{RaNDom ThinGs: PaRT 2}

Here is a "proof" of Libby's new tote bag (with our last name erased---it's on the bag though)! Isn't it cute?! Little bow in her hair. I've ordered some other fun things! I can't wait 'til they get here!

Here are the answers to the rest of your questions:

Alison wondered: What is the most rebellious thing you have ever done!!!?

Oh Alison, you crack me up! This is such a funny question. In my heart, I am a bit of a rebel, but when I try and come up with something "rebellious" that I have done, well, everything I think of just sounds lame. I wish I had a good story for you. I 've got some sins and many weaknesses, but not sure I want them on here for posterity just yet. Maybe I will shake things up around here, and then write about it on my blog!!! (Actually Ali, the most rebellious thing I have done in the recent past, was going to McCall with you!)

From Kim: "OOPs, I got so carried away that I forgot my question....How are you different as a Mom to Libby than you were with your older kids?"

(WARNING: LONG ANSWER) Good question, Kim! I've been asking myself that very thing lately. If you've read much of our history, you know that after Tanner was born, we had 3 CHILDREN UNDER 3 AND A HALF! (Tanner & James are less than a year apart). It was pretty much "assembly line parenting"--- the three older boys were often fed oatmeal from a big mixing bowl (with one spoon), while they took their bath. They wore only one kind of socks... all the same size/color. We had one car for part of this time, and no washer or dryer (I used a laundromat). Our world was very small. They slept in a small room with a crib and a bunk bed. John & I are, I think, rather firm parents, but were clearly out-manned by those three little hooligans. They got my goat often. I yelled much more than I do now. John has never been much of a yeller. As many young mothers do, I worried that they would be juvenile deliquents. They were pretty rambunctious! (But, as you can see... adorable!)

~Marshall, Tanner, James, & J.W., 1995~`

Once in church (John was at the hospital working), as I listened to the speaker, the entire congregation suddenly turned to look our way in alarm. When I glanced over at the boys, I was horrified to see one of them scaling the offset brick wall next to our pew about 10 feet up. I did a "whisper/yell" at him "Get DOWN!", and the entire congregation cracked up. Now I would laugh, but then, it just seemed to confirm that I was the mother of three (now four) incorrigible boys. Another church story: My sister Ruthanne, often passed down her boys' (really spiffy) sunday shoes to us. One fine Sabbath, when J.W. was about 5, we entered the chapel, late as usual. J.W.'s shoe came off as he was walking ( it was a bit big). He yelled out in frustration, "These da*n shoes never fit!" ( I did laugh that time). So now, with Libby... I am much more relaxed. I expect and accept mistakes more easily (both my own, and our children's). I laugh more. We are not poor anymore, so things are easier in that way too. Libby is being raised a bit differently than they were. After losing a child, discipline becomes challenging. I don't think it is healthy to feel sorry for your children. We did this after James died. Our children had been through so much, and we were tired from grief, so it was easier to spare them (& ourselves) the trouble. As my mother says, "The laziest mother, is the one who does everything for her children." Now though, I am pretty strict in many ways. Libby doesn't get any toys other than on holidays and when we travel. (This may seem stern, but it makes a difference in her being relaxed and happy when we shop---rather than anxious, controlling, and demanding. I don't want her to associate my love for her with "things") I try not to let her get away with sassing me. Each time she does, I try & make her start over and say it again. Our children have never, ever been allowed to hit or to call each other names. We don't budge on that one. So in some ways, it is the same. I want to add this: though I feel I have learned to be a better parent now, I don't berate myself for past mistakes. I have had to repent of some things, but they are behind me. This is why I don't know how I could parent without my knowledge of the atonement. I know that our children have grown up feeling loved. In the end, that gives me peace and satisfaction. Thanks Kim... I love to read your thoughts on parenting (which I inevitably agree with), and this helped me clarify what I think.

My adorable niece, Liz, asked, "Who do you think you got the best parenting advice from?":

Grammy, of course. (who claims she will soon be updating her blog regularly). I watch you and Parker, and I think to myself, "They have got it all figured out!" I wish I had known then, what you know now!

From Keri : "Here is my question. Where do you get your decorating inspiration? Your home is so beautiful and always so beautifully decorated."

Thank you Keri, for your kind and generous words! I have a great deal of affection for our home. Even more as time goes by. It is the first home we have ever owned. My Mother had the same affection for our home growing up. She is very creative and sentimental. We grew up in a very small home. It was so cozy. Candles were lit most days and I always remember fresh flowers (cut from her carefully tended garden) and the smell of yummy food.

I love, love, love England! I have only been there once, but I love to read about it in magazines (look for these on Amazon, or as a digital download at Zinio --you can buy single issues digitally too):

And the UK version of Country Living is my favorite!:

I buy WAY too many magazines. I pour over the littlest details in them. I snoop around the sources to see where things came from. All of our woodwork, the kitchen in our basement, our stairway, and other things we've done to the house, have been copied from old English homes I've torn from magazines. Right now, I am REALLY into these books from Amazon:

They are craft books, but the interiors are just CHARMING! (Some of the prettiest I have ever seen--- very simple and timeless too) Really, you can't tell from the covers how lovely they are. If you share my taste, you would LOVE them!!! The kitchens and children's rooms in them are so adorable!. I now have projects to last me for the whole year!

I have a very dear friend, Robyn, who went to High School with me, who is a designer. She finds fabrics from England (some can only be purchased through designers), furniture that isn't in any store, and accessories that I love, and could never find on my own. She is an artist, and can sketch ideas. I really trust her eye, and we could move into each other's homes in a heartbeat; we have very similar tastes. She travels to gift shows, and brings home catalogs and sources that I just love. Our home would not really reflect our family the way it does, without her help. Of course, I always have a list of things to do. I have some dreadful spots in my home that I have just shoved cast-offs into. Some rooms with worn carpet. They bug me. I hope to eventually make them look and function the way I want them to. I am so grateful though, for the abundant life we have. We lived a VERY spartan life in our early marriage. And, when I get frustrated, I think of the Yiyang Children's Welfare Institute, where Libby lived, and where many other little children now languish, and it yanks me back to reality. Just like my mom, I love candles, framed photographs, stacks of books, fresh flowers, real ivy topiaries, water fountains, English gardens, good food, down bedding, crisp woodwork, painted tin pitchers, glass jars, and oil paintings. I look at magazines, read the sources, and try to reproduce things I see--- with my own twist. The internet is invaluable for this--- finding unusual & meaningful things. My projects this year (after I beg convince my husband), are the children's bath upstairs, and the closets! I want to get them professionally done. I also need want a few pieces of furniture for here and there.

So there you go! Do y'all know me a little better? Actually, I am tuckered out from writing so much. I may need a nap! Thank you, and good night.