…My pal, Emily.

This darling, dynamite girl who used to be my neighbor moved 2,000 miles away.

She was back on the EC this week. But I couldn’t break away from my stinking, stupid responsibilities for long enough to clap eyes on her and put my arms around her (like I have been known to do in times past – see photo above).

She is so wonderful. She flew all the way from Idaho to help a dear friend who just had a baby.

When I am with her I turn into my best self. (I also have lots of fun.)

I miss her terribly.

I love her lots.

And when she reads this blog, I just wanted to her to know how much!

Next time, Em – I am breaking away, come what may!

If you have children then you will know what it feels like to be DROWNING in their creativity.

ART WORK, people! I’m talking about their art work. I swear my girls go through a ream of paper a week.

Our fridge is COVERED in their stuff and it is piled up on top of the fridge too.

A lot of it is, well, superfluous.

But some of it is

down right

BRILLIANT.

And some of it is ironic, funny, heart warming and just plain wonderful.

Allow me to show you what Millie put on the fridge last night:

There’s more!

Here is a flier advertising Millie’s “Speling School”. Those of you who know this blog well might be thinking, “Liza, did you attend the Speling School? because it certainly seems that you have. Your spelling is rather, well, unique!” TRANSLATION: You can’t spell, woman!

Just so you know, I know that I am a rummy speller. I very aware of it, but even though I stink at it, I don’t let it stop me from trying to communicate with you, dear readers. You lucky ducks, you!

Happily, Millie is OBLIVIOUS to the rules!

(“Dear you, pless bring pensls and papre. P.S. Look on Back)

Don’t mind if I do!

This is a sign up sheet for the classes, which reads:

“This way. Send this back. Fill in plees”

It is sad to say, but more than likely, these will end up in our trash can as we make way for MORE — there is a finite amount of space on a fridge — but I just wanted to honor the wonderful little heart that beats in Millie’s chest and that great little brain that is buzzing away in her head.

This is me stopping and smelling the proverbial roses.

They smell sweet.

Or should I say, suwet?

A few weeks before Halloween, I made a call and made an even cheekier request to one of the world’s nicest ladies. Her name is Shauna. We’d never met, but I knew she had to be great because she is Vickie Cutler’s best bud. Here’s how our conversion went:

Me: “Um…would you make a Queen Victoria costume for me? I know that it is only two weeks until Halloween and all, but will you?”

Shauna: Of course, I will do that for you. Do you have fabric? If not I will run right out and get some for you! I will buy you the lace and line the dress, and DON’T YOU DARE PAY ME.”

She didn’t even know me and this is what she was willing to do for me!!!

When she spoke one could hear a faint choir in the back ground. 🙂

I thought perhaps I had died and was having the conversation with an angel.

I overnight-ed her some raw silk my mom bought me when we were last together in the garment district. Showed her some photos of images from the film, The Young Victoria.

Here is what she sent to us!

Ah, you want to see details, do you NOT? You would like to see this work of art more closely?

The broach was my Nan’s and the hat is something my mom bought for me when I was in high school from Laura Ashley Mother Child, long before I had a child. But my mom knows me so well and that I would look after that hat until it was needed. Also, the blue sash comes from my mom and her noble efforts to help me in my creative endeavors

A close up of Shauna’s lace.

I put her in these gray polka dot tights and gray slippers

It couldn’t be any more perfect!

And it is lined and every last stitch is meticulous. It makes me want to weep!

I wish you could have seen her walking up to school, she seemed like a queen!

Thank you, Shauna you are simply, “the best”!

And yes, I remember that I have other children, who also wore Halloween costumes and trick or treated 🙂

Clara was Cinderella.

Ellis was a toasty little butter ball of a baby, or in other words, he was “himself” for Halloween.

We had a crazy snow storm here which meant that Halloween was not celebrated here until the first weekend in November. Which is part of the reason this post has taken so long to get itself up.

Anyway, a belated Happy Halloween to one and all!

The scriptures teach us that when we ask God for his help, he wants us to first do our part, and after we have done all that we can do, he is more inclined to help us out.

“Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it to you , when you took no thought save it was to ask me.” (D&C 9:8)

I think Clara might be beginning to grasp this concept.

She had been asking me since the early morning if we could make cookies together. But as always, there are a million things to do in the day and the cookies kept getting pushed aside. Later in the afternoon I came downstairs, after putting Ellis down for his nap, & just look what she had done —

She gathered all the ingredients to make cookies, all by herself!

Instead of just asking, she did EVERYTHING she could to make sure the cookies would be made.

Cookies granted!

Who knew principles of truth could taste yummy?!