Sunday Thoughts

Our new Relief Society President gave a fantastic talk last Sunday and shared a story about her sister's struggle to teach her 2 year old son to stay in his big-boy bed rather than come to sleep in his parents' bed. She and her husband had such a hard time that they finally sought help from a psychologist who told them to put a lock on the outside of the boy's door. The psychologist asked them, "Do you want to make this child feel good for a night or strengthen him for a lifetime?"


Of course they wanted to strengthen him for a lifetime, so they installed the lock on his door, then talked about it all day long to prepare him. Inevitably he woke up in the night and tried to open the door, but found it locked. He began to scream, so his mother came to the other side of the door and talked to him. She had him put his fingers under the door where she could touch them and she soothed him by saying "I'm right here." She spent that night and the next night asleep on the floor outside his door like that, but then never had a problem with him getting out of his bed again!


I was so touched by this story and by the metaphor of our Heavenly Father sending us to earth to teach us lessons that will strengthen us for an eternity. He is our father, He loves us, and He knows what is best for us even though it means suffering on our parts. He is right there if we go to Him; we can be soothed and know that we can make it through the struggles that feel so insurmountable.

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: We have 2:00 church, yet are in a hurry today (good thing I'm blogging) what in the world?

That's It

This is all I have to offer today...

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: We had a family party tonight for the first half of birthday alley, and I actually forgot my camera! What in the world? I am off my game for sure.

Grievances and Redemption

I had a delightful morning, the sun was shining, the bread and cookies were baking, I was home alone watching "The Office" on the computer while working on some good mail prizes, all was well until...I left the building, and the grievances began.


Why must everyone talk on the cell phones while they drive, WHY?
Why do people in HUGE trucks and SUVs insist on driving approaching 2 inch curbs like they're tire-ripping spikes of doom?!
Why must I limp?
Why did I have to have the feeling of a rogue hair plaguing me the entire time I shopped? I kept taking my sunglasses off my head to see if there was a hair stuck in the hardware or something, but never found the culprit. So instead I walked around in public looking like a crazy person trying to grab a mystery hair from across my face. Aargh!
Why do I always get stuck in the slowest line possible?
Why is my left nostril still driving me crazy?


When did everything get so expensive? I was shopping for a baby gift for a shower I'm going to tomorrow, but everything seems outrageously expensive to me. I finally found a super soft and darling blanket for a decent price on my 3rd stop, but sheesh!

Also, I think I'm nearing the end of being DONE with baby showers. I'm thinking now that my birthing years are over, I'm just not into any of that any more. I'm not against them, I just don't really want to go to them anymore. (I just realized this today!)


I did manage to find a purse at Kohl's that was marked $115 on clearance for $11.99.


I'm very sad to have to retire my current bag, but the zipper has given up the ghost.


I'm so sick of the construction everywhere! I know it means there will eventually be progress, but it's a confusing mess the rest of the time and I hate it!


My mom arranged a sleepover for the younger cousins (Megan, Olivia & Ashley) at her house tonight, which literally took 8 phone calls to make happen! Good Hell, I was ready to throw my cell phone out the window. But coordinating between me, Robyn and Amy, then with my dad getting Amy's girls in Salt Lake and bringing them to Lehi for Robyn and I to swap just took a whole lot of effort. I was seriously feeling like "Serenity Now!" by the end of it all.


My seriously old cell phone finally died for real last weekend, so Randy and I got "new" phones this week. Today was my first outing with it and the phone felt huge to me. Also, I don't know how to use it at all, so I felt like a complete spazz. Apparently I need a tutorial or to spend some quality time with the instruction manual (so NOT my favorite thing to do). We're always so behind the times, we'll probably get iPhones right around the time the rest of the world is getting a phone chip implanted in their brains, thus eliminating the need for phones all together.


I feared I was crossing over to the crusty point of no return (i.e., extreme grumpiness plus headache) but came home to find this note from Randy along with a mini bundt cake, 2 items of good mail and an indication that Randy was making his home teaching appointments. Ho, ho, ho Merry Christmas to me!


The girls got down to playing immediately, I unloaded my parcels and then called Amie which provided some much-needed comic relief. She said it usually takes 3 sessions to get her hair under control each day (she has naturally curly hair) and this produced a guttural guffaw from me. Good times.

**What are your grievances?
Do you get grumpy when you run errands?
Do you like baby showers?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Is 7:25pm too early to go to bed?

A Gift to Myself

Last night was the final class in the 8 week organizing class I've been attending with Collette, Michelle and Jenn. I am seriously sad it's over, and think I will crash some of the classes when the teacher starts it up again March 17th in Riverton (check out her blog for info). I am bummed that I missed the first class in the series, so I want to hear that one, plus I think I could use a refresher on some of the other classes as well. It has been great to have a weekly influx of great ideas that I can put to use immediately.


Michelle already did a mega post explaining how the "Brain Box" works, along with her notes from the cleaning class, so I'm not going to rewrite all of that here. Instead I'm going to tell you why I think it's such a genius idea...it frees up a whole lot of clutter going on in my brain! It puts order to the revolving to-do list of household projects that normally weighs on me, and thus allows me to manage my house easily and effectively. Not too shabby eh?


For example, these are my cards from today. I have designated Thursdays as my bathroom cleaning days because I'm usually home on Thursdays and like to have things clean for the weekend, especially since we usually have a house full of people here on Fridays for game night and I am usually at Michelle's house for Creative Friday all day Friday. In fact, I don't have any jobs in my box on Fridays because of that.


These are the cards behind my February tab, and I am realizing I only have a couple days left to do these jobs because I've only had my box made for 2 weeks.

It shouldn't be so hard to manage everything, and I have never really thought it was, because my house is fairly small and my kids are both in school all day, but after making these cards I realized how all those big clean-out jobs (i.e., closets, garage, pantry) were taking up space in my head and nagging at me unnecessarily. Now I have them scheduled to be done throughout the year so I don't have to fret about them...this is soooo liberating!


Now I know that in March I will be planning flowers for spring, that I will be making General Conference kits for the ladies I visit teach so that it doesn't sneak up on me, and cleaning off our laundry room shelf (which I NEVER do). All of that is totally manageable, but in the usual time warp of my life doesn't get done or gets done in a panic rather than in an enjoyable manner.


I mapped out my cards for April with big jobs like thoroughly cleaning the kids' room, preparing the flower beds for planting, shampooing the carpets, and washing the blinds because I know I'll be in a total frenzy at the end of the month when Michelle and Kristi come to stay with me for Women's Conference. Now there will be no need for freaking out because I will get those jobs done earlier in the month and will be relaxed and happy the day of their arrival.

I'm embarrassed that all of this is such a revelation to me, especially since I fancy myself such a good housekeeper, but this simplifies things in a way I have never experienced before, and really who couldn't benefit from looking at things in a new way?

When writing our cards we downloaded a list from Martha Stewart Living for more job ideas. It made me thankful that I have a small house, but also had some great ideas.

The whole purpose of the organizing class was to teach us how to use our time more effectively so that we have more time to serve others and do the things we want to do. I completely understand the beauty of this thinking and am experiencing it already as I have implemented the Brain Box system. Now I get my jobs done, feel rather accomplished, then have the rest of the day to do the things that come my way or that I wanted to do in the first place (good mail perhaps?).

**Do you have a system?
What jobs would be on your list?
Do you feel mentally cluttered by the to-dos in your life?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I already made dinner today and it's only 2:45! This is an earth-shatteringly great thing for me, why don't I do this every day?

Wordless Wednesday

Creative Friday--Tuesday Edition Again!

This was our 3rd week in a row having Creative Friday on a different day (what the?), but it worked out nicely once again.


The zit in the middle of my forehead fissure is almost gone, but still looks like a lovely red circle dang it.


I picked up Cafe Rio for our lunch today (courtesy of Jen) and was perplexed that the girl who took my order heard me say "Joel S" rather than "Jill S" when I gave her my name and last initial. I can understand when they hear "Jill F" because F sounds like S but I don't understand hearing "Joel". If they hadn't been able to look it up by phone number we could have had an issue. Sheesh.


Oh the deliciousness of a pork tostada, pinto beans and house dressing. I'm salivating as I write this, and could seriously eat it again for dinner even though I just had it for lunch.


Today's treat of choice was peanut butter m&ms (from Amie) in the world's cutest bowl.


We were treated to a whole LOT of Eva today, meaning she was super chatty and with us a lot--my ears were tired by the end of the day (I'm out of little kid practice). She made a picture for Whitney using lots of sparkly cat and dog stickers, and wrote her name and Whitney's name which required spelling help from Michelle and I.

She took a break to demonstrate some of her dance moves.

Up close dance moves.

Ballerina dance moves.

Most of my pictures from today involve Eva, which is rather indicative of our day, so this is the only table shot I got of Michelle working. She put together a lot of birthday good mail today and wrote a couple notes.


Eva made this lovely picture for me, and said the sunshine was dancing. I thought that was a rather vivid and lovely description.

I wrote 12 notes today!

Oh vision of happiness, I love you so!

Eva had a glue-inspired break down toward the end of the day and proclaimed that this was "the worst day ever" because of it.


This is the very pleasing load o' mail I took to the post office on my way home! It's amazing how much goodness can be produced in just a few hours.

**Does your name ever get misheard?
What do you order at Cafe Rio?
Do you love dancing sunshine?
Do you have any notes to write?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I love the lounge-clothes portion of my day.

Miscellaneous Monday

I seem to be over run with miscellany lately, and it's a good thing because otherwise I'd be at a loss for what to post about today.


Landon and Lucas recruited Randy to play football with them on Saturday even though it was cold with blowing snow flurries. The three of them played for over an hour before them came inside pink-cheeked and happy...and one of them was a little sore.


Whitney got a good mail package from her pen pal Luci and was very happy about it.


This is one of the very few photos in existence of me doing Sharing Time since I'm the one who usually takes the pictures. But this time I was having 7 boys dress up and act out the story of Alma the Younger, so I handed my camera to one of the other leaders. Even after doing this every month for 2 years I still find it kind of amazing that I can get up in front of so many people without anxiety.

Whitney strikes again!

We had a great Family Home Evening lesson (if I do say so myself) and talked to the kids about how being their parents is our responsibility and that we want them to be safe and happy and to succeed in life. I love how our lessons end up becoming family discussions where everyone contributes and we can speak openly. Landon was in charge of the game for the night and we played "Killer Bunnies" which really should be called "Much Ado About Nothing".

**What's your miscellany?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I just spent 45 minutes outside playing catch and then soccer (with minimal gimpy running on my part) with Landon, then Whitney and her friends, and it was so windy and cold that I have brain freeze from the outside in!

Sunday Thoughts

This quote was shared at our presidency meeting this week and totally struck me, it puts things into perspective beautifully for me, especially the last part of this quote.


We are all needed to finish the work that was begun by those pioneering Saints over 175 years ago and carried out through the subsequent decades by faithful Saints of every generation. We need to believe as they believed. We need to work as they worked. We need to serve as they served. And we need to overcome as they overcame. Of course, our challenges are different today, but they are no less demanding. Instead of angry mobs, we face those who constantly try to defame. Instead of extreme exposure and hardship, we face alcohol and drug abuse, pornography, all kinds of filth, sleaze, greed, dishonesty, and spiritual apathy. Instead of families being uprooted and torn from their homes, we see the institution of the family, including the divine institution of marriage, under attack as groups and individuals seek to define away the prominent and divine role of the family in society.

This is not to suggest that our challenges today are more severe than the challenges faced by those who have gone before us. They are just different. The Lord isn't asking us to load up a handcart; He's asking us to fortify our faith. He isn't asking us to walk across a continent; He's asking us to walk across the street to visit our neighbor. He isn't asking us to give all of our worldly possessions to build a temple; He's asking us to give of our means and our time despite the pressures of modern living to continue to build temples and then to attend regularly the temples already built. He isn't asking us to die a martyr's death; He's asking us to live a disciple's life.

--M. Russell Ballard, "The Truth of God Shall Go Forth," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 83–84

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: I have cramps today and feel like I should be able to stay home to moan, but I get to do Sharing Time in primary today instead.

Edited to add: The combination of an Excedrin, some adrenaline and the Spirit got me through just fine and all was well!

What The? (Plus Winners)

What the???

Good Mail For Me and For You Winners
25--Tiana
10--Sandy
15--Kirsten
17--Natasha
5--Ann

Comment Window Tidbit: I have a split heel on my gimpy foot that is making me limp even worse than usual, what is up with the universe?

Goat Feeding and Other Nonsense

Every year when our parents make the 4 hour road trip South to St. George for the Parade of Homes, Lori, Robyn and I take shifts staying with Andrew in Freakin Eagle Mountain.


My shift started at 2:35 yesterday afternoon when I picked Andrew up as he stepped off the bus from "work". I hopped out of my car to greet him and had to laugh as he took his own sweet time making his way down the 3 steps of the bus. I hugged him "hello" then asked him if he wanted to get some fries and a Sprite...which of course he did, I just like to hear the excitement in his voice as he repeats the words "fries" and "Sprite".

I love it that a $1.69 can bring so much happiness! The crazy thing is that he doesn't take his time to savor them, his method is more of a quantity over quality type, so he was done eating these about 7 minutes into our ride home! I actually considered stopping at the next McDonald's to get him some more, but I didn't do it.

This is the sheet of instructions my dad left for us. I still can't believe he's raising a goat (the other one died last fall) and chickens...what the?!


Even though my shift was only 27 hours long I made sure I was well prepared with my book to finish, a new one to start, my Book of Mormon, a bag of candy, a stack of good mail to blog about, my iPod and a bunch of Chick Flicks--it just makes good sense to cover all my bases right?

This is the long, soggy walk to Gunther, the hungry (and loud) goat.

These are my cold, wet feet. It wasn't really flip-flop weather, but I hadn't planned on feeding a goat.


After I had watered the seedlings in the basement (it's gardening season don't you know?) and finished my goat and Andrew feeding duties, I hunkered down to watch Anne of Green Gables for the first time ever (that's right, ever), only to find that the DVD player did NOT want any part of playing that show for me.


This is how I felt about that as I listened to the DVD player make a very disconcerting noise.


I never did get it to play that disc, but was happy that it would play the "thirtysomething" disc I'd brought with me. I put all of my mom's photos from 2008 into an album; this involved trimming all the photos to fit the pages so it took me 4 hours to do!


Andrew took a break from watching AFV and Monster's Inc. to check out some photos.


Amie came over at 8:30 to clip coupons (she gets 5 papers for the coupons) and to hang out while I continued working on the photo album. We finally called it quits around 11:30, which is a little sad considering we used to be able to stay up all night to scrapbook, but now we're old.

Amie gave me these delightful Christmas gifts.

Her cute, pink slippers cracked me up.

I was surprised that I was able to sleep well, but I didn't wake up until 8:10 when I heard Andrew (he slept in too). He was happy to see me awake and was ready to hunker down on my parents' bed to watch more episodes of AFV (they have 22 of them recorded on their DVR).


I scanned photos and watched "Waitress" on the computer while I worked. That show is so bittersweet and charming. I've quoted this on my blog before, but I love this line..."If I had a penny for everything I love about you, I'd have very many pennies."


Amie came back over to finish her makeup and continue her coupon clipping but had to leave within minutes to take her daughter's basketball jersey to her at school. It was kind of funny.

She brought lunch when she returned!

She even gave me some of her coupons.

When it was time for me to leave and Robyn's shift to begin my car wouldn't start (#$@!). I think my battery is dying. Luckily Robyn read the manual and was able to jump my car with my mom's car. (I have learned how to do it before, but have never needed to do so.) It could have been bad news, but it all worked out fine and I made it home without incident. Good times.

**Have you ever fed a goat?
Do you love McDonald's french fries?
What color are your slippers?
Do you like watching AFV?
Can you jump a car?**

Comment Window Tidbit: It's good to be home.