Prom despite the pandemic!

Seniors all over the United States have had to get creative with fulfilling their last year in school bucket list. Melissa and Josh Clark were awesome parents and created a Senior Prom for Morgan. Morgan's prom date was Jordan Waldbilig another senior, and family friend. My kids love their cousin and Olivia was excited to get to wear her prom dress. Bella wore a previous prom dress and Holman combed his hair 😁

The Clark's went all out. They had a theme  "Blue Bayou" The dinner had several courses of yuminess. They ate, talked and danced the night away.

Nothing like young love... Bella's roommate Halie (which we love) met a guy on Mutual, they really hit it off so he came for a visit. We did church and posed by the temple. Luke dressed up again for church, what a pooch.

75 masks!!

This week has been all about the masks! Olivia's friend started a charity organization to help hospital workers receive masks. Olivia signed up to do a batch. She made 52 masks! The fabric is autoclave meaning it can be reused and sanitized. it was quite the team effort Olivia and I could not have done it without Nana's help! She has a great sewing machine and she's also very willing and helpful!!

I signed up to do masks for our missionaries. it was a totally different pattern than Olivia's mess a little more complicated and a lot more time-consuming Nana and i made 16. Later we also made 7 more masks for the family. We really got the hang of it and I wish those would have been the ones I donated cuz they looked a lot better.

Nana put the sewing machine in the family room so we could watch TV eat munchies and so our hearts out!! 

Also notable this week is that Adrianna made the family dinner! She made scrambled eggs pancakes and fried sausage. It was delicious and very helpful!

Benjamin made Anna a "balcony" outside her window. She loves it and was quite impressed with Benjamin skills.

It was such a long long quaranteen week... Each day has been like a week. I read today that somebody has said in regards to this Covid19 quarantine "hey we're all in the same boat" but the article talked about how we're not all in the same boat we're all in the same storm. That every boat is different. Some people are really struggling financially right now, struggling for food and their basic necessities. Some have lost their jobs (me!). Some have felt the ultimate loss, that of a loved one. Some people who live alone feel completely alone because they can't go out and visit people. As far as this quarantine has gone I feel very grateful for my boat, for the many blessings that we have. Those blessings have made this storm bearable. I hope the masks help lighten someone else's boat. I have a friend who's family has made over 400 masks...400 she's basically building boats!

Easter covid19 style

Today was Easter Sunday. It was unlike any other Easter we have experienced. Over a month ago, I was asked to give the Easter talk in church.  I thought I would be giving a talk to a congregation of 200 plus people instead it was a congregation of 8 people. Crazy time. We had a great sacrament meeting. Olivia, Parkin and Adrianna did a musical number, Gethsemane. My talk was interactive with video clips and lots of discussion. I love having sacrament meeting at home. I think the hardest part is how fast the sacrament goes, normally I can offer a sizeable prayer between the blessings but with so few people there is not a lot of pondering time. next week we're going to try to really pause between each blessing so that there is more time to repent and offer thanks for  our blessings. 

It was  hard not having our typical Easter festivities with both sides of the family. Easter is a favorite Holiday, little pressure and usually several low key gatherings. I went really low key with Easter baskets, meaning I couldn't find the baskets. I didn't buy extra gifts, just a candy assortment, that I put in ziplocks. I thought I would get a lot of push back but I didn't any! I was grateful and so were they. What a relief. After church we cut out and prepted 104 masks that are going to medical professionals and missionaries in our area. It was quite the assembly line. We thought it was a great way to honor the Savior with serving our brothers and sisters.

After dinner we had a fire and snores not a typically Easter desert but lovely all the same.

Kokopelli Kids Preschool closes

After ten years of teaching preschool and being uplifted, entertained and blessed my last day of school arrived. It was not how I planned my last day to go. I planned to finish the alphabet, have a pirate hunt, volcano explosions, a water day and an end of the year graduation ceremony. The coronavirus or Covid19 changed my plans and the whole worlds plans. It has stopped schools, unnecessary shopping, movie theatre visits, get-togethers and preschool graduations. We ended preschool for spring break and we never had class again. So my last day consisted of my mom hanging up a sign and the two of us waving to the kids from their car seats and the parents collecting their students end of the year present.

In the beginning of my teaching career Lindsey would call up at the end of the week and say "well how does it feel?" I would respond, "how does what feel?" She would say, "how does it feel to finish another successful preschool week?!" She has been one of my biggest fans. The night before my last day of school she had chocolate strawberries delivered with this note:

What a blessing it has been to have this woman in my corner 💕

What a beautiful ride this adventure has been. I opened the preschool up 10 years ago to try to make a dent in our enormous debt. Debt we had accumulated when we tried to build a dream home. The banking institution crashed leaving us with no house and newly acquired construction debts. It was overwhelming to see the amount owed with nothing but payments in the future. With 5 kids and two kids at home my money making options were slim. I had seen two examples of at home preschools in Benson and determined to open a school and use that money to make our payments. We didn't get aggressive with the debt payments until 2014. It was that year that we declared "the year of the radical!" Miracles came as we gave everything extra to this obligation. It worked! Debt free we began to actually get a savings account again. We saved so much it allowed for a down payment on our new dream home! I continued preschool without any of my kids participating mostly because it brought so much joy to be around Heavenly Father's favorite people/ my favorite people too!

My mom joined me for the last four years. Prior to her being my full time assistant, she was the friendly Queen of Hearts every year for my Valentine's performance. What a queen she was!  What a privilege to work with my mom. She is fun, giving and gave a 110% to the school.  She instituted weekly hunts around the property and spoiled the heck out of those kids. She lightened my load with her constant care and attention to the school. On our last day it was hysterical that we both wore poka dots, it symbolizes how sympatico we have been.

Before this school year started I felt impressed that I should make it my last..but why stop what I love?!!! I don't know why. I only know that when I don't follow a prompting I always regret it. So I will follow what I felt, close up shop with gratitude and the memory that I have had the privilege of teaching over 200 families who have enriched my life in so many ways.

Special fast and inspired music

One of the happy side effects of holding church services at home is choosing the music the congregation sings. Today's request "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day".. the favorite verses

And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

We can feel the unity of people world wide as they are fasting and praying today for relief from the physical, emotional, and economic effects of this global pandemic. Part of our discussion was recognizing all the people who are working so hard. The health care providers on the front lines sacrificing their time and peace of mind being quarantined can provide. Hearing nurses who cut their hair so as not to pass the virus on. A friend organizing help at the Community Food Bank because they are in desperate need. Sewers everywhere making hospital masks. So many people ringing loudly that they are here to help.

Another happy side effect visitors you don't normally see at church.

Seeing eye dog...

Remember that sweet puppy I was trying to find a good home for? Well apparently that's my home. She has given our blind dog a new pep in his step. She also likes to take the leash and give him a walk. She's his seeing eye dog. He now wants to Ford rivers again. It got a little too deep for both dogs. So the good-looking men carried them across.

Social distancing brings home improvement projects...

There's a new term that people are using because of the corona virus, it is called "social distancing".  President Trump has suggested that we should not meet in groups of more than 10 people. It is quite challenging to try to adhere too especially when your family already consists of seven people. The universities across the country have all shut down and are doing everything online. That meant that Bella (and one of her best friends Halie) has moved back home. Luckily and sadly the guest house bookings have all been canceled because of the virus which opened up a spot for them to live. Missionaries across the worlds are are being sent back to their home countries. So many changes so fast. Benjamin has been asked to work from home alright the employees have. I've had to shut down preschool to help not spread the virus.

Since everybody is encouraged to stay home it's given us a lot of time to get some projects done. Olivia and I cleaned out and reorganized the pantry it looks amazing! I painted the piano. I've been wanting to do that for quite some time.

My mom calls it Dutch blue, I love it.

Homan and I went to the HomeGoods store and bought a bunch of seeds and starter plants and in one day we built this awesome garden. Benjamin helped build the cage.  Parkin also helped haul wood.

Nothing like a total productive Saturday to ring in the Sabbath.