Observe and Create

There was a talk in General Conference that talked about watercolor painting. Elder Scott told Elder Gong that painting helped him be better at observing and creating. I want to be better at both of those things, and my watercolor class is helping. One of the things I have observed is how much of a gap there is between what I want to create and what my abilities allow me to create.  Much of it is just practice, and not worth much besides that realization and the fun of putting paint on paper.

1. Here is something I created that actually feels like art. I was riding bikes to school with Evie and Griff as I usually do, and the colors were so crisp and it was such a beautiful morning with my kids who will only be almost six for just this moment that I wanted to remember it, so I snapped a few pictures to remember and then I made this painting, which actually turned out to be something I want to keep--not so much for the skill I have, but for the skill I don't while I still kind of captured the feeling of what I saw that morning.

2. Our stake president asked us to invite someone to serve with us this month, and also Wyatt needed service hours for his NHS application, so we made dinner for the Ronald McDonald family room at Children's Mercy Hospital with our friends the Wheelers, who have a son in Griff and Eve's kindergarten class. It was sweet and sobering to explain to my little ones that we were making a taco bar (with rice from Mimina--have I mentioned I love her?!) for people who have very sick kids who are in the hospital. And it was SO HELPFUL to have Denise and her son Ryne there to help get it all accomplished! They said to plan on dinner for 50 and we easily had at least 75 and should have had much more food.

3. Halloween was this week. For decorations we used kindergarten art projects and pumpkins we painted that day. Our neighborhood started early and I was out of my 60 sodas that usually last me till 8:30pm by 6:30pm. So we turned out the lights, went to a few more houses just on our street, and sorted candy and were still ready for bed at a reasonable time for a school night. Thanks to Wyatt who answered the door while we were out.

Getting all crazy at the class party. I must say, That ninja costume Griff is wearing was probably the best $4 I ever spent. This year alone it was the base for being a fortune teller (just add face paint and a staff), an owl (add wings) and a flying fox (same wings). That doesn't even count the multiple uses other years for Halloween and just for fun for Wyatt on down.

My pumpkin with Mariah's pre-Halloween face

DW and her brother Arthur!  Aren't they adorable?!!!

4. My friend Terry Willoughby died and her funeral was on Friday. It was wonderful to see the program that she carefully planned and asked people to do as she was in the final stages of cancer. The things that came through with the greatest clarity were her faith in Jesus Christ (the hymns were a little too much rejoicing for those of us who are still choked up about her leaving us) and how very much she loved and took care of her family. As a bonus I got to see and hug a bunch of friends I don't see often. Annie Hamrick. Paul and Jinny Callister. Cindy Kohlman. Leslie Frederickson (who I also got to eat lunch with!). Such very good people!

5. I had one of the best Alan call days ever on Saturday. I made my kids do their chores and took the littles to swim. Also I got our vacuum fixed and sold an extra refrigerator. And then I got to go on a date with Alan at the end which included Betty Rae's ice cream and This Is Us.

6. Church often lands on my best list. We had a broadcast for the North America Central region, and I conducted the choir again, and although it is still a hard thing for me, I feel like I'm getting better at it. It helps that I have a patient teacher in Carol Webster. And the talks were just great! So many reminders of all the exciting changes and revelations that we have been receiving and then it ended with Jeffrey R. Holland, who just makes you feel so great and like you can do even hard things for the Lord. He really captured the excitement of the charge to gather Israel and made us want to be part of the team. He ended with this great video: https://youtu.be/yrwK_twhea8

For anyone following the remodeling progress, this week they painted the outside of the back of the house, roughed in the lighting and gave us plumbing rough ins, a sink in the basement and a hose bib in a better place outside. Also I chose plumbing fixtures. It looks mostly the same.