On my way to Hawaii (in my dreams)

So, I've been expanding my homemaking talents by canning this year. And, wow is it a lot of work! I've burned myself several times, it makes my kitchen the temperature of a tropical rain forest, and I despise the sight of fresh vegetables when I'm done. It's difficult to spend hours chopping and cooking to produce a jar of salsa when there's a Food Lion just down the road. And, honestly, I've wondered sometimes if it's really even financially beneficial. But, I think after I build up my jar supply and I grow (or bum off of other people) what I'm canning, it really is cheaper than buying it. So, here is the tally for this year ...

41 quarts and

30 pints of ...

peaches

green beans

pickled okra (yee-haw y'all!)

pickled banana peppers

tomatoes

salsa

peach jam

strawberry jam

and we have stocked an ample amount of peaches, strawberries, blueberries, and okra (an "ample" supply of okra isn't very much for us - I don't even know why we grew it this year, but it's producing like crazy!) in our outside freezer.

So, it seems crazy to spend so much time and money on canning. But, when it's all over, I have to admit that it's quite satisfying to see all of those jars lined up on the shelf: red, green, and orange. They're beautiful in a way. And, I'm passing on the art to the next generation: Kate carries around my jar-lifter-outer thing and tells me that her pretend food is "too hot".

And ... it's satisfying to know that my family will have lots of healthy canned food to eat while I'm recovering by myself in Hawaii.

I Need Your Honest Opinion

I have this urge to get my hair cut short. I mean, pretty short. Does anyone know Britt Brostrom? I love her hair! I want to get my hair cut like hers, but I don't know if I can pull it off. Not everyone has the face for a really short cut. You have to have just the right features, angles, whatever to look good. I just don't know if I do. I'm not asking if I'm pretty or attractive or anything like that. I know lots of beautiful people that wouldn't necessarily look good with a short haircut. I just need to know if I have a short haircut kind of face. Just tell it to me straight. I can take the honesty. I prefer bluntness, actually. It makes life so much easier and more refreshing.

You Missed Me, Didn't You?

So, my last post was June 5 and it's now July 17. Yikes! (I'm afraid my journal writing habits are shining through here)

My last post was titled "Playing Catch Up", so since I've already used that title ... I'll have to think of something else. Apparently, I'm having a hard time keeping up my blog on any kind of regular basis. I don't know how you amazing people who update your blog all of the time do it .. I mean, I'm impressed. I secretly feel better about myself when someone else takes a long time to update their blog too. Silly, I know. It's like seeing dust, old Cheerios, and a few toys under some else's couch. It makes them seem real. So all of you people who find it hard to write on your blog all of the time, I'm just helping to keep it real.

I really feel like life has been a whirlwind since Hayden got out of school in early June. Does anyone else feel like life is in fast forward? I've heard many people say that the older you get, the faster time flies. I say "amen" to that! (I'll be 32 in a few weeks, so maybe I qualify for the "getting older" group). Here are some things that have been part of this crazy, chaotic fun summer so far:

We started off the summer with a bang at the Simpson Family Cousin's Camp. There are 24 (I think?) cousins in all and the oldest is 9. That's a crazy good time! We even had matching shirts this year. The kids had a great time and I think we've decided to make it an annual tradition.
Cletus and I headed off to Ocracoke to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. I can't believe it's been 10 years! I mean, I feel like it was just yesterday that we were being awkward and sitting in the corner of a singles' dance telling each other we just wanted to be "friends". How time flies! It was a fun beach trip - we rented bikes and rode around the island.

We took a ferry to get over there and Cletus told me he was taking me on a cruise ... not quite. We enjoyed being together without the kids and spending so much time together. I am so happy to love him more than I ever could 10 years ago. It just gets better all the time ....

Hayden showed off his hard work at his first piano recital. He's been taking lessons for only 4 months but he has learned quickly and has really taken to the piano. (However, if I ever have to hear "Woodchuck" or "Daydream" again, I think I'm going to jump out the window). We are proud of him! Thanks, Leah Steelman, for being such a great teacher.

Me and the kids took off to the Blue Ridge Mountains to enjoy an extended family camping trip. Despite a rough start (Kate cried, freaked out, was delerious, and talked about grasshoppers until 4:15 am the first night in the tent), we really enjoyed ourselves. My favorite part was the visit to Alta Pass Apple Orchard off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you're up that way and have never been, it's well worth the stop.

And, how could I leave out our new baby, the dental practice? You'll notice that the sign looks like there was suppose to be a date after "Opening July ...". That's because the date has changed a few times. Cletus has worked countless hours on this new office. He has worried and stressed and planned. The office looks cute and harmless, but oh the sweat and tears that have gone into it. He is actually opening tommorrow and we are excited/anxious to see how everything goes. If you're ever in Bunn and you have a tooth ache ...

Cletus (aka Old Man Simpson) turned 34 at the beginning of July!

My brother, Aaron, and his family flew in from Texas a few weeks ago and we've been enjoying some time with them. The "boys" took a river rafting trip to Tennessee and had a blast! They did it all in a day - about 9 hours total in the car. I heard it was worth the trip.

After the rafting trip, we all went to the Outer Banks for 4 days on the beach in Corolla. The weather was amazing and we had such a good time. I love the age our kids are at - perfect for all day beach play. They really could have stayed all day every day. Kate was a trooper and spent 8 hours on the beach one day.

We really loved getting to spend time with Aaron, Lynda, Todd, Autumn, and Audrey. We only get to see them once a year at best, so it's always a fun time when they come. I have to admit that hosting 5 extra people in our home was a little stressful, but it was worth it. We love them and are glad for our kids to spend time with their cousins.

And, how can you go without a family picture? We had planned on hiring someone to take the pictures for us, but when that didn't work out, I just did it myself. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I just set up my tripod and then jumped in at the last minute. The little girls aren't really smiling, but I didn't set my expectations too high.

Well, that's it. Thanks for joining us on the Simpson Family Tour. I hope to write again before it's been another month and a half ... but you never know. I'll leave you all on the edge of your seats.

Playing Catch-Up

Wow - it's been almost a month since I posted last. I don't expect that anyone is too upset by that (except my mom), but it shows how lame I've been at posting. Part of the trouble is that every time I download pictures from my camera, the program downloads ALL of my pictures, including ones I've already saved on our computer like 10 times. So that is frustrating and takes forever. Also, I guess part of me feels like updating my blog is like writing in my journal: it should be fun but often ends up feeling like a chore.

So, to take a short-cut, I'm going to post what I wrote as our latest entry for the Simpson Family Quarterly Newsletter (the "I Declare"). I'll post some pictures to make it a little more exciting.

Cletus and Alice and family:
I usually start out by saying that things have been busy at our house. I really mean it this time! Cletus’ new dental practice seems to be the background music to which we are marching lately. He is in a constant state of finishing and then making a new to-do list. We are looking forward to his opening date of July 7 (Happy Birthday to him!), not necessarily because we think it will get easier, but because it will mean that we have completed this part of our adventure and we are ready to move on to the next phase. I realize that we have all been spoiled in the past with Cletus’ schedule. He used to arrive home at 5 to eat dinner and spend time with us as a family. After all, that’s one of the reasons we chose dentistry – the family- friendly schedule. Well, dinner with Cletus at home has turned into a treat instead of the everyday “norm”. He often has people to meet with after work, then goes straight to either more meetings or church responsibilities. A few days in the past weeks he has been gone from home from 6:15 am to 10 pm. However, through it all, he is learning to make decisions quickly and confidently. (And if you have time, stop by and see his great crown molding project in progress). So, if he has not returned phone calls or emails, or if we seem more protective of our family time, just know that it is the chaos of our lives right now.
Hayden is about to finish second grade! He is very excited about summer break and is going to be involved with swimming lessons, a short outdoor day camp, camping and beach excursions, and according to him: his favorite, “hanging out with mom and dad”. He is a great big brother to Kate and I think that they will have a fun time playing together this summer. We are thinking about starting Hayden on the “Rosetta Stone” language program in Latin. He is still progressing in his piano lessons and loves to play. We are looking forward to his piano recital on June 20.
Kate is still the sunshine of our family. We all race to be the one to get her out of bed in the morning. Whoever wins is usually rewarded with a kiss, a hug, and a big smile. She loves laughing at Hayden, nursery, reading books, playing in the sandbox, dancing, singing songs, coloring, and running outside. It is easy for me to tell that she is a 2-year old by her tantrums and screeches, but she turns into an angel the minute that Cletus walks in the door. We are worried that she is getting quite vain about her hair. She gets compliments on it wherever we go and she has started telling me that her hair is “pretty”.
I am just trying to keep up with everyone else! I am trying to happily hold down the fort so that Cletus can accomplish his goals with the practice. Although we only have 2 children, I have to admit that between our garden and yard, housework, church callings, and other daily tasks, I often feel overwhelmed. However, I am learning to take care of myself so that I can better take care of my family. Sometimes I just need a break and I’m learning that it’s okay to take one sometimes. I am looking forward to an online photography class starting in the fall. I will need some practice, so if you’d like some pictures taken of your family, then let me know!
Despite our challenges, and maybe through them, we feel the love and the guiding hand of the Lord in our lives. We are so thankful for the blessings of the gospel. As we look at others in the world, we are increasingly grateful for the piece of heaven that is in our home. We enjoy happiness and peace and we know that these are fruits of living the standards of the gospel.
We love you! Cletus and Alice

Small Miracle

So, to start out this story, I need to explain about Cletus' "planner". He has a Franklin Covey small black planner that he has used for the past 10 years to keep track of dates, times, phone numbers, etc. He also keeps his license, his credit cards, and everything else important in there. (This planner was a gift to me from a guy I dated a long time ago. How ironic that Cletus and I used to to plan our wedding ..). Anyway, Cletus is making efforts at being organized, but is constantly thwarted because he loses his planner. He means well and tries hard, but that darn planner is just too evasive. I hear at least (I mean, at the minimum) two times a day, "Have you seen my planner?". However, as Cletus gets closer to opening his practice, his planner has become quite valuable to him. Things have become so busy that his brains are really locked up in that little black planner with contact numbers, cel phone numbers, and other odds and ends that are, to him, are quite necessary.
When Cletus told me that he couldn't find his planner about three weeks ago, we weren't too concerned. This was a common occurance and we were sure that it would turn up soon. Well, days went by. Cletus did a search of both of the cars - under seats, in the trunks, everywhere. Nothing. A few more days and he did a thorough search of the house. Nothing. He started getting a little frustrated. I looked up our credit card and checking accounts to make sure that there was no funny business going on. We prayed about it and felt at peace. We waited. Nothing. More searching. No planner.
Late last week I got phone call that set my heart at ease. A lady from a recycling company in Raleigh said that she had a little black book with my husband's information, his cards, etc, in it. Hallelujah! I was so excited! I asked her where she was located and she told me that Cletus had taken a tour of her facility and had left the planner then, so he should know where it was. Well, I called Cletus right away at work and told him the good news. The only confusion was that Cletus had never been to a recycling facility to take a tour. He had no idea where the place was. Luckily, I still had the number on my phone and so he was able to call and get directions.
When he arrived and retrieved his precious planner, it looked like it had been through .... a recycling machine. Our only guess is that we somehow accidently threw his planner into our recycling bin, it got dumped into the big truck, taken into Raleigh, and saved from being shredded and turned into paper pulp. Then, this nice lady who could have stolen all of our private financial information, found my number inside and called.
All of that seems so improbable, yet it's really the only explanation. That, and prayers are most definitely answered. This was a small miracle, but it was a testimony to us that we are watched over and cared for, even in our daily struggles.
This morning, Cletus set off to work, but only after asking me, "have you seen my planner?".

Priceless

This morning, Kate put her two little hands on both of my cheeks and said,
"Love dis face".

What more could I ask for?

A familiar story (with pictures)

This post is dedicated to my mom, who mentioned today that she is tired of "Uplifting Words". Actually, I hope she doesn't mind, but this post is dedicated to all moms. I think that my plight is probably a familiar plight to all of the moms out there.
It is the plight of getting a good picture of yourself among the family photo archives. I am usually the one taking pictures, capturing family memories and making my family members look like models. And then, every once in awhile, I realize that I'm not a part of the family photo archives.
So what do I do then? I mention to my husband and my children (in a manner that induces guilt), that it's too bad that there aren't more pictures of me, that my children won't know what I looked like when they were young and that my husband won't remember me when I was young and skinny and cute.
Then my husband snatches the camera over the next several family activities and takes lots and lots of bad pictures of me. Pictures where I look like I have a double chin, where my eyes are half-closed, pictures where I am so far away that you can't really tell it's me, pictures where there is food in my mouth, pictures where I am in the middle of talking, etc.
After these pictures are taken, I sneak off and delete all of them from our camera (yay for digital cameras!). I mean, I don't want bad pictures of myself remembered, brought out in years to come, and becoming the fuel for family jokes.
Several months later, this whole process is repeated again.
So, here are some fun family pictures and activities from the past several months (you will notice one member of the family who is missing in all of them ....)

Kate has finally fallen in love with the Thumbelina dress-up that my sister gave her for her birthday. At first she wanted nothing to do with it, but now she wants to wear it every day and calls it her "pretty dress".

We participated in the Raleigh Stake Day of Service this past Saturday and enjoyed doing the 5K together. Cletus and Hayden ran and Kate and I strolled. Hayden ran the whole thing! He is quite a little athlete.

A couple of weeks ago we went to the NC Zoo. (Now for a little negativity: The day was really hot, the zoo was super crowded, we didn't see very many animals, my allergies kicked in unmercifully, and to be honest ... I don't really like our zoo.) The kids had fun though, and that's what matters.

And, finally, Kate helping with the laundry as only 2 year olds can!