Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

We have decorated eggs, the bunny brought surprises and now we are on a chocolate high!

Life is Good!

Curious

Do you ever just want to step away from your life for a few minutes? That is how I feel right now. I want to do something different for a little bit. The problem that I have with this is that I struggle finding the ever elusive BALANCE. If I take a day and do nothing but read, sew, scrapbook, etc. then it seems that the other aspects of my life fall apart.

How does one find the correct balance so that life has many different things that are all possible? I didn't say possible all at one time, I am aware that that isn't reality.

What do very energetic and highly motivated people do to stay focused on what has to be done ( laundry, dishes, work etc.) yet allows the creative freedom to do some other pursuits as well?

Fun Song

Just for fun!

I found this funny song that I have added to my side bar. Click on the play button and listen. If you belong to the LDS church you will understand this. If not a Stripling Warrior is a Man of God, someone that honors God, women, children and his mother.

Enjoy

Dance Competition

My girls are dancers.

They go to dance class every week. Miss A has taken dance since she was five years old she is now almost fifteen. That is a lot of dance lessons! Miss E has taken for three years.

This weekend was a dance (clogging) competition in

Pocatello Idaho. Miss A had to compete Friday night and E Saturday afternoon. So, we picked all the kids up from school and drove the two hours. She danced(very well) and then we slept in the parking lot.(in our motorhome)

These are some pictures of the event. What usually happens is a whole bunch of "Hurry up and Wait!" We were given incorrect times so, we were an hour early, which is actually one hour before competition time. Well, the stage was running an hour behind! So, do the math, we sat around for three hours!

This is one of the experiences we give our children that we wonder if it is really worth it in the long run. Obviously I have decided that it is or we wouldn't still be doing it ten years later!

Sweetness!

This Boy Makes Me Smile!

Princesses on Ice

Wow!

I have never seen so many little princesses in one place! Last evening my best friend and I took our little girls to Disney's Princesses on Ice. It was quite a show. These two darling little girls absolutely loved it!

The entire day was just about them. We went to dinner and then the show. It was a sight to behold. Hundreds of little girls dresses up as Princesses. I was able to get quite a few really good pictures so that these little girls can remember their fun night forever!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!

It has been twenty years since my Dad's death. I still remember his birthday. I remember one birthday, I believe it was his 41st. We had made a cake and then put 41 trick candles on it. Those candles wouldn't go out! We finally had to pull them off and put them it water. So much wax had dripped on the cake that we had to scrape the top frosting off!

How I would love to make my Dad a big old cake!

Ouch!

A few of you know that I have been dealing with a foot problem. It is called plantar fasciitis. It is actually fairly common. I have been working with a Dr. for about five weeks. I know for sure that I have had the problem since last fall. The Dr. had recommended a night brace or "boot" to keep the ligament stetched while I sleep. Well, today was my appointment. After doing the exam the Dr. felt that I would benefit from cortisone shots directly into the fascii. He used an ultrasound machine to pinpoint exactly where to put the needles.

An average person with plantar fasciitis has a measurement of about 2 mm. Mine was between 6-9 mm! That is bad. The Dr. said "no wonder you have foot pain!" Then he found a cyst!

Have any of you ever had a shot in the mouth or a numbing shot on a finger or toe? Well, that is what these shots felt like. The shot that had to go into the cyst was the worst. I hollered at that one. I knew I had to hold still but it felt like I was going to heave.

Now that you know more about my foot than you ever wanted I will stop. Let's hope that this helps. More than 60% of people respond with these injections 100%. I hope that I am one of them! Wish me luck!

My Tree, My Light

Why?

Why is it so difficult for me to water a plant? If you have read my blog for awhile you may remember this tree. About a year ago I noticed it in my basement, close to death. I decided that if it had the inner strength to stay alive with complete and total neglect then I could give it a little love. I also decided that perhaps it was a metaphor for my life! We are strong, keep holding on!

Well, meet my tree. Once again it has been neglected. Not as severely as last year but still neglected. Miss E helped me cut all the dead branches out and give it a well needed and deserved drink.

Why do I care about this tree? Why do I not water it?

Well, perhaps it truly is like that metaphor, it keeps holding on, hoping that someone will pay attention to it, love it and want to help it become all that is inside of it. It is like the quote I mentioned a few days ago. We all have the light within us. ALL OF US. We shouldn't shrink or worry that we will overshine someone else. Our light is a gift to us and we need to find all the ways possible to let it shine!

This must be why I keep my little tree!

(check out Talk about Tuesday with the Lazy Organizer)

Rocks in Our Blood

I have rocks in my blood!

What? You ask. I come from a long line of Rock Hounds. A Rock Hound is a person that loves searching and finding rocks out of the earth that are actually beautiful gems. My Grandpa, my Dad, my Uncles have all spent thousands of hours and THOUSANDS of dollars hunting these gems. My family has always been particularly fascinated by jade. There is a place a couple of hours away from where I grew up Idaho that we would go "rock hunting." (the place has a name that I can't actually write on a family friendly blog--it is really on the map with this name)

Let me explain this event. You drive in a 4x4 pickup to the trail head, then you hike down across this beautiful meadow for a couple of miles. Then(this is the good part) you drop down into this creek area. Now if you are from a little town in Idaho, Wyoming or Utah, creek is an interesting word! We say CRICK not creek(long e). Just for your information!

Now back to the story! How do you find jade in the creek? Well, you go stand out in the middle and pick up rocks. If you are a talented rock hound you can look at the rock, look at the "skin" on it and know if it is a keeper or "leaverite." I haven't honed in these skills yet but my brother Royce has. So, we stand in the middle of this creek in Wyoming-which is ice cold. We pull out rock after rock asking, "is this a good one?" After we are all done standing in the freezing cold water or a thunderstorm comes up, we decide it is time to go home. Now is the killer part. We have to CARRY all these rocks back out the couple miles to the truck! Now, in my lifetime we have had motorcycles and such but they are not always allowed. So, usually, everyone puts as many of the rocks into their backpacks as they can stand. Then usually my Dad or now my brother carries the rest---which is WAY TOO MANY! (you can't leave a good specimen) There have been incidents that newcomers decide to carry too many of their finds out and end up in the hospital thinking that they are having a heart attack. These people shall remain nameless!

The last time I went with my brother I took my husband. He had never been rock hunting. He sat on the bank of the creek and watched all of us. He sat there with my sister in law. Neither one of them "gets" it! He told me that these are the ugliest rocks he has ever seen and he has no idea why anyone would go to so much effort to find them. Much less stand in the middle of a freezing cold creek to do it!

As I mentioned earlier, my Grandpa was a rock hound. He had a shop in his yard that had a huge rock saw and polishing equipment. He had five gallon buckets full of polished rocks that we could have. I still love the feel of running my hands through polished rocks. My Grandpa was also a carver. He carved beautiful animals out of jade. Moose, elk, coyotes, buffalo, etc.

Well, my brother got the gene. He is now the official family rock hound. He is a hunter, a carver, and best of all a teacher. Yesterday I took my family to a gem show that my brother was a demonstrator at. As I walked into this huge old train station filled with hundreds of people I found my brother. Leaning over a saw cutting pieces of jade to give children. He had sandpaper that they could polish their own masterpieces with. He personally gave each child a rock and the ability to make it beautiful. That is how you teach the next generation.

I was so proud of him. I know that his Grandpa and Dad would be also!

Happy Birthday Bro!

Happy Birthday Vance!

I realize it is a couple days late but I just thought that I would say Happy Birthday to the cutest brother ever!

(ok, ok I have two brothers and the other one is pretty cute too!)

Does it count?

Do you think that I can actually count the 8 chapters of my scriptures that I listened to but fell asleep during? Did I gain any knowledge through osmosis?

I guess that I was a bit tired!

So Cute

I have been busy creating! Last week I decided that I was going to take a few hours and work on sewing a bag. I decided to take pictures during the process so that I could use it to teach if anyone was interested. It turned out so cute!

I haven't put together the tutorial yet.

(If you are interested in the tutorial let me know!)

Check out the Lazy Organizer for Talk about Tuesday(yes, I know it is Wednesday)

Sometimes the list is just too long

Monday. The beginning of a new week. What am I doing? Playing catch up! Monday seems to be the day that you recover from the weekend!

We have the Single Ward Family Home Evening here at our house tonight. So, what am I doing? Blogging! Really, I am getting my hair done and I am cleaning!

Everything is in need of dusting, vacuuming, etc.etc.etc. So, just a quick note to remind myself that it will all work out! Breathe, breathe.

Pass some spring along this way!

Smart Habit Saturday

Well, here it is --update time

Personal Scripture reading--I am doing well! Listening to my scriptures on my ipod is working very, very well for me!

Family Scripture Time--not going well, haven't figured this one out yet, still working on a method. I had numerous people suggest that perhaps we need to have this at night. Well, my husband is gone Mon, Tues, some Wednesdays, occasionally Thurs., the girls both have dance on Thurs. and Friday is play night-movies, dances etc.wedding receptions. So evenings aren't
feasable.
This is truly a personal struggle of my own. My family doesn't fight me when I ask them to get up a bit earlier. Miss A is already up because she goes early to school. This is ME. This is a huge battle for me. I wonder if this is one of those things for me personally that if I master this if I will feel empowered to do many other things. So, I will let you know now it goes.

Exercise---I went 3 out of 5. Not as much as I want but still went. My bootcamp class has now officially ended. I am not going to sign up again due to my heel problem. I overdid it today in class. I have to rework my workout so that I can still exercise but my heel will get better. I did get the results from my measurements and thankfully, I basically maintained. That is what I hoped for. I just haven't been able to put the full effort into the class.
I will be speaking to a personal trainer (boot camp instructor) about ways to keep the muscle and strength that I have gained yet do it with low impact cardio.

Lowering my voice-I am actually doing quite well with this. It seems that we are all doing a bit better with this! Miss E has been so much better in the mornings this week. There were two days this week that she actually got up, dressed, etc. without me having to tell her and harp on her about it---that is really close to a miracle!

I have more goals that I am working on. They are those basic types of things that I have had since well, forever. Last year I wrote this huge list. You can read it if you like. All of those things still apply. I also have all the things I want to accomplish. I am struggling within myself because I feel like I am capable of SO MUCH MORE.

I have a quote that I love, I feel like it really is profound. I have thought about this often. Most of us think that we are to hard on ourselves. That we don't give ourselves credit for what we do--this is true. However, I think that we are beings of light. We have so much more that is possible. We just have to get out of our own way.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that frightens us.

We ask ourselves “who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?”
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson

Check out The Lazy Organizer for other SHS posts.

I'm ahead for once!

Here it is almost Tuesday. What should I talk about for Talk about Tuesday?

Well, I just needed to talk about the wonders of the ipod. Yes, I have an ipod. I love my ipod. I have had it for a little more than a year. I go through phases of use. Sometimes I use it daily, other times I won't use it for a week or two.

The reason that I am talking about my ipod today is that I want to tell about how it has helped me. For those of you that read my blog occasionally, you know that I am part of the Hinkley Challenge. This challenge is to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days. The challenge started the Monday after President Hinkley's funeral. The Book of Mormon is 531 pages in length. It works out to approximately 5+ pages a day. Well, two weeks ago I was working on scanning old pictures and I got terribly behind. Not a good excuse as to why I wasn't reading but it happened. Well, the other day I realized that I have the Book of Mormon on my ipod! So I have been listening to my scriptures while I do laundry! I am now ahead of schedule!

The wonder of new technology! I have just learned that besides the scriptures you can download the lessons for Relief Society. I have downloaded conference talks before. I need to do that again.

You do not have to have an ipod to download these. They work for any Mp3.

I am going to go and look at my chart and pat myself on the back.

Women's Conference

I went to a Women's Conference today. I relearned a few things.

Five Forgotten Phrases that Women Need to Remember

1) I am appreciated
-put yourself in a position to be appreciated.
-serve on a daily basis/use your gifts to serve.
-learn to Self Validate "I am doing alright"

2) I am Passionate
-what is it that you feel strongly about?

3) I am Beautiful
-What is it that makes you feel good about yourself? Does flossing your teeth daily help you feel on top of your game? Does having lipstick on help you feel more confident? What is it that helps you? Find it, use it!

4) I am Grateful
-Think to Thank
-An Attitude of Gratitude

5) I am Happy!

These are some great suggestions that we all need to incorporate in our lives. Sometimes it is easy, other times not so easy.

Smart Habit Saturday-Life Goals

How does one overcome self? I realize that this is an age old question. However, how do you actually overcome oneself? Too deep a question? I am not really that deep of a person so let me explain.

Since the beginning of this year I have been participating in my friend Lara's Smart Habit Saturday. I feel like it makes me want to stay accountable. I am not sure who I am accounting to in this weird cyberworld but me makes me feel like someone might care if I report.

So, since January I have been working on a few "life goals." These are the types of goals that you don't accomplish in one week. They are ones that you work on forever. So, therein lies the problem. I seem to procrastinate some of these goals.

Life Goals
*reading personal scriptures -I joined the Hinkley challenge thinking that it would help motivate me to read, it does a bit but I still struggle. I just put it off-WHY?
*having personal Family Home Evening/family counsel-We have done this about every other Sunday. I have to be careful that it doesn't turn into a battle of wills. I want an environment of learning and love.
*morning family scripture study and family prayer- this has been horrific! We haven't done it once in two weeks. I am the only one that wakes the family up to do this. If I get up they all get up, and most of the family isn't even really that grumpy. Why can I not get myself out of that bed to do this. I know that it is so important.
*lowering voice and not yelling-this has actually improved quite a bit. I am trying so hard to not have such a loud voice. I am also trying to not be so reactive. This is a constant process, especially with children(at least my children!)
*exercising-I am still plugging away at this. I really wanted to get to where I was going 4-5 days a week. I am still managing 3. I am frustrated with this because of my heel problem. I have plantar fasciitis in my heel and it is just slow to heel. I have gone to the Dr. and I am trying to be patient. Because of the injury I am not going to be able to continue my boot camp class next session. I have also not been able to put in the full effort that I have wanted to. It makes me crazy! I have still gone and I am always doing something, even when I can't do the running or jumping. I hope that this will get better.

Why do I struggle so much with these things? I realize that not everyone is very religious so a few of my goals don't seem to matter. However, to me they matter a lot. I just feel so strongly that we have to master these. NOW. My #1 child will leave our home in 3 1/2 years. That is a blink. I feel so strongly that we have to get these to be habits so that she will have had at least a few years of this habit. We have read scriptures during her life. However, it hasn't been a regular daily habit. I regret that.
How do I get myself to just get the family up and doing it? I sometimes wonder if there is another force that works on me to get me to NOT get up and get the family up. The evil one doesn't want these children to have gospel knowledge. So perhaps in my zombie state he just puts those extra tired thoughts in my mind.

I need a few suggestions on how to get myself to JUST DO IT! I was thinking about putting my alarm clock in my bathroom so that I have to actually get up out of the bed to turn it off. I had roommates in college who had to do this.

My Smart Habit Saturday Post became extra long-however, I hope that it will help me make a difference.

Trying to slow down

This past week has been busy. Not really any busier than any other week of my life. However, it has felt busy in my head and body. Last week I worked with my Mom scanning over 600 old pictures. It was fun to look at these. Some of them I had seen before but there were a few that I hadn't ever seen. I will be adding a few of them to my walls.

So, why have I felt so tired and busy this week? I don't know. Just tired I guess. It is the end of February. That is a good thing. January and February are the longest, hardest months. This year has been hard also because we have had a really wintery winter! After awhile you just want to see some grass!

Today I am staying home until evening. I am trying to just chill. Many people would call it wasting time being lazy. I am, however, going to call it feeding my tired soul. I am reading a book for our book group called The Ultimate Gift by Jon Stovall. It is a quick read but quite good. Just some food for thought. After that little J and I will pick up his toys and I will do a load of laundry. I have made four beds. Yes, I know that they should have made them. They didn't so I did it for them. Maybe as a little surprise. I have Miss A's still to go.

I am also planning on listening to my scriptures on my ipod. I am behind on my reading schedule. I don't know why I really want to finish in the alloted time. I just do--so, I better get busy! Wait, there is that pressure again, I am trying to relax and unwind a bit today! So, no pressure! I am going to try and read and I will get caught up when I do!

Happy Heart Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

I haven't had much time to think about something cute to post. I am in the process of scanning HUNDREDS of old pictures. I have scanned at least 500 so far. This is a fraction of what needs done. I am helping my Mom get these old pictures scanned so that we can make some hardbound copies for all the siblings. We want to do a book about my Dad and then also books about us as children.

It is boring, slow work!!

Twenty Years Ago

Twenty years ago today you left us. Not a day has gone by in those twenty years that I haven't missed you in my life. I have a deep sadness that my children have never known you. I am sad that you didn't get to be at my wedding, the birth of my four children(at least in the hall). I am sad that you didn't get to see me graduate from college. I am sad that you didn't get to know me as an adult. I think that you would like me.

I miss you Dad.

Family Fun Day!

We had a blast sledding today! We took the old snowmachines and pulled the kids back up the hill. They built a jump and really got some air.

It was nice to have some nicer weather! It was 40*!!!

What has happened to my habits?

Personal scripture study--pretty good actually! I started the Hinkley Challenge and I am doing great! I read 5 out of 7 days!

Family Scriptures/morning time--we are doing pretty good 3 out of 5 week days!

Exercise-average-3 days. My foot is still bothering me, I went to the Dr. I have to take out a bit of the pounding, so the elliptical machine will have to become my friend. How boring!

Lowering Voice-not yelling-average. Nothing major, Miss E was a bit better in the mornings so that helps so much.

Check out The Lazy Organizer for more Smart Habit Saturday.

Look what I did!!

Look what I did!

I am really very computer illiterate! However, I found a blog that helps you to make the blog look fun.

It is called cuteblogs. I hope that the link works.

I actually went in and changed html code! That is amazing---I was scared yet it worked!!!

My Old Ratty Book

I finally did it! I purchased a new address book! This doesn't seem like such a big deal, however, for me this is HUGE!

Let me explain. My current address book is the same book I have been using since I was in high school. My Uncle gave it to my Mom for Christmas. She was going to redo her address book. So, she crossed off all the old addresses etc. Well, somehow instead of me writing all her addresses in the book it became mine. This address book has been following me around for around 25 years! That is a lot of addresses!

I have been contemplating a new book for quite awhile. The truth is that I have difficulty making decisions. I would look at a new book and just not like it. Then another two months would pass. Then it would be another year. Well, before Christmas I pulled out my book to do my cards.

There was my old faithful book. The front and back covers have been gone for years. The front A page has been torn out for at least two years. I have to keep that page because sweet Anna is on that page! As I was going through each page I realized the truth to why I hadn't changed my address book(besides being lazy). It is full of twenty five years of history. This is my first personal address book. This is the book that I used in high school. It had people that I met when I was a state officer for Future Homemakers of America, it had people from Especially For Youth when I was fifteen. It had addresses of cute boys! It became a record of my college years. There are complete pages of a few of my friends. They have moved and moved so their names were crossed out and rewritten. I counted one friend and I had nine different addresses for her! Another discovery as I was going through my book was that I am now old enough to have many people in my life who have passed away. My Dad, four uncles, one aunt, my favorite school teacher, both of hubbies grandparents, a cousin and a few others. There are people written in that book that I haven't spoken with in 21 years. I will probably never again.

That book holds a lot of history. Only to me. Anyone else who looks at it looks at a crumpled, crossed out mess! To me it is a record of where I have been. It is a record of people who have touched my life.

As I finally purchased a new book I almost bought one that I didn't love because it was a few dollars cheaper. I stopped myself. I have used my address book for at least twenty five years. I will probably use this one for that long. So, I bought the one that I wanted! I have added all the current addresses to it. It is bright and cheery. It has a three ring binder so that pages can be moved around easily.

There is only one problem. It has no history. When I look through it, it isn't a trip through my life!

I will be keeping my old ratty address book tucked away in a special spot. It is part of me.

Sunshine, Beautiful Sunshine!

Sunshine, beautiful sunshine!





The sun is out and it is a gloriously beautiful day! After receiving about 20 inches of new snow yesterday it is a welcome relief to see the most spectacular blue sky. There are mountains of snow everywhere around us. It is difficult to see while driving because the snowbanks are so high.


Little boy and I went for a quick walk so I could take some pictures(without any tractors present).

It is amazing how much a little sunshine can help elevate ones mood!

Caution!

Warning!

Never take pictures when large equipment is present.

This large tractor belongs to our neighbor. He is a great guy. He was out moving mounds and mounds of snow. I went outside to try and take better exposure pictures. Jerry(tractor driver) had seen me. We had waved. He drove down the street, I turned around to take a picture of my house and the mountain of snow in front of it. Then I was face down, camera in the snow. I was trying to crawl towards the snow. I just knew that the tire was going to run over me. Thank goodness I screamed because Jerry heard me.

I really, really thought I was going to be ran over by this tractor. It happened so quick. He was down the street and then I was down. That is how easily it is to lose a child or anyone else to an accident. I am fine. I think I will probably be sore, I am not even sure where the bucket hit me. It must have been in my back. I am still emotional about it. It was so scary.

I did however, get some better pictures! My friend Tina will be so proud of me, I got my manual and guide book out to learn how to override the exposure!!!

Snow Day!

We officially got a "snow day!" We usually go to Sunday church services. Well, today church was cancelled because of the snow. There is at least 14 inches already and it is still coming down hard!

My hubby got stuck in our driveway, he had to actually push the snow with the door to open it.

The kids are all out shoveling. I think that every man in the state is out with their shovels, trackers and snowblowers.

It reminds me of growing up in Southeastern Idaho, who by the way have been out of school for snow for the last FIVE days!

the pictures don't do the snow justice. It is so hard to get a good exposure with snow.

An Emotional Day

Saturday was a somber day for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was our beloved Prophet President Hinkley's funeral. It was a very touching and emotional day.
I was just weeping, he touched us all so much. He was such a kind, gentle man. He had such a funny sense of humor as well. His counselor President Monson told of their doctor trying to get him to tell President Hinkley to use his cane for walking instead of just waving it around. President Monson told the Dr. that he was his counselor and he was the Dr. "You tell him!" It was so funny and so touching.
As the funeral procession made it's way throught the city there were crowds of people waving white hankies just like President Hinkley did on so many occasions. There were also many people, including adoring children waving canes. It was so sweet.

I have included two pictures. The first is of President Hinkley waving his cane with his wonderful smile. The second is of his casket with his empty chair in the background.

I hope that we can all do as he taught. Stand a little taller, Be a little better.

February-Yeah!

It is officially February! That means that we are getting closer and closer to spring and more daylight! My Seasonal Affective Disorder will thank the sun for this! My husband will also. I am more pleasant as is he when there is more sunlight!

It is also Saturday so it is update time for Smart Habit Saturday.

*We did amazing(for us) at our morning devotional/scripture time. We actually read three mornings!

*I only exercised three days-having foot pain.

*Average week with not yelling. Miss E can push anyone over the edge. I wish I really knew how to get her to stop being a stinker. When she is nice she is really nice. However, she is so loud and bossy so much that it is a struggle.

*Other things--not so well.

I am really going to try and keep focusing on these things, they are really life changes. They are habits that I am going to be working on forever. However, this week/month I am going to try and focus on my own personal scripture study. Why is this so difficult for me?

My friend Rachel (new blog-check it out!) was invited to participate in a tribute to President Hinkley. Starting Monday we start reading the Book of Mormon and finish it in 97 days. There is a website that has a tracker for pages read. If you are interested go and check it out.

(Just a reminder-if there is a word/words highlighted that means that there is a link to another web page. All you do is click on the word and you will be redirected to that link--it is very handy! )


For more great ideas check out the Lazy Organizer for Smart Habits Saturday.