Deep Thoughts... Occasionally.

Just a moment

2012-02-09T18:54:00.000-08:00

My husband fixed the computer today. That will probably improve the consistency of my posting. Up to this point I have just been watching things on the Ipad but posting on my blog with that just wasn't very ideal.

Since I know you are all dying to know what is going on around here, let me briefly fill you in.

My children got the chicken pox. All 4 in at once. I am so glad. Someone my children will get rid of those scabs.
Naomi started hockey. The first week they played soccer. On the ice. It was awesome.
My son asked me if I could walk him home from school on the grounds that " I need more exercise." After a bit more interrogation, I found out they do not have a consistent bus driver so the kids are out of control and he doesn't like the noise.
Ethan's work schedule changed. It is awesome. Home earlier, every weekend off. I love it. I approve.
I keep being asked to babysit for different families and then they don't actually seem to need me. Oh well.
I have had the opportunity to share my testimony of prayer with my kids. I love sharing that kind of thing with them.
I have worked out more regularly lately, ya know, after the chicken pox plague was over.

I will share more another day. But for now, I just want to show you a video that makes my children crack up over and over again.

Things I like

2012-01-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of things that make me smile as I go through my day. I am hoping some of them will help you smile too.

Reading "Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb" and "Happy Hippo, Angry Duck" to my 2 year old, over and over again. Those books are fun to read and make me smile. I love when she tries to read along with me.
Caleb telling me " I know my teacher's phone number. Only I can't remember the numbers."
Naomi is taking hockey lessons right now. Her prayer the other day had me grinning. "..... Grateful that sometimes we don't know everything. Like I didn't know that I was going to love hockey as much as I do. Thank you that I get to go to practice tonight because it is so fun...." It as a dinner prayer. So what if we get a bit off subject.
Victor thinks it is fun to hang out in the kitchen with me while I listen to the "Lightning Thief" series on CD. I have gotten him to do things like unload the dishwasher and help clean up since he just wants to hang out in there.
Phebe standing there wearing boots about 10 sizes too big trying to get me to read a book to her during scripture study. No, it isn't the interruption I enjoy, it is that she doesn't realise how goofy she looks in the boots and just wants to be a big kid.
My husband told me I was a good cook.
Phebe walking around looking for my cousin who babysat her earlier in the day. "Kaaaatttte.... Where are you? Kaaaaaaaaaattttttttte!"

I love my family and I love being a mom. I love that I am now the one with magic kisses to heal everything. I am the one whose attention is desired above all else. I love how funny my family is. So often I feel like I have this fantastic secret in my house. You have to come over and then I will share it with you. The secret of my awesome family.

Um... wow

2012-01-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have seen this video in two different places. But since I think it is really amazing and cool I wanted to make sure you had had your chance to be amazed. Since it has 36 million views, odds are pretty good you may have seen it, but just in case... Yes, those are 5 people playing 1 guitar.

Though I admit, I really feel like that lady should be wearing bright red lipstick. Or at least something darker than she is or is not wearing.

Hope you enjoyed it.

You're Fired.

2012-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

This morning Victor informed me," I hired Naomi to help build an army ( with Legos), as you can see she hasn't done anything. So I fired her."

Oh, emotions

2012-01-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

For Christmas I got "Ramona the Brave", by Beverly Cleary, for Naomi. I have been reading it out loud to my children at bedtime.

One reason I grabbed that book was because of a woman at church who frequently tells me that Naomi reminds her of Ramona. It had been a very long time since I had read anything about that character.

She was right. Naomi is very much like Ramona. Beverly Cleary really nailed that personality and her world. As I read this book people kept telling this six year old to " grow up." but poor Ramona is left standing there saying" can't you see that is what I Am trying to do?"

Tonight while reading we hit the climax. She is terrified of sleeping in her new room alone, her teacher dislikes her, her parents don't take her seriously, her older sister seems to be more loved and Ramona doesn't understand how she gets into trouble so often. As I am reading the conversation between she and her parents I have tears running down my face. Ridiculous, I know. My kids catch on and start getting upset that mom is crying. Truth is, I understand. Oh, I have been there and felt like that. I can also see my kids feeling like that.

I cant say I a proud I was crying over a children's book, it isn't the first time though. I am really grateful for the reminder of what it is like to not be taken seriously. I am going to try to be a bit better at seeing the world through others lenses.

So true

2012-01-15T19:43:00.000-08:00

I love this video so much. It makes me feel comforted about my flaws while making me laugh.

A murderer in our midst

2012-01-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

We were invited to participate in a "How to Host a Murder" party. This was my first time. Very cool. I highly recommend it. Here is the general idea. You buy the game, there are a bunch of different scenarios. Each has a different setting and different characters. You invite friends who are willing to play parts in your play. You tell them a bit about their character and some costume suggestions. They show up get their info and then you sit around accusing each other of being the murderer. Crazy, but fun. In the end you do get to find out who it was.

Ethan and I participated in the "Chicago Caper." Late 20's was our setting. I had lots of fun dressing for the part. Here are the pictures of how our costumes worked out.-

My friends daughter had a head band that matched perfectly. It was awesome.

I just wish I had as much hair to style as the lady who did the tutorial on line.

May I present "Silky"...

Silky and Harrow-

That is what we did for New Years Eve. From 4-9. We were in bed long before midnight. We're cool like that.

If you ever get the change to participate in one of these games- do it. There is much fun to be had.

Reading with my echo

2012-01-11T18:05:00.000-08:00

Our local church leadership has challenged us to read the 2 pages of the Book of Mormon every day this year. They have been building this up for the last few months. Getting everybody set to do it. Our stake primary presidency (Stake= churches of the same religion in this area, Primary= children's organization) decided this was a challenge that should not be left only to adults.

So each of my children has been given their own copy of the book along with a book mark. Only eldest child can read. I can not tell you how it warmed my heart the day those books were given to them. After church Victor and Naomi sat down side by side and he read out loud to her as she pretended she was following along.

The next day Victor came home from school telling me about his list of important things he needed to get done. Snack, homework, his 2 pages. And he did it.

Now, I won't let you believe that he has continued to be quite that dedicated. He is still reading but he needs a reminder. Now Naomi... I have decided we will sit down after kindergarten and read her pages. She is less than thrilled, but likes being able to mark her progress on the chart so she cooperates.

Then there is Caleb. He is 3. He just graduated to primary. He certainly in no way is near reading. But to feel like he belonged in primary he has his book too. I couldn't see a reason why we can't work on reading with him. I can't say I expect him to sit through it all. But today he made me so very happy.

I was going to sit down and read to him. I gave him his own chart so he could see his progress. As we sat down he declared that he was going to do the reading. He wasn't going to sit and listen to me read to him. So he repeated every word that I said. We went through verse after verse with me reading a line and his echo. Did we complete 2 pages? No. We didn't. But I don't think that matters in this situation. What matters is that my 3 year old wants to read scriptures. That child came to me while I prepared dinner and asked if we could sit down and read more.

Are my kids always begging for scripture study? No. But can I revel in moments when they are excited and love them. Why do I spend so much time worrying about how clean the house is when there are so many more important things to do?

Tomorrow I will make more time for my little echo.

An End to My Silence

2012-01-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

I am not a confrontational person. I do not seek conflict. I fear that some may see my silence as affirmation of their opinions. This is not always so.

Today I wish to send a clear message. You may or may not agree with me. You are under no obligation to do so. I want you to understand I do not share with you in hopes of inciting an argument. Feel free to express your sentiment in the comment section; please do so with the respect with which I write this post.

Gay marriage.

Logically I can see the arguments in its favor. Two consenting adults making a choice. "They love each other. Why can't they have the same rights as others to marry? They aren't hurting anybody." I get it.

When I say I don't agree, don't bother sending me your angry rants. Honestly, I really can see how it is a compelling case. That is why it has taken me so long with my response. I have been thinking about this for a significant period of time.

Each of us are here on earth. Each of us are different. I am sure you know this. How many children's songs and books have we been exposed to celebrating our differences? It is blatantly obvious.

With all those differences come a variety of weaknesses. We all have them. Some are more obvious than others. Some of us struggle with drug addictions. Others with aggression problems. Most of us know people who deal with depression. There are people who are lazy, alcoholics or just plain judgemental.

There are people who are attracted to their same sex.

Here we are on earth. All of us having the mortal experience. Have you ever wondered why? Have you ever questioned why you are here?

You are here, now, in this body, in this cirumstance to learn.

You lived before you came here. You had likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. And you brought them with you.

You are here to learn. One of those many things you must learn in this mortal state is to overcome. You must learn to overcome those weaknesses you carried over. It isn't OK to say " I have a bad temper" and just live the rest of your life like that. You are to learn to master that temper.

-The drug addict must master the addiction.

-The lazy must learn to work hard.

-The judgemental must learn to let go of their personal condemnations.

-The gay must learn to control the desires they have.

-The depressed must work to see the good in the world.

Have you ever desired to do something inappropriate? I have.

Have you ever wanted to just hit someone when you know you shouldn't? Maybe you wanted to take what didn't belong to you. Maybe you wanted to simply run away from all your problems and abandon those who rely on you. Possibly you wanted to run that awful SUV that cut you off into the ditch. Ever cheated? Ever gossiped? Ever flipped out and said some truly hurtful things?

We all have impulses. An impulse by itself does not make someone good or bad. You are not evil because that obnoxious brat was just screaming to have this face slapped. You have made a good choice when you resisited, for finding a different course of action; for finding a way to curb that impulse.

Some impulses are stronger than others. I have great admiration for those that have over come strong incorrect impulses and learned to live on a higher ground.

Here is my point- There may be those in this world who have the desire to be married to one of their own sex. I do not support this action. I do not support giving in and embracing a tendancy that is incorrect. I suppose you may be sitting there thinking "Who are you to say it is incorrect or unacceptable?" Nobody, I am nobody to decide what is right and wrong. There are in this world rights and wrongs declared by God, creator and ruler of this world not by man.

The drug addict should not announce that he was "made like this" and waste his life away high.

He who has an anger problem can not go through life hurting everyone around him because he was "born that way."

I wish you to also see that I do not wish to condemn gay people to a life of misery, of never being able to be with a loved one. I can not even imagine how hard for some it will be to work through this challenge, I hope they are able to find the love and acceptance they desire and deserve in an appropriate relationships.

We all need love. We all are loved, even if it is hard to tell during some moments. By becoming masters of our emotions and desires we can achieve the potential we each divinely inherited.

Remember-"You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine."

-President Uchtdorf.

An articulate 3 year old

2011-11-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

I happen to be blessed with a 3 year old. A 3 year old who can speak well beyond the average skill of 3 year olds. Though he speaks well, he still THINKS like a 3 year old. I think is a wonderful blessing, at least it is entertaining.

This particular child also hates wearing socks or underwear. I am pretty sure he would just be naked if I didn't notice. He has caught on that fewer people notice when you are a sockless commando. Due to his ability to communicate so effectively I have been able to understand why he lives in this sockless/underwearless state whenever possible.

Me: Caleb, Why won't you wear socks?
C: Mom, I can't wear socks. It makes my heart hurt.
Me: Really, where is your heart exactly?
C: (pointing to his sternum) here. It makes me make bad choices.
Me: ... Wearing socks means you make bad choices?
C: Yes. I can't wear socks because it makes my heart hurt and then I make bad choices.

I didn't have much to say after that.

Another day I addressed the issue of underwear.

Me: Caleb why won't you wear your underwear?
C: It gives me hiccups.

Oh. How do you argue with such logic? I am so glad he is my kid and I get to be with him everyday.

Beautiful

2011-11-10T17:35:00.000-08:00

Just watch. It will be worth your time.

All I can say is Wow.

A few more books

2011-11-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

I got a book on CD out of the library. It was 16 discs long. Last night I listened up to disc # 6. Sorry, I will never finish "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Hemmingway. My mom had previously described his writings as a list of where they went and what they drank. She wasn't too far off. This one has way more violence and sex than I had anticipated and I felt very uncomfortable listening to the things he was describing.

Don't bother reading it. I don't know if the movie is any good. I can tell you the first 1/3 of the book isn't worth the effort. ( And this is from someone who was just listening while knitting!) Here I will take to heart the words of wisdom my librarian shared with me. " Life is too short to waste time reading books you don't like." She is a wise woman.

I do have some books I think you will enjoy.

First up- "Because of Winn Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo. It is a chapter book. Great for adults, will take a few nights to read with kids. But those few nights would be well worth it.

When I finished reading it, I read it to my 5 year old. We both really enjoyed it. I can not say that I have suffered as many of the people in this book have, but it brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart nonetheless. It is insightful and sweet no matter the age of the reader.

This is also the same author that brought you "the Tale of Despereaux."

My second recommendation is called - "Where's the Dragon?" written by Jason Hook, illustrated by Richard Hook.

It is so incredibly delightful. It has embossing on each page, making it delightful to just run your hands across the page to help find all the hidden dragons. The story is entertaining, the illustrations fantastic. I think this would make a fantastic Christmas gift. I sat down the book by myself to see how many dragons I could find. I enjoyed all the imagination that has been put into this book. It is wonderful.

Some sugar

2011-11-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

This morning Naomi got up singing a song she has heard ONE time. So after she got ready for school we looked it up. The video made me laugh, so here it is for your entertainment.

Sugarland, Stuck like Glue.

Just a reminder

2011-11-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

In case you had forgotten-

Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love.

Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!

He who created and knows the stars knows you and your name—you are the daughters of His kingdom.

My dear sisters, you are closer to heaven than you suppose. You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine.

Presiden Uchtdorf.

Happy things

2011-10-31T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is just another post of things that have happened recently that made me happy.

-The carrots from the garden grew big enough to bother eating AND tasted good. If you have ever tried to grow carrots you will understand my amazement at this feat. ( The trick is sandy soil.)

- Even though I am a terrible slacker my kids still had jack-o-lanterns tonight. My awesome cousin babysat for us on Saturday and instead of throwing them in front of the TV made mini pizzas and carved pumpkins with them. OK, so I did some of the carving today...

- We had stake conference this weekend. For the non-Mormons reading this, that means we had a big meeting with the other groups of our faith in this area. A 2 hour meeting. Sitting through 2 hours worth of meeting with 4 small children can be... um.. agonizing, at times. I am beaming about how well behaved every one of them was. They were positively incredible. Even Phebe, who at one point was singing loudly after the song was over. I told her "Sh, it is quiet time." She said "NO! QUIET! YOU QUIET!" There was lots of giggling all around us. But she did quiet down and started sitting peacefully with a woman she had not met before looking at the books I had brought for her. My kids are awesome.

- The electric bill was zero this month. They goofed last month so we are ahead.

- I enjoyed going out to dinner with my family tonight. They were well behaved and entertained everyone around them. Caleb doing his shy smiles, Phebe being Phebe, Naomi and Victor doing a fabulous performance of

The waitress thought they were quite entertaining.

This is probably my favorite part recently-
I LOVE sitting around talking to my husband. I love sitting on the couch listening to him. I love snuggling in bed talking about the day. I cherish the moments I have of basking in this attention. Last night we just sat on the couch and talked. It makes me so happy. I am so glad he let me get to know him.

What kinds of things have made you happy recently?

Nature's Bubble Wrap

2011-10-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

There is a few specific kinds of bushes around here that I love walking by. Why? Because I like to pick a leaf off and carry it with me down the side walk. As I continue walking I fold the leaf. Sounds silly I know. But those leaves make a very satisfying sound and feel great while I crinkle it up.
I once described it to a friend of mine. She summed it up so well.-"It's like nature's bubble wrap."

She's right.

Wearing hard soled shoes and stomping on acorns is another sensation that is so gratifying. I love the pop and crunch when you get a good one. Even now while waiting at the bus stop or getting out of the car in the church parking lot, I will look around for a good acorn to crunch.

I find it amazing that cool as bubble wrap is, nature still have something to rival it.

I was unable to put the bubble wrap directly on my page. However you can go here and pop to your hearts content. Or you could just outside and crunch something.

What do you find satisfying?

Repentance

2011-10-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

The text for this incredibly awesome talk is right here. This is a very inspiring and insightful talk, in my opinion.

He starts by talking about Nehor, found in (Alma 1:4 in the Book of Mormon). Then he moves on to Korihor the anti-Christ in Alma 30. The account of Korihor is one of my favorite passages of scripture. I can easily see the thought process all around me.
Some profess that if there is a God, He makes no real demands upon us (see Alma 18:5). Others maintain that a loving God forgives all sin based on simple confession, or if there actually is a punishment for sin, “God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 28:8). Others, with Korihor, deny the very existence of Christ and any such thing as sin. Their doctrine is that values, standards, and even truth are all relative. Thus, whatever one feels is right for him or her cannot be judged by others to be wrong or sinful.

I love this take on repentance. It sounds so much more positive to me in this context.
Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life. Pretending there is no sin does not lessen its burden and pain. Suffering for sin does not by itself change anything for the better. Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a better life.

Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration.

5 aspects of this principle-First, the invitation to repent is an expression of love. A permissive parent, an indulgent friend, a fearful Church leader are in reality more concerned about themselves than the welfare and happiness of those they could help. Yes, the call to repentance is at times regarded as intolerant or offensive and may even be resented, but guided by the Spirit, it is in reality an act of genuine caring. I think this is a weakness of mine.

Second, repentance means striving to change. It would mock the Savior’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross for us to expect that He should transform us into angelic beings with no real effort on our part.

Third, repentance means not only abandoning sin but also committing to obedience. Professor Noel Reynolds, “The choice to repent is a choice to burn bridges in every direction [having determined] to follow forever only one way, the one path that leads to eternal life.”

Fourth, repentance requires a seriousness of purpose and a willingness to persevere, even through pain.Attempts to create a list of specific steps of repentance may be helpful to some, but it may also lead to a mechanical, check-off-the-boxes approach with no real feeling or change.I think I am guilty of this mentality occasionally. True repentance is not superficial.

With faith in the merciful Redeemer and His power, potential despair turns to hope. One’s very heart and desires change, and the once-appealing sin becomes increasingly abhorrent. Any pain entailed in repentance will always be far less than the suffering required to satisfy justice for unresolved transgression.

Fifth, whatever the cost of repentance, it is swallowed up in the joy of forgiveness. -An amazing thought to me.
The divine gift of repentance is the key to happiness here and hereafter. In the Savior’s words and in deep humility and love, I invite all to “repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. I know that in accepting this invitation, you will find joy both now and forever.

The Redemption

2011-10-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

Text can be found here.

I enjoyed this story. I also like how easy it was to comprehend the idea of a Savior as illustrated here.
We all have a sense of what it means to be saved because each of us has been saved at some time from something. As children, my sister and I were playing in a river in a small boat when we unwisely left the safe area of play and found ourselves being propelled by the current to unknown perils downstream. In response to our cries, our father ran to the rescue, saving us from the dangers of the river. When I think of saving, I think of that experience.

The title “Redeemer” provides similar insights. “To redeem” is to buy or to buy back. As a legal matter, property is redeemed by paying off the mortgages or other liens on it. In Old Testament times, the law of Moses provided different ways that servants and property could be freed, or redeemed, by the payment of money.

The redemption referred to in these three scriptures, of course, is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.Unlike the redemptions under the law of Moses or in modern legal arrangements, this redemption does not come by “corruptible things, as silver and gold” “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” President John Taylor taught that because of the Redeemer’s sacrifice, “the debt is paid, the redemption made, the covenant fulfilled, justice satisfied, the will of God done, and all power is … given into the hands of the Son of God”

The effects of this redemption include the overcoming of physical death for all of God’s children. That is, temporal death is overcome, and all will be resurrected. Another aspect of this redemption by Christ is the victory over spiritual death. Through His suffering and death, Christ paid for the sins of all mankind on condition of individual repentance.

He also shares a neat series of events about individual lives being redeemed.
Thus, if we repent, we can be forgiven of our sins, the price having been paid by our Redeemer.
I bear my testimony of the power of Christ’s Atonement. When we repent and come to Him, we can receive all of the blessings of eternal life. That we may do so, receiving our own story of redemption, is my prayer.

A change of tactics

2011-10-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

For a good chunk of my parenthood I have had some odd helpers around the house. Kids? Well, sometimes. But we have had many guest appearances by big celebrities. Just to name we a few-

Spiderman
Darth Vader
Superman
Ironman
Superhero

It is possible they have appeared in your home too.

I keep wanting to refere to this in past tense but it is still going on in my home occasionally.

Though less often, I still have to pull out the "alter ego tactic" with my kids at times.

Naomi went through a phrase where she would flatly refuse to do ANYTHING you asked her to do if you said "Naomi". Now if you said "Puppy, it is time to put away your laundry." That puppy would gladly go right to work. One of the slight problems was that you had to know who she was that day. If you called her by the wrong name she would either ignore the command or you would be informed of the correct character in front of you.

We have had laundry put away and dishwashers unloaded by-

The above mentioned super heroes, and yes some days it was simply "Super hero".
Puppy
Baby kitty
Ducky
Raphael the Ninja Turtle
Mouse
Ninja
Monkey
And..... baby Godzilla.

Maybe at your house your kid needs a break from chores. Maybe you need to enlist a Ninja Turtle to clean that bedroom full of dangerous bombs up. (Sometimes it helps if you switch into your own alter ego. I have been known to be a Ninja Sensai in my time.)

Go ahead, spice things up.

Missing out

2011-10-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have a child who is technically less than 2 years old.

She does not accept such accusations though. She is one of those big kids. The big kids who get their own food out. That dress themselves, that get to decide where they sit. The kids that can read books, and climb things. Ride bikes and carry on conversations. Those cool kids that buckle themselves into their car seats and pour their own drinks. That's right, she is one of them.

Except, she's not. She's shy of 2. Precocious, but 2.

She has opinions. Lots of 'em. She has passion and drive. Toys? Those are for babies. She won't condescend to such immature past times And oh, she is full of ideas. She was a major player in that spaghetti mess I mentioned a while back.

She has started a new hobby recently. One that I will whole heartedly support.

She nests. You will find her in the middle of the living room. She pulls blankets out and piles them neatly around her. In fact the other day she found me cooking. She explained that I needed to see her blanket. It went something like this-P: "(incoherent mumbling and random syllables) blanket." So she led me by the hand out into the living room to admire her handiwork. 3 pillows, 1 large blanket, a broken mardi gras necklace and a book. Her little treasure trove.

She disappeared immediately after prayers 2 nights ago with a piece of fleece. "Time for bed Phebe!" We found her dragging that fleece off to add to her nest. She was livid when she was taken away from the fleece and placed in her crib.

She is very popular at the bus stop. The comment was made recently "You sure are cute, but I have a feeling you are more fun to watch from a distance than it would be to actually take care of you."

I smiled, paused and then said "She is exciting to care for, but you miss out on so many little things if you only see her from a distance."

It would be so sad to me to miss out on her moments. The moments where she understands. The moments when she is on a mission. When she tells you things. How sad I would be to miss out on her attempts at tickling me. Or how she loves it when my hair is in a pony tail she can pet. How desperately she wants to have an important task to accomplish. The way she beams when you catch on to what song she is singing, or how enthusiastically she dances when you turn on music. Her willingness to get down and wrestle with the big kids. The squeals when she is chased.

She does indeed require lots of supervision. (She doesn't even make it through the night with her pajamas still on unless she is safety pinned in.) Dancing on the piano was a glamorous thing to do for a good while. She hasn't accepted that some furniture isn't for climbing on yet and she is very wiggly through meetings.

What a hole would be left in my heart if she were not here though. She brings so much to those around her.I can not wait to see what her life will bring. Easier from a distance? Maybe. But so much less rewarding.

Looking up

2011-10-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this incredibly uplifting talk. Follow the text here. If you are feeling depressed or weighed down, please listen to this simple, sweet and profound message.

I can relate to this kind of moment-
At the end of a particularly tiring day toward the end of my first week as a General Authority, my briefcase was overloaded and my mind was preoccupied with the question “How can I possibly do this?” I left the office of the Seventy and entered the elevator of the Church Administration Building. As the elevator descended, my head was down and I stared blankly at the floor.

The door opened and someone entered, but I didn’t look up. As the door closed, I heard someone ask, “What are you looking at down there?” I recognized that voice—it was President Thomas S. Monson.

I quickly looked up and responded, “Oh, nothing.” (I’m sure that clever response inspired confidence in my abilities!)

But he had seen my subdued countenance and my heavy briefcase. He smiled and lovingly suggested, while pointing heavenward, “It is better to look up!” As we traveled down one more level, he cheerfully explained that he was on his way to the temple. When he bid me farewell, his parting glance spoke again to my heart, “Now, remember, it is better to look up.”

I was burdened and my head was down. As the prophet spoke, I looked to him. He redirected my focus to look up to God, where I could be healed and strengthened through Christ’s Atonement. That is what prophets do for us. They lead us to God. I don't know that I had ever thought of prophets in this way. I always defined them as God's spokesman on Earth. It was a new layer to me.

In order to be guided in life’s journey and have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, we must have a “hearing ear” and a “seeing eye,” both directed upward. We must act on the direction we receive. We must look up and step up. And as we do, I know we will cheer up, for God wants us to be happy.
During this talk he mentions some of the reasons as to why we might not look up. For me sometimes, I think just want to be mad for a little while. Or maybe I feel like my sorrow is justified and I am happy wallowing for a while. I will work harder on looking up, not enjoying my misery.
“Let us remember him, … and not hang down our heads,” for, as President Monson said, “It is better to look up.”

Cebu!

2011-10-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't put Veggie Tales in the same post as August Rush. The following 2 videos just make me smile everytime I see them.

Some more music

2011-10-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the movie "August Rush". Last night I pulled it off the shelf and started to rewatch it. Sticking with tradition, I would like to share my favorite scenes with you.

There is a lot of music in this movie. So these are just music they performed.

I LOVE this scene. I can and have watched it over and over again.

I think the sound is just slightly unsynchronized on this next one. But the music is still worth listening to.

If you haven't seen the movie and ever intend to, don't watch this next video. It is the ending.

I love the music in this movie.

TIme marches on

2011-10-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of the talks that stuck with me most from Conference. It is an area of weakness for me. You can read the text here.

I sincerely loved this talk. It was very much meant for me. I hope you get something from it that will help in your life.
Time is never for sale; time is a commodity that cannot, try as you may, be bought at any store for any price. Yet when time is wisely used, its value is immeasurable. On any given day we are all allocated, without cost, the same number of minutes and hours to use, and we soon learn, as the familiar hymn so carefully teaches, “Time flies on wings of lightning; we cannot call it back.”

I found this to be an intimidating thought. What if I were called in to account for what I have done wiht my time? President Brigham Young said, “We are all indebted to God for the ability to use time to advantage, and he will require of us a strict account of [its] disposition”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf reminded us that “in family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e.” This reminds me of the big thing in the world right now about "quality time". You can not schedule when your kid will get the guts to talk to you about something that is bothering them. You just need to be available when they are ready.

How sad it would be if the phone and computer, with all their sophistication, drowned out the simplicity of sincere prayer to a loving Father in Heaven. Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text. LOVE that line.

I urge each of us to take those things which rob us of precious time and determine to be their master, rather than allowing them through their addictive nature to be the master of us.

Time marches swiftly forward to the tick of the clock. Today would be a good day, while the clock of mortality ticks, to review what we are doing to prepare to meet God. When I looked back over my general conference notes I found what I had written about this talk- "Am I using my time in mortality to prepare for immorality?"

Watch out Grandma!

2011-10-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yet something else that made me smile.

That is what my blog is for. Collecting stuff that makes me laugh.

My non stamp collection

2011-10-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

I think this talk may have made some people a tad bit uncomfortable. It certainly isn't politically correct, not at this time when there is so much going on about over population. Cool thing is, God made this earth everybody was so concerned about. So if he says the earth can handle us all and we should keep having kids, I am going with his plan.

You can read the text of his talk here.

When a child is born to a husband and wife, they are fulfilling part of our Heavenly Father’s plan to bring children to earth. The Lord said, “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Before immortality, there must be mortality. That part about mortality before immortality struck me as particularly profound.

I used this quote on Sunday for the class I was teaching. “Where once the standards of the Church and the standards of society were mostly compatible, now there is a wide chasm between us, and it’s growing ever wider. … President Monson.

Many voices in the world today marginalize the importance of having children or suggest delaying or limiting children in a family. My daughters recently referred me to a blog written by a Christian mother (not of our faith) with five children. She commented: “[Growing] up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood. … Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get.” She then adds: “Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.” I love that!

“If you are concerned about providing financially for a wife and family, may I assure you that there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. It is generally during these challenging times that you will grow closer together as you learn to sacrifice and to make difficult decisions.” -Monson

“Faithful members whose circumstances do not allow them to receive the blessings of eternal marriage and parenthood in this life will receive all promised blessings in the eternities, [as] they keep the covenants they have made with God.”

Families are central to God’s eternal plan. I testify of the great blessing of children and of the happiness they will bring us in this life and in the eternities. I can add my personal testimony about the happiness they bring to my life.

Amazing!

2011-10-21T08:35:00.003-07:00

Naomi: Look Mom look! I can lick my chest!

Buffalo!

2011-10-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

I recently came across these videos. They are short and entertaining. Don't bother watching them if you don't have sound. The lyrics to the "song" in the background is what makes it. Enjoy!

It's cheaper than adoption!

The wired generation with a purpose.

2011-10-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

This talk did not really go along the lines I had envisioned. Sometimes I feel like talks are about general or vague things. Abstract concepts. This talk starts like that. Half way through though, it totally switches gears. Same topic but a whole new application of it. (At least to me anyway.)

You can read the text here.

The restoration of the sealing authority by Elijah in 1836 was necessary to prepare the world for the Savior’s Second Coming and initiated a greatly increased and worldwide interest in family history research.

I am honestly amazed how many people who are not LDS care so much about genealogy and family history.Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught that the Spirit of Elijah is “a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family”. This distinctive influence of the Holy Ghost draws people to identify, document, and cherish their ancestors and family members—both past and present.

The Spirit of Elijah affects people inside and outside of the Church. However, as members of Christ’s restored Church, we have the covenant responsibility to search out our ancestors and provide for them the saving ordinances of the gospel. “They without us should not be made perfect”. And “neither can we without our dead be made perfect”
To me this is kind of an interesting paradox, We and They can not be perfect without each other.

Here is where things seemed really new and different to me-
Many of you may think family history work is to be performed primarily by older people. But I know of no age limit described in the scriptures or guidelines announced by Church leaders restricting this important service to mature adults. You are sons and daughters of God, children of the covenant, and builders of the kingdom. You need not wait until you reach an arbitrary age to fulfill your responsibility to assist in the work of salvation for the human family.

So when people say things like "Kids just come wired to understand electronics today" it isn't their imagination. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that God had sent the youth here with this specific gift for a reason. Somehow I just thought it was a product of the environment they were in.It is no coincidence that FamilySearch and other tools have come forth at a time when young people are so familiar with a wide range of information and communication technologies. Your fingers have been trained to text and tweet to accelerate and advance the work of the Lord—not just to communicate quickly with your friends. The skills and aptitude evident among many young people today are a preparation to contribute to the work of salvation.

Parents and leaders, you will stand all amazed at how rapidly your children and the youth of the Church become highly skilled with these tools. In fact, you will learn valuable lessons from these young people about effectively using these resources. The youth can offer much to older individuals who are uncomfortable with or intimidated by technology or are unfamiliar with FamilySearch.

My beloved young brothers and sisters, family history is not simply an interesting program or activity sponsored by the Church; rather, it is a vital part of the work of salvation and exaltation. You have been prepared for this day and to build up the kingdom of God. You are here upon the earth now to assist in this glorious work.
I need to change my perception. I need to internalize how vital it really is.

Just singing and dancing in the rain!

2011-10-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

So on Saturday my kids decided they needed to watch the whole movie Singin in the Rain.

Ok, I helped this desire along a bit. Showing them clips of the movie on Youtube...

I do not own a copy of said movie. Grandma does however. So they ventured over to grandmas house ( Mom and Dad went to see The Help) and had an evening of Singing in the Rain, fudge and popcorn.

That night as we put them to bed there was a chorus of " Moses supposes his toeses are roses..." going on.

In honor of this wonderful film and my kids sudden delight in it I will share their two favorite scenes with you.

Naomi is now working feverishly on mastering her tap dancing skills. She even has a pair of Sunday shoes she wears at all times to practice.

Hope you were able to enjoy some fond memories of your own. I need to sit down and watch the whole movie myself.

Off target

2011-10-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

I was glancing over my blog's stats. One of the categories they list is "key phrases".

One of my key phrases was " candice in a platypus suit".

I am a bit confused.

Bread! Glorious Bread!

2011-10-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

Although I am not personally eating bread right now I am trying very hard not to impose it on my family. So the other day I got out the wheat grinder, ground a can of wheat and made the best bread dough I have ever fed them. At least that is what I hear.

If you don't have a good recipe try this one. It is entitled "Simple whole wheat bread", found on the allrecipes.com page

Prep Time:

20 MinCook Time:
30 MinReady In:
3 Hrs

Ingredients

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons butter,
melted 1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely

If you have an awesome bread recipe please share it with me. I love bread and have a goal in life to be good at making it. A good recipe is an important key to that.

You matter

2011-10-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

How can we go wrong with a title like "You matter to Him"?

Enjoy the text here.

The Lord uses a scale very different from the world’s to weigh the worth of a soul.

Given the vastness of God’s creations, it’s no wonder the great King Benjamin counseled his people to “always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness.”

But even though man is nothing, it fills me with wonder and awe to think that “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.”

The vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.

This is such a cool point to me.I wrote it down in my journal when I was taking notes.
This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God.

Here are the two ways Satan skews our perception
The great deceiver knows that one of his most effective tools in leading the children of God astray is to appeal to the extremes of the paradox of man. To some, he appeals to their prideful tendencies, puffing them up and encouraging them to believe in the fantasy of their own self-importance and invincibility.
This is the one he finds most useful on me. I am going to work harder on making it ineffective.
Another way Satan deceives is through discouragement. He attempts to focus our sight on our own insignificance until we begin to doubt that we have much worth. He tells us that we are too small for anyone to take notice, that we are forgotten—especially by God.

What mattered to Him was that I was doing the best I could, that my heart was inclined toward Him, and that I was willing to help those around me. I knew if I did the best I could, all would be well.

I thought this line was just so poetic and beautiful.
The Lord doesn’t care at all if we spend our days working in marble halls or stable stalls.

Apostle Paul: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

May we be worthy of the precious blessings our Heavenly Father has in store for us is my prayer in the name of His Son, even Jesus Christ, amen.

Young Crows in Enemy Territory

2011-10-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

The text for this very inspirational and prophetic talk can be found here. I really enjoyed and reccomend this talk.

I am now 87 years old. You may wonder, at my age what I can contribute to your lives. I have been where you are and know where you are going. But you have not yet been where I am. I quote a few lines of classic poetry:

The old crow is getting slow.
The young crow is not.
Of what the young crow does not know
The old crow knows a lot.

At knowing things the old crow
Is still the young crow’s master.
What does the slow old crow not know?
—How to go faster.

The young crow flies above, below,
And rings around the slow old crow.
What does the fast young crow not know?
—Where to go.

With all that is going on in the world, with the lowering of moral standards, you young people are being raised in enemy territory.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not.” So every living soul who has a physical body ultimately has power over the adversary. You suffer temptations because of your physical nature, but you also have power over him and his angels.

I love the simple profound truth in this quote-
It is not expected that you go through life without making mistakes, but you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Spirit.

I love the power in this clip -
As one of His special witnesses, I testify that the outcome of this battle that began in the premortal life is not in question. Lucifer will lose.

I have had this same thought process occasionally-
Sometimes you might be tempted to think as I did from time to time in my youth: “The way things are going, the world’s going to be over with. The end of the world is going to come before I get to where I should be.” Not so! You can look forward to doing it right—getting married, having a family, seeing your children and grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren.

This was an excellent talk and I hope you take the time to read or listen to it.

To the Rescue!

2011-10-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

You can follow along with the text here.

Each day we have the opportunity to give help and service—doing the right thing at the right time, without delay. Think of the many people who have a difficult time obtaining a job or who are ill, who feel lonely, who even think that they have lost everything. What can you do to help? Imagine that a neighbor, caught out in the rain with his car broken down, calls you for assistance. What is the right thing to do for him? When is the right time to do it?

I really enjoyed this story and the moral.
I recall an occasion when we went as a family to downtown Mexico City to buy clothing for our two children. They were very young. Our older son was just barely two years old, and the younger son was a year old. The street was crowded with people. While we were shopping, leading our children by the hand, we stopped for a moment to look at something, and without realizing it, we lost our older son! We did not know how, but he was not with us. Without a moment’s delay, we took off running to look for him. We searched and called out for him, feeling great anguish, thinking that we might lose him forever. In our minds we were pleading for Heavenly Father to help us find him.

After a little while we found him. There he was, innocently looking at toys through a store window. We hugged and kissed him, and we made the commitment to watch over our children diligently so that we would never lose one again. We learned that in order to go to our son’s rescue, we did not need planning meetings. We simply acted, going out in search of the one who had been lost. We also learned that our son never even realized that he was lost.

There may be many who, for some reason, are lost from our sight and who do not know that they are lost. If we delay, we could lose them forever.

I love that you don't have to have a planning meeting or offically decide on a course of action

President Monson said: “The Lord expects our thinking. He expects our action. He expects our labors. He expects our testimonies. He expects our devotion.”

Temples

2011-10-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

Text found here.

This is President Monson. He is the current prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. This is more of an update talk. He has several more talks that I will share as we continue to journey through General Conference. I was surprised at how many inspriational thoughts there were in this little 6 minute update.

First, may I mention that no Church-built facility is more important than a temple. Temples are places where relationships are sealed together to last through the eternities. We are grateful for all the many temples across the world and for the blessing they are in the lives of our members.

I am also pleased to announce new temples in the following locations:
Barranquilla, Colombia
Durban, South Africa
Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Star Valley, Wyoming.
In addition, we are moving forward on our plans for a temple to be built in Paris, France.
If you are interested, here is a list of all the current LDS temples. I highly encourage you to check it out and see if there is one near you. While you will not be able to enter the temple building, there is often a visitors center and beautiful temple grounds. It is always a lovely way to spend a day.

I thought this was so cool!
There are still areas of the world where temples are so distant from our members that they cannot afford the travel required to get to them. They are thus unable to partake of the sacred and eternal blessings temples provide. To help in this regard, we have available what is called the General Temple Patron Assistance Fund. This fund provides a one-time visit to the temple for those who otherwise would not be able to go to the temple and yet who long desperately for that opportunity.

I just wanted to share some pictures of temples that I get to visit often. This is the Washington D.C. temple. This is where I got married.

We were recently switched to the Columbus Ohio temple district. It is significantly smaller, but very lovely.

Temples are so wonderful.

A deer!

2011-10-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

While driving down the road the other day Ethan and I got to listen to this insightful conversation-

N: Look! Look! Deer! I see Deer!
V: Oh! Oh I see them!
N: A daddy deer is called a moose.
V: Yea! I know what a baby deer is called too. It is a faunt.

Sometimes I am told how brilliant my kids are. Other times I feel like I have failed.

Peanut Butter

2011-10-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

One of the bridal shower gifts I received was a giant cookie cook book. I think we have used about 3 recipes from it. The very first recipe in the book is for "Monster Cookies". That recipe alone make it worth owning that book. It is great. No flour, nearly a whole jar of peanut butter and lots of oatmeal. My husband has mastered it and gets lots of compliments about it. I just smile and say "Nope, Ethan made these. He sure is awesome isn't he?" (He is a baker. I put in token efforts occasionally.)

I love cookie dough. For a brief period of time my sister in law and her family lived with us. ( Yes, she is the mother of the boy who said thank you for his nipples.) She makes really yummy chocolate chip cookies. I personally prefer dough to cookie so she would let me have a little dish of dough. (She is very thoughtful.)

Of course when Ethan and I first tried this recipe we had to taste the dough before baking it. We learned monster cookies have terrible tasting dough. I do not know why it is so awful, but it is very undesirable.

It did not appear we were off to a good start on this kind of cookie.

We got to the baking step. When removed from the oven we tried some while they were hot. The cookies continued to be disappointing.

This is what we learned and hope you appreciate our wisdom being passed onto you.

Cookies must cool down before you can taste the peanut butter.

Peanut butter cookies, peanut butter blossoms, monster cookies... anything that includes peanut butter will taste just kind of blandly sweet until it cools. I do not understand why, but I have tasted it over and over again.

So if you make a cookie that includes peanut butter and it is disappointing when you pull it out of the oven, give it a few minutes to cool. It will probably get better. Unless of course you did something like add too much baking soda, in that case call it a biscuit and put some butter on.

A smile

2011-10-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here is something to help you smile today.

The great spaghetti mess

2011-10-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

So while I had a fabulous chat with my cousin this morning Caleb and Phebe wasted no time.

They dumped 3 boxes of spaghetti, 1 marshmallow bag, 2 boxes of rice, 1 lasagna box, and a box of bow tie noodles. Some in the storage room ( that will get a lock as soon as I go shopping tomorrow). Some was dumped on the floor in the girl's room, on the bed, inside a toy box. And just to spice things up, let's open an old filing cabinet and throw some old documents in there.

I don't know if you have ever tried to clean a box of spaghetti off of a carpet. It is astoundingly difficult. In the end I step on them to crush it up and then vacuum.

I was mad. I was really mad. I thought I was angry at them. Though the prideful part of me tried to keep up that charade I knew what was really wrong. I was mad at myself. I should never have left them unsupervised for so long. I know Phebe WILL find something to get into. They left me alone. It was a huge warning sign.

Both of them were confined to their beds while I undertook the huge project of clean up. I am so grateful I have a vacuum. Cleaning dry broken spaghetti out of a carpet would have been so much harder without.

This will sound so strange, I know it seemed strange to me while it happened. The rice had been dumped into neat piles. While vacuuming it made the most satisfying sounds. And there was no mess left after. It was almost like a reward for taking care of all the other messes. It was similar to the sensation of popping bubble wrap.

I am sad that so much food and time was wasted. I am sad I allowed that situation to arise. I am sorry I let my temper get so heated.

I am grateful that I was able to finish up on such a pleasant note as vacuuming rice. I was able to gather my thoughts and move on with a better attitude.

A Mighty Work

2011-10-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

I found this talk to be particularly poetic. The text can be found here.

This work of the Lord is indeed great and marvelous, but it moves forward essentially unnoticed by many of mankind’s political, cultural, and academic leaders. It progresses one heart and one family at a time, silently and unobtrusively, its sacred message blessing people everywhere.

The angel Moroni first appeared to Joseph Smith in 1823 and told him “that God had a work for [him] to do; and that [his] name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues.”
This reminds of the publicity the church has gotten recently about being refered to as "unchristain" and "a cult."

We are grateful for Joseph Smith and watch with wonder as his name is revered and, yes, even reviled ever more widely across the earth. But we recognize that this mighty latter-day work is not about him. It is the work of Almighty God and His Son, the Prince of Peace. I testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior, and with you, I stand in awe as this work moves forward miraculously, marvelously, and irresistibly. Indeed, “the time [has] come when the knowledge of a Savior … spread[s] throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” I bear testimony of Him, the Savior of all mankind, and of this work in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Revelation just for you

2011-10-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Text found here.
Barbara Thompson is the 2nd counselor in the Relief Society ( the woman's organzation) presidency.

The way to receive personal revelation is really quite clear. We need to desire to receive revelation, we must not harden our hearts, and then we need to ask in faith, truly believe that we will receive an answer, and then diligently keep the commandments of God.

Most often personal revelation will come as we study the scriptures, listen to and follow the counsel of prophets and other Church leaders, and seek to live faithful, righteous lives. Sometimes inspiration will come from a single verse of scripture or from a line in a conference talk. Perhaps your answer will come when the Primary children are singing a beautiful song. These are all forms of revelation.

I can tell you that I have recieved revelation for myself through talks. President Uchtdorf's talk at the Relief Society broadcast a few weeks ago was very personal to me.

I love this quote from Eliza R Snow, ‘Tell the sisters to go forth and discharge their duties, in humility and faithfulness and the Spirit of God will rest upon them and they will be blest in their labors. Let them seek for wisdom instead of power and they will have all the power they have wisdom to exercise.’

Popmeal

2011-10-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

I just came across a factoid I didn't know previously. Since some of you may not know it I'll pass it along.

Popcorn can be stored longer than cornmeal. Popcorn can be thrown in a grinder and then made into cornmeal.

Just thought I would let you know.

My packet of light

2011-10-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

The first speaker on Saturday was Richard G. Scott. You can read the text here.

I liked this thought-
Because scriptures are generated from inspired communication through the Holy Ghost, they are pure truth. We need not be concerned about the validity of concepts contained in the standard works since the Holy Ghost has been the instrument which has motivated and inspired those individuals who have recorded the scriptures.

How do you personally use the scriptures? Do you mark your copy?
I had only occasionally been doing this.Since this talk I have had a pen and colored pencil close at hand. I do think I am getting more from it. I feel almost like I am on a hunt to find something to mark every time I read now.

The big thing I got from this talk was how he read the scriptures. For this reason I think listening to him speak is a good idea. I loved the inflection in his voice. I think sometimes scriptures seem so boring because they are read so blandly. I am going to work on trying to read with expression and emotion.

A sandy day

2011-10-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, I said Monday I would get started on General conference. I didn't. Eventually I will.

Until then...
This is what has been going on.

We juiced grapes. 30 quarts worth.

While we juiced grapes Phebe chewed through a package of powdered sugar.

Caleb and Naomi played happily outside. When asked what they were doing they said "Putting sand in our shoes because it feels so good."

So I leave you with this thought: If today is hard , maybe you should just try putting some sand in your shoes.

Today was Good

2011-10-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

Somedays are just good.

Today was a day of cleaning the church. It was a day of learning a lesson myself I was trying to teach my son. You just keep working even if no one else is.

Today was a day the house got cleaned. Ok, until we ate lunch and walked out the door. Then I noticed all the car ramps that had been set up in the previously clean living room. My husband has suggested calling it the "chaos room."

We picked up Ethan and he made hot dogs on his special hotdog roller for us. We washed the car together. Phebe didn't cry and scream and throw temper tantrums.

We went to the big park near dad's work. They played and were volunteering to get in the car when we were done.

Went to bed with out drama. Read some "Indian in the Cupboard to them."

It was a good day. Peaceful and happy. It is wonderful to be alive.

Jelly and Jenny

2011-10-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

The text for General conference is out now. Monday morning I will start doing each talk with the video and text.

Due to random health issues at the moment I have annoying diet restrictions. I can not eat, but would love to have a sandwich. All I really want is a sandwich made with crunchy peanut butter, raspberry jam on wheat bread. I think my life would be complete at that point. Imagine how incomplete your life could be if you could no longer eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

For now though, I have a funny song for you to listen to. Please listen the whole way to the conclusion. It makes me smile.

I am going to go eat bacon now.

The perfect woman

2011-10-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

The other day my 7 year old son informed me -
"When I grow up I am going to marry a girl who doesn't know how to make enchilladas."

So very grateful

2011-10-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

So my less than 2 year old thinks saying prayers if very glamorous.This is how this evening's prayer time with her went-

Ethan : Dear Heavenly Father
Phebe: *something incoherant*
E: Thank thee
P: Thank 'ee Daddy Mommy Nomi
E: and Victor
P: Nomi
E: Victor
P: Nomi
E: um, ok. Caleb
P: Nomi
E: In the name of Jesus
P: Jesus. AMEN!

I guess she is really grateful for Naomi.

Popcorn!

2011-10-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you the videos with the song popcorn.

This is the origional version. I quite enjoy it.

Here we have the one my kids request frequently. Crazy Frog style.

And last, but certainly not least, is the awesome video we discovered today. How could you go wrong with the Swedish Chef.

Come listen to a prophet's voice

2011-09-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow General conference starts. If you are interested in watching it on line here is the link.

Lds General Conference.

If that doesn't work go to http://www.lds.org/ . Go to menu and there under "Study" is the link for General conference. Sometimes with the high volume of people on line it can get a little choppy. Last year we could hear and understand everything but the visuals were all in stop motion. Luckily the words are what matter.

There are sessions on both Saturday and Sunday 12:00 pm-2 pm and then 4pm -6pm east coast time.

It would be well worth some of your time to tune in for a while. Where else can you listen to a prophet of God speaking directly to you?

(President Eyring 1st counselor, President Monson- prophet, President Uchtdorf 2nd counselor.)

I will also put up one talk at a time after conference is over. I would love it if you share your favorite parts with me!

Vibrato

2011-09-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

It appears that I am in the minority on this rather insignificant issue. But I just want to say - I don't like vibrato.

Here is the definition of vibrato if you happen to be unfamiliar with it.
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music.

To me it sounds like they are struggling to hold the pitch they are supposed to be on.

I can let it slide a bit with certain instruments, namely strings.

I just don't think it is a pleasant sound. Opera singers are notorious for this. I just have a hard time listening to them fluctuate. In my personal music tastes, that no one asked about, I am far more impressed with an artist who can hold a note steady for a while.

Am I alone in this?

Forget me not update

2011-09-28T17:43:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I posted the link for President Uchtdorf's talk. The text had not been available at that time. As promised I have gone back and attached the link. If you did not take the time earlier to listen to his talk do it NOW. It is so awesome. Here is a link to that specific entry.

And now that the text is available I will share my favorite parts with you. I do better with copy and paste than trying to give you the gist of what he said.

These are the 5 things you should never forget.

You must be patient and compassionate with yourself.
That some sacrifices are better than others.
That you need not wait for a golden ticket to be happy.
The “why” of the gospel of Jesus Christ will inspire and uplift you.
Your Heavenly Father knows, loves, and cherishes you.

My favorite quote from the patience section was-
Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.

And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths.
I don't know about anyone else, but I have been doing this a lot lately. It does not help me in anyway.

Good sacrifice vs foolish sacrifice-
This made me laugh, probably because I am not crafty enough to try anyway-
Dedicating some of our time to studying the scriptures or preparing to teach a lesson is a good sacrifice. Spending many hours stitching the title of the lesson into homemade pot holders for each member of your class perhaps may not be.

Golden ticket-
Talking about Charlie and the Chocolate factory he says this:
Some feel that their entire future happiness depends on whether or not a golden ticket falls into their hands. In their anxiousness, people begin to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket....

The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy.

I thought that whole concept was rather profound.

One bit of the "Why" portion was...
Let us not walk the path of discipleship with our eyes on the ground, thinking only of the tasks and obligations before us. Let us not walk unaware of the beauty of the glorious earthly and spiritual landscapes that surround us.

At this point I just had tears rolling down my cheeks. These were words I needed to hear.
As a child, when I would look at the little forget-me-nots, I sometimes felt a little like that flower—small and insignificant. I wondered if I would be forgotten by my family or by my Heavenly Father.

Years later I can look back on that young boy with tenderness and compassion. And I do know now—I was never forgotten.

And I know something else: as an Apostle of our Master, Jesus Christ, I proclaim with all the certainty and conviction of my heart—neither are you!

You are not forgotten.

Sisters, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love.

I am so grateful for a living God. A God who loves me. A God who knows what I needed. Who sends messengers with the words that will touch my heart in the way I needed it. I am so grateful to be part of this church. It blesses me in so many ways. I hope that you were able to find something in this talk that touched you too.

It finally happened

2011-09-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

My nearly 6 year old daughter ... um.. does not mind letting you know when you are bothering her. I was holding out hope that she would make it until about 2nd grade before we started having any um... aggression issues.

Today she has been in school nearly a month.

Today she did not get to pick out of the star box. It is a sad, sad day when you can not pick a prize from the star box.

Why? Why was she unable to pick, you ask. Because she doesn't have much in the way of tolerance or peace making skills. ( I am trying folks honest.)

This is the event according to her-
N: I was coloring and this kid kept GETTING in my FACE! So I spit at him.

Spit? Really? Did you have to spit at him? I asked her to demonstrate. Luckily it was more like a defiant, rude raspberry. I am really glad there wasn't slobbery mucus glob stuck to this kids face. I am sure I would have gotten a phone call or a note about that one.

He didn't get to pick out of the star box either. (Is it bad of me to be glad about that?)

I called my husband and mentioned it. His comment?
E: Well, she made it a full month.

True. And for that I should be grateful. I was just silly thinking she could hold out a little longer.

Random note on parenting.
*Disclaimer, I am in no way an expert or probably even an example you should look to.

I do want to share one tactic that worked fairly well with her. For a while when you told her to do something she didn't want to do or an answer she didn't like she would make this horribly nasty face at you. I got fed up with said face and sent her to the corner one day. While she was there I told her " You can't come out until you throw that face in the garbage."

She thought that was hysterical and ran to the kitchen to throw the nasty face away. Now, wouldn't it be beautiful if we hadn't seen it again since then? Too bad reality doesn't work that way. The face has made a few appearances. Cool thing is though, I just mention to her " Hey! You threw that face away!" Then she starts laughing and things calm down.

The status is NOT quo

2011-09-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that some of you are unfamiliar with Dr Horrible' Sing along blog. This is a problem. Since this is my forum for sharing things that I like I will now share it with you.

It is from the director of Firefly and Serenity, Joss Whedon. This what happens when writters go on strike. They created this little movie, production, thing. Sadly I can only find it in chunks online. Netflix has it complete.

Enjoy.

Maybe writters should go on strike more often.

I also think that Neil Patrick Harris is quite possibly one of the cutest human beings ever. Ok, at least Dr Horrible is anyway.

There is a series of crude comments towards the end, just a warning.

The world is a mess and I just need to rule it.

I laughed, I cried, it moved me

2011-09-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

It is general conference season again! We had our special meeting for the women of the church last night. Several nice talk that I will mention later but for now.... President Uctdorft. All I can say is I love that man. Please, please, please take the time to watch this. It is amazing. I was in tears for most of it. It hit my heart so hard.

Here is the text if you would prefere to read along.
You will not spend a better 21 minutes today, then listening to this talk.

I am so grateful for modern revelation and prophets, for general authorities and technology. It makes my heart happier.

Just 4 minutes please

2011-09-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

So Miss Prism sent me a video I greatly enjoyed and wanted to share. Here ya go.

I think he makes dancing look so fun. Crazy too maybe, but fun.

Memories

2011-09-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, right here in my home, my Brother -in-law and his family moved in with my family. They had a little boy named Carl, who was about 2 1/2 at the time. I would like to share two of my favorite memories of having him in my home.

While out gardening one day, Carl had a runny nose. I thought his mothers solution was quite brilliant. Since she and he were both dirty, she took a leaf off the ground and wiped his nose with it. I filed that away for sometime I would need it.

As we sat down for dinner a few days later, Carl reached his hand into the salad bowl, removed a lettuce leaf and blew his nose into it.

I almost died laughing.

Another incident occurred while sitting down to eat lunch. He was learning how to pray at this stage. Carl would say "Thank thee for...." and then just look around the room for random things he could see.

At that moment his prayer went something like this- "Thank thee for the window, and Ramon noodles, and birds." And since he happened to be shirtless at that moment he ended it with "Thank thee for my nipples."

I had to leave the room.

A post

2011-09-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a post from me. It is about the random happenings around here. I know you are dying to hear about them.

Ethan and I have started our Ballroom dance lessons. Tonight will make night 3 of the Fox Trot. The dance itself is OK. Most of the music that goes with it is not my favorite genre. We practiced last night. We did find one particular artist we can fox trot to. Her name is Nora Jones. This is one of our favorites.

After we come home from dance lessons, we read scriptures as a family and the kids go to bed. Ethan and I then play fruit ninja or something and then he goes to his hockey game. Unlike me, he is actually good enough to play on a team. Good enough to get stuck on defense.

Ethan's boss hired me to help with the grand opening of a second location of the business.Neither Ethan or his boss actually like to be in the spotlight. They were both dragged into the ribbon cutting ceremony anyway. I ran the grill and served hot dogs. Note worthy happenings of the day include:

My husband being asked if I was his daughter.
Ethan being sent on a limo run. ( Still not sure why you would pick the manager of a location to leave during the grand opening....)
Listening to old men talk about how this business was going to revitalise the whole area.
I watched the skill of free loaders in action. No shame I tell you.
Won a basket from the auction. A 9 year old girl gave me the tickets. With our powers combined we were unstoppable.
Was asked which company I worked for. The man was flabbergasted when I said I was a stay at home mom. It was funny.
Made some money.
Learned there really is no convenient way to get from here to that location. It was ridiculous.

I am glad I was given the opportunity to help out. Man, I am glad I do not have to work everyday. It would be awful.

I went to Zumba with a friend at the YMCA. When I went to retrieve my children from the child care area the woman in charge made a comment that should have surprised me. It didn't though. "Phebe climbed on everything. EVERYTHING." Um... sorry. She does that. A lot. I am working on curbing that. Her comment was "I only meant I have sympathy for you at home. I am sure she does it there too." Oh, how right that woman is.

We went to my children's school open house. We learned Victor can read really well and I need to work harder with Naomi. Did anyone else ever have a problem with working hard with the oldest and slacking off with other children? I am going to work harder on fixing that. Naomi also learns differently so I need to change up my tactics.

Today I went through old letters and pictures. I threw away a bunch of old letters and pictures. I held on to prom pictures and special memories. But much of my premarried life is in the trash. I can't help but think " I barely cared about this person when I knew them. My kids certainly aren't going to care about them."And then the picture goes into the garbage. It was fun and occasionally sad to reread some of the things. I wonder if I was kind enough. I wonder if I said the right thing. If I was a good friend. If I was sincere. Do I really deserve all the wonderful letters I have gotten?

I still have a pile that I need to go through. I also have other piles all over the room thanks to my daughter who was "helping". Gonna go get dinner started and those helper piles cleaned up.

Eh, good enough

2011-09-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

~Elder Marvin J. Ashton has given us a guide by which we can determine whether something is honest. Simply ask yourself: “‘Is it right? Is it true?’ not ‘Is it expedient, satisfactory, convenient, or profitable?’” Then follow your honest answer.~

I'm gonna have to work on this.

Blessings and Bribes

2011-09-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

As a mom sometimes I tell my kids to go do something. Crazy, I know. Sometimes I tell them I will give them a treat, or we will watch a movie when they are done, possibly we will go play afterwards. Other times my mentality is "look, you need to do it because it needs done. I don't need to reward you for doing things that are required for everyday life here." That probably sounds harsh doesn't it. Maybe it is, but I am not handing over a piece of candy every day because you successfully cleaned up the mess that YOU made. ( I can be a cruel, cruel mother.)

For a period of time I was debating about whether it was good to say something like "if you finish unloading the dishwasher you can have a cookie." It sounded a lot like bribery to me. I had a discussion with my wise husband on the subject. He pointed something out to me that has changed my mindset.

A bribe is given when one wants someone else to do an action that is bad, illegal, criminal or immoral. Setting the table for dinner does not fit in any of those categories.

He also pointed out God gives US blessings for being obedient.

Heavenly Father is the perfect parent, the ultimate role model, and he says rewards are good. He offers blessings for paying tithing, remaining chaste, being honest, doing service and being kind. Everything he has asked us to do he affixes a blessing to. Some blessings come in more obvious forms than others, but he is mindful and sends what we need and have earned as he sees fit.

I no longer get caught up in if I am spoiling my children with rewards. Some days they get a treat for good behavior. Other days it may just be a "good job. Thanks for taking care of that for me." Either way I know that blessings are a pattern set by my own Heavenly Father. I am going to try to keep with the tradition.

A very wicked day

2011-09-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

So for my birthday, as I mentioned previously, my husband took me to see a Broadway across America production of Wicked. I had only heard the music for this musical previously. I had a vague, I emphasise vague, idea of the actual storyline.

It was incredible. I didn't get very many pictures but this is what I can share.

I just thought we looked cute before we left. So you get to see us being cute together.

We sat in the first balcony, about 4 rows back. Excellent view. This was the backdrop they had down before the performance. I wasn't allowed to and wouldn't have bothered to take pictures during the actual show. Youtube however comes in handy for sharing one of my favorite scenes.

Seriously, listen to the lyrics. They are so funny.

I was so impressed with the wit of the dialogue. I guess I shouldn't have been, the music is quite humorous.

It was touching and so very funny. I am so glad that my sweet husband took me to see it.

-Random note kind of off topic. We went out for Japanese after the show. I had a Godzilla roll. It is sushi. It makes me very happy. I wanted to share this random wall decoration with you.

It is like they are woven together. I thought it was neat.

Totally Wicked!

2011-09-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my husband has the day off. We will get kids on the bus, accomplish a few things around the house and then get my daughter off the bus.

That is when my sister takes over. Ethan and I will be on our way to the city to enjoy my belated birthday present.

Seeing Wicked at the Benedum Center. It will be excellent.

He is an awesome husband. I love him very much.

The Hobbits!

2011-09-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently sat down and watched all three Lord of the Rings movies. Yes, in their extended scene glory. It took about 5 nights of watching. It was fun though. Then he showed me this video. It made me laugh.

This makes me smile and all, but if you have a tremdous amount of time and want something truly hysterical I have another suggestion for you.

If you have ever done any role playing you won't be able to stop laughing at this.

DM of the Ring

Shamus (the author) goes through the whole set of movies and puts them in comic strip pretending they are role players on an adventure.

Here is a sample:
Like I said, if you have ever done role playing it is really funny.

Labor day

2011-09-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

Today is Labor day.

My dad was not a "laugh out loud" kind of guy. He was not jolly. He was um... subtle in his humor.

I was probably 8 maybe 9 years old when my dad played decided to play a trick on me. It wasn't a huge trick.

On Labor day 20 years ago, my dad told me to go out and get the mail. He knew full well there was no mail out there and sent me back 2 additional times to make sure that it hadn't come yet.

That was my dad's kind of humor.

Nin-JA!

2011-09-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

This is what my kids are playing right now...

If you have a Kinect and Xbox, download this free trial. It is so fun. Here is a screen shot.

They launch fruit into the air and you slice it with your awesome ninja moves. Let me tell you, my kids have SERIOUSLY awesome ninja moves. They love this game. Plus the beauty of the Kinect is that you move your body around and it tracks your movement. So you really are standing there waving your arms around as fast as you can. It is like work out, but fun.

Speaking of ninjas, I wanted to share this "Ask a Ninja" video with you.

Most of the "ask a Ninja" videos I find to be rather humorous. It is worth your time, in my opinion, to look up the "Ask a Ninja, pirates of the Caribbean" clip. Oh so funny.

I think it goes without saying

2011-09-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you dear Darcy for introducing me to this. It makes me laugh each time and my kids request it.

Wash it down with some butter.

Let's get this straight.

2011-08-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

I am incredibly blessed. I married a wonderful man. While he has many fabulous traits there is only one I am going to dwell on at the moment.

He is a great dad. Completely competent at taking care of his children. He plays with them, is patient with them, remembers to give them their medicine when needed ( way more consistently than myself). He cuddles and reads and sings songs and dances with them. He is awesome. I am so glad he is the father of my children.

Switching gears slightly I am going to discuss a sentiment I hear surprisingly often. As I am leaving a meeting or event "Got to hurry home and save your husband from babysitting huh?"

Did you spot the problem with that question?

It is the word "Babysitting".

My husband does not "babysit" our children. As far as I am concerned no father "babysits" his own kids. It is watching your own kids. Being responsible for them, taking care of them, teaching them silly or important things, it is not babysitting your own kids.

It is fulfilling the same kind of responsibilities that I generally do during the day. I do not babysit my children everyday. A father who is home with the kids is not babysitting either.

He is being a dad. I am grateful to have a husband who can step up like a man and act like a Dad.

'Round here

2011-08-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

Recent happenings:

My husband did a lot of digging.
I carried a lot of dirt.
We leveled out a part of our yard yesterday in hopes of preventing water from coming in the basement.
My daughter is having constant nightmares. I could live without this. Every night 1 am. Thanks. Not the terrors, we got those under control. I have resorted to talking her through some beautiful scene to think about. It seemed to be working we had 2 nights in a row without any visits. Too bad it is an hour after she went to bed and I have had to send her back twice already. Maybe we aren't as far along as I thought.
Hockey lessons ended. So sad.They were lots of fun. I improved tremendously. We are going to take ballroom dance lessons. Waltz and foxtrot are the main dances in this session. Later we will go back to hockey.
My yard has become kid central. Not only are my kids here, there are the grandchildren of the next door neighbor. Then you can throw in the child from a block away, plus the 3 kids on the corner. OK, so that isn't enough for you? How about the neighbor on the other side whose 2 grandchildren snuck away to hang out at my house. I only let them in the yard after making sure Mom knew where they were. Today we had 4 kids from the bus stop over after the bus came. It is kind of nice the kids are getting older and stress me out less.
School started. I officially have 2 children in school. My life is ruled by the bus schedule now. Get kids on bus. Get kindergartener off a few hours later, get 2nd grader off a few hours after that. Good thing I don't have plans of doing ANYTHING all school year.
Took the 2 little ones to the park and played in the creek. It was good.
My second grader is addicted to Calvin and Hobbes

Load 'em up!

2011-08-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

I guess I just enjoy sharing ( mostly) things that make me smile here. Here is something I thought was well worth taking a pictures of.

You guessed correctly. That is a hand weight and two Hot Wheels (we don't do Matchbox cars around here) cars on the truck trailer.

Next up, even more entertaining as far as I am concerned.

Sometimes you need to haul great white sharks around in your trailer bed. My kids make me smile.

I forget

2011-08-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

Each Sunday we have this conversation on the way home.

Ethan : Naomi what did you learn about in church today?
N: Um... I forget.
E: Victor what did you learn about in class today?
V: I learned about Sacrament. ( or whatever they talked about.)
N: Hey! That is what I learned about! I learned about Sacrament!

Every week Naomi declares she has no idea what her class was about and passes the turn to Victor. Victor than tells us all about what his class did. Seeing as they are both taught from the same manual they get the same lesson. Suddenly she is surprised to have the same topic brought up.

Let's dance!

2011-08-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

If you want some entertainment, just turn this song on and watch my kids go, particularly Phebe.

Even the white kids.

This is currently Phebe's theme song.

I do not recommend the official video. The music is clean, the video pushes my limits.

Cute, just cute

2011-08-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

There are few things I have witnessed that are cuter than my 20 month old singing and doing the hand motions to "I'm bringing home my baby bumble bee."

Baby dancing is pretty high up there though.

More amusement

2011-08-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

This just made me laugh.

That is all.

FISH!

2011-08-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

So we took a little day trip to Pymatuning. My kids declared it "awesome!"

First it is required that you stop at the spillway and be disgusted and awed by what you find there.

Namely fish. Lots of fish.

No, seriously, lots of fish.

Luckily they allow, make that encourage, you to bring bread to feed the fish. My kids loved it.

From there we went to the hatchery. That is where they collect all the eggs and then grow all the fish you see here. It was mildly interesting. My kids were not ... um... thrilled with much there. OK, the giant cat fish in the tank had their attention. The process of raising fish was not enthralling to them.

Then we moved on to the nature center. If you ever go to Pymatuning, visit the nature center. It was so very nice.... and free. They have some fabulous displays of wild animals native to the area. Some of which I didn't even realise were native to the area. Most of the displays say "do not touch." We did find a bear skin lacking that label. Ethan took some awesome pictures of Phebe on my shoulders rubbing herself all over the pelt. If we didn't have a no kid picture on line policy I would gladly share it with you. She loved it.

They also have an area in the back where kids can touch things. The big draw for Phebe was... the "identify the fur" game. She was just grabbing skins and rubbing her face in them. Fox is my personal favorite.

While preparing for this trip I found out that Pymatuning has 6 bald eagle nests in it's park. When you go to the nature area you can see them, sort of. You know, if you bring binoculars. Ethan and Victor did manage to score a view though. Caleb claims he did too. I don't believe him.

I didn't realise how cool that trip would really be. I would highly recommend visiting if you have the chance.

A bit darker

2011-08-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

Here is Manha Manha again. Only a little different. Yes, it is kind of creepy. Ethan and I laughed and laughed and watched it over and over.

The popcorn miracle.

2011-08-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following along I would like to fill you in on a tid bit.

My 3 year old has calorie problems.

Seriously. The kid needs fed at LEAST every 2 hours. Cheese sticks and peanut butter are very important around here. If you do not get him fed at the first signs of hunger he will morph into a crying puddle of irrational sadness.

That being said, let me share a story.

A week ago my mother and I went gallivanting around the countryside looking for little farm markets. I guess I had underestimated how long it would take and how many snacks to pack. Soon I have a little boy howling in the backseat. I asked him what he wanted. His response...

"Popcorn."

... You want popcorn?

"Yes mom, I really want popcorn."

Ok, I'll try to get you something as soon as we can. We locate the next farm market on our list and head inside. It is a lovely little store. My mom points out they have bags of flavored popcorn for sale. I take notice and will probably grab one on the way out the door. But wait...

They have a popper right in the store. With little cups beside it. I ask a woman who works there how much it costs. As I suspected, it is free.

Of all the stores I have been to in my life, there have probably been about 3 that offered complimentary popcorn. The odds are just against the coincidence.That made it possible for me to shop quickly and quietly and get back on the road.

I realise this is just a quaint little story. It meant the world to me. It meant sanity for my son. I am so grateful my Father in Heaven knows my son and me. He met our needs. That is amazing to me. Just imagine what things he has in place for my son, or me or you. Things big or small that just fall into place because he knows where we are and what we need.

Dragonbreath

2011-08-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

"A day and a half was a pretty long time, especially when you were at school.Time always moved extra slowly there. Math class in particular took several centuries a day."
- Dragonbreath, Curse of the Were-Wiener

My son found the Dragonbreath series at the library the other day. They are a graphic novel/ chapter book for kids. Highly entertaining. I completely recommend these books.

For a smile

2011-08-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

I thought you could use these amusing little videos. So here they are.

My kids just laugh and laugh over these.

Let's be grateful!

2011-08-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Today I am going to play "I'm so grateful for..."

I do this everyday in my journal. I just thought you might enjoy some of the things I am grateful for today.

Fresh peaches, lots of them. Sweet and juicy.
I did NOT lose my temper at my intensely passionate, incredibly stubborn and currently argumentative daughter. Unloading and loading the dishwasher would go so much faster if I didn't list it as one of my kids jobs.
Victor spoke up about what Caleb and Phebe were doing.
That the shampoo bottle and conditioner bottles were less than half full when Phebe and Caleb dumped them.
They climbed into the bathtub to pour them out.
Phebe was unable to get out of the bathtub after getting covered in shampoo, thus she could not take her mess all over the house.
She did not get any in her eyes.
My friend and her kids came over to help with peaches.
No one got cut when a bowl was broken.
We got some peaches canned, some ready for making jam and fruit leather.

There are many more things that I am grateful for today. There is my sample list. Hope you are having a great day too!

Um... what?

2011-08-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share with you what is possibly the weirdest most disturbing music video I have ever seen.

I bet Lisa Frank would have loved the begining.

Seriously, it was pretty bizarre wasn't it?

It's hockey time!

2011-07-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

We are a hockey loving family. We watch it, when we can. We listen to it on the radio. The local hockey team sponsored a program in which my son was able to acquire all the gear for free so he could take ice hockey lessons.

While Victor's lessons were going on, my husband started getting into it. Buying equipment, finding an adult team. Practicing.... practicing.... practicing.... since he had no real experience. He is currently on an adult team and he really enjoys it.

At one of these practices one of the other guys on the ice mentioned another ice rink he was unaware of. Ethan did some research and pointed out an interesting class they were offering. Co-ed hockey lessons for people over 18. It runs 5 sessions, each session ending with getting to play a game of ice hockey.

Lately I have been trying to think of things to do with my husband. Looks like we found it. So we signed up. We bought equipment. Let me tell you, putting on hockey equipment makes you feel RIDICULOUS.

This is not me, but I look just as goofy. The jersey I wear is red. Much cooler.

I should also mention- I have only been ice skating 3 times. Total. Ever. So I get suited up with some very friendly ladies in the locker room. All very kind, all inexperienced, nearly all with husbands who are on the ice.

I stand there, about to step onto the ice and start to think "What on earth possessed you to participate in this? You can't even skate?"

Then I step out onto the ice. I really can't skate. Just the first lap around was painfully embarrassing. So glad the helmet hides my entire head. I did not fall but I sure was slow and obviously unstable. My arms kept waving around to keep my balance. I probably looked more like I was doing an unsteady walk than skating.

Next up, skate as hard as you can to the blue line then stop. Same thing to the next blue line, then the red. Stop? Stop!? I am not stopping! That is pure lunacy.

After that humiliation came the drill where you skate hard, drop on your knees then hop back up and keep on skating. Right.... hop up again. Fast as you can. Don't wait for me guys.

Then came the awesome drill where you drop to one knee then get right back up. Yea, I'll get right back up as soon as I stop spinning in a circle.

Thank you again for a full face mask helmet.

I did eventually get more stable on my feet. I never did stop correctly. I did what the coach called "a whirly bird" which he specifically told us he did not want to see. But he kept on smiling and encouraging. I kept on crashing into walls or doing whirly birds, spinning around to stop.

We did games where we lined up and raced each other for the puck and tried to be the one to shoot it at the net. Due to the odd number of woman vs men Mr Coachman had me go over and over again each time there was a woman on the other team up.

I kind of enjoyed getting to go more than anyone else. It was probably painful for everyone to watch. I never fell down and I was gaining confidence. After it was over Ethan told me one of the guys on our team had told him " She just gets better every time she goes." Felt good to hear that.

We did lots of skating around. Lots of shooting pucks, passing pucks, stick handling and weaving. Then we got to play hockey.

It was awesome. Oh, I was still terrible. There is something so incredibly cool about being able to skate as fast as you possibly can after the puck knowing that even if you fall over it won't hurt. I did fall over a few times. At one point the person I was pursuing turned around at the last minute and we crashed right into each other. Hockey pads are great. The ice is cold so you don't get terribly hot. The pads stop so much potential pain. You just play.

Victor didn't like taking hockey lessons. He said he didn't like the drills. He loved it when they played real games though. I completely agree. Until we started to actually play, I had my doubts about the wisdom of participating. Once that puck dropped it was so fun. I can not wait until next week.

Blazing Stars!

2011-07-29T05:26:00.000-07:00

I have a tendency to miss things. I hear "the fields are just full of this blazing stars in July. It would be really worth your while to go see them." I think to myself, "You're right. I wold love to go see that." Then I remember when it is August.

There is a nature reserve near my home. It has a prairie section. If you are a nature conservationist that is really exciting to you. Doesn't mean much to me, just says you won't really find these particular plants other places in the area. I did however, want to see these much lauded flower. So fearing I had missed the peak my husband and I packed up the children and went for a walk. We were not disappointed.

The height is actually late July/August. I didn't miss it! They were beautiful. Due to the fact that prairies grow really tall grass, it looked like my kids were walking in a jungle. Nearly all the vegetation was over their heads. Even the blazing stars are taller than most of my children and quite possibly myself.

It was beautiful. In my neighborhood we don't see butterflies very often. While we were there we saw so many. We could watch honey bees and bumble bees hard at work right there at eye level, completely oblivious that they had an audience. I loved watching my kids amazement and excitement when spotting different animals or plants.

It was a very cool experience. I can't wait to take my kids back. I will remember to take allergy medication and not examine the goldenrod quite so closely next time though. I am so glad we made that trip.

Fireworks night

2011-07-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have had some very cool experiences lately.That is why blogging hasn't happened much. I have been busy.

I live on a hill over looking the valley my town has settled into. During fireworks season we make some popcorn fill some water bottles and march over to the Dr's office nearby and watch from the parking lot. It gives a good view of the valley and of multiple fireworks displays going on in the area. My kids complain that it is too loud. It is more than a mile from any of the fireworks being set off. I think they are crazy. So this has been my experience of fireworks for approximately the last 7 years. Being far away and watching the city's display. It's been OK.

For Fathers day I got my husband tickets to a baseball game. Now don't go thinking I actually care about baseball, my husband doesn't either. But they did offer "all you can eat seats" at surprisingly cheap prices. So for a year now we had talked about going and I finally got tickets. Due to the awesomeness that is my accomplice in this plan, we were able to attend a fireworks night.

Zambelli fireworks in fact.

If you are unfamiliar with Zambelli you are really missing out. They do INCREDIBLE displays.

Ultra cool was that they set the fireworks off from a barge in the river. We happened to be along the wall of the stadium closest. There was a chain link fence in front of us and we could see the barge launching the fireworks. It was incredibly awesome.

Over the years of watching the little city display from a significant distance I had kind of dismissed how awesome fireworks are.

But that night I felt like a kid. It was so incredible.

I almost cried at how totally awe inspiring it really was. I wasn't wrong, fireworks really are amazing.

* I did not take these pictures myself. These are pictures from the Zambelli website. I am not that awesome of a photographer, plus I was enjoying the show, not documenting it.

Spanish!

2011-07-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Story hour at the library on Wednesday was dedicated to learning Spanish. A friend of mine from church volunteered to come in and teach. She did a great job. Here is a brief bit of her presentation.

" Padre is father. Sometimes they also say Papa'. Accent on the last "a". If you just says papa without an accent that is the word for potato." I didn't know that. I thought it was a neat tidbit.

It appears that is about all Naomi got from the lesson, though her version was a bit skewed.

Later, while talking to someone else's father about what she learned in Spanish she informed him that the Spanish word for father is potato.

Take some time today, tell your potato how much you love him.

Heaven

2011-07-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a glimpse of what I think heaven will be like. It wasn't all white. There was no gold or harps. Just my family and peace.

Yesterday we all played in the backyard. ( OK minus my oldest since he had been invited to a friend's house .It would have been even better if he had been there.) We spent the afternoon and most of the evening out there. The kids splashed in the wading pool and climbed a tree. I picked and snapped the green beans while Ethan read aloud the book he had been reading to me. Naomi and Caleb ( who are notorious for fighting.) encouraged each other in their tree climbing efforts. They played nicely with Phebe in the pool. We ate a lot of fresh cherries.

I know it sounds simple. It was, but it was also heavenly.

Some violin for Prism.

2011-07-20T05:03:00.000-07:00

I "played" violin in school. I was never good at it, largely due to a lack of practice. OK,almost exclusively a lack of practice.

I really enjoy the sound of a good orchestra. Yes, Miss Prism, a lone violin, isn't generally impresssive. Frequently I feel as though violin solos are only meant to show off how good the violinist is, not actually sound melodic.

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite violinists. I don't know many. This is Vanessa Mae. She frequently plays the electic violin and is accompanied. Thus meaning she actually sounds good. (I own 3 of her cds thanks to my mother in law. )

This song is the one that got me interested in her music.

Please pardon the ridiculousness that is in these videos. Turn them on and then open a new page. Or just watch them and laugh a lot.

Nearly all of her online videos are live recordings. I do not like live recordings. If you are inclined to look up more there is pleny available on Youtube.

It's ok if you still hate violin at the end of this.

Energy alternatives

2011-07-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

My daughter picked a green bean from the garden. Due to the fabulous Velcro properties of a fresh green bean, she was able to stick it to the back of her elder brother's shirt.

She told him it was an energy pack.

Sneaky, sneaky husband

2011-07-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Back to the chiropractor we went today. I enjoy going there. I enjoy having my neck realigned. Though it would be super awesome if it stayed where it belonged once in a while.

It is a family affair. The receptionist escorts all 6 of us to a tiny little room and then eventually the DR comes in and straightens us all out. Yes, it is a tiny room. Yes with 4 children it does get a bit loud sometimes. Phebe occasionally gets rather unruly. Several visits back I brought a small umbrella stroller and just strapped her in while I was being examined. I believe that is one of the best ideas I have ever had.

Only Ethan, Victor and I were worked on. *Caleb announced he need his bones fixed too. Naomi thinks the whole thing is unacceptable and will never participate in such things. As well all walked to the waiting room Ethan stopped to talk to the receptionist/ massage therapist.

I told the kids not to exit the building since we had not yet scheduled our next appointment but was suddenly whisked away to a different room.

My husband had scheduled a massage as a birthday present. So awesome.

So he watched kids while I laid on a heated bed in a room with dim lighting getting my shoulders and neck rubbed. It was great.

Ethan is so sweet. He is so thoughtful and sneaky. I love it. I am so grateful I married him.

* On a previous visit Caleb was looking at the pictures on the wall in the exam room. One diagram of the nervous system. Another detailing the skeletal system. He was looking at the cardiovascular system intently. All of these diagrams are of males. Someone pointed out " Look, it's boy. It has a penis!" Caleb announced he too is a boy. He has a penis. Yes, yes, Caleb you have a penis. What took me a moment to realize is that he had pulled it out and was making sure we could see it. He was just proving his point. Ethan and I stifled laughs and told him,"yes indeed are a boy, now put that back in your pants".

It was funny.

Why have kids?

2011-07-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I talk to other people they don't seem to understand what being a mom is like.

Some days I don't know if I know what being a mom is supposed to be like.

It leads me back to a question that I mull over in my mind now and again.

Why have children?

Seriously, why?

Kids are so-

Messy
Tactless
Expensive
Destructive
Demanding
NOISY
Frustrating

This list just scratches the surface of negative things that kids can be.

Some of the reasons I like having kids are-

They teach me so much.
They help me improvise.
They are funny.
I can teach them. Watching the world through new eyes changes things.
They put things in perspective.
They question why.
They love.

Yet again, this list just scratches the surface. I could literally go on and on about why I love having kids in my home. Even on a day when I feel so overwhelmed I would start bawling if someone took them away.

Kids can teach love, and forgiveness. Children can be hysterical. Youth can simply enrich a life to an inexpressible level. Here is the trick though....

You have to let them.

You have to be willing to learn from them. You have to allow yourself to laugh with them. You have to accept their great examples of forgiveness and love.

They are not small adults. They are also not horrible burdens sent from God. They are children. Sweet, innocent, occasionally conniving, love needing children. If allowed to work their magic they can transform. Not only themselves but those around them too.

Let children be the blessings that they are.

New recipe

2011-07-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

I have a cook book someone gave me. Who? I have no idea. It is called "grade A+ recipes from St. Thomas Elementary P.T.A". Under the category "This and that" I found a recipe I would like to share with you.

Elephant Stew-

1 elephant
Brown gravy
Salt and pepper to taste
2 rabbits

Cut elephant into bite size pieces (this will take about 4 months.)Cook over kerosene at 525 degrees until tender ( about 5 months) . Add salt and pepper and cover with gravy. This will serve 3,800 people. If more are expected add 2 rabbits. Do this only if absolutely necessary as most people do not like to find hare in their stew.

Post trial

2011-07-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Lately there has big a bit uproar about the Casey Anthony trial. If you haven't heard the details- google it. I am not going to go into great detail here. The general gist however is- Little girl goes missing, mom doesn't tell anybody for a month and then she went jail for 3 years till her trial then was found not guilty of murder.

It is a sad, sad situation.

I am in no way going to try to prove her innocence or guilt. I don't personally care. God gets to take care of that stuff and I am glad I will not be held responsible for deciding.

There is one issue I would like to address about the situation.

Anthony was convicted of 4 counts of lying to law enforcement. Thus carrying approximately a year sentence each. Since she had already been in jail for 3 years she was almost done anyway.

My question is "What if she hadn't even been convicted of those charges? What if she truly was innocent of any wrong doing?"

( I have no idea what the truth is, I won't pretend I was there and understand exactly what happened.)

If she had absolutely nothing to do with the event she just spent 3 years of her life in jail. 3 YEARS. What if she didn't do anything to that child? Now her child AND 3 years of her life are just gone. You can't get that back.

She was found not guilty. But I see outrage all around me that she wasn't convicted. How is this woman, who may possibly not have been involved, ever supposed to recover some semblance of life? Who is going to hire her? Who are her friends after an incident and isolation like that? Who wants to rent an apartment to someone who has so much drama surrounding her? Will someone marry the woman that the world believes killed her own child? Can she grow up and be more mature and ever have children again?

Most of you probably believe that she did it. Seems like the world does. I don't think I paid enough attention to have an informed decision regarding her innocence or guilt. All I want to know is "if it were you who was found in suspicious circumstances, how would you feel at the end of all this?"

Robbed. That is how I would feel.

I love Hans Zimmer

2011-07-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some of my favorite songs with you. I had forgotten about them until my kids watched the movie the other day.

If you have never seen the movie "Prince of Egypt" I would recommend you do so. Is it 100% historically accurate? Um... I don't think so. But the idea is great, the implementation of ideas was beautiful and the music is truly outstanding.

Here are some of the best songs (according to me ) from the movie. I actually own, and on occasion listen to this soundtrack.

I will admit, I don't think I have heard anything written by Hans Zimmer that I didn't enjoy.

(He did music in Kung Fu Panda, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lion King and the Dark Knight. Plus more.)

I had to get a different version of the next song. The origional I had picked turned out to be some guy singing karaoke. It was moderately good. Too slow for the music though, plus... not the real music. Here is a better version.

I love the message in the next song.

I love this music. Hope you did too.

Questions

2011-07-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Remember the big jerk in Back to the Future? His name was Biff.

The movies are long over. "Biff" has put together a song about his experiences in that movie. It makes me laugh.

2011-07-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today I tackled a big project. I didn't realize it would be as big as it turned out to be.

Today I removed seeds from raspberries to make seedless jam.

It was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Let me walk you through my progression so you do not make the same mistakes I did today.

I started with a spoon and a colander. I did approximately 1 cup worth, realised I had 1 1/2 gallons and was never going to make it through all of them.
I called my brother in law for tips. He said mash them up and then drain them in cheese clothe. Well... um. the the juice didn't really drip through hardly at all. And the seeds can escape if you try to squeeze the bag. I let it sit for hours. I gave up.
I looked on line for suggestions.
I ripped open all my cheese clothe bags and dumped it in a pot where I warmed it all up.
Then I poured it into an old nylon stocking. It worked great. The juice was just coming right out.
I realised it was coming out so quickly because there was a hole in the toe. Seeds and all were spilling out.
I then got a knee high stocking and poured hot mashed raspberries inside. This did in fact work well and there was no surprise in the end.

I started around 9 am. I finished at about 6 pm. But look what I got done!

The dark one on the right is mulberry juice.

So if you ever decide to make raspberry jam and don't want the seeds follow these steps-

Stick fruit in blender, blend well.
Pour in pot. Warm.You don't want to burn it, so stir if fairly often.
Get a knee high stocking wet, wring out water. (this prevents the sock from sucking up the fruit juice.)
Pour fruit in a knee high stocking.
Twist around once it starts to cool off. Squeeze all you can out.

Once I figured that out it went pretty quick. Good luck.

Have some herbert

2011-07-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

While trying to make raspberry juice I had this conversation.

Naomi: What are you doing mom?
Me: making raspberry juice. Look in the fridge. Here is some I already bottled.
N: Wow! That is amazing. Maybe when dad comes home we can have a herbert.
Me: ... what?
N: I can't wait to have some herbert.
Me: Really? Tell me about herbert.
N: It has the pop and some ice cream and it is so yummy....
Me: Oh, you're talking about SHerbert.
N: Yeah! It is going to be great!

Yes, I know that sounds more like a float. Ethan mixes sherbert and pop together to make a punch like drink. I guess the only word she was catching was sherbert.

My take on canning

2011-07-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

I was raised in a home where each summer we were subjected to canning. We canned pears, peaches, grape juice, cherries, chicken, beets, green beans, lots of green beans. I can't say I really enjoyed it. I probably was a real brat about the whole thing.

Now I am on my own, I still can. Though I do go to other more experienced persons for help. As I have been married for 8 years now and have done a bit of canning each year in my own kitchen of my own desire these are my observations on home canning.

Reasons why I detest canning-

It is almost always really hot. Either the actual day, or how my kitchen feels by the end.
The amount of time it takes.
It takes over my entire kitchen.
The canner is LOUD.
It is never really a one day job. I always have to let the jars sit over night before washing and putting them away.
It is almost always something that needs to be canned soon or it will go bad.
How precise the procedure for canning somethings are.
The rest of the house falls apart while I work.

Reasons why I love canning -

Listening to the pop of the lids on the jars.
Knowing I accomplished something worthwhile.
Looking at those beautiful bottles on my shelf in the end.

Those 3 reasons alone will keep me canning for a long time. Once you make it to the last step, it is so incredibly rewarding.

Meet Harley

2011-07-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have been watching "Batman; the animated series" on Netflix lately. Some episodes are awesome, some are good but not as good as others. Overall I really enjoy this series. I just want to take the time to introduce you to my favorite character.

Her name is Harley Quinn. She is Jokers sidekick.

She met Joker when he as at Arkham Asylum and she was trying to help rehabilitate him. Too bad he turned her instead, so now she is crazy too.

Really, she is nuts too. It is so incredibly funny.

There is one particular episode that I wanted to share with you. Too bad no matter how much searching I do I can not locate a full video online.

It is called Harliquinade. In this episode Quinn is in Arkham Asylum but Joker is on the lose. Batman gets her out so she can help him track down the Joker and the giant bomb he has stolen.

She is so completely insane and yet so comical this episode just made me laugh over and over.

If you ever have the chance to watch Harliquinade do so. It is so good. Of course if you watch the whole series it will make even more sense.

Violet Jelly, take 2.

2011-06-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Due to the fact that I finally got around to taking a picture I wanted to share these with you.

In order to make jam from violets you follow these steps-

Collect an astounding amount of violets, making sure none of your neighbors have any left.
Boil water.
Pour the boiling water over the violets and let it steep for hours.
Then you add the other ingredients in to make the jam.
Can it.

So I never got around to making my second try. I only made the infusion and then froze it. Here is what a frozen infusion of violets look like.

Pretty neat huh? The recipe calls for lemon juice. When you add that in it turns this awesome shade of purple. When you process it correctly, it looks violet.

When you let me process it incorrectly, it will look like honey in a jar.

I just wanted to share the one and only picture I had of the process. I was impressed by how dark the color turned out.

P.S. No I won't have awesome pictures later. That was my second try and it leaked out of the bag all over the refrigerator when I was "thawing" it. My egg cartons are now more purple than they were previously.

Summer evening

2011-06-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

One advantage to living where we do is lightning bugs. Or fireflies if you prefer. They are seriously awesome. The highlight of the summer.

I am not sure what is going on in my next door neighbor's yard, but she literally has hundreds of them. It is incredible. We caught a jar full last night.

I realise it is hard to understand this picture. This is a Mason jar filled with about 40 fireflies. The spots that looks yellowish are where the insects are glowing.

There is nothing more awesome than a warm evening at twilight catching these things. They are easy to catch and don't bite or scratch or sting.

Due to the difficult nature of catching a good picture, I opted to attempt a video. I don't know that it is particularly great, but it gives you a pretty good idea of what is going on all around us.

Somethings just make me so happy. I don't think it will matter how old I get, lightning bugs will make me smile.