Hurst Family News

November is a month of gratitude.  A little gratitude can soften the hardest of hearts. Why not add more gratitude in our lives?  I'll jump on that bandwagon. Ian says, "I'm thankful for friends." (and then added "Can I go play with friends Right Now ?") Landon says, "I'm thankful for being nice." Then clarified, "I'm thankful for me being nice." (Me too kid.) Charlie doesn't talk but he is thankful he gets Daddy and Grandpa time today building our wood shed. I'm thankful for a husband and father in law who work hard in all aspects of life. I'm thankful for resources and generosity of others that allow us to have what we need and live within our means. (Our wood shed when finished should hold 6 cords of wood and we'll have it all built for under $250 *hopefully* and there's a cool story about the shed that will be another post.) Gratitude can change the tide of a day and give us peace when before there ...

I know I have woefully neglected the blog. Oh well. Life happens. I'm blogging today and that's good too. It's not fun stuff today because I'm going to take a minute  (or 5) and stand on my blogbox.  (Like a soapbox only on the internet.) I will eventually get pictures of all the fun halloweeney stuff, but today I have an issue. You see, last night at a Halloween party I overheard one woman asking another woman a very deep and personal question.  The fact that I could overhear it should suggest that perhaps it was an inappropriate place.  I mean, we were all sitting there.  Now this person is family to the woman she was speaking to but that doesn't actually make her question appropriate. She asked, "Did you get the wish of your heart?" Everyone knew what she was hinting at because of the boisterous  loud conversation previous to that about babies. But then another person clarified, "She's asking if you're pregnant."  To which ...

Right about now... Funk Soul Brotha Check it out now, Funk Soul Brotha: I'm hoping that hot pockets and microwave Cheese Wheels (macNcheese wheels) counts for a meal because that's what we had for lunch.  Don't judge.  It was a major decision between that and something someone else cooked (aka fast food) that costs a lot more. Currently I am writing from a fairly swirly allergy med haze. Wish I could truly enjoy it.  But I have to be psudo responsible until further notice.  Or when Sean gets home.  Whichever comes first.  "Sponsibility" sure is a buzz kill though. It's a good thing days like today don't come around too often or I'd be 600 lbs with BBQ sauce dripping from my chin.  And one of my sons would be named Gilbert .  And they'd have to burn the house when I die. (Spoiler. Sorry. I wasn't myself.) Boychild the first is walking home. It's cold outside with a lovely, icy north wind a blowin'.  Knocked over our t...

Charlie's favorite song is Skiddamarinkydinkydink.  A classic.   Makes me proud.   Passed on a priceless piece of my childhood.   Sharon, Lois and Bram. The elephant show.  Learn it if you don't know it.  Share it.  Love it.  

Here are a few of my recent projects around the house. Please excuse the giant hole in the kitchen wall. It's on the list. I'm not sure what order they will be in: this phone posts faster than our poor computer. Fruit basket. Heavy duty. Now in red. Pots and pans. Black upgrade from in laws (thanks again!). Like to hang around. Mantle pictures. Need to be hung on the wall. Wall-O-pictures. Added to. Still awaiting the ones on the mantle. Little projects. (not pictured are as follows) We now have a working dryer. We were waiting on a breaker. Breaker is in. No one got electrocuted. Win. One more sheet of drywall on the South wall. Master bedroom green accent wall. Trees trimmed. Fort built from said tree limbs. Two loads of wood cut and hauled. Two to go. Lots of work, but there has been some progress. Just no pictures till now.enjoy.

When I went out to check the mail I found this note on our door. It was a nice reminder that we are doing good things. I don't know who left the note because they didn't sign it but it sure brightened my day.Thanks neighbor.

“I don’t know if I continue, even today, always liking myself. But what I learned to do many years ago was to forgive myself. It is very important for every human being to forgive herself or himself because if you live, you will make mistakes- it is inevitable. But once you do and you see the mistake, then you forgive yourself and say, ‘well, if I’d known better I’d have done better,’ that’s all. So you say to people who you think you may have injured, ‘I’m sorry,’ and then you say to yourself, ‘I’m sorry.’ If we all hold on to the mistake, we can’t see our own glory in the mirror because we have the mistake between our faces and the mirror; we can’t see what we’re capable of being. You can ask forgiveness of others, but in the end the real forgiveness is in one’s own self. I think that young men and women are so caught by the way they see themselves. Now mind you. When a larger society sees them as unattractive, as threats, as too black or too white or too poor or too fat or too thin...

I never intended to be a parent that always says No. Rarely yes. I try to remember to say yes.  But most of the time around our house it is "CHARLIE NO!" that you hear.  I'll often answer the phone with "Charlie NO!" due to the inevitability that when the phone rings he thinks it is time to rip books, or flip over the back of the couch or whack his brother in the head with a train.  He doesn't talk and I think that is part of our frustration.  He is frustrated that he can't communicate what he wants/needs and I get so tired of charades and guessing. Maybe it's our fault for nicknaming him Menace.  But it seemed to fit and he's grown even more into it now.  Don't get me wrong here, I love my kid. DEARLY.  And the thought that he is likely the last baby in our house saddens my heart so I try to hold on to the little bit of babyhood/toddlerhood before full blown boyhood.  He's so sweet. Always wanting to give hugs and kisses and ugga-mugga...

Flowers. Pink.  Clippies. Skirts.  Barbies.  Nail Polish. I would probably get sick of these things if it was all consuming.  Right now- they sounds heavenly.  Instead I get talk of  Guns. Trains.  Legos.  Guns.  Guns. Spy Stuff (excuse to use guns). Bodily Functions. Cars. Guns.  I need some frilly estrogen.  All this testosterone is killing me.  Even the neighbor boys come over and that's the first thing everyone talks about.  I love every single one of my boys.  But THIS girl can only handle so much. And that much was about 2 days ago.  I'm longing for a getaway. No way we could arrange one of those spur of the moment trips- eh Missionary Sistergirl and Mom? Dang. Thanks anyway- I think I'll go get some bubble bath, earplugs and a good book.  Perhaps tomorrow I'll drop in on a friend or two.   Till then. Real life discussion just now as I'm formatting to post thi...

First day (of second week) of school! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEE#3 !!! He's 2 today.  Old man.  Really just not a baby anymore.  But he'll always be my baby.  Oldest brother is in First Grade now and it's not as bad as I feared. He likes riding his bike to school- but Mommy got sick and couldn't pull two kids in the trailer.  Middle brother is a little too fond of his brakes to make any sort of decent time to school. Thus the trailer.  Middle brother is starting Preschool again tomorrow. We are all excited.  He has missed Ms. Melissa all summer! And this year he gets to make a few new friends. It'll be great.  Wee#3 is 2. Where has the time gone? He's a little firecracker for sure.  Loves to be with the big boys, he thinks he's one of them. Jumping. Riding bikes (though he's mostly content to ride in the trailer for now).  He loves his helmet. Duplos. Cars. Any thing and Every thing he can get into he d...

Dear Grandpa , It's been almost two years.  I still think about you all the time.  I did before you died too, just didn't call as often as I should have. I'm sorry. I'm trying to learn from that.  I see pictures that Mom posts of the cosmos and my thoughts turn to you.  Gazing up at things bigger than we can comprehend and the wonder of it all.  I think you you every time I see the vast amount of stars in our clean, clear, thin air.  It still surprises me.  You'd love it here.  The sky at least. We just got a chalkboard from my father in law and put it up in our dining room.  It reminds me of the happy hours drawing on the chalkboard on your porch and you and grandma doling out the chalk one piece at a time so they didn't all make it through the cracks in 2 minutes.  I hope my kids will have those kind of memories. I think of you every time I see my little Charlie Curtis.  He's almost two now. He just woke up from his morning ...

We are so grateful grandpa thought of us when he saw the free chalkboard! We love it (and so does our neighbor friend) bonus: it covers a lot of the ugly wall.

These are just some things i was thinking about today. The future. Dreams. Goals. Things I'd like to do. Someday. And yes i know all about planning and wishing and how I'd i don't move forward they won't happen. A list is a good place to start though. My own little second hand store. I'd love for it to work in conjunction with the family support center or women's shelter. Something bigger than just me. There is one in Logan Utah called Somebody's Attic and I love it.  It makes me want to take business classes. Weird. I'd love to learn how to play the piano. Which means I'll need to acquire a piano someday. I think it will go perfectly where the computer is right now. It may be 10 years from now before i can really start on that one because of time and money, but I'm not the only one to do things later in life. Julia Child anyone? (no I'm not looking to be a musical Julia Child.) I may never be great but just plunking out a tune with both ha...

Just a quick update: We had a marvelous vacation to California where we spent almost as much time in the car as not.  My kids aren't really letting that one go anytime soon. New cousins to play with.  Great memories made.  I'll write more another day.  But for now it is enough to know that I am immensely grateful for my family, the one we made and the ones we come from.  They're pretty great people. My baby sister is getting ready to go on a Mission.  Lots of excitement there! I'm loading up on stamps so I can send snail mail.  I'm sure I'll look forward to whatever day is email day like when little brother was in Germany on his Mission.  But snail mail still has trump power.  So be ready seester. First born headed to ALL DAY first grade this year. The bottom of the totem pole (because kindergartners are basically segregated from the rest of the school)- the real beginning of mommy growing up.  ALL DAY. I'm nervous. WAAAAAY more ner...

Can't vent on Facebook so I'll vent here.   You know what bugs me.  LDS Eliteism.   The idea that because someone belongs to the same church I do , they are somehow better than someone else.  (Please forgive me if I've ever done this.)  See, because here's the thing: WE ARE ALL HUMANS.  We all occupy the same Earth and breath the same air and while we may have different individual goals I think innately we are all striving for the same thing, live, learn, grow, and hopefully leave the world a little better than we found it.  (Terrorists and rapists are not exactly in the same realm- but that's a topic for another day. For now we're going with my idea- however Pollyanna it may be.)  Recent tragedy struck a team of elite firefighters.  19 of 20 of the crew died when winds increased and things just got out of control (like we can control fire! but they were trying to trench it and stop it from going that direction...) The one that surv...

As a dad, when you have little kids, it is very gratifying. In there eyes you are the strongest thing in the world. There is nothing you cannot accomplish. You can pick them up in the air, throw them up (eww!), etc. This has been a great perk of being a dad; however, I knew at some point this would wain and disappear. Sadly, because of them watching The Avengers (animated series available on Netflix), that time has come to an end. Despite me trying to convince them otherwise, they now know that “in real life” The Incredible Hulk would be stronger than their dear old dad. Sigh. The real kicker is, that they don't realize who the real Super Hero is, because her disguise is so great. She is also so close to them, that they can observe and learn from her daily. How lucky are they? She does have super powers and they are listed here: Energon\Arc Reactor: No other way she has the energy to keep up with all she does. Super Strength: Used to wrangle three boys, as well as to c...

It's a good day (or part of the day I should say) when Wee #3 keeps his diaper on for a nap.  Lately he has become a ninja and figured out how to undress himself.  Yesterday he mastered the trick of pulling off his diaper while keeping his onesie on.  I fear it's going to get worse.  He sits on the potty but doesn't know what to do.  I'm not pushing, just encouraging.  But man oh man- I just don't get it.  Why do I have to wash/hang dry/fold/put away 5 bajillion loads of laundry if my children insist on running around sans pants? I think I'll keep a few outfits (for going out in public) and church clothes and the rest will be given to other needy families.  If there are other moms out there with the same problem our family could single handedly clothe dozens of families of naked boys.  And think of the saved time and effort and money of doing laundry.  I could waste time on pinterest  blog more.   In any event the mountain...

We love Summer. We love the pool. I love the cheesy smiles. 

Last time I wrote a bit about all the loveliness of Summer .   Does anyone else suffer from allergies?  It kind of puts a damper on everything else.  I have good days and bad days.  The last couple have been doozies and I am either cotton headed from the allergies or doped up on various allergy medications.  (Various because one works better but makes me pretty loopy the other seems to have a delayed loopy reaction) I've tried everything.  The only thing I remember (but remember loopy? it makes memory difficult too) is that Chlor Trimeton works.... but I can't find it.  Apparently it's not as popular.  I feel like I spend a fortune in allergy meds because I waste time and money on ones that just make me drowsy (read: make me fall asleep 30 minutes after taking them).  Really I'm just complaining because I have nothing else to blog about in my cotton-headed-state.  Sean commented the other day that he associates me and summer wit...

Summer: Swimsuits Sunscreen Towels Water Cold soda tan lines Sandals Ceiling fans Popsicles Hats Sunglasses Laundry lines Warm Bright Lovely Fun fun fun! I spy with my little eye something RED! And check out the sweet shades my sister sent me (PS I don't always wear these but needed something today and thought why not? I got a lot of looks but nobody dared to say anything. I love them. Not the red ones I found in a drag Queen store but that's a story for another day. And hot pink is so the next best thing! Thanks Christie!)

Our house is still far from "finished".  We're in a holding pattern while we have a few fun summer adventures and then we'll get back to our regularly scheduled fixing up.  So I've been trying to be methodical about what I want in my home.  What things make me happy.  It's not what I have.  Though I'm working on it.  I have a billion pins on my pinterest boards all with somewhat conflicting tones.  Some say "I wish I were grown up and elegant" while the ones I really love are bright and flashy and bring a POP of color. I want to be more towards the POP side.  That's who I feel I really am.  Not the Pottery Barn or Anthropologie knockoff.  I more of IKEA meets 8 year old meets old stuff painted hot pink.  It probably hearkens back to a day in high school when I had this "brilliant" idea of spray painting this HUGE and HEAVY mirror frame florescent green.  I think my mom is still scarred from it.  While it didn't really tur...

For the family reunion this year it looks like we'll be taking our monkeys to see the kids at the zoo. In honor of that (and to give us all a project-summer vacation anyone?) we're making animal shirts using mostly stuff we have on hand. (i say mostly because i had to buy freezer paper and i didn't have black paint already, but I'm sure they will come in handy door future projects as well). Ian used to say the peacocks said "ah! Ah! LOUD!" He requested a peacock tie dye shirt 3 years ago. I've spruced it up for Chollie Tortise this year. More projects to come.

To do list for Thursday May 2nd 2013 goes a little something like this: -hang laundry -do a few more loads (if the sock situation has not remedied by just doing whites) -make rice krispy treats -fix baby tux  -pack -sip soda -feed munchkins -enjoy that tomorrow is roadtrip day Thank goodness I took some Excedrin this morning to ward off the headache. I feel much better now.  Hope we have no meltdowns this afternoon.  I'd be farther down my list but I stopped to visit some friends who were passing through town on their way to a new adventure.  So glad I did.  I love good friends.   May today be productive and tomorrow be fun. 

I know that time will eventually tick itself down and Friday will in fact be here.  But it feels that time is stuck to the side of the jar.  Killin' me Smalls.  Our house has exploded.  The walls are still here but the inside needs a good purging to get better.  We got all of our stuff out of storage the other day.  A swift reminder that we (by which I point the finger mostly at myself) have yet again over indulged and have WAY TOO MUCH stuff.  Things.  Time.  Energy. Space. Money. Wasted.  And now all of that stuff is clogging my brain and spirit and it just NEEDS TO GO. Which it will (Cue yard sale next weekend). But for the next two weeks we will be wallowing through the mire of bad choices and over spending.  So getting ready for an quick overnight trip to SLC is putting me on shutdown.  I can't find socks.  Heaven knows I have washed and dried and even folded (some) socks.  Lots of them. ("Some" referring to th...

We go together like..... ...Peanut Butter and Jelly. ...Fries and a Frosty. ...Bert and Ernie. ...Airplanes and tutus. Did that last one throw you off? Sorry.  Life of an almost 4 year old deems that airplanes and tutus do in fact belong together.  So much so that he freaks out if is airplane is missing its tutu.  It all began rather innocently. We're trying to teach the kids about money by giving them an allowance.  They pay a %10 tithe and then the rest they can spend how they choose (though Mommy tries to talk them out of buying goodies with them because Mommy already buys/makes too many goodies as it is). So what do they set their hearts on? Toys of course.  Because they don't have too many of those yet.... We were at our "local" (local being the next town over) secondhand store a few weeks ago and the boys were insistent that they NEEDED to spend their allowance.  So I let them.  They fought over who got the train.  Ian did b...

Small town life. Con: Stores close at 8 or 9 or 6pm. Shop early.  Pro: This means you're forced to get everything done and then can have actual FAMILY time.  Con: Middle of "no-where". Pro: Within a couple hours of Arches, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and other NATURAL wonders. Con: Less People.  Pro: You find a few good friends and ya stick with 'em.  Also traffic? What's that?  Con: One stop light. Pro: Out of town-ers mistake it for an actual stoplight instead of a blinking red.  Nobody knows when to go. Thus providing a good laugh.  Unless you're from here- in which case you grumble about "tourists" and "it's a 4-way stop buddy".  But I still think of myself as a transplant and thus smile when they're stuck waiting for a green light that will never come.   While coming home from taking Ian to school this morning I was thinking about how much of living in a more populous ar...

 "Stop eating my DEODORANT!" I cried for the billionth time as I wondered if I should feed my kids more often.  Which of course led to a lovely round of mommyguilt. (Note: My kids get 3 square meals a day and snacks inbetween that do NOT include deodorant.) Then I found this blog .  And I feel much better.   Laughed so hard I cried.  My kids looked at me like I'd lost it.  Maybe I had.  Just a little.  If you're a mom- please take a minute.  Your sanity is worth it.   You're welcome. 

Dan, a blogger, wrote a post a while back "The Disease Called Perfection" .  It's worth a gander.  We get so caught up in appearances that we forget to be real and forget those we idolize are real too.  So here's a glimpse at my real life (mostly so *I* remember to give myself a break).  Currently: -We are trying to get out of debt.  Which means we drive cars that are 20, and 17 years old. Which means they break down occasionally.  Like this week. (Wheel bearing) So I don't have a vehicle and will be walking to help at Ian's class today.  Not a big deal and better for my health for sure.  But it's COLD outside.  My ears hurt when we got home from walking Ian to school. Blessed to live close enough to do that but still kinda bummed my easy option is gone.    -We also live in an unfinished house because we're being frugal.  Now, we do happen to have shelter from the storm and for that I am intensely grateful....