Topple!

Eleanor had a rough night on Saturday, and she was still sleeping when it was time to leave for church. Since her cold was seeming to get worse Friday and Saturday, I stayed home with her. Of course, after sleeping in and a really long nap that afternoon, she was fit as a fiddle, so we went up to Grandma's to visit. Eleanor got to play Topple with Alex, Grandma, and Daddy. She was so excited to be playing a game with the grownups. The second Dana would roll the dice, Eleanor would grab it and say, "Now Eleanor turn!"

In other news, Eleanor's baby, Isabel/Adelynn, got a brand new name. We went to the Moore's house on Friday for lunch, and I let Eleanor hold "baby Lucy," who is nearly a year old. Now, her baby still switches back and forth, but all Friday, it was called, "baby You-see." Also on Friday, Grant and I actually got to go to an Opera. We went to see Rodelinda in Portland. Eleanor played at Grandma Matthews' until it was time to go to bed, and then she was brought home to go to bed. I told her what was going to happen, that Grandma was going to put her to bed, and she immediately said, "And my don't make Grandma sad." She didn't. She went to bed like a champ, and the next morning, we told her she made Grandma so happy.

A Very Productive Day

We had a rather productive day on Thursday. Grant came home from work that evening, and we just got to work. I am very happy with the results.

First, we made a drastic change in our bedroom. This lovely hole has adorned our ceiling since summer of '06. It was a hot summer, and Mother and Gary were very kind to give us a fan that they had never installed to try to help us beat the heat. It was just a fan with no light fixture on it, so we would have to come up with alternative lighting. Grant eagerly took down our cheap light fixture to install the fan, but during the process, the top of an old screw broke off, leaving the tail end in the hole. We began debating if we wanted a fan without a light on it and discussing how we would get enough light into that room. The entire process was at a standstill because of one screw and our lack of a decision. You would think we could have just put up the fan for a year and a half while we mulled it over, but that would just be too simple. Instead, we survived with the small amount of light put out by a touch lamp on the nightstand (and later, two touch lamps when we finally got a set of two nightstands) and a hole in our ceiling.

But on Thursday, we replaced that ugly hole with this. It was ordered as a Christmas present, but we had to wait for it to arrive. Now, when I flip the lightswitch in my bedroom, something actually happens. It looks so good in there, and it even has a reverse function that circulates the warm air in the winter. It's very quiet; I look forward to using it on hot summer nights. Also, since our bed is right under it, it doesn't hang down very far from the ceiling, so no little monkey jumping on my bed will get a bonk.


The other thing we accomplished that night was blackberry jelly. Don't the berries look pretty in the pot? They looked (and smelled) even better in real life. We picked a bunch of berries last fall, and they've been sitting in my freezer ever since, waiting for me to get the energy (and the guts) to try to make jelly. This is the first time I've done canning in my own house. The only canning I've done before was at Dana's or my mother's house with their help. Of course, I made Grant help me. I couldn't just go straight to flying solo. Besides, many hands make light work, and my hands can't touch hot stuff the way his can.

And here's the result. We made three batches, and it is sooooo good. Dana helped me make this jelly in 2006, and I made some with my mother, too. I could eat toast with this jelly every day; it's that good. Hopefully, these jars will last until it's blackberry season again!

Tangible Dark

Last night, as I was beginning to put Eleanor to bed, I turned the light off in her room and sat down with her in the rocking chair.

Eleanor said, "Dark. Noree touch dark."

Then, she stabbed at the air with her finger, and said, "Touch. Touch."

14 years from now...

. . . Grant will be acting like this:

Good Examples

They held funeral services for President Hinckley yesterday. I have tried to think of a way to express how he influenced my life, but I have found words to be inadequate. Here is an example of how he influenced someone else's life. I don't know much about Glenn Beck or his work, but I was touched by his tribute to our prophet.