Sunday Thoughts

Lately I have been devouring back issues of The Ensign, which is funny because I've always liked it but haven't ever been good about reading the entire issue (except for the Conference issues). But since I seem to be craving all things spiritual these days, I am going back and reading our back issues cover to cover.

There was a great article in the July issue from President Eyring about being Faithful Friends to Christ and to those around us. As I read it I kept thinking about us as visiting teachers and the power we have to lift each other by being faithful friends.


"In the next few days you will have many opportunities to be a friend for Him. It may be as you walk on a dusty road. It may be as you sit down in a railroad car. It may be as you look for a place to sit in a Church congregation. If you are watching, you will see someone carrying a heavy burden. It may be a burden of sorrow or loneliness or resentment. It may be visible to you only if you have prayed for the Spirit to give you eyes to see into hearts and have promised to lift up the hands that hang down.

The answer to your prayer may be the face of an old friend, one you have not seen in years but whose needs suddenly come into your mind and heart and feel as if they are your own. I’ve had that happen to me. Old friends have reached out to me across the miles and the years to offer encouragement when only God could have told them of my burden.

When we reach out to give succor and to lift a burden. He reaches with us. He will lead us to those in need. He will bless us to feel what they feel. As we persist in our efforts to serve them, we will more and more be given the gift of feeling His love for them. That will give us courage and strength to reach out again and again in faithfulness. And, in time and in eternity, we will feel the joy of being welcomed to the company of His faithful friends."



I don't know about you, but just reading this makes my heart swell with emotion and tears come to my eyes. I can think of so many people I know who are struggling with things ranging from difficult children, depression, unemployment, cancer, spousal issues, life in general and on and on. Who among us couldn't use a friend? And sometimes a gesture, kind word or compliment from someone unexpected is what touches us to our core and reminds us that the Lord is mindful of our needs. I would love to be that person for someone else! I feel driven by that sometimes as I go visiting teaching or as I wrote a note to someone who pops into my mind.

This post popped up on Amy M.'s blog yesterday as one of those "You might also like" widget suggestions and it goes so well with this thought. I am such a such a sucker for a thoughtful note so this one got me (though somehow I missed it when she posted it back in 2008).

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: I'm looking forward to church today and having our first regular (non primary program-related) Sunday in over a month!

The Class Party Treat Unveiled

It's a good thing Randy has Halloween make-up skills, because I certainly don't.


Whitney and her BFF Madison ready to leave for school.


I love seeing the kids' (though now it's just Whitney, not a whole lot of artwork hanging in the halls of the junior high) artwork when I walk around the school.


It was nice to see her smile because she had been playing the sad mime part a little too well and seriously looked sad!


Whitney's class had a reader's theater with 5 different groups presenting silly, Halloween stories. Whitney's group was very funny, plus had the added bonus of her best friend in it.


Thank you for all the fantastic ideas and links to them, I knew I could count on all of you. I ended up asking Whitney which one she would like to do, and she chose the spider. I then took your suggestion and used Oreos instead of Ritz Crackers and peanut butter. I nixed the raisins as well and used frosting to hold mini chocolate chips on for the eyes. The kids loved this project and treat!


The mom in charge of the craft station went all out and had these pumpkins for all of the kids, plus kits to decorate them. She said she got a good deal .50 cents each for the pumpkins, but with 26 kids in the class plus the decorating kits she really went to town!

It was a successful party and possibly my first and last of the year. I guess it will depend on the flexibility of my new job. Who knew?

**Did you go to any class parties?
Do you have make-up skills?
Were you ever a mime?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Today I...took some family photos, cleaned the inside of my car, made Artisan bread, vacuumed the house, did some laundry, planted bulbs, and now we're heading out for a family party and trick-or-treating in the rain...good times.

Creative Friday--On the Verge Edition

It ended up being such a gift that I didn't end up having to start my new job until Monday, because it meant Michelle and I could have one last Creative Friday (though it was on Thursday this time).

As I gathered my supplies, stopped by Sonic and pulled up in front of Michelle's house I had to keep myself from thinking too much about how it was the last time I'll be doing these things for awhile. I actually had to remind myself that I wasn't moving far away or dying...just starting a job that will no longer allow us to have our weekly sessions of creativity, talking and life-saving therapy (no big whoop right?).


Eva was at the table working on some writing when I got there, and even that choked me up because I've been sitting at that table (actually an older table before this one) since Eva was just a wish Michelle was hoping for.

Here's a vintage Creative Friday flashback to tiny Eva.


And a flashback to SUPER tiny Eva!

I can't remember what I said to Michelle, but I got all choked up and managed to squeak out, "I can't talk about it" so she knew what I was feeling, but that it was best we not explore it. Instead she said, "Will peanut butter M&Ms help?" Of course they did.


I love this picture because it captures my photo cards, plus Eva in deep concentration while saying something at the same time, and has Michelle in the background making us lunch. Just thinking of all the fabulous lunches she has made me over the years causes a swell of emotion.


We got back to our lunch roots with some homemade chili on baked potatoes with some of Michelle's fabulous homemade grape juice.


Though we were fighting a severe bout of melancholia we managed to have a good, productive day.


Michelle assembled more sets of her genius Paris Colors cards, which she will be selling in a soon-to-be-created Etsy shop near you.

Oh happy, happy stash of goodness.

You'd think after all these years we could have managed to take a self-portrait without a sun spot on my face, but no. Apparently that's an art that takes decades to perfect.


We did a little fake cry for the camera to try to capture the sadness of the day, but it was as I was leaving for real and we hugged goodbye that I started to lose it for real.

I sobbed most of the way home.

To the casual observer all of this would most likely appear to be melodramatic and ridiculous. But to those who have been reading my blog for a long time or who know me in real life know that this is nonnegotiable, weekly event and has been for like 10 years! I went back and found my first post about it and wish I had documentation of our gatherings for all the years previous.


Our kids have grown up with this weekly tradition, and have become good friends because of it.

How could they have ever been this small?

I think we've done a good job of teaching the kids about friendship, creativity, service, thoughtfulness, and motherhood. I hope they will always remember those times at Michelle's house and will look back fondly on those weekly visits.

Five for Friday--My Last Work-Free Week Edition

When the kids were little, we always went to the pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins and to take photos. But the past few years have found us purchasing pumpkins at the grocery store, which is far less picturesque.


I thought we might be past the stage of getting cute photos while shopping for pumpkins, but these are alright.


Since Whitney turned 10 last week I feel like it's really official that I am the mother of BIG kids. Gone are the days of little-kid cuteness, now we've moved on to big-kid amusingness and independence which isn't bad either.


When we arrived home from church last Sunday we found this big box of goodness waiting on our porch. It was not your typical October Boo Treat that goes around the ward. This was a full on chocolate bundt cake with raspberries (somebody's signature fruit) and homemade whipped cream in a jar. We've been eating it all week.


I finally got caught up with my coupon clipping the other evening while watching "Lark Rise to Candleford". It was a big job!


I babysat my friend Cathy's kids for a couple hours this week as part of our Relief Society Service Auction. Cathy went to the temple, so I played with her kids at their house for awhile then we walked over to the church for a presidency meeting. They did really well and were quite funny. Her little girl said several amusing things like, "Are you a girl?" and "Girls are princesses." I have never thought that my gender was in doubt, but maybe from down where she stood it was unclear.

It had been long time since I'd pushed a stroller uphill while hefting my big, heavy church bag, so I was worn out by the time we made it back to the house. Phew!


After babysitting, I treated myself to a Pork Tostada from Cafe Rio and then finished watching North & South on Netflix streaming. Oh how I love these BBC movies!


My mom dropped all her plans for the day in order to go to the temple and take me to lunch on Wednesday for one last hoorah. We did a session then went to Chili's and then shoe shopping for a little while. It was rather painful to be bending over trying on shoes (boots to be exact) after stuffing myself with chips and salsa, salad and soup!


Michelle and I had our last, official, weekly Creative Friday yesterday and I am at a loss as to how to post about it. This is pretty much the sorest sacrifice for me with going back to work.


And finally, my blogging friend Lindsay emailed me last week to see if I was interested in having her backlog of coupons. Apparently she was receiving 5 papers (for the coupons) for awhile there, but then realized it just wasn't for her. She held onto them in the hopes that she could give them to someone who would appreciate them...hello! I jumped at the chance to get them and stopped by her house last Saturday. I was overwhelmed with the amount of them (they go all the way back to June) and her generosity in thinking of me. Then she completely undid me when she offered me her coupon binder full of baseball card sleeves. I've known I needed to get one of these to organize my coupons, but didn't know where I'd find the sleeves or how I'd pay for them. This was a HUGELY generous gift and came so out of the blue. I immediately started crying as I gushed my thanks (I seriously don't recognize myself anymore, what is with all the crying?!). It was a miraculous gift and was truly thoughtful and humbling. It was yet another reminder that the Lord is mindful of me and that we just never know who He is going to send to help us out!

**Where do you get your pumpkins?
Did you get "boo-ed" this month?
Has anyone asked you if you're a girl?
Have you seen North & South?
Did you cry this week?
Has the Lord helped you in an unexpected way lately?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Every Halloween I find myself wishing I had a costume or at least some Halloweenish clothing to wear. I'm wearing an orange shirt with a black tank top under it, but I wear that regularly so it doesn't really count.

Creativity to Spare

One of the items on Whitney's birthday wish list was "the little fuzzy mice" at Red Balloon, but after her most recent visit to the store she switched that request to "the little fuzzy bunnies". Fortunately for her, my sister Lori made this dream come true.


Almost as soon as we got home from our family party, Whitney got busy making a home for these bunnies. She used the clear plastic from the packaging as the foundation for their family room. She colored a piece of paper to create a rug and flooring, then used scrapbook paper to upholster the cardboard chairs. She also made a nice floor lamp from card board as well.


She had this stylish swatch of fabric from Michelle and turned that into the family comforter, which made their cotton ball pillows so much cozier.


What bunny homestead would be complete without a garden of vegetables?


She added a toy box, which is full of functional Japanese erasers which double as bunny toys. I was happy to see that she made a vacuum cleaner out of cardboard...at least she's clean when she pretends!


In this picture you can see that she added fabric to the couch and that the bunnies are watching "The Bunny Bunch" (drawn by Randy) on TV. The paper clip on the TV allows them to watch different shows.


I admire Whitney's enthusiasm and creativity, but really wish we had a better location for her to spread out and play. I have since moved bunny world onto the dining room table so that the kitchen counter can be free, but eventually we'll have to eat there.

**Would you have loved these kind of toys as a kid?
Were you creative like this?
Is space for play an issue at your house?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Michelle and I had our last Creative Friday today (even though it's Thursday) and I cried most of the way home. It's the end of an era and I'm not comfortable with that.

Please Help!

I am in charge of the Treat Rotation at Whitney's class' Halloween Party on Friday and I am at a loss. There are lots of great ideas out there, but I have to work with these 2 parameters-- it can't be homemade (school policy) and I need it to be inexpensive...not a good combo.

These are some of the ideas I've found online and am mentally trying to modify to fit my needs.

These spider legs are held inside with peanut butter, but I think that's a risky move with so many peanut allergy sufferers these days (I guess that means I have a 3rd parameter to work around). Maybe cream cheese or spreadable cheese would work, but would the kids want to eat like 50 of them? There are 26 kids in the class.


I was thinking that the marshmallow head part of this might be fun for them to make and then eat (no cupcake) but would that be lame? I should probably check with Whitney. I have 15 minutes for the Treat Rotation, so this would keep them busy.


I think this googly eye is rather funny, but how could I do it without the cupcake?


Would something like this be too boring? I'd probably need a ton of it, plus what would we do while we ate it? It won't take 15 minutes to eat a handful of this.

I am very well-intentioned and good natured about these class parties, but I find myself severely idea challenged so I need YOU! I'm open to pretty much anything that fits into my parameters so please give me your ideas.

Comment Window Tidbit: I'm freezing!

Wordless Wednesday

Comment Window Tidbit: It's amazing how glorious it feels to have 3 extra days since I'm not starting my job until Monday! What a gift, woohoo!

Apparently She's Ten

One of Whitney's most amusing habits is that she talks about her birthday all year round. She's always talking about what she wants to do at her party or what she wants to get.

She actually made this wish list about 6 months ago!

She made this countdown calendar back in July. It cracks me up that she made whole boxes for July, August and September, but then actual countdown days for October.


But finally October arrived and Whitney's birthday celebration started with a fun package from her pen pal Luci.


Bella made this card for Whitney (full of advice from a seasoned 10 year old), and Tess ended up being annoyed that she had no input on the design.


On the Saturday before her birthday, Randy took Whitney to The Red Balloon to pick out her birthday present. As you can imagine, this was a rather huge decision for her. Apparently it came down to a dragon and this spinosaurus (which luckily was on sale).


On the morning of her birthday she woke up to find a box of her favorite cereal and this box with a couple squishy animals in it.


The highlight of her day was that I brought her Wendy's for lunch at school. The kids sitting at the table with us were gushing with words of longing and praise, and even Whitney proclaimed "This is the best day ever!" (Really? We've been to Disneyland, had major sleepovers with cousins, spent 9 hours at 7 Peaks and so on...but lunch at school is the best thing ever.)


After school that day, Crystal and her daughter Isabelle came over with a big bag of birthday goodies for Whitney. Even though they had only known each other for 4 days at that point, Isabelle gathered up all kinds of fun art supplies to give to Whitney. This was super sweet and totally up Whitney's alley.


Landon had his last flag football game that evening and Whitney kept asking, "I am 10 yet?" because I told her she'd been born at 6:01pm. We were in the car going home with the clock struck 6:01.

Woohoo for 10!

Whitney chose mostaccioli for dinner (phew, that was an easy one).


She received several birthday phone calls from cousins and from Lori.

We surprised her with her own super-soft blanket.

A couple days later Amie gave me a present to give to Whitney. What do you think her reaction could possibly mean?


It means Amie filled that box full of candy of course! She also gave her $20 of Maggie Moo's gift certificates (what the?). We went for ice cream right away and Whitney treated Madison, Landon and I to ice cream cones.


Whitney was thrilled to get a box in the mail from Randy's parents that day too.


We finally had her birthday party on Friday night. The kids gathered at our house for dessert and gifts, then we went to the pool for an hour and a half. Easy shmeasy.


We had a family party on Saturday evening to celebrate Andrew's 23rd birthday, Randy's 42nd and Whitney's 10th birthdays.


The girl was surrounded by cousins while wearing her new hat (which she had picked out earlier this year while shopping with my mom) so we're now calling her "Huggy Bear".

I think the many days of celebrating made it lots of fun for Whitney, but I was definitely glad to have all the birthday festivities over with. Two weeks of balloons and banners were wearing on me and making the dining room feel messy (it doesn't take much to make it feel that way).

**Do you look forward to your birthday?
Do you remember what you
wanted when you turned 10?
Did you grow up with cousins nearby (I didn't)?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I just found out that I'll be starting my new job on Monday, that means Michelle and I get to have one more Creative Friday, woohoo!!