more excited to make it our home. Once it's cleaned, painted and has our stuff in it, I won't know any different. Right? Speaking of the house, here are some pictures. A few disclaimers: I did not take these pictures, they are from the MLS listing, and the property has been vacant for several months, so everything is overgrown. The peach/washed out kitchen? No excuse for that. :)

Joy/Clara. Quick, write a letter to Roget, Merriam or Webster and let them know I have identified a new synonym. My goodness. Sometimes my heart feels too full. I wonder how it's possible to feel this much joy and then worry that it won't last long. But the truth is, life is meant to be enjoyed. Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. Sure, some circumstances make this easier than others, but I can't help but cherish and soak up days like today. The kisses, the hugs, the smiles, the giggles and the imagination are all part of the experience. Tonight I put Clara's hair in curlers for her first day of preschool tomorrow. She kept saying "I'm so cute" and didn't want to lay down in fear that she'd mess her hair up. It's so fun seeing her get so excited about something so simple.

More of the joy comes from listening to the things that come out of her mouth. Some of my favorites from today...

We were eating Tootsie Rolls and Clara asked me what the wrapper said so I told her. She said, "Mom, this isn't good. They put a toot on here."

We tested out our doorbell at our new house. It's the kind that chimes on for about 10 seconds, but it's not a sharp chime and it's not very loud. We rang it, then went inside and it was so subtle that Clara didn't realize it was ringing. I said, "Shh, listen" so she could hear it and she got really excited and said, "I want some ice cream!" She totally thought the doorbell was an ice cream truck. Ha!