A Christmas Copycat

Santa left a message for the Guy!

http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/51cb73f2650cdfa1c5b2dd96527b3214

My sincerest apologies to Meghan, but this was so fun, and my Guy loved it so much, I had to post this.

p.s. Meghan, am I still on your Christmas Card list? ;)

Merry Christmas, everybody. Try to slow down, simplify and really enjoy what this season is all about!

An Apology To All My Faithful Readers And A Glimpse Into The Weirdness That Is Me!

Wow, that's a lot of words for very neglected blog. I have only myself to blame. The tech gods are not smiling and I'm not the best at adapting to such things. But we're up and running and functional, no thanks to Dell and their laptops!

So, to make up for my lack of pictures (still working on that one . . . again, just lazy), here are some really weird things to laugh about me and my family:

1. I cry . . . a lot. I cry when I'm sad, frustrated, angry, tired, scared . . . or happy, excited, or thankful. The only way to keep me from crying is to go for an extremely boring middle ground. Just ask BJ. I cried at choir practice today while watching my oldest sing a Christmas carol. I need serious help here!

2. I hate it when toilet lids are left up. Not the seat, which is a univeral given, but the lid. I've been known to walk into random strangers houses and put their toilet lids down. No joke.

3. Messy, disorganized rooms make me extremely cranky and irritable. Now, you would think this would mean my entire house is extremely neat and organized. Yeah, you'd think that. Let's just say, my kids have learned secret hand signals for "duck and cover." Momzilla is alive and well in Utah!

4. My youngest has a very creepy habit of coming to our bed in the middle of the night and just standing there, staring at us until we wake up. Very creepy.

5. Bug has recently become my theater buddy. We went to a production of "A Christmas Carol" (of movie fame). Very fun mom/daughter time. Middle child, on the other hand, refused to go. Flat out, no thank you. Rather than fight this battle (there are many with my darling, much loved, middle child), we took one of Bug's friends. A great night. As we were leaving, Belle almost sings to me 'I'll go next time.' Sigh.

6. We are arts lovers at our house, all types. We love to read, draw, play music, all that stuff. Math and science are constant struggles. I've been helping Bug with her math every night for over an hour. And she's still getting some of the problems wrong! Me worried? Nah.

7. I love to shovel snow. After it's stopped and warmed up a bit, mind you. I actually prefer to shovel it by hand, over snowblowing. It's a quiet time to be outside during winter and think. I'm also a bit compulsive about it, though. Everything has to be completely clean and dry and track free. It irritates me when people drive on my driveway before I shovel it. Please don't do it.

8. I have a secret crush on the entire Duggar family, of "18 Kids And Counting" fame. Anyone who can literally build a house themselves, homeschool 18 kids and still form a complete sentence, must be very cool. I won't comment on their oddities, I've got enough of my own to worry about!

9. I go to bed very early most nights. Some nights my kids are barely in bed before I'm headed there myself. You want to see me cranky? Tell me about a project that needs to be done for the next day at 8:30 the night before. (Or leave a toilet lid up, or put me in a messy room . . . that will work too.)

10. In an alternate reality, I live on a cattle ranch, have my own horse and extremely cool boots, drive a big truck and listen to country music openly. I blame my pioneer stock.

OK, now you can laugh at me at will.

Please stay tuned for our favorite Christmas traditions and our month-long Holiday Fest-a-palooza!

New Pencils and a Pink Pearl Eraser

My girls ran for the bus on their first day of school this week, hardly even looking back to see their mom bravely trying to hold it together. I'm doing really well, if I do say so myself (after a few days' perspective).

I have grand plans of accomplishing much and doing much good while I have a few relatively quiet hours with just me and The Guy. I'll let you know how I do. I'm trying to think of some activities we can do together to keep both of us engaged and entertained during our quiet day and take advantage of this precious time I have left with him. We've done the park, the library . . . and way too much screentime! I've only got two years until he starts kindergarten, too!

Deep Thoughts . . . While Weeding

We had the amazing opportunity yesterday to sit here yesterday and listen to a Prophet of God. It was, well, amazing. (OK, so I'm not one of the professional writers in our family, I'll admit.)

As I stood on the front steps of this temple, I saw this (which is also where I had just been to drop off #2 and #3 Messmakers, a short ten-minute drive away):

From that same spot, I saw this:

On a clearer day, I most likely could have seen this:

And about a 25 minute drive away, just around the bend in the mountains, I knew this temple stood:

When I walked out of my garage this morning, I looked across the valley and saw this:

Within an hours drive from my home, I can attend one of eight temples. In my state there are 13 operating temples (well, come Monday).

At the temple dedication, BJ's dad spoke about families in Mongolia, who in order to receive the blessings of the temple, sell literally every one of their earthly possessions, and travel by train for three days (and this is no Amtrax, people) to receive their endowments and be sealed as a family for time and all eternity in the Hong Kong temple. Add the three-day train trip home, this family has traveled by train for one full week and sacrificed everything they own to attend the temple. It takes me 10 minutes to drive to the closest temple. And talk about a temple district: the Hong Kong temple serves half the population of the world. Our temple district serves the population of one small county in one small state in the U.S.

As I took a painfully honest look back at my temple attendance over the last 11 years of my life, I was not exactly thrilled. We have not been horrible in our attendance, but it sure wasn't a track record I'd be comfortable presenting to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, given my amazing access to temples here.

How many people do we know who, while living in the shadow of the temple, have chosen to walk away from those covenants? And do you think that family who sacrificed everything they had and spent an entire week just to go to the temple once would ever dream of betraying those covenants after those sacrifices had been made?

IT OCCURS TO ME THAT (wow, this had better be good, I'm using all caps here) the things that matter the most to us in life are the things that we have sacrificed the most for. Maybe when things are just a bit too easy, we end of taking them for granted. Perhaps if we really had to sacrifice for what we believed, it would mean that much more to us. Perhaps.

Maybe if I had to run away from a mob with my three children, leaving my house and everything in it behind, just because I believed in a book; or maybe if my entire family treated me as if I were dead, or even tried to have me killed, because I listened to two white, Christian missionaries from some strange church; or maybe if I poured my own actual blood, sweat and tears into building a temple so that one day my great-great-great grandchildren could pass by six temples in the course of a day . . . maybe I'd make that temple an absolute center point in my life. Maybe.

So, next time you're weeding or scrubbing your house or exercising or any one of those tasks where you distract yourself by letting your mind wander, think about what really means the most to you in your life, and the sacrifices you make every day that make those things so important to you.

11 Years Down, Eternity to Go!

It truly does seem like yesterday, even though this picture screams otherwise.

Happy Anniversary, Honey. I love you!

Happy B-Day to the B-Jay!!

My darling hubby turns ____ today. In truth, he doesn't have the same age issues I do, but since we're the same age, I can't tell you how old he is today!

BJ is my best friend and the person I want to tell everything to. Sometimes he doesn't want to hear it all, but I want to tell him all the same!

We love watching movies (Star Wars and Star Trek are two of our favorites), road trips (Canada and maybe even Alaska?!), and anything we probably shouldn't eat! Topping our favorites list there is Chinese and Mexican, and did I mention dessert?! Sad but true, our house is the house where every good-intentioned diet goes to die!

I'm a little bit embarassed to say he's the master chef at our house. Man do we eat good around here! Remember how our house is a diet graveyard? Yeah. Anyone who's stayed with us knows exactly what I'm talking about.

BJ refuses to do anything for himself, and spoils his children outrageously. They love him for it! The Guy can now turn on the crocodile tears on demand and get just about anything he wants from his dad. Truly, anything. Pray he can't do that when he's 16 or we may have a Mustang sitting in our garage on his birthday.

He works so hard every day and has made my dream possible of staying home to raise our short, noisy roommates. I 150% respect him as the priesthood leader of our home and express gratitude every day in my prayers to have a worthy priesthood holder in my home.

I love him a million swedish fish. His kids love him a million blue M&M's.

Happy Birthday, BJ!

How Is This Possible?

My baby turned Nine over the weekend!

(She was obsessed with the sand at our uncle's lake in Calgary.

Apparently a trip to Hawaii is in order.)

We bought her a hat which she immediately put on and pulled a very teeager-ish attitude, for about 5 minutes. She now insists on ordering for herself when we go out to eat, can't be bothered with anything with a "character" on it (except for The Jonas Brothers, heaven help me) and carries a purse with her wallet, lotion and lip gloss in it everywhere she goes. Where did my little girl go?!

The beautiful thing about my Bug is that we are becoming better friends the older she becomes. Knock on wood that we can keep that up over the next 12 years or so! She is so helpful with anything I need, much more than any other child her age I've seen. She's beautiful and talented and just about perfect, as least as far as this mother's concerned.

I've loved every minute of the last nine years (yes, even the gross, frustrating, tiring ones) and I am so glad that this sweet little spirit is mine for all eternity! I guess I can let her go to school next month, but she'd better hurry right home at the end of the day!

Why We'll Miss Hong Kong . . .

Totally unique, one of a kind bath linens!

(Don't worry if you don't get it . . . it took us three years and a six year-old to figure this out.)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in my life!

My father is an amazing guy, probably because he'd think you were crazy if you said as much to him. Everyone needs someone like my dad in their life, someone who loves you totally unconditionally, no expectations or judgments attached. I honestly can't remember many examples of my dad sitting me down and teaching me things as I was growing up, but so much of what I know today came from watching him work and serve. His testimony is borne everyday by the way he lives his life and serves him family.

My two brothers are also fabulous dads. It's so interesting to see their differing styles with their children but how they both have managed to raise incredible kids, who I'm so happy to now call my friends. Our favorite bit with my Guy is to ask him "Who loves you?" His first reply is always "Daddy." His 2nd answer is always "Uncle Paul and Uncle Tom."

My father-in-law is such a great example to us and so loving and caring to all of his family. You will never hear him talk about the sacrifices he has made to serve Heavenly Father wherever he's been asked, because to him they are not sacrifices. He has a fabulous way of knowing what each of his children need and does whatever he can to help and support his family as they work to accomplsih their goals. His testimony and example of service are a fabulolus gift to myself and my children.

The father of my children is my favorite person on this planet (obviously !) So much of what I'm able to accomplish everyday is because of what he does everyday. Because of some struggles that he has that most people do not know about, everyday tasks are much harder for him than for the rest of us. I know I should tell him this a lot more, but everyday in my prayers I express gratitude to him for all he does everyday for us. He is a such a tender parent, spoiling his children outrageously because he just can't stand to be the mean parent! (Don't worry, I pick up the slack there.) He's a pretty stoic guy, but you'll often see tears in his eyes if one of his kids has to be seriously disciplined. Most families will say they always needed to know where their mom was, but in our family it's a daily countdown to when Daddy comes home, particularly for my Guy, aka Daddy's Shadow. My kids are so incredibly blessed to be able to grow up with his loving influence in their lives.

So, I've been pretty serious and poetic today, but I seriously love all of these guys. Us moms usually think so much about our rolls, all the work we have to do everyday, all the pressures heaped on our heads, you know the drill. But these guys of ours labor daily under such incredible pressures. They are painfully aware of how much we rely on them, and how great their responsibilities are.

So, give your dad a hug today and tell him he did a great job . . . just look at how spectacular you turned out!

Welcome Home!

OK, so here we go, as promised. But before we begin, I must say I truly need about 8,000 photography lessons. Please bear with me.

(I'm suce a lemming . . .)

I'm a huge fan of the exposed beams, and the color, and the huge porch . . . a real fan.

Please let me intrudoce my fourth baby, our new piano! It's so fabulous, I barely let anyone touch it. But that will soon change, something that is both good and bad!

Where all the action happens, including totally inappropriate amounts of video game playing.

Here we have the living room fireplace. No, I haven't hung up any pictures yet. Hammers and I have mutual phobias of one another. I tend to mutilate walls with about 50 holes before I have it right. I'm waiting for the experts!

My Bugs room. She's having so much fun putting things in just the right place, and not having to worry about a brother and sister "messing with her stuff." Yikes, I'm seeing puberty on the horizon here. Please send help!

Smellies room (shout out to Kara!) She sleeps in a different bed each night. ;)

My FAVORITE room! It stretches around the corner and under the porch. Imagine it filled with a year's supply of tomato soup. I already have three Costco sized packages of toilet paper, or "Mountain Money" as BJ calls it. I figure in an emergency it will become legal tender.

So, there's a quick tour of our new home. We're having so much fun getting settled, organizing and putting things away, meeting new friends and becoming a part of the community.

We're definitely having a "Staycation" year this summer, with the exception of a much-loved trip to Canada! We're looking forward to a bike-riding, roller-blade riding, swimming pool visiting, memory-making summer!

Dr. Spock, Eat Your Heart Out!

My extremely brilliant son potty-trained himself this weekend.  Seriously.  There were no charts with stickers, treat boxes, towels on every surface of my house, begging, pleading, screaming, patches of hair missing from the back of my head.  We're just done.

What is this miracle, you say?  How did you manage such a feat?  Please, publish a book so we can all bask in your brilliance!  Well, if you insist, here's my sure-fired, no-fail potty-training method.

Ahem . . .

1.  Wait until your child is embarassingly old.  I'm talking voice is changing, we're checking out colleges, his dates are wondering why his mom has to come too.

2.  At this point, he'll be the laughing stock of the junior class and will simply say to you "mom, this whole diaper thing just isn't me any more.  I love you, but I need to be my own person."  You sniff and wonder why he's abandoned you, but you respect his decision.

3.  The end.

I'd love to post pictures of his cute little backside is his new boxer briefs (his dad was very specific on this point).  However, something tells me I'd probably be arrested.

Still unpacking boxes.  Dont' worry, pictures are coming!

She's a Weiner!

My Bug actually won a bike at school today!  All that reading this year paid off big time.  

Our school participated in the Ken Garff "Road to Success" reading program this year (I thought I'd give them a little plug . . . they gave us a bike).  Four lucky students' names were drawn to receive new bikes.  Yeah, Bug!

OK, so here's the fine print.  Because Bug is at the top of the lower grades and the top of the tall scale, the bike they chose for her age group is a bit small, in case you can't tell.  We're currently in negotiations over how to handle a hand-over to younger, shorter, sister.  I'll let you know how it goes.  We're currently up to $20 Canadian for our trip this summer, a movie date ("Hannah Montana The Movie") and one of my kidneys, if she ever needs one . . .

Up next, a 30-second virtual tour of the new abode.  Just let me unpack a few thousand boxes first.

I Almost Forgot!

Oh yeah . . . I have a blog. Sorry, faithful fans. I can only beg your forgiveness and offer up the following as an excuse.

-- Nana and Grandpa and moving back home! Hip-hip-hooray! Well, sort of, because now I afraid I'm actually going to have to buy clothes for my kids. Not sure how that one's going to work out, stay tuned.

-- Erin is moving back! Double hip-hip-hooray! This just goes to show you that the constant whining of a certain 8 year-old really does work. Keep it up, kiddo.

-- Swine flu. My husband had to hand me a paper bag several times and tell me to breath deeply. I'm doing much better now.

-- Spring! Flowers! Snow shovels thrown into the Great Salt Lake! WARMTH! It's all very distracting.

-- I've discovered Facebook. Nothing like connecting with people you never realized you were missing, right? I've found old high school friends (one of which has a PhD in Chemical Engineering, show-off), old college roommates, and friends of friends of friends. Plus I can play mind-numbing, time-wasting games! What more could you ask for?!

-- Oh, and yeah . . . we bought a new house and we're moving.

So, dear, faithful readers, thank you for your loyalty and if you can come help us move, I'd really appreciate it!

She's Six! She's Six! She's Six!

My little sweetheart turns six today.  All of my kids are very unique, but Belle is truly in a class with herself.  As if there could only be six reasons her family just adores her, I'll list some of my favorites here.

--  My Belle has a smile for everyone she meets.  And cute little dimples that make you want to squeeze her tight and never let go.  She also has a frown no one ever wants to meet, but we all have!  There's no middle ground with my Belle.

--  She has a precious heart.  Bug often finds her bed has been made, The Guy has a constant supply of sippy cups and pbj's and her dad and I are mounting up am amazing collection of original Belle works of art.  She does these things not to get something she wants but because she loves her family and wants them to be happy.  I chalk that up to good parenting, actually!

-- She, like her big sister before her, listens to every word that is said around her.  There are no adults having adult conversation at our house.  We always have to watch what we say, because it could definitely come back to bite us!  And she can spell now, so no spelling out things thinking you can keep a secret!

-- Belle is a social butterfly.  More days than not she is at her best friends' houses, or here, or both, all day long.  Five minutes later, she's asking for the phone so she can call and talk to them!

--  My little Mademoiselle keeps all of us on the straight and narrow.  We can't miss a family prayer or FHE without her letting us know.  We're beginning to suspect family prayer is partially a bedtime stall tactic, though.  And early morning church . . . not so much.  My little Rigattoni is not a morning person.  

-- Ellencake keeps our household energy meter ramped up to Maximum.  I think our couches have tracks around them for all the laps that have been run around them.  She's always working on a project (yesterday's was puppet show in her bedroom, the day before that, it was scrapbooking), and she can't stand to be left out.  If you're running errands, she wants in . . . if you're putting up drywall, hand her the hammer . . . got a doctoral thesis to polish, she's your girl. 

We just adore our Belle.  She makes our home a better place.  Happy Birthday, my Sweetheart!

A Man With Class

Our sweet Grandpa passed away last night, after struggling for several years with, mostly, missing his sweet wife terribly.  We've all cried a little bit, but more than that, we know that Grandpa was ready for the next step.   He was greeted with loving arms by his amazing wife, his youngest daughter, and his Heavenly Father, who is incredibly proud of him.

I married into Grandpa's clan, but I quickly learned that Grandpa and Grandma were superglue holding their family together.  I feel so blessed, and more than a little intimidated, to have their example to look to as I raise my family.

 

I think one of my favorite memories of Grandpa was when BJ and I visited Hawaii with our two girls, who were then three and almost a year old.  Bug's favorite thing to do was go into Grandpa's office and sit on his lap and just talk to him.  I'm pretty sure he didn't understand everything coming out of her cute little mouth, but he listened intently to every word.  I, too, enjoyed just visiting with him.  He loved talking about the church talks he was listening to on tape, his temple trips with Kathie K and his weekly phone calls with Kathy Jo.  

I know there's a presumed "celebration" that's supposed to go with your 100th post.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to acknowledge the life of a great man who left behind him a big mark on the world.  

We Love You, Grandpa!!

Sunday Dinner

Once a month my family gets together for dinner . . . all 22 of us.  Last night we had 21, we lost one to wisdom teeth recovery.  Feel better soon, Kiddo!

So, instead of sharing a favorite conference talk this week (which would be President Uchtdorf's Saturday morning talk if you just can't stand the suspense), I thought I'd share our menu with you.

When feeding a crowd, we've learned over the years to be simple, even boring.  You'll never completely satisfy the diverse tastes of 22 people, washing and ironing 5 tablecloths and 30 napkins is not my idea of fun, and dishes . . . I don't think so.  Yes, that groaning sound you hear is Brett's fabulous Grandmother rolling over in terror.  She would not agree with me on anything I just said.  

We served baked potato soup last night.  I'd like to post pictures, but the soup disappeared too fast to get any pictures.  So, without further ado, here's the recipe.  Don't blink or you'll miss it.

Bake 4 large potatoes.  Cool to handle, peel & cube.

Sauté in butter:

1 cup diced celery and 1 cup diced onion

Make white sauce:

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup flour

¾  tsp. salt

¼ tsp. celery salt

¼  tsp. pepper

6 cups whole milk

Add potatoes, celery, onions and 1 cup sour cream.  Heat but do not boil.  Correct seasonings and thickness.

Serve with thinly sliced green onions, grated cheese & crumbled bacon.   

Double (or triple, in our case), and leave in a crock-pot to keep warm as you eat.  Serve in bread bowls (everyone thought I was being clever, but remember how dishes and I don't get along?)  We used 2% milk that we had on hand.  If you bake your potatoes beforehand, this should take you about 30 minutes, start to finish.  You could easily use skim milk and fat-free sour cream.  If anyone tries it that way, let me know how it tastes.  BJ also added some frozen corn, which was fantabulous.

Big sister served a drink she called "Friendship Punch."  Combine light cranberry juice with diet grapefruit Shasta.  You expect it to taste like cran-raspberry and sprite, but it has a lot more tang to it.  Very fun.

All right, there you go.  Now, go try some for yourselves.  Have a great week!

Happy Birthday Nana!

Point of debate in our family: when do you celebrate birthdays when the birthday celebree is 15 hours ahead of you?  Well, I guess you can just celebrate for two days, eat cake twice, get twice as many presents . . . I like this idea!

Our Nana is a fabulous lady.  This ddl (that's darling daughter in law, in case you were wondering) is always more than a bit intimidated by her organization, creativity, intelligence and thoughtfulness.  She is truly an elect lady, in every way.

Our Favorite Tour Guide --

So, today, yesterday, whenever . . . Happy Birthday to our Fabulous Nana!  We love you!  

Conference Talk Friday: Elder Holland

I always love Elder Holland's talks.  He has such a kind demeanor and his words always lift, encourage and strengthen.  His talk, "The Ministry of Angels" is no exception.

The older I get, the more I see the angels around me.  Think of the Alabama song "Angels Among Us."  I think it often takes the benefit of a few years distance to see how Heaveny Father has blessed you as you struggle through trials.  I know I am just beginning to see some of the blessings that have been poured out on my little family as we've made our way through life.

Elder Holland talks first about scriptural accounts of angels ministering to man.  Look some up, you'll be amazed at how long your list becomes.  Then he talks about being worthy of angelic protection.  We must "search diligently [study the scriptures], pray always and be believing [have Faith] . . . and remember the covenant wherewith we have covenanted. [temple attendance]"  Interesting.  Seems I've seen this list somewhere before.  

Elder Holland then turns his attention to mortal angels.  I think each one of has been blessed to know a few of these.  I loved the story he relates about the young boy who found himself, by his own mistake, on the wrong side of a raging river.  Only by his father not only following the list above, but by living in constant conversation with the Spirit, was he rescued.

I am eternally grateful to have been born into a family with two watchful parents, my own personal angels, the greatest big sister ever and two big brothers who constantly watch over me.  I was equally blessed to marry into a family where two angels watch over all of us and sisters who love my kids like their own.  I also have been surrounded by friends and neighbors who have somehow known when we have needed a lift.

I now have a new favorite scripture.  D&C 84:88.  "I will go before your face.  I will be on your right hand and on your left . . . my Spirit shall be in your heart, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."  Who could doubt with promises like that. (In case you were wondering, my favorite scripture is Proverbs 3:5-6.)  

Watch for those angels around you and try as Elder Holland says: "may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves -- with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith . . . perhaps then we can be emissaries sent from God when someone, perhaps a Primary child, is crying, 'Darkness ... afraid ... river ... alone.'"

Conference Talk Friday: Elder Hales

I have a sweet and very personal connection to Elder Hales and will always love him for some very specific things he has done for my family.  I always listen carefully to his words, and his talk last conference was a real favorite.

I often find myself apologizing for my beliefs, backpedaling, not standing up when I should . . . you know how it goes.  Some current political problems to remain unnamed have made me a tad nervous, because I find myself uncomfortable projecting my values on others.  Elder Hales tells us that if we're in tune with the spirit, we will be able to stand up for our beliefs and deal with criticism in the appropriate way.  He calls it Christian Courage.  

"Through the years, we find that challenges to our faith are not new, and aren't likely to disappear soon."  So, I guess we'd better figure out right now what we stand for, and learn how to deal with certain opposition!  Only by being in tune with the Spirit will we know how to deal with each particular criticism they face.  Each time it will be different, requiring constant conversation with the Spirit.

His last words will always echo in my head.  We do not believe we are better than anyone.  We respect all and feel we are all equal as children of our Heavenly Father.  We do believe we have a better way, Christ's way.  "To help them, to be an example for them, is not for the weak.  It is for the strong.  It is for you and me, Ladder-day Saints who pay the price of discipleship by answering our accusers with Christian Courage."  

True courage.  Christian Courage.

Why We Could Never Be Vegetarian

This has become one of our favorite digs.  I hesitated posting these pictures for fear of being accused of a: letting my children each both saturated fats and high fructose corn syrup and b: increasing my family's carbon footprint.  But I think one bite into these beauties and all would be forgiven.

p.s.  I'd love to tell you the family took a jog around the block to detox after lunch . . . yeah, I'd really like to tell you that.

p.p.s.  These pictures were taken pre-lens cleaning.  There is not a fog machine going on behind Belle and her dad.

Conference Talk Friday: Elder Oaks

Have you ever listened to a talk that made you adjust yourself in your seat, cough uncomfortably and look down at your hands, instead of at the speaker?  Well, Elder Oaks talk was one of those for me.  

For 8 1/2 years now I've used the excuse of "oh, I have little children, it's ok if we're not perfectly reverent all the time during Sacrament meeting." I figure if I show up, I'm good.  Elder Oaks, in his very cool, very direct but also very kind way, presents the idea that Sacrament meeting is so much more than just showing up.    We get out of it what we put into it, skwirmy kids and all.

How do I prepare for Sacrament meeting?  Well, moment of truth here, despite every desire to be early to the meeting, sitting pressed and steamed on the third row, that does not happen every Sunday.  There are certain Sundays that we screach into the parking lot, steam coming from my ears, yelling at my adorable children to hurry up.  Wow, I can't believe I just admitted to that!  But we're working really hard to plan and prepare beforehand (remember the old primary song "Saturday is a Special Day" . . . yeah) so that we can arrive on time with some semblance of the spirit still with our family.

I loved his words about preparing and passing the Sacrament and personally pondering the importance of the Sacrament.  The Sacrament is so important we repreat it every week, giving us a new opportunity to be better every week, skwirmy kids and all. 

Why It's Important Not To Take Yourself Too Seriously

I should call this The Ram Dialogues, in honor of Chinese New Year and my favorite little Ram.

Kindergarten Show and Tell was the letter "U" this week.  Belle and I talked about different things at our house that started with the letter U and decided she should take her ladybug umbrella to school.  We were hurrying this morning to get ready for school because we were all going together so I could just the science fair (no snickering, please) and I honestly forgot all about Show and Tell.  After judging, Guy and I went to pick up Belle a little early to go home.  She hadn't done her Show and Tell yet so her teacher asked her to show everything what she brought so we could get home.  As I'm standing there next to her teacher, Belle pulls out a (very clean, mind you) white pair of Underwear from home.

I have a very smart daughter who knows Underwear starts with the letter U.

When asked why the change, she said "I wanted to make everyone laugh, mom!"  I'm sorry, but weren't Rams supposed to never defy authority?

Conference Talk Friday: To Learn, To Do, To Be

Two weeks ago, our Relief Society studied this talk from President Monson.  Our discussion was a little different, being from a women's perspective.  President Monson has such a wonderful way of expressing himself, I can always hear his voice in my head when I read this talks. 

To Learn:  We spend our entire life in the church learning.  At 18 months we are put into classes where we are taught and guided.  But that's not where the real learning should come from.  We should never walk into a Sunday School/Priesthood/Relief Society lesson where we haven't already studied and prayed over the lesson to be presented.  Our children should learn nothing from primary that they haven't already been taught at home.  Good thing we have a lifetime to work on that one, right?  President Monson used my new favorite scriptures from Hebrews 12, "Lay aside . . . sin[;] . . . let us run with patience the race . . . set before us, looking [for an example] unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith."

To Do:  Once we have learned, we must do what we have learned.  What a logical progression, but one that many people do not get!  It truly frightens me to know if I don't do my best I will be held responsible for those souls I might have helped had I done my duty! 

To Be: I try to ask myself this question frequently: "Do the people around me know what I stand for before they even meet me?  And do they feel the same way after they meet me?"  Depending on my answer, I can do a little self-check.  As a result of all of this learning and doing, we, little by little, will be one with Christ.

Have a great week, everyone!

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

OK, so mom trumped me in the holiday celebration department . . . again.  You all really need to check out mom's post about her Chinese New Year's celebration.  

I love exposing my kids to other cultures.  We are totally blessed to have some very direct ways to teach them about other people and how they live their lives, like travelling there to visit!  We kept our celebration very simple, just indulging in some takeout and using our blue and white dishes.  But we will definitely keep celebrating.

Some highlights.  

a: realized someone had been playing with my new camera, hence the foggy pictures.  No, it's not steamy in the room, those are little fingerprints all over the lens.

b: how long does it take one five year-old (who, for the record, defies authority at every turn, mom!) to eat one piece of brocolli . . . 10  minutes.  But she did it!

c: Guy's favorite dish: "noodles and catchoo chickn!"

So, goodnight from the rooster, the ram, the golden dragon (always new my girl was something special) and their parents, the two oxen!

Conference Talk Friday: Elder Wirthlin

Elder Wirthlin is one of those men I would love to call Grandpa.  I can just imagine sitting on the couch chatting with him.  His talk "Come What May, and Love It" stood out to me, especially because we lost him soon after conference.  I loved his story about losing a football game and his mother's reaction.  Our children's problems are very real and we need to be sympathetic, but wouldn't you find yourself smiling thinking how much you would love to have your greatest trial in life be a lost football game?!  I also thought he was very kind to share with all of us his family's trials of trying to help his grandson with autism and his daughter's serious chronic illness.  

I have a total testimony of the fact that how we deal with trials says a lot about our character and also has a lot to do with how happy we are, trials and all.  When "the dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us,", often I feel our inclination is to either a) make sure everyone knows every one of our problems and feels very sorry for us, or b) hide all of our problems and constantly pretend everything is "just fine."  I love it that Elder Wirthlin tells us that we shouldn't pretend we don't have struggles, but we should work very hard to pick ourselves up, learn from our trials and do our best, given our individual circumstances.  

I will always remember his advice to laugh, keep an eternal perspective, and trust in my Heavenly Father. "'The simple secret is this: put your trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to him.'"

I'd love to  post about all of our family's exploits these last two weeks, but, sadly, there has been very little exploiting going on around here.  Stay tuned for some fabulous Chinese New Year festivating, or at least some fabulous take-out!

Conference Talk Friday

I have posted about President Uchtdorf's talk from Women's Conference before, but honestly, it's become a bit of a mantra to me.  I am way too easily swayed by the voices in my head and around me saying that what I contribute to this world is not good enough.  

As I gave his talk a second, third, fourth, fifth read, I started to focus on all of the main points of his talk, not just his point about being creative beings (I used that one for a while to justify my CADD).  I have been thinking a lot lately about God's happiness.  God's happiness is not in living in the biggest, newest house on the block, driving the biggest car, taking your kids to the most lessons of anyone in your neighborhood.  God's happiness comes from being creative (our Heavenly Father is the most creative being in the universe), being compassionate (sometimes a chore with tired, whiny three year-olds), and being an instrument in His hands.  

This last point is very interesting to me.  The instrument does not dictate the path, it is used along the path.  This requires us to give to our Heavenly Father the only that, really, He did not give us, our own will.  Wow can that be scary sometimes!  How often have we felt we needed to do something, even though our own "rational" thoughts are telling us otherwise?  And what would we have missed if we had applied worldly logic instead of listening to the Spirit?

Read through President Uchtdorf's talk as soon as you can.  Or watch it in the website, he's so much fun!  You'll feel better about yourself and inspired to do better.  

Have a great week!

CADD

Hello, my name is Juju and I have a problem: I call it Crafting Attention Deficit Disorder.  

Exhibit A:  Crochet.

I have the following projects "on the hook": One baby blanket, an afhghan, and a grocery bag.

Exhibit B:  Knitting.  

OK, so this one is still in the "think system" stage.  But I'm determined.  If my left-handed sister can teach herself how to knit right-handed with no help, I have no excuse with my army of knitting goddesses behind me. 

Exhibit C:  Scrapbooking.  

Sigh.  Double sigh.  But I've got plans . . . big plans!

Exhibit D: Sewing. 

Various projects in various stages of completion, from fabric waiting to be made into something (I'm thinking lounge pants or floor pillows from Amy Butler's book In Stitches or maybe something from her new book Little Stitches) to blankets that have been tied and need to be finished off to be donated to the LDS Humanitarian Center.  Oh, and the pile of repair work that needs to be done.

And after all of this confession time and shameless listing of my faults to the public (I will probably never hear the end of this from BJ), my favorite place besides my house is still my local crafting store, 40% off coupon clutched in my sweating palms.  So my goal this year (yikes, that kind of sounds like a New Year's resolution!) is to get a handle on this pile.  Well, truth be told I'll probably just replace old projects with new ones.  Honesty among friends, right?

I'm starting to make Chinese New Year plans.  It comes this year on January 26th and is a favorite holiday of ours.  Any excuse for some takeout, right?!

Conference Talk Friday

I have such wonderful memories of this talk by President Monson at the close of the Sunday morning session of last conference.  We took Bug to her first session of conference at the Conference Center.  I woke up at 6 a.m. to get Bug, BJ and myself "church ready" then woke up the other two and got them ready to go to Auntie Kara's house.  We packed a backpack full of various toys and snacks so Guy and Belle wouldn't take their boredom out on her darling house (even though, as it turned out, they spent two hours trying on Kara's hats and boots . . . monster boots!) We arrived at Kara's house more than an hour before we needed to be to the Conference Center, dropped off two kids, and headed to conference.  By this point, I needed a nap and was, to be brutally honest, not feeling the "joy of the journey".  

As I listed to Presdient Monson promise me that one day my house would be empty and there would be no more children to dress, feed, and love, I completely lost it.  How could I wish away one moment of this precious and short time with my children?  Talk about a wake up call.  I couldn't clean the fingerprints off of the library door upstairs for a week.  What if no one ever put fingerprints on the door again?!  (don't worry, Mom, they were cleaned . . . eventually!)

President Monson's message was primarily aimed to young mothers like myself, who are still "in the trenches," so to speak.  But his words could apply to all of us.  How often do we hear (or think) 'as soon as I get married, I'll be happy' or 'as soon as we buy a bigger house, I'll be happy' or 'as soon as we retire, I'll be happy'?  Happiness is a daily decision, not a product of our personal circumstances.  (Note to self: really try to live this principle!)  No matter what our situation in life, let's all resolve to today to be happy with all the wonderful blessings we have, especially in the throws of January blahs!