Crashing Lights Wednesday & Job Fair

How many Landbecks does it take to change a light bulb?

Daily seminary class started late this morning: I was downstairs, John, Stewart, Max and Suzanna were doing acrobatic tricks to reach the stair hallway light. In the process, the light globe protective covering smashed, and we had to sweep the stairs and half the classroom floor before it was safe for the students to come down.
We sang all 7 verses of Hymn #85 "How Firm a Foundation" because Stewart had the devotional and wanted to.

I gave them black cherry Kool-aid play-dough today, and asked them to sculpt their interpretation of the Liahona, or compass, that "astonished" Lehi found outside of his tent.


John and I on our way to the job fair, windy backyard (my hair doesn't stand up like that on its own.)

Weird mix of IT and engineer openings and fork-lift operators. Lots of professionals in suits. The Ikea job was for the warehouse, not the store...Some possible leads, but most of the tables just had websites for us to go apply. Some took resumes. It was crowded, packed.

Something will come up. Things will be okay.

Temple Tuesday & Fairy Rings

We drove down to Annapolis this morning, then to Kensington, then into Baltimore. Picked up paperwork John needs for job applications, and added our prayers of faith to the effort. Not a flattering picture, but we only took one (personal project: a picture a day until John is re-employed).

I have decided I definitely need clouds on our living room ceiling!
Growing in our wet backyard: fun-guys. They keep cropping up, in spite of Max's experiments to get rid of them (baking soda?)
I think they are beautiful. They glow, after it has rained, a white misty aura surrounds them.

Joy in the Moment

I liked my sister Deb's blog response to her daughter SarahK's request to go take a photo, right now, in the moment and post it.

Don't fix your hair, or pose anything. Just the real you. I tried three times and Suzanna was watching and kept telling me I was missing (my arms are too short to do the hold it and click thing). She obliged and is our photographer, but I think she was rolling her eyes. The embarrassment of demonstrative parents?!

Here we are. It's been a bring-us-closer-through-trials kind of week. We are still in love. Strong marriage and commitment.


Paint clothes, sweaty from working, time for hot shower. Hot dogs for dinner.

Raspberry Room at Gma Sandy's

My mother-by-marriage has hired me to do some domestic painting. First job: the guest bedroom. Blue walls are gone. Now there is an intense raspberry color on the back wall. "Anonymous" Behr grey on rest of walls--and the ceiling. She let me do it. I sort of begged.

I love LOVE the look of painted ceilings. I think it was Christopher Lowell a decade ago that explained a white ceiling in a color painted room looks like your slip is showing. It stands out.

I have experimented with our home and on clients and have enjoyed the color bouncing fun 5th wall=ceiling. Another place to decorate!

Using the same paint as the walls erases corners, rounds out the room, turns it into a big hug of color experience!

Plus it is so much easier to cut in, one stroke on wall and ceiling is very fast. I highly recommend it.

(shiny wet paint-Don't Touch the Walls!)

This is before, with dirty cream ceiling and disappearing blue wall and primer on raspberry wall.


After. Look at how the ceiling/wall line blends/disappears! I went back with raspberry and crisped up the edge--looks terrible in this picture...

Got rid of Red Eye

I am learning to use my tools. Finally figured out how to get rid of the red and see the baby blues on this young man.

Until I have a new picture, this is all I have...This is the image I think of, when I hear that they have gone out on another date, blue shirt, green dress. They've been wearing the same outfit for a week straight in my mind.

I'm teasing a little bit. But I am getting tired of just seeing the picture of ME on Emma's blog! Time for new material! Emma, at least show me the cool shoes you are wearing tomorrow! Or even better, your shoes, his shoes. Then I can think all day about how closely you are standing to each other and read your body language. Words are not enough for me. I need to see, then I will believe.

And I say that with a straight face, even with my email sig-line of:

"Credendo Vides; by believing, one sees." -- James C. Christensen, 'Voyage of the Basset' (love his artwork! I took a watercolor class from him once.)

Family Tree

Imagine this tree with full baby's name, birthday and weight, parents names and their anniversary, and then back 2 more generations, and green leaves...

Some family trees have been pruned, branches grafted in, blended. It can be complicated, explaining relations to a baby. How do you show step-parents and extra grandmas and grandpas married in?

I ended up painting dashed lines that connected mom to her divorced parents and new spouses. I loved the client's desire to put what the baby will call each grandparent first, before their legal name, so Mom Mom, Pop Pop, Nonnie, GiGi, Granddad, Nana, and Pap have grown-up names, too, for historical help if Baby Addison ever wants to know their other names!

This is the last addition in the Pink Snail Nursery: a family tree. I don't want to post all their family info, but here is the tree before the "Hibiscus" Benjamin Moore paint names are added. The background uses the same paint from the walls with tinier shiny polka dots painted behind the tree. Cool effect when you catch it in the light, but hard to show with a camera. You have to see it in person.

This way, when they move into their someday house and the mural is painted over or left behind, they will take a piece of history with them!

I dropped this off today and was delighted to see Addison, beautiful baby! (And to meet her grandma! I told her I knew how she fit on her family tree and asked her if she was named after her father--knowing family history details opens up a world of delightful stories. When I see a maiden name of a great grandparent who marries someone with a name that would have fallen alphabetically next in a classroom, I wonder if they sat by each other in school, and when that crush turned into true love?)

Suzanna saw this and thought it would be cool if I made one for her...Can you say Christmas presents?

Steadfast & Immovable (nice way to say stubborn?)

We've been talking about strengths vs. weaknesses, the things that first attracted us to each other as a couple. I painted this last Thursday, thinking of our children and my hopes for them. It has taken on new meaning these last 6 days.


Mormon uses this word over and over to describe my hero-prophets. Good word. Good goal. Other options I considered for the top of this forgotten piece of furniture: Undaunted, immovable, upright, incorruptible, loyal, strong...


This was a road-side find, complete hutch (we have since put the top shelves out on our curb and it was promptly adopted!), very dark black stain, ugly hardware which was easily replaced by the brushed nickel finish. I have painted many layers of color on this, at least one for every year I have owned it--currently turquoise with white wash over, dark teal top with Benjamin Moore Glitter top-coat. Black & white check shelf liner inside...Pillow fabric by IKEA. Thrift store couch. Great Grandma Billie Persian rug...

Rule of Twos (kissing)

(Christine Jepsen's photo of Cupid at the Louvre! I visit taught her at BYU. Stayed in touch with Christmas cards but facebook helps us see current photos! You youth don't know how good you have it, the networking and easy connecting. Please don't begrudge us our over-enthusiasm for using the forum. Max finally admitted he is realted to me--today on facebook.)

(I love parenthetical phrases.)

The youth went to hear Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Quorum of the 70 speak last night at a regional fireside. This morning I asked them what they had learned.

Stay out of the kitchen.

Do not eat the chocolate chip cookie.

Memories matter.

Chemistry is powerful. (This all related to a great cookie metaphor he used throughout his talk, "it is easier to avoid than resist temptation" theme.)

He also taught them to remember the Rule of Twos in Dating: date in groups/double dating; only 2 kisses for less than 2 seconds total.

Then we started Scripture Mastery signs (not true ASL, but with some take-off from everything).

Moroni 10:4-5 is blowing a trumpet, like the angel Moroni on top of the LDS temples.

1 Nephi 3:7 is "DO" in sign language-which looks a little like the Monster Dance move (I had them sing with me through "I am a Child of God" until we got to the chorus and I could remember what I had taught the nursery kids on "teach me all that I must DO...").

My favorite was the feasting "foot-long-sub for $5" sign StevenS showed us and DevinK's dramatic Super Hero pose for put off the natural man-enemy to God-become saintly verse.

I will have to record them doing it, when we get through all 25. They said it reminded them of a crazy dance. Hmmmm. Yeessssss! Good way to learn using kinetic intelligence.

Amusing, light-hearted, fun morning with more discussion than we've had so far.

15 Minutes

(Yesterday I got to watch 6 month+ old bundle of joy Anna --her pictures are over in my sidebar under blogs I read--while her mom ran an errand. She was so quiet the whole time she was here--except for when I tried to put her down for a nap, so I picked her back up, sat down at the piano with her, and she was singing and smiling! She was really SINGING with me as I played Primary Christmas songs about Baby Jesus! Made me cry with joy and love and happiness at hanging out with an innocent baby again. Sigh.)

Between the time that baby Anna left from playing with me and before Samuel came home from school (15 minutes) John called.

He said I was always the first one he would call when something bad happened.

My first thought was for his safety--(this is the kind of phone call I've gotten after car wrecks...)

But I listened as he explained he had been severed from his state employment. Losing all benefits. Really nice ones I've enjoyed.

We have survived 4 rounds of lay-offs. State Secretary tightening the belt. Thought we were safe. Over-confident, maybe even cocky thinking all was well.

I couldn't quite get out the door to go to my quilt meeting. Could barely walk down to get Roxie from school.

Laura, my angel friend, took one look at me and asked what was wrong.

She is easy to talk with. Comforting. We talked about the blessings of having food storage.

I completely missed the Mommies' Night Out at Applebee's 9 pm-after FHE--(and I love those--imagine hanging out with other women from Church, no kids, no husbands, so you can talk as friends, eat chocolate, relax, laugh...)

John gathered us in family prayer last night, told the kids his news, and prayed for the windows of heaven to open. I hope they felt the comfort from the Holy Ghost, that things will be okay.

We know God knows our needs. That He is aware of our situtation. We are exerting our faith and prayers that something better will open up.

I didn't think I would tell the seminary kids--but as I talked to them about writing down a blessing today in their Tiny Plates, and we read the scripture 1 Nephi 1:20, I felt the Spirit testify as I told them that I know things will work out okay, that our faith and prayers as a family will show us what to do. We've been talking about hanging on to the Iron Rod=the Word of God, and how we will do that, getting ready for General Conference in a week. And as we continue to pay a full tithe, we will be blessed. I told them I wanted them to remember today, me telling them this story of the scary trial we are going through, and in a week, or two weeks, or a month or two, when Brother Landbeck has a new job, they will remember today and what I told them.

Talk about applying the scriptures to your own life! Real examples, real feelings.

Your whole life can change in...less than 15 minutes.

Here we are, purple army for good!

We will be spending the month of October helping Grandma campaign, putting up signs, some door to door contacting, wearing our shirts! (notice how well my sleeves look, no puffy-ones, Napoleon).

Celebrate Celebrities

Emma took this picture--love her profile and the solemn sky.
I had a funny thought walking on my way to pick up Roxie from school Friday: my family spread out across the country--they are my celebrities. They are the ones I am curious about, yearning for more info, pictures, (not that I would wish a tabloid paparazzi following them, but how nice it is to see snippets from their lives, and how much would I pay for current pictures of some of them???).

This picture is for my siblings--so they can see CELEBRITY Mom and one of her ESL students and the 3 shelves behind her that contain her Spanish supplies, games, etc. It was kind of neat to listen in on her session (as I finished reading the amazing "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. Waiting for the sequel at my library and there is a 3rd book+ in the works. And it would make an incredible film!)

I love taking pictures of Emma. Emmalyn, my CELEBRITY. On the plane ride home from Utah last week sitting next to a horse show judge I learned that fillies are named to rhyme with the mare's name.

Jennilyn-Emmalyn.

Ha ha hee. I didn't know! (Neigh, neigh, really.)

Emma's major is officially still chemistry, and she has a 4 year academic scholarship. (She is smart!) She is taking "Mission Prep" and "Marriage Prep" classes this semester. This is her holding her cousin, Ellie. She is good with kids and will be a great mother.
In high school the guys knew she had to wait until she was 16 to date, and then, if they still dared, there would be a "talk with my dad" they had to pass before they were allowed to take her out, especially as non-members outside of our faith.

Intimidating? Yes!

Did they look nervous that first official meet-the-parents moment? Yes!

Hey, but I was nervous, too!

And now, with her far away, we cannot screen the guys.

She is an adult. She makes the choices about her life.

We feel blessed with the long-distance relationship and confidence she puts in us and the phone calls/email/blog interaction. (she gave me the okay to publish this blog--I do not ever want to embarrass her. Put her in the spotlight, yes--I am so impressed with her and well-pleased with her choices and life!)

I start to wonder about facebook protocol...

Can you ask to be friends of a guy who has asked your daughter out? Just as a way of learning more about him, seeing who he has be-friended, see if he has family in facebook, check out the groups he is in, reading the comments he makes to others, seeing his public face...

All I had was a first name and a home state...so, I made a student directory list and cross-checked the guys using facebook.

John asked me if I was facebook stalking.

He says if I take notes on a separate piece of paper, that is stalking. He says I cannot ask to be a "friend" of someone dating her until she is his friend first. Makes sense. I can see why that would be polite.

I'm just trying to use all the technological tools available to find out as much as I can.

Protective mother-bear instincts? YES!

Curiosity? Did I order a credit check? No. And I won't.

Money isn't the issue, it's reliability.

Trustworthiness.

Steadfastness and integrity.

Anyone dating our daughter would instantly become one of my celebrities, too! Her choice would immediately make him interesting and someone I would seek to understand and know better.

Questions I would ask ANY returned-missionary guy dating her--imagine us sitting on opposite couches having a relaxed conversation--(no rifles in sight) and I would NOT be taking notes, really, just listening and learning and hoping he is as good as he sounds:

1. How do you feel about your mission service? Anything you would have done differently?

2. How did you get along with your mission president & companions? Do you stay in touch with any of them? Did they give you any specific dating counsel when you left?

3. Are you close to your parents? Siblings? (I would wonder this but wouldn't ask: What about inappropriate closeness with ex-girlfriends?

4. What attracted you the most about my daughter? When did you first notice her?

5. Do you value her and treasure her like her family does? Will you be kind to her, gentle, find out what she loves to do, see how brilliant and wonderful she is?

6. Will she have fun with you, and will you be honest with her?


Oh, they get worse, more nosey, invasive as we go, stuff I would not ever ask him. But I would ask Emma, if she knows for her OWN decision-making-benefit---I don't ever need these answers, but I think Emma does (in addition to her own list made during that Young Woman Sunday lesson):

7. Are you in debt? Pay tithing? Wise with money?
8. Do you gamble?
9. Any addictions? Emotional problems/fears?
10. Problems with porn? Modest, chaste and virtuous now?
11. Future job options? Education plan?
12. Kind to your sisters and mom? Kind to anyone you have "power" over-employees, waiters, etc?
13. Ever in trouble with the law? Respect the laws? Responsible voter? Plans to be active in the community?
14. Good manners and hygiene? Floss?
15. Will you make her laugh with you? Good sense of humor?
16. Does she feel safe with you?
17. Does she trust you?
18. Do you love the Lord with all your heart, mind, might and strength?

I already asked her--and she said YES, not only did they meet in the chemistry lab, there is chemistry!

I am truly not trying to breathe down their necks. I do ask questions, lots of questions with the goal of communicating/knowing/loving/understanding).

These are things I hope she is thinking about, asking, wondering, finding out. For her. So she knows him well. So she can keep telling us that she is happy. Even if this is a short-term learning relationship/friendship.

BYU courting can be super-fast and intense, holding the physical in reign until after marriage. (Not all dating/courting ends up with marriage, but we believe in real honeymoons, waiting until then to see if we are compatible that way.)

So there is lots of talking and staying busy and seeing each other in many social situations with friends & roommates around as chaperons...judging if your personalities are a good fit, making sure your values mesh well, seeing how you could support one another emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and yes, physically (okay, it all goes back to Heart Mind Strength and Might!).

Kissing is a way to cement relationships quickly. Maybe we shouldn't have told her that John and I kissed first, then decided to date...so it's not like we disapprove.
I missed meeting him by 3 days...

Back to celebrity watching...(please take pictures and post them, my Utah family!)

Thresholds

Busy Saturday!
Sam mowing like a man! Rite of passage, complete.
Grandma Sandy is running for office this fall, after much encouragement by her peers. Today was a photo shoot for her webpage of her family living in town (so there were grandkids and 2 daughters missing). Lots of honks from people driving by and waving at us! An army of purple!


This is Great Grandma Straw-Billie surrounded by 5/6 of our kids.


Grandma Sandy and her sweetie!


Gpa John gave us $ for Rita's Italian ice afterwards. Max mixed S'mores + caramel apple, and made us nervous with his Incredible Hulk impersonation trying to kill yellow jackets by clapping them to death.

Sam asked about tractor driving licenses, what he would have to do to get one.

We still have a bbq with friends tonight, I have a quilt Wild Threads meeting, and I hope to squeeze in a date with my own sweetie.

Hack & Hairstyle

Do you have men's-style t-shirts that are unflattering, unattractive, uncomfortable?

To get the not-tight-fit around the bust sometimes you end up with a t-shrit with sleeves that come down to your elbows, not cool. I did this hack to a bunch of Emma's shirts to make them fit femininely and modestly.

Not hard, but a good pair of scissors, knit "ball point" needle on sewing machine, and thread to match shirt helps.

1. Take a t-shirt that you love the fit(=*A*), right shoulder seam length, good sleeve length.

2. Place *A* right-side up on top of shirt to be cut *B*, matching neck openings and laugh at the HUGE shoulder seam difference. Carefully move *A* out of way of your scissors but follow the curve of *A* and cut *B* to match. Don't worry about seam allowance, cut the curve.


3. Then reposition *A* on top of cut off sleeve, use the HEM of *A* and match it to hem of *B* and cut away extra sleeve fabric. This way you don't have to do any hemming, nice finished edge already made. You are just creating a new sleeve-shoulder seam!


4. Join new sleeve to body of *B*, stretching if necessary or gathering if sleeve is bigger than opening. On this shirt the armpit armscyle (I don't think I spelled that right--it's the space under your armpit in clothing) was lower than I wanted it, so I just sewed it up an inch and a half higher so it would match the sleeve length.


It isn't sewn in this photo, but you hopefully get the idea.


Roxie had a Princess Daddy-Daughter Dance last night, so we did an up-do. My favorite easy one. When she started to fidget because it was taking so long, I told her it was the same hairstyle I did for Emma before one of her dances. That made Roxie hold still.


It is actually pretty fast, considering...All you need are a pony tail made high on back of head, Bobby pins to hold braided sections--don't wrap ends, just twist into loop and secure leaving stick sections to spritz and flare out.


The amazing stake Primary presidency taught them how to waltz with their dads and supplied the tiaras! 80 princesses aged 8-11 twirling and dreaming their dreams true.

Things to Do in UTAH!

See cousins! (go to happy funeral/family reunions. That is Mom in the middle wearing black, surrounded by a few of her generation of Davidson cousins).
See faculty art show in H-FAC at BYU.
Climb the Y--or just take your picture in front of it! Can you see it, there on the mountain behind us, above Emma's head slightly to the left of her part? Real life hike is on my bucket list.

Go to the Church Art competition show in the Conference Center! (It doesn't open until 10 am, so we went to the new Church History Library first and were wow-ed. Beautiful building, touching stories. Do the tour, and watch the film about WHY we should write in our journals, little things that will matter to future generations.)


See foreign films at International Cinema, in the SWKT (say skaaah-wik-it; we called it the Kimball tower 20 years ago)


Take pictures of significant personal historical places: My seminary building...

...turn around and this is how close the high school is! Easy fast walk across one street. I only took released time my freshman year, early morning the last 3 years. Why early morning? I preferred it. The students there early wanted to be there, wanted to learn, and I liked the atmosphere/spiritual priority.

Happy Funeral

Great Aunt Helen was a loving, soft-spoken, gracious woman, two days shy of her 97th birthday.

She sold my parents their home in SLC.

She let us stay in her beautful home many, many times when the over-flow at reunion time at my parent's made John & me seek some privacy.

She fed us. She taught me how to cook a few things. She had a wonderful garden.

She loved us.

I miss her.

But I am thankful to know that I will see her again, and that she is reunited with her husband, her sister (my grandma Laura) and the rest of her family.

We believe in life after death. In the Resurrection. In family bonds lasting beyond the grave, thanks to ordinances performed in Holy Temples.

The funeral was a happy, reunion, seeing cousins, 2nd cousins (meeting some for the first time)aunts & uncles. Rejoicing in family. Feeling the Holy Ghost testify that this life has meaning, that Jesus is the Christ, our Savior.

Good to know.




3 generations: Mom-me-Em (I kind of like saying that all together, sounds very cool).

I learned more about my great grandma listening to stories about Helen.

For example, "Scotch Blessings!" Cousin Joe was talking about them, and then another talk mentioned them. How did we miss out on them growing up with this kind of heritage?

When someone explained that it is a call to repent, a scolding as only an older Scottish lady can give, I remembered instances that qualified. Ohhhh, Grandma was opinionated and didn't hold back when she felt something was wrong or you were in the wrong. Scotch Blessing, in deed!

Multi-Tasking My Way

I bought 5 dozen ears of corn. Sweet, wonderful stuff. I've been blanching and bagging it up for the freezer...


And decoupaging cool Paper Source wrapping paper to a curb-side find: hard plastic suitcase! Yes, that is corn alongside my art project. Put corn cobs in boiling water, hit 3 minute timer, paint on glue, align paper edge with suitcase edge, ringer goes off, pull out corn and put in ice water, back to painting glue...

Little sleepy today because of a trip last night. I drove down our big green van full of youth. Helped them get started changing into white clothes inside the women's locker room to prepare to do baptisms by proxy...then switched with a young mother and watched her darling baby so the mom could go in. Baby H and I listened to the Visitor's Center spiel about The Book of Mormon prophets: Lehi and his family, Helaman's army, Moroni. It was great! Babysitting AND seminary prep time! More multi-tasking!


Sealed portion! Love the patina where hands have touched this replica of the plates.


34 youth at DC temple to do service! (example of my camera...

...and the professional's version: