Canna Lilies

I have a bin full of extra canna lily bulbs if anyone is interested in some. The above pictures show a couple from my yard last year. They are a tropical looking lily that is really quite low maintenance and heat tolerant. They bloom in late July and through September. If you want some, they need to get planted right away. Leave me a comment and I'll bring you some or call me or stop by.

Top 25 List

My friend Jamie recently posted a list of 25 things she has loved about being a mother this past year. She said she was feeling frustrated with motherhood duties and needed a boost! What a better way to end a pity party than to count your blessings? So I'm going to take a stab at making my own top 25 list. Here goes:

The Top 25 Things I Have Loved About Being A Mother This Year

1. I love nuggling up and reading bedtime stories with my kids.

2. I love hearing Natalie say "I love you."...she's been stingy about saying it and finally decided she likes saying it.

3. I love greeting Ben as he comes home from school and hearing about his typical day: "first we went to the carpet, then we went to our desks, then we went out to recess then we went back to the carpet then we came home."

4. I loved going to Disneyland 2 times in less than 12 months...and we're going again in June! It's more magical when you take you own children.

5. I love volunteering in Ben's class as the Room Mother.

6. I loved making sock animals with my kids and watching them love and play with them for hours.

7. I love running errands with Natalie while Ben's at school...she's a fun shopper!

8. I love seeing Ben and Natalie play nicely together.

9. I love watching Ben and Natalie hug and kiss goodnight.

10. I love getting pats on the back from Natalie when she hugs you.

11. I love seeing Ben grow up so much...learning to read and tie his shoes.

12. I love going on walks with my family after dinner.

13. I loved sledding in the backyard with Ben and Natalie.

14. I love watching Ben make his own lunch...a hot dog on bread with ketchup and mustard and butter on top!

15. I love listening to Natalie sing primary songs like "I Love to See the Temple" and "The Wiseman and the Foolish Man" as well as "Happy Birthday".

16. I love having fun Family Home Evenings with my family.

17. I love planting a garden with my kids.

18. I loved getting our first family pet and sharing the ups and downs with trying to care for goldfish and guppies.

19. I love watching little faces get excited over something or other and yell out "Guess what Mom!"

20. I love celebrating birthdays and other holidays with fun dinners, desserts, and parties.

21. I love seeing 2 kids run to greet their dad when he comes home from work.

22. I love playing at the park and having fun in the sun with my kids.

23. I love hearing Natalie start to say prayers. She just mumbles the last word you say but it's cute.

24. I love watching my kids pour over their scrapbooks and talk about fun things we've done.

25. One of the best things about being a mother is that I have a great partner to share it with...I love having a great husband who helps make motherhood wonderful!

I Enjoy Being a Girl

Motherhood and womanhood is definitely a bittersweet adventure...but I wouldn't leave it for anything else. Mother's Day has me wanting to post about the women and mother's in my life.



I have been blessed to have the best "Super Mom" around. She truly amazes me. Now that I'm a mother, I'm constantly asking her how she ever survived giving birth to 7 children in less than 10 years and then successful raising us all to go on to have happy and successful lives of our own. She is famous for being able to juggle it all...sewing, cooking, cleaning, teaching, organizing, creating, serving...and on and on. When we were younger she always sewed matching Easter and Christmas dresses for my 4 sisters and I.

We always went to church on time with cute curly hair and pressed dresses...even when my dad was in the bishopric. I think one of the most valuable lessons I learned from my mother is the value of hard work. She has always pressed forward despite the challenges she has faced. I was looking at some old photos of me and my family and noticed her many of the pictures. It was fun to watch how often she was pregnant and see how quickly our family grew. In many of the pictures she is busy being the "supermom" and we're around her happy and thriving. I really had a wonderful childhood. I know that her success as a mother was not without much sacrifice on her part and I am truly thankful for all that she did and continues to do for me.




Besides my mother, I have been blessed with another group of women in my life...my sisters and now sister in laws. I have always loved my sisters but for some reason, after I had Natalie they suddenly became so much more meaningful to me. I always thought that when I became a mother I wanted to just have boys. I grew up with the drama of 4 sisters and thought boys would be a nice way to go. However, when a daughter entered my life, I immediately thought, "She's got to have a sister! How can she go through life without a sister?" My sisters are my best friends and we have been through so much together...I just can't understand how any girl can get through life without them. So a big thank you to all of them and the great talents and love they share with me.

I truly enjoy being a woman and a mother...the bitter and the sweet...and am thankful for the blessings that come with it.

Kudos to My Husband

Bryan has been an awesome gift giver this year...not that he was ever a bad gift giver...but he has been especially thoughtful and generous so I wanted to blog and brag about me sweet hubby. It started with me birthday when he gave me a great organization cart for my growing ribbon collection. Then for Christmas he gave me a nifty personal laminator. For Valentine's Day he gave me a Cricut Die Cut Machine...it's so fun! And this morning for Mother's Day he surprised me with a Kitchenaid mixer. What a fun surprise! I even already used it and made cookies for a family dinner this afternoon. Isn't he great? Now I've got to think of something amazing to give him for Father's Day....any ideas?

BOM Book Club Update

Well, as you can tell from my previous post that my Martha side has been more dominant the past few weeks and my scripture study ambitions haven't played out as well as I planned. However, I did get through a dozen chapters in 1 Nephi and had a few thoughts to jot down.

I've been thinking a lot about the contrast between Laman and Lemuel and Nephi. The constant whining and complaining from Laman and Lemuel is exhausting and it has me thinking about how much I might be like them. Nephi on the other hand is so obedient and dedicated. He presses forward with the challenges presented before him with unwaivering faith and hope. As a parent, I often find myself in conflict or contentions with my children. I'm hoping that as I continue to read and study, I'll be inspired to find ways to be more positive and cheerfull wtih them during difficult times.

Last month's Visiting Teaching Message had some great quotes about scripture study. Pres. Benson said that "Success in righteousness, the power to avoid deception and resist temptation, guidance in our daily lives, healing of the soul—these are but a few of the promises the Lord has given to those who will come to His word.. . . Certain blessings are to be found only in the scriptures, only in coming to the word of the Lord and holding fast to it. "

I'm inspired to read more. Leave me a post if you've been reading with me.

Teacher Appreciation Madness

So, I've been busy the past 2 weeks with Teacher Appreciation week for Ben's school. I'm the room mother for his teacher and have loved every opportunity to volunteer in his class this year. This was my first experience with Teacher Appreciation and I went a little crazy but had a lot of fun too! Part of the week included decorating the classroom door. I fell in the love with the phrase "Mrs. Craven, You Take the Cake!" and decided to make a 2D cake for her door. I think it turned out pretty cute and I got lots of compliments on it. Here's a picture:



For the class gift I decided to make her a little quilt with every student's hand print and signature on it. I got the idea from a quilt my mom recieved a couple of years ago...she's also a Kindergarten teacher. The women who made her quilt appliqued 48 little hands on a beautiful quilt for her. I am not so talented in my sewing abilities so instead I embroidered the hands and names and threw the rest together at 10pm the night before I gave it to her. It was full of flaws since I hurried to finish it but I was worth it to see her reaction to it when Ben gave it to her.



Anyway, it was a crazy couple of weeks with all the projects and also dealing with everyday Mom life and getting ready for a piano recital and working in the yard...yada yada. But I love teachers and wanted it to be a fun week. I'm glad it's through though!