Sunday Thoughts

Just a quick thought tonight...

“I’ve learned that the best way to reclaim charity is to uncumber myself and simply love and serve the Lord. How do we do that? We start each day kneeling in prayer to our Father in Heaven, we hear His words through daily scripture study, and we follow the guidance we receive. We put Christ first, restoring charity’s circular love. ‘We love him, because he first loved us.’ This is the reciprocating cycle of charity. Sisters, ‘charity never faileth.’” --Bonnie D. Parkin

Comment Window Tidbit: I'm starting to feel rather giddy about summer's arrival, and I'm really loving it that we get to kick off our summer break with Memorial Day this year.

Six for Saturday

It must have been happy hour at the aliums, and I think I braved injury by taking as many photos as I did. I was just so engrossed in what I was doing but then would hear up-close and personal buzzing which reminded me I was in their territory. We didn't seem to bother each other at all and were united by our shared love.


I finished the teachers' gifts around 9:40pm Thursday night. There was no need for me to wait until the last minute, and yet I did. I love this gift idea (which I got from Shauna's blog last year) and think it will be with us until Whitney graduates from elementary school. In fact, I saw Landon's teacher from last year recently (she since got married and moved away) and she said she keeps the one he made for her on her dresser because it reminds her how much she loved teaching.


The kids wrote their names and the date on the back of the frames, but then Whitney added this message. I hope her teacher doesn't take the spelling personally.

First day of school picture.

Last day of school picture!

Landon has been super loving and super complimentary lately (ever since the life-changing service project day) and has been leaving Randy and I notes all the time. It's very sweet.


Whitney and I ran into some friends at Wal-Mart the other night, and while her friend's mom and I were talking and talking the girls entertained themselves with some dress-up fun.


Welcome to the Stuart's end of the school year art exhibit! All the kids' end of the year awards, grade promotion slips and so on made it onto the fridge! Whoa Nelly, we've never seen coverage like this before!

**Would you have braved the bees?
What are you doing for teacher gifts?
Can you believe how much older
the kids look from the 1st day to the last?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Randy's dad and step mom are in town visiting.

Creative Friday--Last Hoorah

Michelle and I opted to have Creative Friday on Thursday this week because it would be our last hoorah before having the kids with us all summer. Of course, Michelle's family will be spending so much time out of town on trips this summer that our Creative Fridays are going to be sparse as it is; but Creative Friday with 5 kids is NOT the same for us even when everyone is on their best behavior.

Our self-portrait for the day with our accidentally coordinated necklaces and black and white ensembles.

I brought Taco Amigo for our lunch this week, and after I finished my food I spent some quality time with my pebble ice. It was so enjoyable (it always is) that I told Michelle I was having a "love affair with my ice today". Sometimes when I eat a ton of it my tongue gets numb and I end up talking funny, but it's a liability I deal with.

Michelle and I talked at the table for a long time before getting started on any projects. Eva and Ashley were playing in Eva's room, so we just enjoyed the quiet. We didn't even have any music on yet, just us and some quality venting from her morning of Smotherhood.

Eventually I moved over to the kitchen counter to cut out some good mail labels.


Michelle's camera was sitting there facing me and was a pleasing sight.


When I returned to the table I was disturbed by the lack of creative mess going on...what the?


Michelle spent all her time at the computer designing a seriously genius Paris photo project (I'll say no more).


The girls passed through several times to the trampoline and then for lunch, and it didn't take long for me to feel like I couldn't get a word in to Michelle. It's just pointless to try to have a conversation when these two are talking so animatedly and loudly nearby. When they were done sharing these nuggets, I practically booted them outside. But really, they were making a game of their Cadbury eggs and it could have gone on and on and on, they didn't need to do it near us right?

We had a good mail item waiting from Kristi.

She sent us these very cute and interesting notepads to help us with our Essentials, Necessities and Nice-to-Do's that we learned about at Women's Conference.

I had typed this up just the day before and hung it on my bulletin board as a reminder, these are on my brain!


The girls ended the day badly with a fight on the trampoline and then in Eva's bedroom during the clean-up process. I decided it's a good thing it was their last time playing together for awhile.

Ashley crashed as soon as she got in the car.

**Has anyone brought you lunch lately?
Have you ever had a love affair with pebble ice?
How are your essentials, necessities and nice-to-do's?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I spent 2.5 hours weeding in the yard today and am embarrassingly proud of myself!

Graduation-alicious

Miss Ashley came to Landon's graduation with us today since Robyn and Mom were busy volunteering at the Special Olympics.


The processional of the students was laughably fast and was NOT to Pomp & Circumstance but rather some upbeat classical number. Maybe they did this on purpose to speed things along, but it was comical to see the kids go zooming by like this (hence the blur).


Four students were chosen (one from each class) to read an essay they wrote about what they've learned in elementary school, then all the kids sang along with a recording of Celine Dion singing "Because You Loved Me". I will admit, it made me cry, especially because Landon kept looking at us and smiling the whole time. He later told me that seeing me cry made him cry. (He's on the front row left between 2 girls in orange.)


I brought a notebook (that's a drawing of me), various pens, a baggie of Coco Puffs, a string cheese and gum to help Ashley through the graduation, but she still managed to go through all of those things plus needed to go to the bathroom and go get a drink (blast...I hadn't thought to bring her a drink).

When I took her to the bathroom, I automatically started mouth breathing (it's an unconscious response for me) but as we walked she said, "Ohh, it smells like muffins in here." What a relief that was to me, it could have gone in a whole other direction really.


As I watched all the kids shake hands with the principal and all the teachers I couldn't help but think of that line from Uncle Buck "That's a pretty stupid thing to do during flu season." (The kid in the movie was talking about kissing, but it still applies.)

Freshly graduated boy!

He came over to give us hugs afterward and to pose with his diploma.

Oh yeah, that's right.

Even Ashley gave him a hug.

Of course, we had to take a self-portrait.

Landon brought home a few other certificates from school today...he got The Presidential Fitness Award (he was the only boy in his class to get this), signed by President Obama himself.

A President's Academic Achievement award.

And this one from his teacher for outstanding leadership and for being trustworthy. I was so pleased that she recognized these traits in him.


Just for fun, I searched out my 6th grade graduation photo and scanned it for your viewing pleasure. Do you like my quilted Gunnie Sax dress? Sure, it was June in California, I was dressed appropriately...and do I spy toasty roasty nylons with sandals, 0h 1983 how painful you were?! Gasp!

**Do you remember your 6th grade graduation?
Do you mouth breathe in bathrooms?
Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: It's only 15 hours until school's out for the year, I guess I should probably get some teacher gifts together.

Exasperated

This is what my freezer currently looks like. Getting something out of there is sort of like playing Jenga, but different because there's a very real possibility of foot injury depending on how heavy the item that falls. For example, if the bag of assorted veggies were to hit my foot I would be annoyed at having to bend down to get it, but I would not end up bruised and gimpy. But if a log of cookie dough were to land atop my foot there would be great pain and most likely a shouting of language unbecoming a lady.

While trying to make room for the huge bag of chicken I bought at Costco this week I had to rearrange my entire freezer. I found some long-forgotten items that had been buried down and deep, and am wondering what I can do to keep that from happening again. We don't have a 2nd freezer...is that really the only way around this problem?

**Do you have freezer Jenga going on?
How do you know what's in your freezer?
Is there a solution to this problem?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Today was the dance festival, tomorrow is 6th grade graduation and field day, and then it's an hour and a half of school Friday morning and we're done with another year!

SPT--Au Naturel

I feel like a bit of an "au naturel" poser since I'm not so great about having veggie snacks around, but I did run into Wal-Mart yesterday specifically to buy a bag of carrots. After years of buying bags of baby carrots only to let them dry out over a month's time in the fridge so I could throw them away, I have discovered that full-sized carrots taste better! They're sweeter and have a better flavor, though they require washing and peeling, they're much more alluring to me than the bags of baby carrots I've scorned in days gone by.

So though it was yesterday's crazy, winter weather that sparked my desire to make beef stew, thus requiring me to buy carrots, I am happy to have them and won't be letting them go the way of their shriveled cousins.

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: Only 3 more days of school, what in the world?!

Really?!

**What the?!**

Comment Window Tidbit: It's so weird to be having a stay-inside, cozy home day on May 24th!

Sunday Thoughts

Once again, I was surprised by the great talk our high council speaker gave today (I really need to stop discriminating against them) and liked it enough to share my notes for today's post.

He spoke about the importance of taking the Sacrament each week and gave us 4 P's to remember (I have no idea how anyone not taking notes retains anything) to help make it more meaningful.


Prepare
--The Lord wants us to be clean, so we need to repent of the week's wrong doings before coming to church.
--Come hungry for righteousness.
--We can feel the wounds of our spirit being healed and the low being lifted when we take the Sacrament.
--If we are clean, we can be blameless before God.
--The Lord forgives us as we repent. We give Him our sins and He gives us mercy.

Ponder
--Ponder Christ and His life, how his blessings have influenced us.
--Ask yourself, "What has the Savior done for me?" Then feel humbled by the answers.
--Reflect daily on our blessings.
--The Savior's love for us cannot end not matter what we do.
--We can have the Spirit pour out upon us.
--Ask yourself, "How can I become more like Him?"

Pursue Impressions
--Do your best to find ways to remember Him throughout the week. As you see a picture of Him in your house or in your scriptures, take a moment to thank Him for His sacrifice for you.
--Follow through with any impressions you receive.

Power
--His power is upon us when we do these things.


I think I can do much better to prepare myself to partake of the Sacrament each week. I'm realizing more and more that becoming more in tune with the Spirit takes effort. It's not a matter of just showing up hoping to have a spiritual experience. It's living worthily to have the Spirit with me so that I am prepared and open to those experiences as they arise.

**Thoughts**

Comment Window Tidbit: I taught for 15 minutes at an early-morning teacher development meeting and then taught Sharing Time twice today as well...I'm totally spent!

Creative Friday--Minus the Creativity Edition

I had called Michelle to check on her before I came over and asked if there was anything she needed from the store, to which she replied "milk." I even thought to ask what kind she wanted (1%), but after hanging up the phone and trying to decide which store would be the fastest stop for milk I promptly forgot all about it. I went to pick up movie tickets for that night for Lori and I, food at Cafe Rio, then got drinks at Sonic so the milk never re-entered my mind until 9:45pm that night when Lori and I were at Target. What the? I think I'm losing it.


I'm kind of glad I didn't remember that I forgot the milk while I was at Michelle's house or I would have felt bad about that (and perhaps a bit senile). She must have been wondering if I'd left it in the car or something, sheesh.


Since Michelle was battling a cold this week, we didn't do anything creative but had good conversation while we had lunch instead. Eva was the only one who did anything creative by making this triptych of various herds of dinosaurs.


I returned a couple of her books and brought her a couple of my books to help her while she's in bed recovering from being sick. I mean really, isn't reading in bed the only consolation to being sick? I think so. She sent me home with 3 books to borrow as well.


Eva invited me into her room to see the artwork hanging on her walls, and then brought out a bountiful portfolio from her closet and proceeded to show me everything in it...one by one. About half way through she said, "I think there's only 15 left." But that wasn't the case. She ended up getting distracted by her bizarre dinosaurs book (of which she had many tracings) and spent a fair amount of time trying to scare me with it. We ended up making a game out of it and tickling each other (though I'm really not ticklish) for quite awhile. Good times.

**Did you NOT do anything creative this week?
Does forgetting things drive you crazy?**

Good Mail Post Winners
19--Courtney
6--Ashley
1--DeeAnn (email me stuart_jill@hotmail.com)
11--Amie
16--Kristine

Comment Window Tidbit: This has been a strange, indoor Saturday of doing a whole lot of nothing.

Five for Friday--Good Weather Edition

1. We had some beautiful weather this week and have seen the leaves on the trees come out (which is always exciting). But I really love the blue sky with the white clouds no matter what season it is.


This is our first year having Alium in bloom. Remember I got a bag of Alium bulbs last fall at Amie's Favorite Things Party, so I planted them and hoped for the best and now they're blooming high above the tulips. I've always thought these were a cool flower because they're so alien looking, and now having close-up shots of them I'm even more convinced of their alien ways.


2. Last Saturday we spent a few hours cleaning the garage, cleaning out our cars (Randy's was heinous!), and doing various good-weather Saturday activities. I had Whitney sort through our dress-up bins to weed out trash and the things that were too small. She turned this 15 minute task into an hour and a half job! Whenever I would check on her (which was often) she would say, "Kids are supposed to play" but that argument didn't fly with me at all especially since the cleaning she was doing was to help her be able to play more easily, sheesh!



3. Robyn and the kids stopped by the other day after their trip to the library. Austin came inside, sat at the bar and proceeded to read! I said, "It sure is nice of you to stop by and read." It's great that he's such a book lover, but it was funny that he wasn't talking to Landon. (Robyn's kids can climb and hang on this tree's branches, but my kids are too heavy to do that!)


Landon gave helicopter rides to Olivia and Ashley (he probably could spin Austin too since he's such a lightweight). It's so nice that they live close enough to stop by for 20 minutes.


4. This is a pepperoni sandwich Whitney made complete with a Coco Puff for an olive-looking garnish, too funny.



5. Isn't this the most adorable LOST sign you've ever seen? Whitney has either misplaced her scooter or been the victim of a crime so she made this sign to hang on the magnet board in the school's entryway. It cracks me up that she uses her middle initial, she sometimes signs her papers W.E.S., which is actually confusing but her teacher is used to it by now.


Bonus: I was at the school helping Landon's class get their Dance Festival shirts ready (ironing and spray painting were involved) and then started snapping pictures of him with some of his friends who happened to be nearby. I'm so glad he has loved being at this elementary school these last 3 years and really can't believe these kids are going to Junior High in a few months!

**Do you ever make a 15 minute task a 1.5 hour task?
Do you like Aliums?
What do you think of Whitney's Lost Scooter sign?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Don't forget to comment on yesterday's Good Mail for Me and You post so you can be entered to win something from me.