Tis the Season!

December-

-"I'm pretty sure my walls feel heavy with all the decorations."
I love Christmas decorations, but I really love when it comes down and it makes my house automatically feel lighter.

-"Ah, the fairytale of Christmas!"

-"I believe that leftovers should have less calories, and other peoples food has less calories. Why else would I really want the first bite of every bowl of cereal made in the morning?"

-"Just because the downstairs is clean means nothing for the upstairs."

-"I do love the color red. It makes me feel warm, and glowy, and happy."
It is not normally my favorite color, but definitely wonderful at Christmas.

-"love love love falling asleep holding my 3 year olds hand.:)"

-"Snow and sunshine are a fabulous combination!"
After a day of sledding :)

New Music I love

Mumford and Sons
Mindy Gledhill
The Frames
Joy Williams
Tristian Prettyman
Fun
Brett Dennan
Ingrid Mickelson
Lenka

and there are songs by each of these that speak to me, but for now this is all I will share. :)

Roles in Mothers Life-

This is by no means all inclusive-

-Cook,
Dietitian,
Snack decider,
Cleaner,
Food Shopper,
Accessory Shopper,
Genealogist,
Picture taker,
Album maker,
Decorator for Holidays,
Dresser for Dress ups,
Party Planner,
Party Goer,
Dancer,
Happy Maker,
Sad Consoler,
Dental Supervisor,
Clothes Changer,
Movie Picker,
Taxi for Dance,
Taxi for Guitar,
Taxi for friends,
Taxi for Basketball,
Taxi for Football,
Advocate for eyes,
Advocate
Teacher of the Gospel,
Listener,
Teacher of Math,
Teacher of Spelling,
Teacher of English and Reading,
Room re-cleaner,
Laundry professional,
Juggler,
Hair Washer,
Elbow, armpits, ears, and bum washer,
Beautician,
Clothing Consultant,
Detective for lost everything,
Owie Kisser,
Hand holder,
Rocket builder,
Surprise maker,
Fairness Creator,
Present Wrapper,
Leftover eater,
Oil applier,
Friend maker

Life is Good

November-

-"Cutest kids ever! Fridays are spirit day, My older 3 tromping out in the fog, yellow leaves, and decked out in their red, so so cute."

-"Love when we get scriptures and prayers done before school, makes such a difference."

-"Fog=:)"

-"Being dark at 5:45 makes me want to go to bed at 5:45."
Amazing how the sun makes such a difference in my energy levels.

-"My left arm has so much respect for my right arm now. And my right arm has so much respect for my left arm for taking the brunt of everything now. - And my shoulders are mad at both arms for making them work more."
6 weeks in a sling and I should be officially ambidextrous.

-".74 cents, yep, that's how much gas I put in the car. And the last .14 were pennies."
I forgot my purse, and was afraid I wouldn't make it to the bank before running out of gas.... ahh, my life. ;)

-"I know the clock says 9:33 p.m. but it's lying, I know it is like 12 or 2 or I'm sure it's almost 3 a.m."

-"Cookies and almond milk= yum!"

And on our way back to early nights.

October-
-"Creed- 'Mom, you can say "you rock" to me.
  me- 'Creed, you rock'
  Creed- 'I believe that.'"
This kid saves me on a daily basis.

-"Sometimes it would be nice to have good news."

-"Company coming and dryer breaks=not good timing."
But, the good news was that between staying up all night to fix it, and a super smart husband, it only cost us less than $10! Sweet!

-"I truly believe that the dark makes me depressed."
I should live on the equator.

-"I am the 'Redneck' in Robyn's life."
Robyn is my friend, old mission companion, and girl from the 'City' - But, I sure do make her laugh and really that is good for the soul. :)

-"The Best part of changing music genres mid life is that it's like all these really great new songs. Songs that were old 10 years ago are totally new to me!"
Yes, very true.

-"And along with that is, Coming onto a t.v. series 5 yrs in means new shows for months, even at 3 or 4 a night!"
This is my admitting to becoming enchanted with Big Bang Theory.

-"DIS-NEY! DIS-NEY! DIS-NEY!"

-"VA-CA-SHUN!"
Yes, we went to Disneyland, and yes, I know vacation is spelled, with tion, but it sounds better with shun. :)

-"A parent has so many responsibilities; jackets, shoes, food, smiles, BIG JOB"

Harvest

This is what I did in terms of canning this year-

Peas,
Applesauce
Apple Pie Filling
Peach Jam
Peaches
Salsa
Corn
Tomatoes
Pear/Plum Sauce
Plum Syrup
Plum Meat Sauce


Pretty good huh?

And with Fall, comes a slow down of life...

September-

-"Oh Yes, I did. Kids went out to the bus, and I went back to bed! :)"
hee hee :)

-"Homemade bread and homemade peach jam= mmmm. tasty fall!

-"Oh how I love Sunflowers!"

-"And Rainstorms!"

-"How, after having 4 kids, does a pee spot (from my 3 year old) in your sheets still bug me. You would think that I'd be used to it. Mmm, nope."
 Although, it is better than puke, and much better than poop.

-"Is it wrong to wish away the blue sky because the thunderstorm going on is so fabulous?"
I guess it's all perspective.

-"Harvesting your very own pumpkins that we grew from seeds is SO FUN!"

-"I know what you're thinking, It takes a lot for me to look this  crazy. Nope, it comes natural."
I actually use this line almost daily.

-"I got to 37 1/2 without knowing that I have a physical deformity. My shoulders have a capish thing that people (at physical therapy) are speaking in hushed tones about!
 when I started having so many problems with my shoulder I had to start baring them to all sorts of doctors etc.  I had no idea that my 'bump' was not normal.

-"me-'how are you all?' to my clients 3 year old granddaughter, she replied, 'pretty'- I love it!"
we should all be able to answer like that.

-"ACCEPTANCE LETTER" -wow! At 37 that means so much more, or different.
I applied and got into the Masters of Social Work Program at the  Walla Walla exchange in Missoula.

-"It's amazing how crazy my short hair can be in the morning."

And it continues....

August-

-"People are generally self centered, narcissistic, and self absorbed."
I don't recant this.

-"Daisy- 'the remote is too high, I can't reach it.'
   me (in the shower) 'what do you want me to do?'
   Daisy- 'get out and get it.'
   me- 'nice try.'"

-"Having a garden makes me smile, getting food from my garden and watching my veggies grow makes me giddy!"
Yes, Yes, it does.

-"Sitting on the deck, with sunshine, granola, and blueberries makes me also smile."

-"Great breakfast =granola, greek yogurt, chia seeds, groud flax with berries, strawberries, blueberries=yum."
I guess I was on a breakfast kick, that's a first.

-"Sunflower seed shells everwhere: laundry, swimming pools, my bed."
My kids love them. I hate them.

-"Blessed, Blessed, Beautiful Bedtime! Ah the end of summer 'sleepforalls' (freeforalls)"
During the school year we have a very strict bedtime of 8:30, in the summer, no bedtime.

My titles are not very cool- :)

July-

-"I am consigned to short hair"
I really wanted to grow it back out, but, gave in when my hairdresser said that I have a sexy neck (hee hee, that makes me giggle) and that I should just realize my destiny! big sigh.

-"Catching minnows and fish in the ditch, what a riot."
An irrigation ditch runs through my parents, and then boarders our property. My kids got on to catching the fish in it with their hands. I went out on a very hot, muggy day and joined them. I love the deep down giggles it created!

-"50 mosquito bites in 5 min =mosquito's win, I loose."
We had gone fishing, and for whatever reason I wore a tank top wanting to get a little sun- I guess it serves me right!

-"Yep, I'm that mother. The one that got the wrong time to pick up her kid when it's 96` and the coach has to call and say, "um, come pick up your son."
Football camp. :( I felt so bad.

-"Also, the one that has kids honk the horn when she is in the store. ugh."
How do kids know the exact button to push to send you over the edge?

Summertime!

-"Peeing your pants at 37, funny or weird?"
sometimes running does weird things to your body.

-"Playing hide and seek with my puppies is not fun."
My puppies make me a lot of money, finding them safe is vital.

-"My 2 year 362 day old falling to sleep in my lap- love love love. :)"

-" Feeling something crawl on my neck, slap it, and feel the gush of spider guts=ugh gross."
never an ok feeling.

-"Rain makes people act funny on all ends of the spectrum."

-"Ten pairs of shoes in the suburban. Pretty sure, but I could be wrong, I had said the shoe box was in the pantry, not the vehicle."

-"8 boys, ranging in age from 10-2 have entertained me thoroughly the past 15 hours. If only I had this insight into a boys mind growing up- their main interests are, "farts that smell like cheese, dads having sleepovers, the bad fingers, and say catsup, liquor, and rubber buns after everything I say"

-"11:00 p.m. in the winter is so much later than 11:00 p.m in the summer."

-"2 Bald Eagles on my back fence. Yep, I live in Idaho."
Another one of the benefits.

-"Skye rubbing my back, Daisy, rubbing my right foot, and Creeden rubbing my left, now that's service."
I have amazing kids.

-"I've taken the approach of picking 10 weeds everytime I go out, maybe I should incorporate that fro the hair on my face."
too much information?

-"A 3yr olds happiness is the closest thing I know to pure joy!"

-"Nobody should ever say "Oh, ya, that makes sense."
What does that mean?

-"Yep, floating the river in Idaho, you see moose!"
and baby moose :)

-"I am Doby the house elf."

-"Maybe I'll live on the river."

-" Sometimes the wind is nice. I know- I normally dispise it, but , on a hot run the other day the wind picked up and was just the refresher I needed. "

'May'be some warmth?

May-

-"People tell you things for a reason- validation, support, or needing you to be a cheerleader. (Like when I tell people how far I ran, it's because I need them to cheer me on- give me confidence that I can do it!)

-"Why is there 3 nails in my load of whites that just came out of the washer?"

-"Performed my first surgery. On my toenail. uck."
I cut out 3 of my own toenails. By doing it, I reduced the pain by 100%!

-"Love Love Love Love Love leaves on my trees! and Blossoms- everything is in bloom!"
Best feeling ever!

-"My Hibbard Family - My cheerleaders on the road."
Too much to write out or explain.

-"It's 2 o'clock, I just realized I don't have a bra on- I have been to preschool twice, skye's school, mowed the lawn, Yep, all without my bra!"
Not that I need it anyway....

-"I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT! 26.2 MILES! I CAN DO HARD THINGS!"
 :)

-"Amazing the energy you get from cheering others on!"
Mile 13 we intercepted the half marathoners, it was awesome cheering for them!

-"Running with a friend, keeping same pace, pushing and being pushed, makes hard things easy. Maybe like marriage?"

-"I need positive energies."

-"May 22, sitting in the snow at baseball games is not fun."
did I mention Idaho is cold?

-"I fixed the lawn mower belt and worked the weed eater! Good Job Me!"
Cody usually does all that, but I love proving that I can too.

-"Yep, we are official, we bought and planted our very own fruit trees! Ta Da!"
We've said that we would do this for years, but finally did it!

-"And- I smashed my finger with the hammer today, squirted blood everywhere- AND I DIDN'T EVEN SWEAR!"

-"Add a little water to a party and watch the fun grow.:)"
I am not sure how it happens, but kids and adults alike love water around here!

-" Memorial Day= 8 hrs holiday pay!:)"

-" But even better, that means 8  hrs I don't have to write notes on!:)"
One of the bummers of my job is the notes I have to write that take so much time and I don't get paid for-

-"After doing dishes 4x today I am ready to go back to work tomorrow."

-"Mom goes to work and leaves kids to babysit themselves, which leads to beanie bag explodes in microwave, which leads to bleach being sprayed on the cabinets to help with the burn smell, which leads to my house looking old :("
It was all good intentioned, and 3 furniture polish cans later, with a little lemon oil, it all worked out.

-"There are definitely pros and cons to finding a warm toilet seat."

Things I Thought of While Running

-"I would love a book of scripture from Peter-I am very much like him, or, he makes me feel like Christ knows me and still loves me- loved Elder Hollands talk from oct '12"
I know there is writings of Peter, but not like Mathew, Luke and John. He was with the Savior. I would love to know his thoughts.

-"There are homes along my way that appear to not be inhabited- I love the homes that are oozing with family life, love and laughter."

-"My headband protected me from 'hearing the wind' and so I didn't know about the tempest brewing- same as the helmet portrayed in the scriptures. Except we have to protect our ears."

-"Also, It was crazy windy and I just kept praying for Heavenly Father to ease the wind- letting Him know that the run was all I could bare. I then started noticing that there were small breaks and I would be able to catch my breath and I was thankful for them0 then pretty soon I realized that they were because of the houses and that the blessing was because of someone else- how often do we not recognize the blessings in our life and think of them as a coincidence instead of a blessing from someone else.:)"

-"What's in your ear?' How can anything be better than General Conference or the  words of the Prophet?"

-"We need a reliable gauge (Person? Religion?) of where we are at, and so I guessing where I was and in the end I was disappointed because I was off!"

-"I have total faith in my training schedule- or I have to- because I have to trust that it will get me to the point of being able to achieve my goal. Just like the plan of Salvation."

-" Everydays workout is overwhelming when I look at the whole picture- but when I just take it day by day it's not so bad. Just one principle at a time is not so bad."

-"The only constant in running- time. There is 60 seconds in a min, and 60 minutes in an hour. Doesn't vary."

-"The Savior is my best running companion."

And here comes spring!

April-

-"Totally authentic =Driving big truck, dog in back, rockin to Brad Paisley, Yup, that's me!:)"
I was taking Carli to be bred, I can't say I ever drive Cody's truck, it is seriously too big, but I will admit, it is fun when I do!;)

-"Amazing how dirty your house gets when you don't sweep a day."
So many ways this can be interpreted.

-"Tell me why do grown men wear baseball pants to their 7 year old's baseball game?"
This is a soap box you don't want to get me on. All I can say is get over the glory years and let the kids play ball!

-"Yep, I saw a moose on my way to town. Yep, I live in Idaho."
This is why I put up with the winter.

-"And, yes I did, packed my own cup of ice cream to town."
I'm not sure why this made me giggle, but giggle I did.

-"Love 'dejunking'"

-"It doesn't make sense that bedtime is at the end of the day- When my patience has already worn thin."
 I think this on at least a weekly basis.

With the thawing of snow, also a thawing of brain, maybe...

March-
"My rubber galoshes are on my feet about as much as anything else."
And they sure are cute! Red and Black plaid. Love galoshes!

-"One draw back to working out inside is no where to spit."
If I thought this once, I thought it a million times.

-"One reason so many family pics are in the snow- Because we live in a place where it is WINTER 6 MONTHS OF THE YEAR!"

-"Jelly Beans = Teaspoons of sugar, each and every one."

-" I would like some feed back please- is running a marathon worth it? Can someone tell me it gets easier? this is when I actually have to commit- wk 7-ugh- not to sure."
I had been playing around with the idea of running a marathon. I really wanted someone to give me some good cheering on, but in the end, it had to be for me anyway!

On the back of this card I started writing my running program, Good reference for future craziness.

Things I Love

I have added on this card occasionally throughout the year, but I started it at the end of February....

- "The show 'Friends' and 'Big Bang Theory'"

-"Ice cream in bed"

-"Getting a text from anyone outside of clients! :)"

-"Writing"

-"Trips"

-"Reading"

-"Baking"

-"Fountain diet drinks- I know, I know"

-"Sunflowers"

-"Ice cream on the couch"

-"Ice cream in the car"

And the Cold is setting in!

February-
-"I hate dreaming."
It's true. I dream in huge abundance and remember them all. And it is exhausting. And I don't particularly like it.

-"But, I do love cinnamon toast bread with butter!"
mmmm :)

-"And, opening the blinds at 8:00 and turning off the lights. (=enough sunshine to light my house:))
Living in the north and have such short days in the winter makes one appreciate natural light!

-"My sweatshirt is 11 yrs old, and I love it still! :)"
pathetic, I know

-"I love kissing my kids necks-very unlikely there are boogers there."
hee hee

-"When I eat something that's burned, just out of the goodness of my heart, it should not include calories."
yes, I feel very strongly about this.

-"I'm a country girl- chore boots and all- even check on my animals in the middle of the night when it's stinking freezing!"
Those animals bring me a lot of money, so I guess it comes with the territory.

-"In my 38th year I've already learned something new, A diesel engine requires 2 batteries.Yay, Good Job me!"
How did I not know this? I grew up on a farm! I guess better late than never.

-"And, mini cupcakes? Yep, mini puffs of heaven!:)"

Maybe Winter effects my Brain

January 2013-
-"Bummer when you get the mail and there is 6 envelopes- All medical bills."
Between Cody trying to cut off his finger and Creeden's frequent hospitalizations, my gall bladder wanting to come out (which I decided to leave in), our medical providers use a lot of stamps directed to our house.

-"There is nothing sweeter than a 5-year olds hug, except maybe a 2 year olds, Or, maybe an 8 year old who still hugs his mom. Ok, hugs are just awesome all around."

- "We were $4.70 from meeting our OUT OF POCKET MAXIMUM for Creeden in 2012!"
 Wow, this kid is expensive! But worth every penny. ;)

-"16th of January. 2nd Ammendment, 2013, Is it gone?"
Laws were trying to be passed that were jepordizing this right....

-"Thoreau? Are we going to be Friends?"
My boss lent me the book, Walden.  He said it would heal a lonely soul. When I read I tend to immerse myself. I started really questioning. It led me down some roads of self reflection and possibly a lent a little direction.

-"A fireplace is so addictive!"
A truer statement has never been uttered. Or at least on that day. :)

-"We embrace mismatched socks at my house."
I am pretty sure Skyelar started this new fad of mismatching socks  in America, and we all love it!

-"Hibbard roads are like driving on Tundra. I hate driving on Tundra."

-"Sunshine is so good for my soul."
Living in cold and snow for 3/4 of the year makes any morsel of sun deeply appreciated.

-"Diet drinks while I can."
Goals approaching that would not allow for this luxury.

-"Emily Jane? Emma Rain?"

-"Some artists are classics and their music is timeless. Ace of Base doesn't fit in this catergory and discredits any stations claim of  'current favorites.'
I love to have music on in my house all of the time, radio stations drive me a little crazy.

-"8 stitches, or is it 9? Holy Ouch!- And I I did this on my own free will and choice.?"
I had 2 moles removed due to them looking suspicious, which, I later learned that for good reason and had to have one re-cut, due to bad cells - say hello to the 4 in scar on my back!

-"Ya know when you have an ugly day? Today is mine."

Upon Review

In my little red tin I have dozens of thoughts that have captured my year. I was browsing through them and thought it would be fun to expound on  a few, or at least share them and the randomness of my brain.
So, here we go 2013 in review....