Slipping through the cracks

This blogging effort is not without it's challenges.  What to write?  How long?  How many pictures?  Do different topics need their own post?  Timing? Post names?  

I got caught up in that and in the process missed posting a few things I would like to share about. 

PINEWOOD DERBY

Scott and Naomi participated in the pinewood derby.  There was a different set of rules to be followed, but we adhered to them.

Scott and Naomi designed their cars, Eric cut them with a power saw, and they sanded and sanded.  Then Eric drilled holes at the locations specified by Scott and Naomi to add lead weight.   They melted some sinkers and added the weight.

We used Amelia's analog scale and later found the digital one to try to be close to the 5 oz limit

Naomi's car is on the right.  Blue, green, wavy, shiny.

Scott's car is in on the left, back row.  Red, gold, and sleek.

Neither Scott nor Naomi won the overall, but both won 1st in their groups.

Scott's car had faster times than Naomi's when officially racing, 

but Naomi's car went faster when they were racing for fun.

No definitive winner there either, just fun.

ELANOR CUT OFF HER HAIR!

  It was long and heavy, and she wanted a change!

Just a little perturbed at my documentation.

14 inches were cut off the back, less in front.

The place we went to didn't donate hair for wigs.  Bummer.

She's happy.  I'm happy she's happy.

BOOKS INTO THE HOUSE

We finally ordered the flooring!  But it has not arrived yet.  I decided to buy some shelving.  

We are hungry for our book collection to be accessible!  

We are seriously getting good at bucket brigades: 35 boxes out of the garage, across the deck, into the house and stacked neatly in just a few minutes.

 The wall we wanted to line with shelves is a dummy wall and doesn't even go all the way the the floor (because the floor slopes down 2.5" - 3") but we thought it would work.

Then Eric took a closer look at the wall.  The studs are every 24', not 16"!  Sigh.

TOILET NIGHTMARE

The toilet began to rock/move shortly after we moved in.  Eric decided it was time to fix it and allow me to finish painting the wall behind it.

Well, the piece that is suppose to be screwed into the floor to hold everything together, yeah.... it came up with the toilet and there were no screw holes!  Um  WHAT?

At the top of the hole, you can see one of the screws

Eric got it off of the toilet.

The pipe going into the cement floor broke a little.

Eric went to hardware store and bought a plastic holdy-ony-thingy.  It broke during the first attempted installation.  Eric cleaned up the original metal one and reused it.  

Yay! a functioning toilet!

Not so fast.  It's not sealed 100%.  Sigh.  

Eric is contemplating solutions.  

In the meantime, our air purifier is now permanently in the bathroom to combat the horrid smells that have infiltrated our bathroom.

Another thing I let slip through the cracks is expressing my spiritual journey.  A very good friend posed a question to me and a few women I esteem:
 "'You have to lose yourself to find yourself.'
What does this even mean?"
It may mean different things to different people.  I see it differently depending where I am at in life.
The typical Christian answer is to lose yourself in the Lord's work for others and you will find yourself.  That works if you are relatively healthy and the people around you are too.  But sometimes it can help to explore different perspectives.

"Sometimes you have to fall apart in order to put the pieces back together and create someone even stronger, better than before.... becoming the person you want to be."
Who is the person you want to be?  Do you have questions?  Real soul searching questions that matter to you?  I believe we all do if we will admit it.

One of the women shared something about what she was doing in regards to the phrase and how she applied it in her life.  Another women shared something about her feelings in her experience.  And another woman suggested we take that question to General Conference.  I love it that I have friends who are willing to be real, and vulnerable, and supportive!
We have living prophets and apostles on the earth today.  They speak to us every 6 months.  It is modern scripture received in real time.  This weekend we can take our questions to the Lord and watch and listen for answers.  I am excited to learn what the Lord would have me know, right now, in our day, for our time. 
I encourage you to tune in to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this weekend.  Think of questions and listen for the answers during General Conference.  Better yet, write them down and then act!