A Laugh a Day

I like New Years.  I love the freshness of it, the clean slate, starting over sort of feel.  I set a bunch of resolutions cause that's what I love to do.  (I'm good at it too... making them that is... not so much on keeping them.....)   Among my many resolutions... I also decided to pick a scripture.  I picked a simple, but meaningful scripture to me.  It is in John 16:33

Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

I love that.  Not only is it our Father's wish for us, but when all is said and done... it's really what we all want.  Everything we do, all day... is working toward the goal of happiness.  So... I made it official and wrote it down and decided that everyday,I will look for cheer and joy and happiness.  Not just for me, but for my family as well.  I want to create a home that is a happy place to be.  A place where people smile, and laugh and play together.  I want my kids to look forward to getting home from school because they feel uplifted and simply... happy when they are here.  I want for neighbors to feel comfortable stopping by because there is always a smile ready to greet them.  I want Aaron to rush home from work, because he can't wait to get to our happy home.  And I want to laugh... because.. .you know... it just feels good to laugh.  A bit idealistic... I know... but there is nothing wrong with dreaming.  I know it won't happen everyday, but I'll bet it happens more often than if I didn't dream it up. 

I've laughed a bit more over the last few weeks.  Sometimes I forget how very funny kids can be.  A few that I want to remember:

*  Lizzy asking me on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to make her a sandwich for lunch.  She wanted to sandwich to spell out the words " I have a dream."  I also smiled at her planning when she made me a schedule for my day.  She figured that I needed to play more so she put in on my schedule from 5:00-5:20 each day.

*  When we found a tiny little lizard skull in our garden, Andrew pulling me aside to ask me "don't you think we'd better call a paleontologist?

*  Sam.  Well everything about Sam is funny right now.  The way he sings so many songs, but only sings the one line he knows like, "Five Golden Rings" and "Tommy Turkey" and "Joy to World."  The way he gets the giggles when he is being chased.  His insistance on doing just what Lizzy and Andrew do.  Even if that means getting punished like them.

Be of good cheer.  Wierd that I have to remind myself to do that.  But so glad for the reminder....

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Matthew 2:7-8

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child. 

The words "search diligently" kind of struck me the other night when I was reading this.  It sounds like it wasn't easy to find the Savior that they wanted to go worship.  They had to do more than google His name or run to the closest store.  They had to make many sacrifices.   They devoted, perhaps YEARS to find Him.  And I started thinking about how even though this season is called 'CHRIST'MAS because it is a time to worship and remember Him... it is sometimes really HARD to find Him.  It is sometimes really hard to tune out the commercials and the blaring lights.  It is hard to wade through the busyness and commotion of parties and holiday cooking and of course shopping, shopping and more shopping.  Not that any of those things are bad, but they do sometimes make the SEARCH a little harder.  Isn't it a bit ironic that the time of year when we most need to tune out the world so that we can tune Him in... is also the busiest, most stressful time of year? 

So I suppose all of that is part of the reason that I love this video so much.  I love that these people, of all different ages and walks of life, fearlessly stood up in a busy, crowded mall and sang out their testimonies of our Savior.  You can see how it touched the crowd.  You can see how for a moment, what really matters was so clear that everything else faded away.  I hope this video and this inspired song touch you as much as they have touched me this season.

 

The Mansion

If you listened to President Monson's Christmas address this year or last year... you will remember that (both years) he referred to a famous short story by Henry van Dyke called "The Mansion".

At the end the main character questions the angel about what deeds on earth really count.  The angels answers was touching to me and I wanted to share it this Christmas season.

"Only that which is truly given," answered the bell-like voice. "Only that good which is done for the love of doing it. Only those plans in which the welfare of others is the master thought. Only those labors in which the sacrifice is greater than the reward. Only those gifts in which the giver forgets himself."

If anyone wants to read the whole story it is pretty short (26 pages) and I would be happy to email it to you. 

Happy Halloween 2011

Busy Week

Is it just me... or does October seem to be a crazy busy month?  Well... I've felt busy all month, but this week we had an especially crazy week.  On Friday I decided to call a "TIME-OUT".  No outings, activities, shopping trips or "to-do" list.  It was just me, Sam, do-nuts and a movie.  Ahhh.. what a relief. 

 

 These are made from refridgerator biscuits and so we were able to whip them up in less than 5 minutes.  No joke.  They tasted great too.

See  - we were takin' it so easy that Sam didn't even bother getting dressed yet.

And totally unrelated... but I saw this lizard through the window actually moulting his skin.  I've never seen that before.  Pretty awesome.

Odds and Ends

 Something awesome happened last week.  All in one wonderful day... the weather turned nice.  It is suddenly the most beautiful, pleasant weather one could ask for.  The change immediately drove me out into my backyard that has been rarely visited all summer long.  I weeded, planted my garden again and decided we needed to add something pleasant to the backyard.  With no money in which to complete this project, I ended up rolling out our round table and throwing on a tablecloth.  Simple but cozy, I think.  I look forward to many dinners around this table this fall.

It was only coincidence that Sam was dressed this way when we decided to go work in the garden.  Isn't he cute though?  My little farm boy. 

In the spring, I decided to try to figure out the CVS system and see if I could score some deals.  My good friend Kim convinced me that it is indeed possible.  I feel like I am finally getting the hang of it and to be honest, it is kind of addicting.  This is my latest score.  I spent $.47 plus tax on these items.  This is  expensive foundation ($12.50 a bottle).  The other item (sorry if I'm embarrassing you) I didn't really need, but I actually made money on it, so I went ahead.  I also came away with $12 in ECB's which are just like gift certificates for future spending at CVS.

Retail value of items: about $30
My out of pocket expense:   60 cents
ECB's used: $12
ECB's earned: $12



Conference

I love conference. Twice a year we gather, all around the world, to hear the words of the prophet and other church leaders.  Hearing them teach and testify is enriching, refreshing and inspiring. My kids love it too. Their love might have something to do with the fun of not going to regular church meetings  that week (we watch via television or the interent)and perhaps something to do with these babies:

This is our conference Sunday traditional breakfast.  We love 'em.  Here is where you can go to see any that you missed.  Here is my favorite talk.   Enjoy.