Sunday Thoughts

We had a great talk in church today about the importance of having Family Home Evening, and I sat there listening and thinking about the fun times we've had spending time together as a family because we have set aside that time and made it a habit to do so.

"Church leaders have instructed members to set aside Monday night as "family home evening." This is a time for families to study the gospel together and to do other activities that strengthen the family spiritually, create family memories, and increase unity and love."
--From the church Website


The Family Home Evening program was instituted in 1915! Isn't that crazy? It's hard to imagine the need for such a thing way back then when they were gathered around their fireplaces playing the harmonica at night already (ha), but apparently they were over scheduled, distracted and pulled in all directions back then too.

When our kids were little we weren't very good about having Family Home Evening regularly because every minute of the day felt like family time (i.e., Smotherhood), but being in the house together is NOT the same thing as having an official Family Home Evening.


The four of us rotate assignments each week, we have a lesson, a song, a game and a treat, when Lori comes over she's the gopher (go-for). (We also practice an Article of Faith each week, but no one is assigned to be in charge of that.) Some of our best lessons have come from the kids teaching us something they learned in church that day or when we further discuss a topic we heard in Sacrament Meeting. We're able to review what we were taught and to clarify anything confusing points.


The sound of the 4 of us singing is hilariously bad, but always amusing and rather touching.


Our games vary from Hullaboo, a Connect Four Tournament of Champions (Landon is the reigning champ right now), Last Word, The sleeping game (a personal favorite of mine), concentration, or Uno. When one of us has had a birthday recently we go around and around and around the group until we run out of nice things to say about that person. It's a sure-fire way to make us beam.

The treat is always the favorite part of the night because we are a family of treat mongers and because then we watch a show together. It used to be that we'd watch Funniest Home Videos, but lately we've been watching Food Network Challenge.

I think EVERY family can benefit from setting aside one night a week to have an official Family Home Evening. The lesson could be based on your own beliefs or could be a discussion of an inspiring thought. The song could be seasonal or a preschool song or something silly. The point is to spend time together as a family with no other distractions or cares. I have seen the blessings in our home, we have increased unity and love for each other, our kids don't fight, we are all comfortable talking about spiritual things (this is huge for me) and we recognize blessings we've received.

**Do you have Family Home Evening weekly?
How does your family do it?
What blessings have you seen because of it?**

Gratitude Week Day 7--Sense of Humor

"Humor is perhaps a sense of intellectual perspective:
an awareness that some things are really important,
others not; and that the two kinds are most
oddly jumbled in everyday affairs."
~Christopher Morley

Last night I was thinking about what I should choose for the final day of Gratitude Week when suddenly the thought came to mind...A Sense of Humor! Duh! Of course, I'm grateful for that because I would be utterly lost and oh so somber without it.

I especially love seeing my kids in action using their humor. This video is from Thanksgiving Day. Landon was coerced into being the M.C. for the great grand-kid talent show we had so he was clueless and embarrassed, but still funny. That's my boy!


It was Randy's hilarious personality that attracted me to him in the first place. Even during our worst times we still think the same things are funny and can laugh our way through things (sometimes with tears).


As for myself...if I wasn't able to see the ridiculously funny stupidities in my life I'd be in big trouble.

**Is a sense of humor important to you?
Do you laugh through the hard times?**

Gratitude Week Day 6--Good Mail

"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere
without moving anything but your heart."
~Phyllis Theroux

I LOVE mail, sending it, receiving it, planning it, imagining it being opened and so on. It doesn't get old for me, is never a burden, and is the best way I know how to be thoughtful. You don't have to spend a lot to make someone's day, a thoughtful note fits in everyone's budget. I'm thankful that I have this outlet for my creativity and thoughts and am very thankful that so many people share that love.

Heather sent this package to me last weekend and I love it. She knows Twix are my favorite so she got me this Twix checkbook cover in the summer, but waited until now so she could send candy bars without fear of them melting. I absolutely adore this little mailbox notebook she got me and am always delighted by mail-related designs. The message inside the card was super nice too she said, "If I had the money you would have that black armoire!" How nice is that?? Thanks Heather!


I actually got a little letter/thank you note from Betsy a couple weeks ago and was downright giddy. She doesn't write letters very often so this was a very rare occurrence. I felt like a squirrely child as I read her words and enjoyed the little pictures she drew (I love those) on it.


When I talked to her on the phone about it later she said she ran it out to the mailbox (barefoot) that night just to make sure it actually got mailed. Whatever works!


This is a cute card Michelle recently sent me. I think it's funny that we talk to each other multiple times a week and spend almost every Friday together, but we still send each other cards all the time. We both still like to thank each other for things and know this is a great way to do it.


I recently reconnected with my high school friend Ann and we immediately started sending each other things, so that's been fun. She sent me these nice body butter moisturizers after reading my post about my hit-and-run itches, so nice. Thanks Ann!


Natasha sent me this fun, Christmas package this week. She's always thoughtful, always on top of things, and always generous. Thanks Natasha! (The eggs have already been eaten.)


Kristi sent me this cute Thanksgiving card and these turkey-roasting items. She always sends fun things and is great about celebrating everything. Thanks Kristi!

Randy doesn't ever send me things in the mail, but he recently brought me this tiny bundt cake so that counts for a good mail express delivery and I loved it. Thanks Babe!

**Are you thankful for good mail?
Have you sent anything this week?**

Gratitude Week Day 5--Happy Thanksgiving!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

{This is one of my most favorite self-portraits ever.}

Today I am thankful to feel thankful, and am glad we have a day set aside each year to celebrate the abundance we've been blessed with. If we really take a few moments to stop and think about it (the way my gratitude-week posts have got me thinking) it is overwhelmingly obvious how blessed we all are. So here I am with my heart full...face smiling...lucky girl!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Gratitude Week Day 4--Friends

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships."

- Abraham Lincoln

Betsy and I have been friends since 1985 and are still super close.
Knowing her is a blessing and a comfort.

Michelle and I have been friends since 1989 and are
an even better fit now than we were back then.

Missy Claudia and I have been friends since 1996, who would have thought that a temp job at Franklin Covey would have led me to one of my best friends?


Amie is the best thing that resulted from the 4 years we lived with my parents in Freakin Eagle Mountain. I don't know what I would have done without her then, and I'm still so glad to have her in my life now. I can never remember what year we met, but I think it was 2002 (that whole time period is a painful blur for me).



The book club girls have been a close part of my life since 2002. Our monthly gatherings are always great and we're definitely closer than a regular old book club...we went to Paris together for Pete's Sake.


Blogging has opened up a whole new world of friendships for me too. It has reconnected me with college friends Kristi & Jen and with my high school friend Ann, and introduced me to all kinds of great women who I am blessed for knowing. Who knew?

**Thoughts?**

SPT--Wordlessly Me Today

**Happy Birthday Lelly!!!**

Gratitude Week Day 3--Home

"He is the happiest, be he king or peasant,
who finds peace in his home."
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I LOVE home and am thankful to have a place of our own. It is not our dream home and is definitely cramped, but we love it here and feel blessed. We have cozy couches, pictures in abundance, books, pillows, light and love.

I love being in the cozy!

Our small, but homey kitchen.

A fridge filled with food!

Laundry at home, I never take this for granted.


My gloriously messy room of creativity,
I spend most of my time in here.

Every night when we say our family prayer, no matter which one of us is saying it, we always express our thanks for our home, for warm beds and food. I think it's sweet that even the kids appreciate these things. It's a luxury to take them for granted, but it's a blessing not to.

**Happy Birthday Lelly!!!**

**Do you love being home?
Are you thankful for it daily?**

Gratitude Week Day 2--Family

"Other things may change us,
but we start and end with family."
--Anthony Brandt

I don't think any of the kids in my family planned on settling in Utah, but as each one of us moved to Utah to go to BYU eventually we all ended up living here. Randy and I could have been the first to leave but Randy had a job and my siblings were here so it felt like we'd be moving just to move. My parents moved to Utah in 1999 so now we're all here and live within a half hour drive from each other. I would still like to live closer, but feel blessed that we can get together regularly for birthdays, game nights and holidays.

Happy Birthday Jen & Marc!!!

**Do you live close to family?
Did you end up where you thought you would?
Does family factor into where you live?**

Gratitude Week Day 1--The Gospel

Rebecca S. has proposed the idea of making this week Gratitude Week (thanks to Lara for pointing this out) and I have decided to participate. It's perfectly fitting to me to be starting today because I can write about the Number 1 think I'm thankful for.

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ


My belief in the The Plan of Salvation is the foundation for everything in my life. I don't fear death, I don't question the death's of others and I view life as a mission on Earth for each one of us. This is hugely comforting to me and makes perfect sense. We're not here by accident, what we do matters, and when our life is over it is our turn to go whether it seems fair to those left behind or not.


My belief in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement is something that I understand more the older I get and the more life I experience. There is nothing His suffering did not cover, so He knows how everyone feels and can take that pain away if we give it to Him.

I shared this message from this year's October General Conference when I went visiting teaching this week,

"Our foremost gratitude should be for the Savior and His Atonement. The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all of the trials and hardships that any of us will encounter in this life...we can be assured that He is there and we are safe in His loving arms." --Quentin L. Cook


I could go on and on, but every night when I say my prayer before going to bed I thank Heavenly Father for this knowledge and the peace it brings. I'm thankful to be teaching it to my children so that they don't have to wander through life feeling lost and alone. We never have to feel alone.

**Will you participate in Gratitude Week?
What are you most thankful for?
What gives you peace?**

Seven for Saturday

I ran out time yesterday morning to do a Five for Friday post (which I'm becoming increasingly fond of because of its randomness) so today I'm doing a Six for Saturday post.


1. I met Lori for lunch on Monday, so it seems like we've finally found a good day for our weekly lunches. Woohoo for that. We went to Wendy's in Alpine (close to her work) and the parking was so lame (too small) that I had to park over on a side street and then walk across some rocks and around a couple trees. It wasn't a big deal until after lunch when I went back to my car and ended up walking through a spiderweb! Eek! I still don't know if the spider came with me, what if it's living under my gas pedal or something?!


2. I took some more baby photos this week and am rather smitten by them (I hope the family is too). I came away from the shoot wondering why I didn't take pictures like this of my kids when they were babies. I'm guessing it's because I was in the throws of Smotherhood and because my photography skills have improved greatly over the years. I just have to be happy with the photos I DO have and should probably dig up some of my favorites.


3. Amie and I met up to go to Lisa's daughter Kylee's wedding reception on Thursday night. It freaks me out that I have a close friend who has a child getting married, especially because Lisa is only 3 years older than me! I'm really glad I have friends who are ahead of me in the different stages of parenting (i.e., puberty, teenagers, college, missions and weddings), somehow it makes it less daunting.


4. After the reception Amie and I went to Taipan Trading (a big home decor store) to wander around for a bit. I saw these silver ornaments for $1.94 and got 6 of them because I like to attach them to Christmas gifts or goodies. But when I was paying for them the cashier said "$17.77". I have such abysmal math skills that I wasn't surprised the total was off from the estimate I had going in my head, but this about $5 more than my estimate and even I'm not that dense. So I stopped to examine the receipt (which she'd just stamped with FINAL SALE) and saw that only one of the ornaments was $1.94, the other 5 were $2.94! What the? I found them all in the same bin. It turns out that the ones with the cuter striped ribbon are slightly heavier. I left there feeling like I'd just been shnockered. Three dollars seems like a lot to pay for a treat bag decoration doesn't it?


5. Little Miss Whitney lost 2 teeth this week (and has now caught up with Landon with the total number of teeth lost, he keeps track). She came home from school the other day and we had this conversation.

Whitney: I lost my tooth at school today!
Me: Wow, that must have been kind of crazy, which one is it?
Whitney: (Showing me) This one. I lost it in Mrs. Brown's room.
Me: (Laughing) Oh no, you lost your tooth in Mrs. Brown's room, ew? (I thought she really lost it and couldn't find it.)
Whitney: But I left it at school.
Me: ????? What do you mean, I thought you lost it.
Whitney: Miss Rosell put it in a baggie but I left it at school.
Me: Oh, I thought you lost somewhere in Mrs. Brown's room, so this story really isn't funny at all is it?


6. I am loving iTunes' new Genius feature, have you tried this? You select a song in your music library and then click on the little Genius icon at the bottom right of the screen and then iTunes instantly creates a new playlist of up to 100 songs based on the song you chose. It's brilliant! It has totally changed the way I listen to my music. I have a tendency to listen to the same artists and playlists, but now I'm listening to all kinds of music I'd forgotten I even had. It's energizing.


7. I made a 12x12 copy of the great photo Amy took of Landon and Whitney on Whitney's baptism day and planned to put it in the frame you see when you first walk in the house. But of course, when I went to get the glass out of the frame so I could clean it, it broke! %$#@! So I ended up making an 8x10 copy of the great family photo Amy took of us that day and put it in a frame I'd bought awhile ago. I'm happy to have this photo framed, but I'm bugged about the broken 12x12 class because that's hard to replace dang it.

Happy Birthday Holly
(The Big 4-0!) and Cecilia!!

**Have you ever walked through a spider web?
Are you ever bummed out about pictures you didn't take?
Are you glad you have friends who are
ahead of you in child raising years?
What would you have done about the ornament shnockering?**

Highway Robbery

I went to pick up my Relpax refill the other day at the pharmacy drive thru (oh how I love it that they have a drive thru!) and the pharmacy employee said, "Are you aware that this is 137 dollars?" After I regained my composure I told I was NOT aware that it would be that much, and asked her if that was for 6 pills or 12? She said it was for 6!! That makes it $22.83 per pill! Of course, when I am plagued with a migraine I would gladly pay $22.83 to get rid of it, but they don't sell these pills one at a time. I ended up telling her I'd have to come back because I wasn't sure about paying that much.

I'm not really sure now what the debate was because I have to have the Relpax, it just seemed outrageous at the time and I wasn't sure how that was going to fit into our pre-payday finances. Aargh! It's delightful being uninsured...

**Would you have paid it?
What's the most expensive prescription
you've ever had to buy?
Are you insured?**

I'm Handy...Kind Of

If someone had told me that I would spend the majority of a lovely stay-at-home day cleaning out and trying to fix my dryer I would have said "I don't think so," yet that's exactly what I did yesterday.


I turned the dryer upside down (no easy task) and banged on it in an attempt to dislodge an unknown object that is keeping the lint guard from sliding down into place.


This has been the situation for over a month now and it's making me crazy. Lint guards are there for a reason...they gather lint and keep houses from burning down, so I really need it to work.


We had already tried several rational techniques for fixing the dryer, but when those didn't work I got the bright idea of tipping the dryer over so that gravity could help us out. (I think I should get some sort of award for this in-focus, self-timer shot of me under the dryer using a coat hanger to reach inside the lint guard area.)


I found a lot of lint gunk inside there and even found half of a ballpoint pen (we don't even use ballpoint pens!) so I was sure I'd solved the problem, but noooo!

The lint guard remained only halfway down!

I even ended up cleaning these holes inside the dryer. There was lint stuck behind the holes so I used scissors to poke through and dislodge it and then a hair dryer to blow the lint out. How's that for resourceful?


I had to go to Lowe's to buy a new exhaust hose and a wire brush specifically made for cleaning out lint guards. I thought my problems were solved, but nope.


Notice the kinked NEW hose. The space is such a tight fit that trying to scoot the dryer back into place totally kinked the aluminum AND ended up leaving the dryer about 1 foot out from the wall (%$#@!). What the??


So now I have a much cleaner, lint free (for now) dryer and dryer area, but now have even less space in our tiny laundry room and still have a dysfunctional lint guard! Good Hell!

I must say, taking pictures of this with the intention of blogging about it made the whole thing funny rather than a nightmare...so that's reason 2,348 that I love blogging!

**Are you handy?
Have you ever been under a dryer?
Any suggestions for how to fix this?**