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?