Digging Out of Quicksand

Last week I began to feel like I was stuck in quicksand. You know, the harder you fight, the deeper you sink? When my youngest boy could not stop vomiting for 3 days, I took him to urgent care. They felt like he was barely hydrated enough to not need IV fluids, but gave us anti-nausea suppositories. Even on the medicine, he still threw up. I felt so scared. Last day of school parties, laundry piles, cooking dinner, and even showering went out the window. Life was all about coaxing that kid to eat and drink. It seemed like the more I worried, the more I was stuck.

I just had to give it all up and sit still. My husband and a neighbor gave Cooper a priesthood blessing. He never threw up again after that. The weekend had finally arrived and allowed us all to get caught up and rest. Isn't the best way to get out of quicksand for someone to come along and pull you out? (At least that's how they do it in the cartoons!) I think that is the lesson I am learning. Sit still a minute and let someone help you.

Gosh, isn't the side of our house so decorative and colorful?

Jason was able to use this weekend to get some sunscreens up on our house. This is a project we have wanted to do for YEARS, and it is badly needed. The 3 small bedrooms all face west and we get the sunset directly cooking those poor rooms. They get HOT. I've tried to use dark curtains but it's not enough. After pricing professional screens many times, we decided to buy supplies for DIY ones at Home Depot. I think Jason did a fantastic job and -WOW- do they ever make a difference!!! All 3 windows cost about a total of $100, so I'm terribly excited to begin seeing an improvement in our electric bill. Hopefully it will pay itself off this summer alone!

I used some time to make progress on my latest quilt. This is the FIRST time I've grown tired of working on a quilt. The first time where I haven't been SO excited that I've powered right through until the end. I'm moving verrrrrry slowly. Not that the quilt itself isn't great, but the way it needs to be assembled is tedious. I'm finally at a place where it's starting to get exciting! But I don't want to give away the finished look, so you'll have to wait a little longer.

This is Tucker, sucking the dust off my mini-blinds.

The morning sun was too much for him,

so he had to wear shades!

Now that school is out, I'm all about the chores! I love how the older kids can do more and more things now. And Cooper has reached the age where I need to make him a chore chart, too. On Memorial Day, we woke up to a "special" little list on the counter for each person. We worked hard and got our stuff done, then got rewarded with a special family outing for the rest of the day! (With the cabin fever that was forced upon us for the previous week, along with new report cards brought home, it was well deserved!)