I FINALLY finished

For one who does not consider herself a reader, it is a great accomplishment for me to announce that after over a year I FINALLY finished reading Les Miserables. Sure it is a long book (1,463 pages), but I am embarrassed it took me so long. It wasn't as if I read faithfully from it all year long. I have a hard time sitting down to read and feeling like I am using my time wisely. I mean, I could be doing the dishes, or laundry, or cleaning, or primary stuff, or............

I did it, I finished the book and I can cross that goal off my list. In the words of Mallory, "good girl mommy."

The book is wonderful. I especially loved the beginning when it describes the soul changing events for Jean Valjean. Here are a few passages I enjoyed:

"Whether true or false, what is said about men often has as much influence on their lives, and particularly on their destinies, as what they do."

"Is there not in every human soul, and was there not in the soul of Jean Valjean, an essential spark, an element of the divine, indestructible in this world and immortal in the next, which goodness can preserve, nourish and fan into glorious flame, and which evil can never quite extinguish?"

"The cheese-mite has its worth; the smallest is large and the largest is small; everything balances within the laws of necessity, a terrifying vision for the mind. Between living things and objects there is a miraculous relationship; within that inexhaustible compass, from the sun to the grub, there is no room for disdain; each thing needs every other thing."

"There is scarcely anything else in the world but that: to love one another."

"What a pity!" said Combeferre. "What a hideous thing these bloodbaths are! I'm sure, when there are no more kings, there will be no more war. Enjolras, you're aiming at that sergeant, you're not looking at him. Just think that he's a charming young man; he's intrepid; you can see that he's a thinker; these young artillerymen are well educated; he has a father, a mother, a family; he's in love, probably; he's 25 at most; he might be your brother." "He is," said Enjolras. "Yes," said Combeferre, "and mine, too. Well, don't let's kill him." "Leave me alone. We must do what we must." And a tear rolled slowly down Enjolras's marble cheek."

"... to betray society in order to be true to his own conscience"

"... a compassionate convict, kind helpful, clement, returning good for evil, returning pardon for hatred, loving pity rather than vengeance, preferring to destroy himself rather than destroy his enemy, saving one who had struck him, kneeling on the heights of virtue, nearer angels than men."

"It is nothing to die; it is horrible not to live."

It's a .........

Today we had an ultrasound done of our new baby. The baby looks nice and healthy. The size of the baby estimates the due date to be around February 15th. Jeana was a little surprised when we found out the sex of the baby. She was expecting a boy, but Mr. Radiologist said, "all I can say is it looks like a girl." Stephen is never surprised by anything, so he was not surprised to discover that is it girl. Mr. Radiologist could be wrong. We'll see come around February 15th.

The name game: Which name do you like best?

• Shannon Claire Ward
• Eva Claire Ward
• Lucy Claire Ward
• Louise Claire Ward
• Carmen Claire Ward
• Abigail Claire Ward
• Glenda Paulina Ward
  
• Mignon Yvonne Ward
  

Mommy's Little "Helper"

This evening while Stephen was mowing the front lawn Mallory and I were in the back yard. I was cleaning out the garden beds and Mallory was playing around me. She kept on wanting to "help," but her way of "helping" was to take handfuls of dirt and throw them on the lawn. She then wanted my gardening gloves. I wouldn't give them to her and I told her "mommy needs them to work." I then noticed that she took off her shoe and her sock. I immediately told her that she needed to keep them on because we were outside and it was cold. Then I noticed what she did with them. She put her shoe back on without the sock and then she put the sock on her hand. She then went right to "work" taking handfuls of dirt and throwing them on the lawn. I had to smile and laugh at seeing how her 2 year-old mind sees a problem and solves it. She wanted to work, but she didn't want to get her hands dirty. Use a sock, problem solved. Good thinking Mally! It looks like we have another resourceful gardener on our hands. Her grandmas would be proud.

Fantasy Concert

You know how around baseball season guys are always making up their Fantasy Baseball teams, well I though I would take that same idea and create my Fantasy Concert. This performance would be held in an acoustically perfect concert hall like Gardner Hall at the University of Utah campus. Though, I don't think the hall would accommodate a rock band very well, but remember this is just fantasy. The concert would be for a small audience around 15 people (my choice, of course). Though the performers are my pick, I won't want a personal concert. It would be awkward to have the performer always looking and singing at me.

So this would be the line-up for the "Jeana Rocks Concert" (remember this is still fantasy and I get to pick the name):

Eva Cassidy, singing "Time After Time, "Fields of Gold" and "People get Ready"
Annie Lennox, singing "Money Can't Buy It"
Better Than Ezra, singing "Burned," Rolling," "Our Last Night," "Recognize," "Get You In," "I Do," "Allison Foley," "Under You," "Everything in 2's," "Good," and "In the Blood"
Counting Crows, singing "Anna Begins" and "I Wish I Was a Girl"
Diana Krall, singing "Love Letters" and "A Case of You"
Fisher, singing "I Will Love You"
Van Morrison, singing "Moondance"
Red Hot Chili Peppers, singing "Scar Tissue"
Josh Groban, singing whatever he wants
Andrea Bocelli, singing "Time to Say Good-bye" with Celine Dion
Celine Dion, singing "The Prayer," "I Drove all Night," and "Faith"
Five for Fighting, singing "I just Love You" and "Johnny America"
Howard Jones, singing, "Last Supper"
October Project, singing "More Than This"
Indigo Girls, singing "Galileo" and "Virgina Woolf"
Weezer, singing, "Island in the Sun" and "My Name is Jonas"
Harry Connick Jr., singing "She"

You may have noticed some of these artists are dead or no longer together as a band. Once again, this is fantasy and for this concert they are brought back for this one-time concert. One last thing, my brother Glenn would be the MC for the concert. Growing up he always loved to say "live and in concert".

2 Cute

Happy 2nd Birthday Mallory!

Scrap and Share

I thought I would start posting my digital scrapbook pages. I have begun going all of my scrapbooks digitally, which makes it so easy to share over the computer. I figure sharing the pages in this way kills two birds with one stone. It allows all of you to see our pictures and see what I have been up to in my scrap booking world. Enjoy!

It was Done in the Bedroom with the Paintbrush by Mrs. Ward

Her only response was, "the pillows made me do it."

One day while shopping I came across decorative pillows that I immediately fell in love with. I would have bought them right away, but I had nothing that they would match. The pillows were a silky sea greenish-blue with a chocolate brown velvet pattern on top and our bedroom (at the time) was maroon and gold. Two weeks went by and I was still dreaming of those pillows. I told myself if I go to the store again and they are still there it must be fate and the decorating gods were commanding me to buy them. So I went, they were there, and I obeyed the command.

Now I had a problem on my hands. "How do I redecorate my whole bedroom around these pillows?" Well, I like a challenge. First things, first. I found curtains that matched nearly perfectly with the pillows at Target. They were raw silk with striated horizontal lines. They were pricier than I like. After all, I usually buy everything from the clearance aisle. But I told myself, "Jeana you do not have to decorate your room strictly from the 75% clearance section. You have the right to splurge once in awhile." And so I splurged.

I tried to find bedding to match, but the color was so unique that I couldn't fine anything that was just right. I then went to my favorite $2 fabric store and found the perfect material at the perfect price: 50% off. The decorating gods must have been smiling down on me that day. What are the chances of me walking into the store the same day they were having their "Biggest Sale of the Year?" I truly am blessed.

I made a duvet cover and used the extra fabric from hemming the curtains to make a border for my head pillows. Thank goodness my very talented seamstress mother-in-law helped me add buttons and let me use her serger.

Putting together the curtains and bedding were the easy part of the room. The difficultly came with painting. I had the vision of creating a relaxing spa-like oasis of a bedroom. I wanted the new paint color to be very tranquil so that my room could be our sanctuary from the world and from our kid. I thought I picked out the right color. It was called "Silver Patina." It was a metallic glaze and not a paint. I wanted the color to be very transparent and sheer on the walls. What I didn't realize was how difficult that was to achieve. I read the directions. I followed them closely, but after four different attempts of painting and priming and repainting I gave up. I went to the paint store, found a solid latex paint I liked called "Fog" and I repainted it all over again. This time the paint went on beautifully and even Stephen commented on what a nice color it was.

So with all the paint dried and the pictures hung, the room is finally done. I am glad that the pillows had such power over me and persuaded me to change my whole room around them.