Thursday, March 28, 2024

Subbing

 Jane was scheduled to sub for Lottie's homeroom/math class
at school this morning!
Lottie was so excited that she could hardly sleep
the night before!
(Also, because we all stayed up late watching Taylor Swift's
Era tour concert in my bed).

It was so much fun to drop them off at school together and 
watch them walk inside.
Lottie has never been able to attend school with any of her siblings
because of the age gap.
That always made me sad and
I would never have imagined this was a possibility!
Yay!

WELCOME SPRING BREAK!
Our spring break includes:
Gardening, working, gardening, working, crafting, and gardening.
Sounds nice to me?
Not sure how everyone else feels about those plans.






Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Welcome To The Herd

Today 10 more cows joined our herd.
It's amazing how easily our herd accepted their new friends.
It's more amazing how they respect that little 
white (electric) string fence.
They don't even try to escape as long as they have 
yummy green grass and water.
Except for the babies because they can slip underneath it without
getting zapped.  But they don't go far.
Cows are so adorable.
Everything is greening up beautifully, and I've started to see bright yellow
pollen on the tops of the cattle, on cars, in the gutters, 
and flying off trees when the wind blows.
Spring in North Carolina can be a nightmare for someone
with allergies!

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Keeps On Giving

A root canal, according to me:
 
This is what a regular mouth looks like with 
normal roots in each tooth:
(The black dots in each tooth which indicate a root)

This is what my mouth looks like:

NO normal roots in each tooth like there should be.
(Except one)
This is what teeth look like after trauma.  
All my roots are calcified.  
Oh, my accident is the gift that keeps on giving!
So, today, I had another root canal 
(by the time I go to the grave, 
I bet ALL my teeth will need this stupid procedure!)
and Jane assisted my dentist.
She used to work at his office before his mission and jumped right back in
with me as her first patient.
Go, Jane, Go!

Monday, March 25, 2024

I Got You

Tonight, Clane joined Christian and me as we spoke at a 
church young single adult conference (followed by Shake Shack for dinner).
I guess I should say Christian and I joined Clane at the conference 
since they are young, single, and adults, and we are not.
But we felt honored to share our story, particularly how enduring 
with faith and trust in God blessed us -and is STILL blessing us
throughout life and life's challenges.

Jesus never left my side.  When I was lonely, He sent friends to my door. 
When I was overwhelmed, He sent me a moment of clarity by inspiring me
 to look out the window and see the trees blowing peacefully in the wind. 
When I felt undeserving of love and affection, 
he sent my children to my side with a book to read to them- or they to me;
 when I was slipping into depression,
 He sent Christian to make me laugh and remind me of my potential. 
I am a strong woman; I am a brave mother; I am a devoted wife, a faithful, 
covenant-keeping daughter of God, and He did NOT create me for failure.
This was the encouragement he was 
sending me minute-by-minute, 
day after day, year after year. 
He never gave up on me.  Ever.
He was saying, 
“Don’t you forget who you are, Stephanie.  
You can do this.  I got you."
And the most important part of this is
 that I believed Him.
 I believed in him and His healing power. 
I believed Him then, and I believe Him now.
Do you believe and trust in Him?


 

Friday, March 22, 2024

We're All Babies

Last night, Lottie went to work with Gigs at the goat farm.
They got home at 10:00!!!!

When I woke up this morning, and after Gigs had left for seminary/school,
 I found a note along with a $5 bill on the counter next to her 
water bottle and backpack.

"Thanks for the help at work Lod.
-(heart) Gigs."

Five bucks for 5 hours of work is a dollar an hour,
but I don't think Lottie cared one bit.  Being with Gigs,
and playing with the baby goats was payment enough.
I just love that Gigs was kind enough to even offer this.

I love my kids.

Speaking of kids,
check out this awesome photo NINETEEN years ago (2005)
in New Brunswick, New Jersey,
of me (23yr) nursing Ollie (2 months) while talking to Jane (3yr).
I'm pretty sure Claire (4yr) took this photo!
We're all babies!



 

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Salmonella

I got a few photos from Elder Nielson today, which is unusual since
it's not his regular Monday P-day when he sends me
messages and photos.
Then I looked closer at the photos to discover that 
HE WAS IN A HOSPITAL BED!!!!
I texted back,
"WAIT, ARE YOU OK?"
No response.
"OLLIE, ARE YOU IN THE HOSPITAL WITH 
YOUR COMPANIONS?  ARE YOU SICK?
DID YOU GET IN AN ACCIDENT? 
No response.
"SON, CAN YOU CALL ME?"
No response.

Finally, a few hours pass, and he texts me:
"I'll call you in two hours.
So, I wait THREE HOURS before getting a call from Ollie,
who was in the hospital along with ALL THE MISSIONARIES
who attended a leadership conference and eating
the catered food with apparently, Salmonella.
EVERYONE was sick.  I mean, SUPER SICK,
like in the hospital hooked up to an IV sick.
Today, he's doing much better, and so are the 20-plus missionaries 
(including his mission leaders, President and sister R).

He sent me photos (which I will spare you from seeing)
of his suit & shoes covered in barf.
He told me everyone was dropping like flies an hour after lunch
and taking Ubers to the hospital (and barfing in Ubers).
His driver asked the four in his car if they had been partying 
a little too hard.
Oh, dude...If you only knew!




 

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Lights Out

It was one of those days.
Everyone worked hard, and I think we actually 
ALL went to bed at 10:15.
Like, lights out.
That's a little rare for our family, especially since
Claire usually gets home from work at midnight.
Tonight, her shift ended at 7:00, and she was home by 8:00.
Jane subbed for a Kindergarten class today,
and Gig's worked the goats.
Lod came home from school, did her homework, and then played soccer
out on the front lawn until it got dark.
She's on a soccer kick and asks us every day if we think
Ronaldo or Messi is the better player.
I say, Ronaldo.
She says Messi.



 

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Idyllic

 

Today, I found Claire and Jane snuggled under the Tree of Life.
The sun was shining, the wind slightly blowing, Angus sniffing,
chickens roaming, and blossoms falling.
It looked as idyllic as I just described it.
Oh, Stillestead!  You are GLORIOUS in Spring!
Later, I followed Christian out to the pastures to check on the cows
and set up a new fence.
The cows love Spring, too!
Green, delicious grass and cooler weather.
Idyllic for cows!
We're making plans to sell our beef!
Hopefully, in the coming months, I will have more information.
If you live in North Carolina and want sweet Stillestead beef, 
Let's connect!

Monday, March 18, 2024

These Scars



Today, a woman stopped me while I was shopping at the grocery store. 
She didn't speak English, but she seemed to be trying to communicate 
something important to me. She kept patting her face and arms 
while motioning towards me. 
I could tell that she was trying to draw my attention to my burns.

Thanks to Google Translate and the light of Christ, we somehow
were able to communicate.
She told me that a few years ago when her son was 10 years old, 
he was in an accident and had burns to his face and hands. 
She showed me photographs of him while he was in the 
hospital as well as current photos, and he looks great!
It's truly amazing how well his burns are healing.
 One day, I bet they may be completely unnoticeable. 

We used a lot of prayer hands that gestured to each other of God's grace,
mercery, and miracles.  It was really sweet.
We hugged, exchanged phone numbers, and said our goodbyes.
Then, I vowed I'd learn Spanish.
Then, I changed my mind later when I really thought about it.
(I can do it though, right?)

Somedays, I am so humbled by the scars I carry on my body
because they provide me with the opportunity to have conversations 
with people I may not have spoken to otherwise. 
They help me cultivate deep empathy for others and inspire me to listen
 to their stories and bear witness to their miracles. 
These scars help me connect with others and with the 
Savior, who has the power to restore broken things and heal wounded hearts,
and take the scars and turn them into beauty.
I found this little card on Christian's desk that Lottie had made 
to remind him to Think Celestial; as President, Nelson encouraged us
to see our trials and hardships in a different light-
a more faithful and deliberate way, a celestial way.
And these scars help me think Celestial.


Sunday, March 17, 2024

St. Patrick's Day


On this fun, St. Patrick's Day, the only festive thing we did was add a 
few drops of green food coloring to the milk to turn it green. 
It was great to see the facial expressions of each of the
 Nies as they poured the green milk into their cereals!
I also made Irish Soda Bread!  Can't forget that!
When the Nies were younger, I would tell them that little Leprechauns
 had come into the house and turned dinner green after adding
green food coloring to every dish I made,
We had so much fun with that one. 

Sometimes, Sundays are so busy around our house that we
 don't even sit down together to eat. 
But I did make lovely flowers for church using Stillestead's bounty:

Tonight, my girls and I attended the
It was empowering!
I left the meeting feeling validated, loved, with extra strength and
spiritual power.  







 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

We Ran

 


Another Saturday, Claire, Christian, and I went for a hike early 
this morning before her shift at the ER. 
We were having a nice, vigorous hike but soon realized 
we needed to hurry so that Claire could make it to work on time.
So we ran.
And ran, and ran.
And she made it on time.




Friday, March 15, 2024

Merlin

 Meet Merlin, our two-year-old bull:
Good luck, Merlin!
The ladies will love you!



Thursday, March 14, 2024

Pi(e) Day

I don't remember when we decided to celebrate Pi Day, but I'm
sure glad we did, it's such a good excuse to make pie.

This year, I had the pleasure of crafting another one of our family's 
beloved grasshopper cold pies.
It's a Nielson favorite, and this is the only photo I got:

The Nielson's have a pie tradition; we each get a slice to start with
on plates, but after that first slice
we all just dig in with our forks and enjoy it together. 
Our pie can last for days, and we all follow the same respectful 
rule of staying in a straight line and not digging unevenly. 
It works great.
I sometimes wonder what we're going to do when in-laws
join the family.
Will they think we're crazy?
Probably.


Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Spanning The Ages

 

It's strange being a mom of kids spanning the ages!
Claire and Jane, in their 20's, with full-time jobs, big girl plans,
and independent lives are so different from Nicholas, who
at age 17, still needs rules and a curfew but puts himself to bed and 
gasses up the car with his own money (sometimes),
to Lottie, who at age 11 still wants to be read to,
 has her own IG but goes to bed by 10 each night.
I tuck her in, and we have a kiss routine that includes about 20 kisses
complete with sound effects.
Somedays, I feel so overwhelmed trying to be an influential mom to
all my Nies who are in such different places in their lives, 
but we all live together under one roof.
10 years ago, when the girls were Lottie's age, I was a much different mom.
This blog entry posed in 2016 about when the girls and I were Lottie's
age makes me laugh and smile, thinking about how different
we all are.

This just proves at any age of motherhood, 
you never actually know what you're doing,
and just praying you're doing it right.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

I Spy

Lottie's desk overlooks the most breathtaking spring blossoms.
It almost looks like it's snow.

Let's play "I Spy"

1. A Snoot
2. Oliver
3. A gold goose
4. Jesus
5. Pink butterfly

 

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