Mother's Day

Poor Jon, he has to deal with Holiday Tara. For some reason I get depressed on holidays like my birthday or Mother's Day. Even though the day went well and I was shown love and appreciation I can't help but revert, be quiet and just want to be alone those days. Luckily the sadness didn't really hit me until the end of the day, so up until then I was good.

The kids drew me a card in the morning, I whipped up some cupcakes before church for me to devour later, church had some good speakers and I was given a flower and treated to a chocolate-covered strawberry extravaganza at the end. The Elder's Quorum just seems to be stepping it up more and more each year, they did good. The after consisted of a short nap, a quick walk to the park, me making dinner, cleaning up from dinner and then putting the kids to bed. After that I deep cleaned the kitchen, did two loads of laundry and talked on the phone to my mom and aunt. I then laid my head on my pillow and shed a silent tear or two before falling asleep. Why is it so hard to enjoy these special days? Gah, motherhood, what a range of emotion.

The next day Jon surprised me with this beauty. Her name is Blanch, referring to her color. I'm spoiled. The end.

Musings of Dieting

Dang it! Blogger deleted this post... so this is the second time I'm writing it.
How do you tell your friend that she honestly looked better before her crazy fitness/diet makeover? She was already thin and already relatively active and now.... well her face is too bony and her arms are starting to look like she's injecting steroids. What is with these moms? They are moms. They are fertile females... they should look fertile, not like a racing greyhound. Gah.
I wrote this on facebook and it caused a little bit of a debate.... heh.
Jon and I recently have decided that enough is enough and we want to lose a little weight. And by "a little" I mean that I have no intentions on trying to get down to a size 2 or compete in an Iron Man. I'm not ashamed by my current condition, I'm still in single digit jeans and can run a mile without walking. I eat relatively healthy as well. No canned foods or processed boxed foods are allowed in the house. I bake and steam everything and we eat very little beef. Fresh fruits and veggies make up the bulk of every meal. We do love our dairy though, milk, eggs and cheese.
My biggest set back is dessert. I love homemade goodness and usually have something made at all times. I'm not eating processed junk and artificial colors and sugars... but I do love me some homemade yummy, chocolatey goodness. I eat something like that everyday... how do I curb my crazy dessert addiction? Tips?
Here's a very unflattering pic to illustrate what I would like to change... the infamous baby belly... I can't believe I'm posting this.

This one's for Shauna

Every now and then my posts become more like a log of events rather than a page in my personal journey. I was talking about this with my dear friend Shauna and so, in her honor, this one is all about me! It's about what Tara does these days... not Mom Tara or Wife Tara or Church Tara, but Tara Tara.

 I was recently commissioned to design the logo for the Nova Scotia Humane Society. So, when the house is clean and the kids are occupied, I'm sketching. I'm glad I still get commissioned every now and then to take pictures, paint, or design... makes me feel like I've still got "it". Long gone are the days when 100% of my thoughts were consumed with line, perspective, color, light, and theme. When I wasn't in class discussing art, I was rehearsing for Women's Chorus while thinking about art, or mopping the floors of the MARB and thinking about art, or being a docent at the Springville Museum of Art talking about art.
Now it seems like my thoughts are filled with numbers; how many hours of sleep I got last night, how many timeouts have we had so far today, how many cups of juice has Ethan downed, how long has it been since he's used the potty, how many hours until Jon gets home, how many more dishes can I fit in this load, how many weeks has it been since I've done anything with my hair besides pull it back, how much more money is left in the grocery budget this pay period, how much time is left in Jon's hockey game, how many hours has it been since I've had some form of chocolate...

 When the kids go down for their nap I immediately go to my happy place. I cuddle with my favorite purple pillow, drink frigid cold water from my camelback water bottle, apply an essential oil for relaxation and read my kindle or scriptures. If I don't get this time once a day, I am a very grumpy mommy.

 Lately it has been overcast and cold... I LOVE IT! Seriously, this is my favorite weather, always on the verge of rain, freshness in the air, cardigan weather. (Cardigan Weather happens to be a song by one of my favorite bands too.)

These are my newest babies, an herb garden and a pot of peas. I transplanted the herbs into one large pot... there have been some deaths, but hopefully what remains will grow in nice and strong. I was so excited when my two pea plants sprouted up, now I feel like it's just a waiting game until I actually see the fruit of my labors. Which brings me to the topic I've been avoiding this whole post... we're moving.
When we heard the news about a position opening up in the SLC office we were so stoked... then came the waiting game. Jon went from being told "the job is yours if you want it" to "well, legally we have to open in up to the public" and now we're just waiting and twiddling our thumbs to know if we're going to be moving in the next 1-2 months. I spend a lot of time looking at rental listings but it's frustrating to know you can't yet act on anything. And so, just like my pea plants, I'm waiting...