An Ornamental Casualty

Prince Charming is distressed.

Cinderella suffered decapitation by the hand(s) of my children. Twice. The first incident occurred after Henry defeated our Christmas tree in a wrestling match. When I arrived on scene, I discovered Henry laying on top of the artificial branches; while my cherished memories (ornaments) were strewn across the carpet and hardwood floor of the entry way.

Andrew and I bought this ornament in memory of our trip to Disneyland in 2004. As newlyweds, we made the trip to Anaheim with our good friends Whit and Lindsey Coleman. Lindsey, will forever be the Queen of Disney in my heart. Anyway, it's definitely a favorite to pull from the box each year.

After my husband skillfully restored Cinderella's head to its proper place, it was left on the table to set and dry. Eliza found it the next morning, accidentally(?) ripped the head off during their moment of play and ingeniously proceeded to hide it under the red floor mat that resides next to the kitchen sink.

"Eliza, have you seen Cinderella?" She wasted no time in telling me exactly where she'd hid the ornament. And sure enough, there was a nice little lump underneath the mat. The amusement and appreciation I felt for her direct honesty washed away the need to scold. Rather, I commended her for telling the truth. Cinderella's state was delicate. It was our fault for leaving it within her reach.

So then, I said to Andrew "You know honey, if this whole 'piecing together' thing doesn't work out, we ought to replace it with a new one from Disney World." And he said,
"Or I could just glue it a second time. Yes. I think I'll do that." And he did. So then I showed him the picture I took of Eliza with the Chik-fil-A cow.
In explicit detail, I told him of her excitement upon their introduction. The child was beyond enthused. The animation in her countenance was so endearing; I couldn't help but imagine how she'd be if she were to meet M-I-C-K-E-Y ... M-O-U-S-E.

I totally left out the part where Henry began to cry hysterically when the cow entered the room. He was terrified and kind of annoyed by it.

Well friends, due to today's subject matter its quite clear that our week was rather quiet and uneventful. With the exception of a thrilling field trip to Petsmart with our preschool friends. It was actually a perfect way to conclude their week of learning about "pets" AND it was free. Nothing beats free. Lunch at Pizza Inn followed; and lucky for Eliza, they had on hand her two favorites... chocolate pudding & jello. Yay for jello.

Eliza's spirit fingers

It would be hard to press the 'publish post' button without mentioning the devastating earthquake that pummeled Haiti. My heart's been heavy with sadness. That event coupled with the overall 'bad news and suffering' that accompanies the trials of friends and family has left me in a stupor.

Like you, I sincerely struggle when I see (and/or read about) bad things happen to good people. That's a placid way of explaining the events I'm referencing. When gut wrenching, 'soul shattering' tragedies befall such good people, I literally ache and fear.

That's why, when my Bishop called and ask me to speak in Church (tomorrow) on Elder Uchtdorf's talk, "The Infinite Power of Hope" I easily said yes. Studying that message has really lifted the sorrow and calmed the burning question of "Why." That post may come on another day.

Until then, have a "blessed" weekend (That's what a Southerner would say).