night out.

tonight three of my girlfriends headed out for a night at yummy...a great place to eat, small portions. Other than the obnoxious modern art, its a great place to dress up and go to.

this is a picture of leah- I love that girls eyebrows, can you believe they are tattooed on???
And Nyssa my forever work out partner and girlfriend . too bad my house is so far away now.



this is my favorite pic of emily.

think TOP MODEL (mom edition)

cant you hear the photographer....
"give me a bit more of that pouty look, the one you do when your husband wont change a poopy diaper"





since we dont really get out much because of work, we are going to try to do somthing every month...

black and white is soooo flattering, the car in the backround helps too!






I tried to erase this one but my computer un-geniousness is very obvious tonight

heres a pic of my girl in the nursery, putting on a puppet show. Yes, she is utalizing every limb!

Gasp!

while attending the movie the majority of people saw over the weekend (no defiantly not the flop indianna johnes) I was surprised to find that, other than squeezing enough plot to make a movie from the book prince Caspian, they popped in an unexpected jump scene. The funniest part of it had to be the lady a couple of rows back who screamed. defiantly killed the tension of the scene.

I don't scream much...Alas I inherited a man scream. Not even convincing enough to bring a stray dog to me let alone help. The thing I do best is squirm.Yesterday my husband parallel parked the car while we were picking up a new dishwasher. Yes, he does drive tremendously big vehicles on a day to day basis...nevertheless it made me squirm. Why??? Because I cant for the life of me parallel park. Once I backed into a tight spot, but i was walking. So after assaulting his ears with moans and groans and "too close, ugh' he said "when did you become so paranoid?" "A few complaints and I'm paranoid?" I said. but it got me thinking. I am so use to driving and doing everything for others its hard to trust in someone else, Even the 'as long as you live' someone. Its nice to have gentle reminders from God I should not try to take over the world-

although in my world parallel parking would be illegal.

to everything turn, turn, turn

when I was in highschool we had the assignment to write out a five year plan. Being a fan of a 'plan' I excidedly wrote out the things I expected to do, now bear with me because its been a long time since highschool but I think it went somthing like this...

1. go on a mission trip to a foreign country
2. graduate from highschool
3. go to ecola
4. get married at 18
5. have kids

I remember my teacher calling my mom on the phone and telling her that I needed to have more life goals than being a wife and a mother-and there was no way I could accomplish everything in this time space...and she was somwhat correct.

I got married at 19.I still have trouble finding other wimen my age in the same stage of life I am in but I dont regret it at all.

This is how the 5 year plan played out in real life....

1. go on a mission trip
2. go to ecola
3. graduate from highschool
4. go to ecola
5. get married at 19
6. have kids

Now that my children are getting older I am looking at doing some schooling. Writing has always been a passion of mine and whats better than writing books for children than when you have your critiques at home with you right Kristen??? My sister in law is proof you can be a great mom and write books. By the way this is my 100th post!! Its a miracle, my journaling was never longer than three pages.ha!

domesticated??

I do have quite the love affair with handwork. Yesterday I finished my first sweater and hat for my middle child. (knitting) and today I bought some yarn to make a hat for my daughter, the fairness police. When I finish hers I will be kindly reminded to make something for the youngest, but With my memory I am grateful for any reminder even if its from someone who only weighs 35 pounds. Did I forget to mention that the quilt I have been putting off is finished and given away to my delightfull nephew-rather one of my three delightfull nephews! Its probably the last quilt I will do for a while since they are very time consuming and those little scraps seem to disappear so quietly, simular to elfin magic. Since its sooo good for your mind to continue to learn new things I am now knitting furiously-and once I have knitted every stitch perhaps I will move on to clog dancing or glass blowing or maby even taking a writing class! This large repitua in household skills sometimes evokes titles like DOMESTICATED or HOMEMAKER. The first picture that comes to my mind when those words are uttered is a woman chained to a vacuum cleaner, making dinner and looking out the window- she longingly searches the outdoors for one reason alone- she once was wild and free....now she is domesticated.
domestic technician is so much more professional, a better description and more dignified. Even with that said when filling out papers for offices etc. and I am asked what my profession is I scratch in that same word...'homemaker'
What, prey tell, do you describe your profession as??

a belated mothers day

This is a picture of my dearest friend. Somone that through all the years has become much more than just a mother. I remember thinking I had the biggest mom out there and her purple coat (pictured here) was the best thing man ever created. I believe it lasted the longest out of all here wardrobe items and although at one time I couldnt believe my mother was wearing such heidous cloathing, I am now suprisingly charmed by its sentiment to me...If it still existed You might even find me trying it on every now and then shrugging my thoughts of fashion faux pas just to envelope myself in a lifetime of memories. The coat itself means very little, the real love I hold for it remains only in the memorys it helped create. Being much like my first son, I thought little of conversaion with outsiders and shuddered at the mere thought of interaction. The coat to me was a curtin hiding me from the unknown, on cold winter days in north-eastern california it was a tosty blanket saving me from the peircing cold, and last but not least an extra layer of squish when a normal hug wasnt enough. I am proud to call you mother and even more thankfull to call you friend. I hope that whatever you might believe about your mothering and the misteaks you feel were made, you know I dont think you could have done a better job.

marred memories

I remember allot of things from when I was born till about 10 years old. After which I miss about 3 or 4 years and then I can recall events again. There were a few things in my life I chose not to think about for so many years that they simply don't exist in my conscious brain. At this stage in my life I am grateful for the barrier I created. Not having to look back at the very pain full moments in my has been nice, its as if they really never happened. There is a particular stage in my life that I haven't been able to block out entirely-some things still remain. I only began to appreciate it when God gave me the chance to heal from it. It all began with an prematurely bought plane ticket to Montana. I was 16 and very in like with a boy I had worked at summer camp with. He lived in Montana and I in Oregon. My parents were not supportive of driving to see him so I took out all my savings and blew in on a 300something plane trip to boseman. Two weeks before I was to fly out he wrote me a letter telling me to "shove off" (using more christian language of coerce) but I being so blindly in like neglected to get the refundable ticket, and believing his claims that he still wanted a friendship decided not to cancel it all together. I figured I would at least get to see some countryside. My friend Katherine met me at the airport and we flew the 2 or 3 hours to bozeman Montana. His family was very kind and made up for his total lack of friendliness toward me (first lesson in dating your never FRIENDS again until maby you are both married) I admit to crying myself to sleep several nights and wishing I hadn't been so stupid with my money. Here is when Gods plan for this trip came into view. I had gone to a school in Idaho for the 4Th grade. An entire year of teasing tormenting and crying. In fact it was so bad I couldn't look people in the eye when I talked to them. After that I home schooled etc. and we moved to Oregon. I hadn't kept in contact with anyone from my class (who would have wanted to) When all of the sudden in boseman Montana I run across an amazingly familiar face. At the time I didn't know where I had seen him before but he looked so like someone from the past, I couldn't sleep that night and kept thinking where I had seen him before when all of the sudden I shouted Billy!!! the next day I picked up the phone and called him, went over to his house and hung out for a day looking at the past. He had changed so much and was very friendly and kind...not the guy I knew in 4Th grade. That day God showed me something. Other than fading memory's time is good for something, it allows others to change and grow. God gave me the opportunity to forgive, for closure, for a renewed opinion of the past. It hasent changed my memories only shed a better light on them.

VOTE VOTE VOTE

PLEASE push the vote button more, otherwise cessil will be staying with her parents who are taking care of an ailing grandmother who is being taunted by a grumpy uncle who lives with the neighbor friends AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

too much text!

beside the pleasure I take in jotting down ideas of what cessils life is going to turn out like (playing god with a fictional character) it is my pleasure to apologize for the extensive amounts of text in this blog as of late. Most who know me well understand I don't always stop my mouth from talking when I should, but for this characteristic to spill over into my writing,...well its inexcusable. I am desperately sorrowful for you my reader to have to muddle though endless jabbering about vacuums and feelings of inadequacies for a rare picture or two. it must stop. I am taking my stand YOU will no longer have to cast your eyes upon lines of waste. I, mama griffith have chosen TODAY to stop this shamelessness. and with that I sign off never to blog more than a line or two, and only about gardens and wildflowers or perhaps even a cute saying always accompanied by a picture...for a picture in itself is worth a thousand words.



just kidding. I started off trying to explain about my computer not uploading pictures properly but it was much more fun to toy with my readers emotions (cruelly might I add)

the desire to do more and be more

In the interests of all those stay at home moms I will say one thing. No matter how much or little you successfully accomplish in one day it seems the desire to do more is right there nagging at you. I find a fair amount of contentment in the daily schedule, believing it to be somewhat productive. The monotony of the whole thing only comes into realization when in conversation I am asked, "what did you do this week?"...frantically I search for something new and interesting to add hoping not to sound so (hmmm) Momish. Almost all the readers of this blog spot know what the answer usually is. "nothing new, just the same old mom stuff " Which is true, sort of. there is so much more I want to say that cant be described in words. Like the feeling I get every time my son tells me I am his favorite mom in the whole world, or when my daughter looks adoringly into my eyes, and perhaps even the times the youngest pours coffee all over the floor for the millionth time, then giggles his head off and says naughty, bad, sorry! The day is quite full of activity and labor, frustration and happiness but near the end there remains the desire to do more and be more. Often times Its because I know I can do better, be better. So one way of looking at the desires I have as a God given gift. Knowing your not the best leaves room for growth. seeking others advice shows the desire for growth, relying on prayer gives the power for growth to happen. Am I seeking Growth with no power?? Yes, sometimes. can I try harder??defiantly!

Tomarrow is a new day, with no misteakes in it yet.. Ann of green gables

thank you emily for the correction

putting belif in somthing worthwhile

While doing my household duties today a thought dawned on me, I was using the vacuum on something large hoping I could just suck it up and not have to bend down to use my hands to pick it up when I discovered I was looking for improvement in the vacuums performance! Please don't misconstrue what I have to offer today...I do not have conversations with household appliances. Its just I realized I was hoping for something man made to improve on its self. so in a sense I was saying "OK, you have one more chance to pick it up, here we go. listen bud there are allot of other vacuums out there who would love to be in your position." is it really my rug suckers fault it doesn't perform up to standard? nope. So I get to thinking If my hope is well placed, I wont find myself let down. today where are you placing your hope for improvement?

My hope no longer belongs to my vacuum-Hallelujah!

constant coaching brings out results...

For three months I have been working towards a goal, to do more than survive at a store. Often times the family shopping is done by me when my husband is at work because its more convenient. Sadly I admit, we have simply pushed to live through these trips to the store instead of learn from them. Even I had not realized my mindset until one day exhausted from one of our outings to the supermarket it dawned on me perhaps it was the way I looked at our trips. At this point I dreaded going out because of what my children might pull off the shelf or whine about or run down the isles with. admittedly I didn't want to be humiliated by their lack of adultness.(silly I know) but sometimes moms forget they have toddlers and expect them to be well behaved without encouragement on the subject. After I changed my mindset and looked at the store as a way to exercises the three's politeness skills its become a little less daunting. My shopping trips are sometimes still categorized as frightening but my outlook on the excursion has changed enough to get me out of the house and on the road. (PS.. I never remember shopping or going out as being daunting until I had more than one)

here is what I learned

1)Before exiting the car give a politeness reminder and a consequence (not to be mistaken for a speech) -lay out two or three guidelines you have for their behavior. i.e. "please remember I expect you to hold on to the cart and stay close to me, if you choose not to obey such and such will happen"
2)Don't set them up to fail-give them an expectation they can live up to.
3)Praise, Praise,Praise- let them know about how good they were, tell them what they did right. Brag about them to your spouse or friend within ear-shot. only after pointing out the good things do I bring up the behaviors they need to work on.

It didn't come easy and its taken a long time, but I can say the three don't have tickle fights in the checkout line anymore and they understand what respectful means beyond the tree syllable word mom inserts into her sentences.

deth by bear mauling

pretend play takes on an interesting twist in our household. My daughter has always started her pretend world with this phrase "I'm all alone, my mom is dead. do you want to be my mom?" this is not really the interesting part, the real twist is How I met with my demise. If I were to do a count, being mauled to death by a bear(or family of bears) would probably win. I have at times been run over by a school bus, hit by a car or some other large vehicle, but usually she comes back to the bears. It gets a person thinking. where do these ideas come from? Perhaps its the constant coaching about road safety or why yogi isn't someone you want to meet in real life. whatever you may think, she came to these conclusions by herself and this is probably the reason we don't get asleep at night-TV or no TV. blame it on genetics...