MaeLyn's Musings

Today is Steven's first day at a temporary job. He is helping a company with its year end audit during the month of January. Yes, it's only for one month, but it will bring in money and help us get through another month or two. He also has an interview with another company he would really like to work for scheduled for January 11th. We are hoping and praying that interview will go well, and that a permanent job will follow when this temporary job ends.

We had a wonderful Christmas. Packages and gifts showed up on our doorstep throughout the month as friends and ward members, sometimes anonymously, made sure that everyone in the family had gifts to open this season. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of so many people. The children received tons of Legos as well as puzzles, games and movies, plus some much needed clothes. The Elder's quorum dropped off a box of food a couple days before Christmas also, so we had plenty to eat that day. Also part of the day was spent on Google chat with Steven's family. Because we had very little money for buying gifts, Steven and I made homemade gifts for the kids this year. Steven spent most of the month of December in a friend's garage working on creating large wooden boxes for the children. I think they were the kids' favorite gifts. The gifts I made for the children were mostly knitted or crocheted. Hannah got a scarf (and a couple small store-...

I have a lot to say today, and I'm not sure how to say it. I guess I'll start by saying thank you. Thank you to all those who have helped to make this Christmas a better time for our family. Thank you to the brother in our ward who is letting Steven hang out in his garage, lending his tools and expertise to help Steven make special gifts for the children for Christmas. Thank you to a young family in our ward - the husband brought us a bag of gifts on Sunday and said his wife wanted to get the kids something for Christmas. Thank you to the members of our HOA who a few weeks ago gave us a Christmas card filled with cash, which has funded the few gifts Steven and I will be able to give our children this year. Thank you to the anonymous person who left four bags of gifts on our doorstep sometime between Sunday evening and Monday morning. Thank you to the boyscout in our ward who's eagle project involved collecting hats for children at a local hospital - and giving u...

When I was a child, I loved to draw. I went through paper like crazy drawing princesses and landscapes. As a teenager, I focused more on drawing hands and faces, and I was always doodling. As an adult, I find that I don't draw much any more. Other interests have superseded drawing in my life. Yesterday, during Sacrament Meeting, I found myself with a scrap of paper in hand, and a box of crayola twistables at my side. Almost subconsciously, I began to draw. I drew a picture, and then began inserting letters of the alphabet into that drawing, and I got as far as "j" before Peter noticed what I was doing and removed the paper from my hands to look at it. After church, I came across the drawing in the pocket of my scripture bag, and I came to an important realization. Compare to last picture here . I realized that I really enjoy drawing, and that I should do it more. I'm not saying that I'm good at it by any means, or that other people will appreciate my dr...

Last week, the young women in our ward had their Night of Excellence, a chance for them to show off the projects they have been working on throughout the year. The theme for the evening was lighthouses. Hannah shared the washcloths that she has been working on knitting. Other girls sang, played piano, learned to bake treats, did family history indexing, and submitted applications for college. Earlier that day, Steven and I attended an awards ceremony where Hannah received an award for achieving a 4.0 GPA for her first trimester this school year. Way to go, Hannah!

Who can guess who this adorable little boy is?

Besides Thanksgiving and Daniel's wedding, life continues for the Hiatt family.  Earlier this month, Hannah was part of an orchestra concert, with about seven other schools. Her favorite song to perform was called "Sahara Crossing" and sounded kind of like the "Arabian Nights" song from Aladdin. Peter is really into arts & crafts lately. In honor of Thanksgiving, Peter created a turkey, almost life sized: Josh has been having fun climbing the walls. I mentioned a few weeks ago that we hadn't unpacked the boxes of books yet. The children decided they made great toys and set up a store/library with them. (Most of them have since been either unpacked or covered with Christmas decorations.) In case anyone was wondering, Steven is still job hunting. Hopefully he will find something by the end of the year. :)

The past week or so has been wonderful! I have so much to be grateful for. Here are just a few of the many blessings which I have enjoyed this week. We had our Primary Program on Sunday (the 18th) and it went really well. (That was a huge load taken off my shoulders.) On Tuesday, I was able to travel to Utah with my sister's family. (Thanks Heather!!!) I was able to visit with my parents and siblings and have fun with them. (I'll never think of "reverse evolution" again without thinking about a certain game of Pictionary played with April and Heather.) I was able to attend a bridal shower for my new sister-in-law. (I'll have to practice making bridal bouquets out of newspaper, crepe paper, doilies, and rubber bands...)  In spite of the many people staying at my parent's house, I had a very quiet place to sleep - in the basement on Amber and Scott's remarkably comfortable sofa. (Thanks Amber and Scott!) I was able to have fun playing with my nieces ...

Last night I was feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and frustrated. I had been trying to set up visiting teaching appointments only to realize I had lost the paper with the phone numbers for both my companion and one of the sisters we visit. (I had phone numbers elsewhere for the other two sisters we visit). One of the sisters had set up an appointment only to text me back a few hours later to say that wouldn't work after all, and she wouldn't be available again for two weeks... I had also been trying to contact my Primary secretary about picking up the pizzas for our primary program practice on Saturday, and she hadn't answered her phone, and she hadn't been at home when I'd stopped by there, and she had told me previously that she doesn't have time to check email anymore... I needed to talk to a friend in the ward about Thanksgiving dinner, because we were planning on having it with them, but we needed to figure out what we needed to bring. I was wondering what ou...

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Steven really wasn't enjoying his job. He was working as an inventory clerk, something that it seemed like anyone could do, and all the advanced skills he had developed in the past were going to waste. The technology at the company was ancient (blue screen, DOS based programs), and frustrating to work with. Steven is used to knowing what he is supposed to be doing and being able to take charge and get it done. In this job he was being micro-managed, and occasionally being asked if he had yet done something that he'd had no idea he was supposed to do, or how to do it. In the past, Steven has always been very good at separating work and family - and not letting work cut into family time. He was frustrated when he received work related texts and emails in the evenings and weekends. Not happy with the situation, when he was approached about interviewing for another job, he agreed. This other job would involve being in charge of a new technology...

We've come a long way since the first time we ever cooked a turkey. See here for Steven's account of that. In spite of that discouraging beginning, we persisted in trying. A couple years ago, we came across an article in the Denver Post (Shaw, Tucker. "Get it Perfect." Denver Post [Denver] November 17, 2010, Features, D-01) that gave us a lot of good ideas. Searches online gave us some more ideas of how to do it. ( Unfortunately I don't have the references for those anymore. You can do your own search. ) The last couple years we have still had our hang ups, but once the turkey was cooked, it tasted wonderful! So here's what we do: 1. Saturday before Thanksgiving: Remove turkey from freezer, place in refrigerator so it can start thawing. 2. Tuesday morning: In a clean ice chest just large enough to fit turkey, mix 1 gallon cold water with 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup sugar, and some thyme, pepper, garlic and bay leaves. Unwrap turkey, remove any giblets from n...

In the last couple days since Halloween, I've noticed something. People eat candy in different ways. Some people save their candy, and ration it out at a rate of one a day. Some people eat it slowly, savoring each piece. Some gobble it down as fast as they can, hardly waiting until the taste from one has diminished before popping the next in their mouths. And then there are my kids. They like to play with it before they eat it. Here are a few of the creations I've seen in the last couple days.

Twas the night 'fore November and all through the house  every creature was stirring - except the dead mouse     (which the cats had dragged in.)  The children were dressed in costumes with care,  and expectations of sugar plums filled the air.  Pumpkins had been carved with smiles and grins From the tips of their stems to the base of their chins A good friend arrived to join in the fun No one can wait for the set of the sun. At last it is dark a nd the fun can begin They grab up their sacks to put the loot in. Away to the neighbors' they fly like a flash Hoping for candy, or maybe some cash They give the door a knock or a ring "Trick or treat" in unison they sing.  From house to house they walk, hop or race They set themselves a furious pace For this is the night that comes once a year When they can beg for candy without any fear The streets are filled with tot, youth and teen For this is the night we call Halloween! ...

I like to read. I mean, I really like to read. According to Shelfari , I read 230 books last year. This year I've only read 158 so far. Almost all of these books are fiction. When I read, I like to escape from real life. For me, a good book transports me to another world. I like reading books in series, so that world expands and grows. One of my favorite series is Anne McCaffrey 's Dragonriders of Pern. She has created an entire world with a history, a culture, a life of its own. With a compelling blending of science fiction and fantasy in the earlier books, she makes the existence of dragons (through genetic engineering) seem plausible.  I enjoy how different books she has written tell about the same events from different points of view.  When I am reading her books I feel drawn into her society. Another series I enjoy is Raymond Feist' s Riftwar Saga, as well as other series set in that universe. Several years ago, I came across a copy of the first book, Magician: App...

As some of you may know, Steven found a job and began working a week ago today. So far I have very mixed feelings about his new job. Pros Steven has a job with a large company. Steven is finally earning a paycheck comparable to what he was making two years ago. The job benefits include good health insurance and 401k matching. Steven gets out of the house so I get more done during the day. We don't have to move away from our home. The kids don't have to change schools or leave their friends. Steven's new job is across the freeway from a light rail station, so he could potentially take public transportation there and back when he gets comfortable with the idea.  I'm getting more exercise, riding a bike or walking when I need to get around during the day.  We will soon have money to spend on non-essentials again.  We can start paying off the loans we have borrowed over the last couple years. Cons After one week on the job, Steven doesn't seem to...

Our ward's Trunk or Treat activity is tomorrow night. The Primary is in charge of it this year, and while I pawned the total responsibility for it onto one of my counselors, I am in charge of decorations. In preparation for that, I made ghosts today! I did this with the kids last year and they turned out really cute, so I thought I'd make a few to decorate some of the tables. What do you think?

A week or so ago, I posted some Funny Buddy Riddles . To those of you who looked at them and tried to figure them out, but gave up, or those who thought they knew some but weren't sure, here are the answers: bottle vehicle - can van or jar car polo soil - shirt dirt nylons container - socks box fuzzy fruit - hairy berry quill guys - pen men chart wire - table cable (or board cord, as April said) aqua loafer - blue shoe fedora talk - hat chat toad swine - frog hog cook dessert - bake cake insect squeeze - bug hug organ section - heart part divider toy - wall ball impoverished e ntry - poor door recliner duo - chair pair verifiable paste - true glue tome corner - book nook vomit muffler - barf scarf spirit emcee - ghost host unleashed gander - loose goose feline carpet - cat mat faint melody - swoon tune large stick - big twig insane flower - crazy daisy vegetable bird - carrot parrot video hood - tape cape tomb leaked - crypt dripped mind stretch - bra...

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the Mormon Church), the Primary is the organization designed for children aged 18 months through 11 years. According to the Church's Handbook of Instructions: The purposes of Primary are to help children: Feel Heavenly Father’s love for them. Learn and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. Feel and recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost. Prepare to make and keep sacred covenants.  I have served as President of my ward (congregation) Primary for three years today. (Read here for the post I wrote the day I was sustained.) During that time I have seen a lot, learned a lot, and hopefully I have grown a lot. One thing that I have noticed - and I've been bothered by, is that many people seem to think of serving in the Primary, particularly as Primary Teacher as a "place holder" or "low class" calling. They seem to think the bishopric had nowhere else to put them and so threw them into the ...

Last week Thursday we had Parent Teacher Conferences. I spent over three hours talking with the boys' teachers - Josh's teacher, Peter's teacher, a speech therapist, John's Math, Social Studies, Language Arts, Science and Engineering teachers, two art teachers, two media teachers, two music teachers, and two PE teachers. Later that day I went to Hannah's school and spent another hour talking with her Math, Language Arts and History Teachers, as well as her Great Books and Orchestra teacher. (Her Science teacher was out of town.) In general my children are doing very well. They have all scored very well on assessments, some are showing very good leadership skills when working with other students. John's math teacher described him as being "a Ferrari of math brains", jumping from problem to solution so fast, that he is working on getting John to slow down a bit so he can explain what he is doing to get the solution. At the moment Hannah is getting stra...

A little over a week ago, on Oct 5th, a girl named Jessica Ridgeway disappeared on her way to school. Five days later, her body was found, dismembered in such a way that it took two days for authorities to say decisively that the body was hers. She lived only 7 1/2 miles from us. As of now, police appear to have no suspects. At my own boys' K-8 school last week a 14 year old boy sexually assaulted a six year old. The incident was immediately reported, the 14 year old was removed from school, and letters have been sent home to assure us that increased security measures have been put in place to keep it from happening again. Hannah usually walks with friends to her bus stop. She learned last night that one of those friends wouldn't be walking to school with her until Jessica Ridgeway's killer is apprehended. This morning, I made sure that the boys were ready earlier so we could all walk together to Hannah's bus stop, and from there to the boys' school. I refuse...

A Funny Bunny! Can you solve these riddles? Each pair of words is a clue for another pair of rhyming words. bottle vehicle  polo soil nylons container fuzzy fruit quill guys chart wire aqua loafer fedora talk toad swine cook dessert insect squeeze organ section divider toy impoverished entry recliner duo verifiable paste tome corner vomit muffler spirit emcee unleashed gander feline carpet faint melody large stick insane flower vegetable bird video hood tomb leaked mind stretch corn dream  sheep sleep (I get extra points for this one because the clue rhymes too!)

This morning we awoke to a layer of white on the grass and the car. It was still coming down as we ate breakfast, but by the time the kids left for school it had stopped, and the sky was blue. I love living in Colorado. Peter kind of looks like an elf in his chosen coat and hat. The coat is actually one of Hannah's... Josh chose to wear layers of about three hoodies, rather than one coat. John wore a regular coat - and two hats, one big knitted one to keep his ears warm, and a smaller felt one on top of that to keep the snow from coming in through the holes in the knitted hat. Is it a good thing my children don't seem to care what others think about what they wear?

Last night I took the three older children to scouts and Young Womens. When I returned home, Peter was sound asleep in bed, but I could see what he had been doing. Several of Peter's favorite stuffed animals were lined up against the wall, each with either a backpack or a jacket. Facing them was the rocking chair and bench/desk with some books. Of all my children, Peter is the most attached to his stuffed animals. How many of your children set up elaborate games to play with their stuffed animals? (And how do you teach them to put the toys away when they are done with them - without being reminded?)

I guess my last real post didn't really mention much about how we are doing. Nothing much has changed since my last status update. Steven is still busily searching for a job, and still isn't getting much response from anyone. No longer is he searching mostly in Denver with a few scattered jobs elsewhere. Now he is applying for whatever jobs he can find - mostly elsewhere with a few in the Denver area. We wish the phone would ring more from potential employers, and less from political campaigners. We are grateful for the assistance we have received from home teachers and other ward members in the way of food and clothes, as well as with car repairs. In spite of their help, Steven's Jeep is out of commission. Until Steven finds a job, we can manage with just the van. It helps that both the boys' school and Hannah's bus stop are within walking distance.  I sometimes wish that I were in a better position to bring in money, but I'm afraid I don't have the ski...

This picture was taken on the kids' first day of school.

This picture is from our Pack Meeting on Tuesday. Josh received his Wolf patch.

For lack of anything else to write about today, here is a generic model of what my days are like these days. 6:30am The alarm clock goes off. I roll over and attempt to catch a few more zzzzs, but usually get up within a few minutes, collect my clothes and head for the shower. Steven gets up, wakes up the kids and gets them moving. 7:00 Ideally, everyone is up and dressed. We gather for family prayer and scripture reading. 7:15 John puts the bowls on the table, Josh gets the spoons. Hannah pulls the cereal boxes down from the top pantry shelf and hands them to Peter, who brings them to the table. We gather at the table to eat. 7:30 Time to finish getting ready for school. Shoes are found, planners are signed, backpacks are double checked for homework. I try to get the dishwasher emptied and loaded with the breakfast dishes, and get a load of laundry into the washer. I remind the kids to make sure their dirty laundry is in their hampers. 7:45 Hannah leaves for her bus sto...

Some of the changes in this one are pretty subtle. I guess I'm practicing my photo touch-up skills as much as just having fun. Good luck!

I was almost late to pick up the boys from school today because I was working on this one. This one was fun because it seemed like there was more going on; there was more to play with.

I'm having fun with these!

How many differences can you find here?

I was inspired by a "funstuf" in the October Friend (pg 10) called Spot the differences. Several things had been changed in a photograph, and it asked if you could find the differences. So, I made my own. Can you find 13 differences between the two pictures? (I think you can click on the picture to see it larger)

Early Monday morning, I drove Steven to the airport, and he flew to Virginia to meet with the CFO of the company there. He interviewed with him and several others in the office, spent the night in a hotel and flew home Tuesday morning. He liked the office, he liked the people, and he felt that it had gone well. That evening he received an email from the company saying that they would like to interview other candidates before they make a final decision. Our first thought was, "What?! Didn't you already offer Steven the job?" Apparently that was a preliminary job offer, contingent on their liking him when they met him in person... and I guess, for whatever reason that hasn't been made clear to us, they decided they wanted to keep looking. We are disappointed, to say the least. Frustrated and confused are also major emotions, especially because we felt like this was what the Lord wanted us to do, and now we haven't a clue where to go from here. It has been week...

Yesterday was Hannah's 13th birthday!!!  Her gifts included a duffel bag, clothes, socks, a watch, a webcam, a notebook, a pencil sharpener, stencils, and a sock purse.   Hannah made the chocolate cake herself! H ap p y B i r t h da y H a n n a h !