Introducing Sally 2

Today I am the reluctant owner
of a new cell phone,
thanks to faulty pants pockets,
"wild" teenage driving and
my loving hubby.

I have a very difficult time with change
and have had the same style of cell phone
since I became a reluctant cell phone owner
back in the Fall of 2004.

I have actually had 3 different phones.
First my original plan issue.
Then my oldest son's identical phone
that I acquired
when he needed an upgrade and
I needed buttons that actually pushed.
Most recently I had the exact same phone
courtesy of my youngest daughter's
necessary upgrade to a sidekick phone
with a keypad
for easier texting and internet access.

I had a flip phone
(also a hand-me-down
from the son)
for a week
and I hated it.
I took about 200 pictures
of the inside of my pocket in that week.
I kept accidentally hanging up
on people when I tried to answer it
and the space button
and capital letter button
and puncuation button
were in different places
than I was use to
when I tried to text
and it frustrated me no end.

Now, I know all you
younger than 30 text messagers out there are saying
"You don't use puncuation when you TEXT!"
but I pride myself on my puncuation
and my complete words
and my capital letters
and my precise spacing.
That is why it takes me 10 minutes to send a
5 word text message.
That and the fact that I despise T9.

My husband was going to buy me
a new cell phone a while back
so we went to the T-mobile store and
looked at our options.
I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack
right there in front of the display cases.

So Many Choices.
So Many Bells and Whistles
and Cameras and Colors.
I had to get out of there and fast.
That's when I decided that
I could always scroll up so
I didn't really need a down arrow that worked.

I hate change
but now it has been thrust upon me
and I will just have to get use to it.

I couldn't even make myself go to the store today.
The husband went with 2 of the kids.
I made the hubby promise me
no flipping,
no sliding,
and no picture taking.

Just a boring new phone
like my boring old one.

My kids were so disappointed.
So of course,
the daughter had to purchase an upgrade for herself.


Today I am thankful for

a husband that will go buy me a new cell phone so "my heart doesn't have to go all crappy". That's what happens when I walk into a cell phone store, a car dealership or Costco.
a husband that is willing to be one of the few men watching a "chick flick" because that's the movie I wanted to see.
a husband who loves me even though I think too hard.

My birthmonth present to myself today was going to see "Mamma Mia" for free with my library reading program gift cards.

The new thing I learned today is that there are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. How many can you come up with?

The Old Spaghetti Factory

Tonight our family went to
The Old Spaghetti Factory
to celebrate my birthday.

Despite a few roadblocks
on the trip there such as
Arizona Diamondbacks traffic,
one way streets,
no left hand turn lanes,
and downed tree branches
from last night's storm
we all managed to arrive
in one piece.

The Old Spaghetti Factory
is pretty old.
I remember visiting the one
at Trolley Square in Salt Lake City
way back when I was still a teenager
or close to it.
Our family usually manages a
visit there each time we go to Utah,
but not this year.

The oldest son was happy to discover
an Old Spaghetti Factory in Phoenix
a few years ago.
We don't visit often
so it was a good "special occasion" location.

I don't know if I like
The Spaghetti Factory
for the food,
which is good
or for the decor
which is amazing,
in my opinion.

I just think the over-stuffed chairs,
the stained glass windows,
the antique furniture,
and the chandeliers and rod iron decorations
are fun. They make me feel happy.

However, I do enjoy
the Mizitrah and Browned Butter Pasta,
the small loafs of French Bread
and the Spumoni Ice Cream as well.

I enjoyed myself immensely.
Thanks family for going with me.

We are planning a return visit
on the Valley Metro Light Rail
when it starts making runs.
We discovered there is a stop
right in front of the restaurant.
Let us know if you would like
to join us on this adventure.

Today I am thankful for

Family to go out to eat with.

A husband who puts up with my passenger seat driving without complaining.

Beautiful Arizona Sunsets.
My birthmonth present today was going out to dinner.

The new thing I learned today was who Sarah Palin is and why I might want her to be the next Vice President of the United States. She is the govenor of Alaska, a mom of 5 (including a new born with Downs Syndrome and a son serving in Iraq), a wife, a beauty queen, a flute and basketball player, and a moose hunter. I think picking her as a running mate was a good political move for John McCain. Some people who's conversations I ease-dropped on today didn't agree with me.

Lessons from Aunt Grace

I always find myself doing
an inventory of my life
when my birthday rolls around.

It seems like this
is the time of the year
when I am the most motivated to set goals
or change unproductive habits.
I don't set very many New Year's Resolutions
but I usually come up with a few Birthday ones.

Whenever I think about setting goals
I am reminded of a story I once heard
at BYU Education Week.

It was entitled "Lessons from Aunt Grace"
and was originally published in the Reader's Digest Magazine.

Aunt Grace was a maiden aunt who
had come to live with relatives.
She felt like an imposition and
was feeling sorry for herself.
She quickly came to realize that
this was the way her life was.
There was nothing she could do
to change the circumstances
she found herself in
so she decided to change herself.

She decided to complete 6 tasks each day
in order to hold her world together
and she recorded in her journal
how she accomplished these goals.

The 6 tasks were

Do Something for Someone Else.

Do Something for Myself.

Do Something I Don't Want to Do-
that Needs Doing.

Do a Physical Exercise.

Do a Mental Exercise.

Do an Original Prayer that
always includes counting my blessings.

Whenever I feel like
I need to make some changes in my life
these 6 tasks immediately come to mind.

As I think about them
I can usually see
where I am lacking
and what I need to work on.
Often when I set goals
a few of these tasks are included.
Focusing on these simple items
each day has helped to bring my
life back into focus on numerous occasions.

I am grateful for the lessons
I learned from Aunt Grace.

You can read the complete story here.

The Vote is In.

Here are the "official" results of the vote I recently held on my blog.

We have some money in our savings account what should we do with it?

Buy a new car.
2 (16%)

Remodel the kitchen.
5 (41%)

Pay down debt on our car or house.
4 (33%)

Continue to save it for our children.
0 (0%)

Celebrate my birthday in a big way.
1 (8%)

As you can see Remodel the Kitchen won by the narrowest of margins.

I did celebrate my birthday in a big way. A whole month of gifts and parties and happy birthday thoughts. Thank you to my sister for thinking I deserved a celebration.

The computer wouldn't let my husband vote, since I had already voted, so Buy a New Car really should have had 3 votes and may still end up being the direction we go depending on the results of the most recent car repair we just paid for.

Pay down debt is always a good direction to go and doesn't require as much decision making as some of the other choices. You write a check and boom it's done. I think we will still be doing that with part of the amount.

I do want to remodel my kitchen, but more than that I NEED to remodel my kitchen. It is in sad shape and any day now the dish cupboard is going to detach itsself from the ceiling and end up on the counter or the floor. The drawers all have broken tracks and one of them is missing, the dishwasher doesn't work, only part of the stovetop works, and the cupboard doors refuse to stay shut. It is pretty much the original kitchen from when the house was built in the 1970s.

I have been pondering this change for awhile and have been looking in magazines and books but I'm just not sure what I want. The problem that I have is that it is a very small galley kitchen. It is 9 feet by 11 feet. I have no counter space and not as much cupboard space as I would like. I don't really know how to make best use of the available space or how to add space.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
There are a lot of houses in my neighborhood which are the same floorplan as mine. I am tempted to just go up and down the streets knocking on doors and inviting myself in until I find something I like, but I'm not quite that brave. I don't enjoy going to showrooms because I feel too pressured, but I think that it is necessary to know what is available out there and the potential cost of the ideas I might have.

Help! I need Help!

Expectations

I've been thinking a lot about
expectations
for the past few days.

My friend's mother is undergoing
chemotherapy and stem cell replacement.
She was admitted to the hospital
a couple of days ago but
that doesn't really mean things are going bad.
It's to be expected.

I picked up a new prescription
and the pharmacist
shared with me the possible
side effects I could expect.

My daughter brought me the
4th book in the Twilight Series
by Stephenie Myers.
I should be excited about reading it
but I expect that it isn't
going to be as good as I would like
or have the ending that I would choose.
(You see I am a Jacob fan.
Go figure.)
I expect to be disappointed.

My youngest shared some
unexpected news with me yesterday.
He expects to fail his math class
because the homework I expected
he was doing didn't get done.
According to him, the teacher
expects him to know how to do the work
even though she doesn't do any teaching
like we would expect a teacher to do.
He wants to drop the class and
have a study hall 4th hour
and try again next semester,
but he expects
me to say no
and he expects
his dad to say no too.

My oldest and her hubby
bought a NEW couch that
I didn't expect.
I never expected that
my children would buy
NEW couches before I did
and now two of them have.
I expect that if I
walked into a furniture store
and said "I want to buy that
"NEW couch" that I would
walk out of the store
the new owner of a NEW couch.
However, the reason I haven't done that
is I don't expect
that a NEW couch
would make me happy.

I expect a NEW couch
to just be something else
for me to worry about
and feel bad about
when it got dirty
or broken
or not NEW anymore
and I expect those things
would happen.

Today is my birthday.
Sometimes my birthdays
have not lived up to my expectations.
Over the years
I have lowered my expectations
and it has made me
a happier birthday girl.
Anything good that happens
is more than I expected.
Like the phone call
I just got from my mom
and didn't expect.

So, are expectations
good or bad or neither?

Should they be high
or low?
Lowering my birthday expectations
seems to have been a good thing but
should I lower my expectations
where the son and his math class are concerned?
Perhaps high expectations
will bring the desired result there.

However, when I go to a movie
with high expectations
I am often disappointed.
Take "Forest Gump" and
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
for example, both good movies
that I don't care for
because they didn't live
up to my high expectations.
If I had gone into either of those movies
with lower expectations,
I think they would be on my
"movies I really like" list.

Does that mean if I put high expectations
on my son
nd he doesn't meet them
I will have to take him off
my "Righteous Children I really like" list?

How about with the medication?
Do I get nauseated and tired
because that little white pill
really has that side effect for me
or because I expect to feel
nauseated and tired?

Or should I always have
old, ugly furniture
because I expectNEW furniture
to get ugly and old?
I suspect there is something
wrong with that logic.

When I was going to BYU,
studying to be a teacher,
we learned about self-fulfilling prophecies.
If you place high or low expectations
on children or events or things
often those expectations
become self-fulfilling prophecies
and you get what you expect.

We all know people that expect
good things to happen to them,
and they do and
we all know people that expect
bad things to happen to them
and they do.
Is that because of their expectations?

So if I expect to be disappointed
in the book I will be?
Then why when I expected the movies
to be great weren't they?
Or when I expected the son to
be doing his homework
when he said he was
didn't he?

Didn't I expect hard enough
or high enough
or sincerely enough?

I expect to be pondering these questions
and others like them,
for a long, long time.

Today I am thankful for

Birthday Surprises - phone calls, e-mails, cards, gifts, visits, a rain storm, 64 degrees, and door bell ditchers.

Opportunities to reflect and set goals.
the fact that marching band music is usually played outside. It was a great concert, but LOUD!

My birthmonth gift today was free birthday lunch at Denny's with my hubby. They even decorated with birthday banners, just for me.

Get a Clue!

I was understandably upset when I read in the newspaper the other day that several of my childhood friends have been sentenced to death row with their executions expected to take place by early Fall.

I guess this is to be expected when you hang out with convicted multi-murders. I knew it had to be coming sooner or later, but I was still saddened, if not surprised.

The sad thing is that the crime that has resulted in their final demise is not the murders. No. No matter how many times the jury came back with a guilty verdict these friends always seemed to get off, escape punishment, walk away, live on, go back to their old ways, and kill again.

No. The crime for which they have received the death sentence is simply that they are old fashioned and out of date. Their lives are no longer relevant to the younger generation and therefore they will be done away with immediately. Replaced by a more updated and realistic group of fashionable felons, that include a football star and a video game creator.

Let's all join in a moment of silence for my friends (and most likely yours).

Professor Victor Plum - the intelligent one who was possibly a plagiarist.
Colonel Michael Mustard - the decorated war hero.
Mrs. White - the matriarch of the group who worked as a nanny.
Mrs. Patricia Gobelin Scarlett Zaffer Peacock - the one with the most husbands.
Miss Josephine Scarlett - the unsuccessful actress and daughter of Mrs. Peacock.
Mr. John Green - the only American in the group, who sometimes referred to himself as Reverend.

May they rest in peace alongside the lead pipe, the wrench, and the revolver.

If you would like to visit and pay your respects, they will most likely be buried beneath the new spa, theater or guesthouse additions being made to the mansion.

Now before you think that I need to get a life. Let me tell you, "I tried and it was too late." The "new and improved" version of The Game of Life is already on all the store shelves and has been for a couple of years. I own it and I have played it and it is just not the same as the original that I enjoyed for hours with my brother on long summer days.

That is why I am giving you fair warning,
Get a "CLUE" now, before it is too late
or hang on to the one you've already got.

Today I am grateful for

Having enough. I went shopping today and didn't find anything I really wanted or needed.
Young Men leaders who put up with teenage boys and try to make a difference in there lives.
A son who is smart enough not to tell me distressing news while he is driving.

My birthmonth gift to myself today was a strawberry banana smoothie from Jack in the Box. I love coupons that make things totally free. No buy 1 get one, just plain free!

My Son's First Driving Casualty

My 16 year old was involved in a hit and run today. The worst part was, I was in the car with him at the time and I didn't even realize that it had happened. It wasn't until we got to our house that I realized something was even wrong. We quickly returned to the scene. But it was too late for the victim. Parts of her were strewn all over the asphalt. My son attempted to resuscitate her, but she was too far gone. Even his magic fixing skill was not enough. Sally the Cell Phone is no more. At least we don't have to report this accident to the insurance company. I guess I know what I want for my birthday now! Today I am thankful for cooler temperatures and RAIN. for washing machines. I wouldn't want to wash clothes with a rock and a bar of soap. that the driving casualty was a cell phone and not a car or a person. My birthmonth present today was not having to drive anyone to or from work. All the cars kept running for another day. Keep your fingers crossed.

Bird Lover

My father was a bird lover.

Pretty much any kind of bird, although he was partial to waterfowl and gamebirds.

I learned to love birds from my dad.

It probably had to happen since I was surrounded by them from the day I was born.

My dad was raising parakeets when I was little, but that ended before I can remember.

The birds that I remember were peacocks,

jungle fowl,

golden pheasants,

assorted ducks, and Canadian Geese.


We had a pretty big "pheasant pen"complete with a cement pond and a fenced enclosure out behind our house and that's where they all lived, usually.

They all had their wings clipped so they couldn't fly away but the peacocks could still manage to fly to the roof of the pheasant pen and then down to our yard. The patriarch of the family was named George. I'm pretty sure I chose his name and I'm pretty sure at the time that I wasn't really aware that George was also my Grandpa's name. I just knew him as Grandpa and my Aunt Ruby, his wife, called him by his nickname, Bert. I didn't name the peacock after him. I just liked the name George. George liked to stand in front of our sliding door in the back yard and spread his feathers and strut back and forth.

He was very vain.

I always felt bad for the mama peacock, I can't remember if she had a name, maybe it was Martha, because she wasn't nearly as pretty and didn't have a long, beautiful tail to flaunt.

We would always know when my dad was on his way up the hill, coming home from work, because the peacocks would all cry "Help. Help" at the top of their lungs.

We didn't have much luck having baby peacocks but one time the eggs that the mama sat on actually hatched and I was very excited. We had three male peacocks that I named Winken, Blinken and Nod. They liked to perch on the railing on the porch outside my bedroom window and I would wake up to their morning cries. I was sad when they got sold to the Birds.

The Birds were real people who were friends of my parents and, of course, raised birds for a living.

Sometimes it was my job to feed the birds, the actual birds, not the people birds. My mom would save the celery leaves for me to feed to the Canadian Geese. They would eat them out of my hand and I enjoyed feeding them, at least the females. The papa goose, whose name was appropriately Greedy, was not very nice and tried to take my finger tips off a few times. I also learned not to hand feed the Mamas if there were any goslings around. Geese can bite pretty hard if you get between them and their babies.

One day I took the short cut through the pheasant pen to get to "my mountain playground" and accidentally left the gate open. When my dad got home from work he discovered the gate open and all the geese gone. He and I got to go on a "wild goose chase" except these were suppose to be tame geese. We found the whole gaggle swimming in the canal at the top of the hill behind our house. The only problem was that they were enjoying their freedom and not too anxious to return home. Finally we got them out of the water and gathered together and led them with a stick back to the pen. There is a famous picture of a girl herding geese that has always reminded me of this experience.


I love birds, I really do, and that is why I felt bad the couple of times I caused the early demise of one of these feathered creatures.

When my Grandpa and Aunt Ruby left on their mission I was about 4 or 5 and they left their pet parakeets in our care.


I really loved those little birds, except when it was cage cleaning time. I enjoyed feeding them and playing with them. One day their cage was hanging on a cord from the ceiling in the downstairs of our house and I decided to give the birds a merry-go-round ride. I twirled the cage around and around and around. I was so sure they were having a wonderful time. When the twirling finally stopped one of the parakeets dropped to the bottom of the cage.

Dead!

Now , I have to admit that there is one species of bird that I do not love, do not love at all, and that is the Magpie.


When I was growing up their were a lot of magpies that lived in the trees on the hill behind our house. I did not like them. They would come to our house every day and eat my cats' food and traumatize my sweet, little kitties. One day I was in the kitchen and there were a couple of magpies chowing down on the cat food and I decided I was going to scare them good. I made a fist and gave a big pound on the window, while yelling at the top of my lungs, and my hand went right through the window. The magpies didn't even budge, but I was scared, good, mostly about what my mom was going to say because as luck would have it I didn't even have a cut hand to distract her from the broken window.

The event that sealed my dislike for magpies forever though was a horrible scene I witnessed one day in my backyard. The jungle fowl mama had a new flock of chicks. The chicks were tiny and had gotten through a space in the chain link fence and were playing on the side of the fence where the mom was not. I was watching them from a short distance and enjoying their little chick antics when all of the sudden the mom started to frantically try to get through the fence to reach her babies. While I stood there trying to decide what was happening, a dirty, evil magpie swooped down from the sky and grabbed one of those tiny chicks and carried it away. The mother was traumatized, I was appalled. I tried to believe that the magpie was just taking the chick on a fun flight around the valley, but I knew better. A bird eating another bird? That's just gross. I quickly gathered the remaining chicks and pushed them through the fence to their mom. I decided then and there that I was the sworn enemy of all magpies - forever.

One day my oldest brother was visiting and decided to go out shooting magpies. Now, I am opposed to shooting birds in general, but these were magpies he was going after and I was happy to accompany him on this adventure. I had never shot a gun and he was showing me how to hold it and aim and fire. I fired and low and behold a bird fell. Unfortunately, the bird I accidentally hit was not an evil magpie but a beautiful woodpecker. I was devastated. I remember it as a mother with a nest full of babies, but that is probably just a vivid imagination brought on by repressed guilt. After that I decided to just hate magpies, but not harm them. Today hate may be a rather strong word, but the magpie is still my least favorite bird.

That is why I was somewhat taken back today when I read in our newspaper that it has been discovered that magpies are self-aware. What does this mean? It means that my least favorite type of bird is the only creature, that is not a mammal, who has demonstrated an understanding of his own identity. In a study a black dot sticker and a colored dot sticker were placed on the necks of a group of magpies. Each was then put in a cage with a mirror. Several of the magpies looked in the mirror and then pecked at the colored dot on their own neck. They were aware that they were looking at a reflection of themselves. The fact that they did not peck at the camouflaged black sticker proved that they did not just peck at the dot because it felt annoying. Supposedly this means that magpies are the smartest and most human-like birds out there. Not peacocks, not jungle fowl, not geese or parakeets or woodpeckers. Magpies. It's something to think about.

Somewhere along the line my dad decided that live birds were a lot of work and he started cutting back on the real birds and began collecting wooden decoys. This was easier for him, but harder for my mom, because then she had to dust all of the birds. We won't get into the decoys now though. That's a topic for a another blog someday.


Today I am thankful for

Birds - is there anything better than waking up to the song of a bird?
My Dad - who taught me to love birds and lots of other things too.
My Mom - who supported my dad in all his endeavors even though it usually meant more work for her.
Cars that work - at this moment - every car in our family is in working order. Hooray!

For my birthmonth present today I put off doing the laundry until tomorrow.

Story Time

Tonight during dinner my youngest son asked if we could tell family stories when dinner was over. Since I had been telling my hubby that I felt like our family was isolated from each other and needed to spend more time together just before dinner started, I felt like this was a question that I definitely needed to say yes to. After the dishes, We gathered together in the living room and spent a couple of hours telling stories from our past. I guess I should say from my past. It seems like I am the only family member who likes to talk and I was designated the main story teller or was it that I didn't let anyone else get a word in edgewise? I was asked about my favorite date, which led to the story of my first date, that turned into a discussion about why my parents allowed me to date before I was 16, which was interspersed with the story about marching band in the summer very early in the morning and the national guard members sleeping in their Army green underwear in the halls of the high school which led into the story about throwing water balloons at the national guard guys with my young women leader, and how we were almost killed which then became the story about the national guard group with dysentery and how my dad, the "friendly local behind enemy lines", had to go to town to purchase Kaopectate for them. That was followed up with stories about my childhood friend , Michelle, and our matching Valentine dresses and our matching perms. and how hers made her look beautiful and mine made me look like a poodle. And the first and only time we tried to smoke in the tree house in the orchard between her house and Billie Jo's and we couldn't get the match lit. Which then turned into stories about the mission field and Dave giving up smoking and then getting baptised, and then baptizing his wife after I was already home and couldn't be there to share in the joy. That brought up stories about going to my friend Adele's house and playing Uno, and cheating at Uno, and how her parents died and she became guardian of her sisters. and having to be home from her house before the news was over, and dropping the keys to my dad's Honda Accord in the ditch and having them float away before we could stop them. My dad owned a Honda Accord before it was the popular thing to do. Back when Honda Accord's were so rare that it took months to get replacement parts for it when something broke down because it had to come on the slow boat from China. Oh I guess that should be the slow boat from Japan. That led to stories about when the hubby and I were dating and our first date, and our first hand holding, and our first kiss, and all the people who lived with us after we got married and how the hubby's sister ran off from our house to get married the first time and all her other marriages and other people who had been married more than once and what makes marriages end. When we were done and went in the bedroom the hubby realized he had missed the closing ceremonies of the Olympics and he was sad, but I wasn't because first of all, you know how I feel about the Olympics, and second of all, I enjoyed story time a lot. Today I am thankful that I don't have to speak in church very often. for a son who likes to hear my stories about growing up. for good childhood memories. for Righteous Children. My birthmonth present to me today was a 3 hour long nap. I guess I was tired.

Shove It Up Your Nose

My youngest son has sinus problems.
Always has, probably always will.
He gets them from allergies
which he gets from me.

Today one of the men at church
told him he should put water up one nostril
and then let it run out of the other side.
He said he does it and it really helps.

We have such interesting
dinner time conversations.

I told the son that I had just read about that in the newspaper.
It is called nasal irrigation
and it really is supposed to make a difference.

I couldn't quite remember how to do it
or what to do
and he and his brother were convinced
that it would just run down your throat
and that would be GROSS!

Like having water run out of your nostril
isn't gross.

We started joking around that
there was probably a video on You Tube
about how to do it.

Of course, the teenager
had to jump up and go check.

Sure enough,
there are lots and lots of videos demonstrating
the proper technique of nasal irrigation.
In different languages even.

Well, we are sitting in the dining room
and the son is yelling directions from the computer.

"The guy in the movie is using a tea pot."

This of course produces the vision in my head
of my son pouring boiling water into his nose.

That's a pretty painful vision.

"You can use a syringe.
Just shove it up your nose."

Another painful vision enters my mind
along with memories of one of my favorite Jr. High comebacks -
"Just shove it up your nose." Which I think is a derivative of
"Up your nose with a garden hose.
Another favorite childhood saying
that conjures up more painful pictures
in my head.

The yelling and the visions continue
until we are all laughing too hard to talk any more.

They say You Tube is cheap entertainment
but who would have guessed that a movie about
nasal irrigation could be that funny!
I will warn you though,
it is a lot more entertaining
when you just discuss it and imagine it.

Don't really watch it.
Seeing water run out people's nostrils
is just plain gross.

I have Righteous Children

Today I gave a talk in church.

These are the thoughts I shared. I was going to only print part of it, but I'm too lazy to go through and edit so just read what you want.

I have struggled with the topic that we were given to speak on today because at first I felt that it was a reflection on me and my parenting ability.

Look at me.

Now it might surprise some of you to learn that I am not perfect. I haven’t always done what I believe and know I should do, I worry and feel guilty that, where raising my children is concerned, I have not done enough.

I could point out at least half of this congregation that I believe are more qualified to address the topic of raising righteous children than I am and the other half probably think they could do a better job because they are teenagers and think they know everything. Personally, I would be happy to let any one who would like to to come and take my place right now.

Raising Righteous Children – as I have presented this topic to family and friends, As in – “Guess what I have been asked to speak about on Sunday?” I have repeatedly heard the response “You have Righteous Children”.

How and when do we know that we have Righteous Children?

Is it when they say their first prayer without any help,

is it when they give their first talk in primary,

when they choose to be baptized,

when that receive the priesthood,

or serve in a young women presidency,

is it when they attend church every Sunday for a year

or graduate from Seminary,

is it when they go to the temple for the first time
to participate in Baptisms for the Dead,

or when they go to receive their own endowments
and go on a mission,

or when they are sealed there to an eternal companion?

Is it when we see them actually enjoying a service project,

or “catch” them reading their scriptures without being forced,

maybe when they give a family home evening lesson
that is better than we could have given,

or when they share the gospel with one of their friends
or baptize someone.

Do these milestones prove that we have Righteous Children?

Yes and no.

My belief and understanding is that all parents have Righteous Children.

Now, I’m sure some of you are thinking I know some of so and so’s children and they are not Righteous or she hasn’t met that kid that lives next door to me or what about my son …, but wait.

In this month’s visiting teaching message there is a quote from Julie B. Beck the Relief Society General President, she says

“ You are literally spirit daughters (and I add sons) of Deity, offspring of exalted parents with a divine nature and an eternal destiny. You received your first lessons in the world of spirits from your heavenly parents. You have been sent to earth to prove yourselves…”

There it is – we all have Righteous Children,

literal offspring of exalted parents,

every day, all day, from the day they are born
until the day they die,

they will always be Righteous Children.

It is their noble birthright.

It is because of who they were and are.

Even if they don’t want to be Righteous Children
and they choose to not make Righteous choices
this doesn’t change who they are.

A Righteous Child of Heavenly Parents.

Sometimes I forget this most important truth.

I, and you, do not need to produce Righteous Children –

they already exist-

we just have to help raise them
back up to their Heavenly parents.

We just need to help them remember who they are
and why they are here
and what they already know.

An LDS mother, Patty Witt, when asked by a reporter for tips on raising righteous children replied

“ I think they just came that way. However, I do believe it has a lot to do with eating dinner together every day, and going to bed by 9 or 10 -- there's no substitute for that."
Maybe that doesn’t make a big difference to any of you, but it does to me, it helps me to know that I don’t have to start from scratch and create a Righteous Child. The Righteous Child is already there.

I just have to polish it and protect it,
feed it and take care of it
teach it and remind it who it is.

I need to treat it as something of great value,
which it is
and let it fulfill the responsibilities
for which it was created.

Still not an easy responsibility,
but more doable in my way of thinking.

When we look at our children, the children in the ward, the teenager that lives next door, or any other child as Righteous Children regardless of whether or not they are making righteous choices at this given moment in their lives I think it makes a world of difference.

Now I could probably teach a yearlong class, meeting once a week for 2 hours, on Raising Righteous Children, not because I’m qualified, but because there are that many ideas and thoughts and skills that could be taught on this topic. Lucky for you I only have 15 minutes and I have already used 5 of those so I have narrowed down my 45 page talk to a few less pages.

I want to focus on one thing that has given me much help and the much hope in raising my Righteous Children (remember, I’m not boasting, we all have them).

It is something that I read when I was having a difficult time feeling adequate for the task that was placed before me. You see, each of these Righteous Children we have been blessed with have the right and the ability to make their own choices. Sometimes those choices don’t coincide with their righteous nature, they are not righteous choices, and as parents we often don’t have and shouldn’t have the power to stop them from making these choices. Sometimes we feel powerless in knowing how to help them remember who they are and why they are here.

It was during one these times in my life when I first read about it in a book entitled House of Glory by S. Michael Wilcox.

Bro. Wilcox related the following story,“When I moved to Utah ten years ago, my children were entering their teenage years. Having taught teenagers n seminary, I knew how critical the next years would be, for during these years we win or lose so many battles for the souls of men. The more I thought about the world my children were growing up in and the pressures and opposition arrayed against them, the more anxious I felt.
I went to the temple one afternoon to seek guidance about my children. The calm, loving spirit of the temple seemed to magnify my natural love for my family, and I found myself offering a deeply sincere prayer filled with desire for my children. I told the Lord I was willing to offer any sacrifice if he would protect my children from Satan’s power and bless them with his Spirit until they could come to his house and receive their own endowment. I do not think I offered a unique prayer. It is the uttered and unuttered prayer of every true Latter-day Saint parent, and I think most parents would give the Lord the sacrifice he required.
As I sat in the temple, an answer was given in which the required sacrifice was revealed to me. I thought the Lord would demand some great thing for the blessing I was asking, and had it been some great thing I believe I would have been willing to fulfill it. Often we are more willing to do the great things than the small, everyday acts of obedience of sacrifice that comprise living the gospel.
However, the spirit simply whispered: “This is the sacrifice I ask of you. Be in this house frequently, constantly, and consistently and the promised protection you seek, which this house has the power to bestow, will be extended to those you love.”
At first I thought this counsel was unique to me, but I came to realize as I read and studied the scriptures that it is a promise with much broader application. I found this promise again and again in both the scriptures and in the words of our living prophets and apostles. It was not a special request and promise to me, but one that was extended to all the saints in behalf of those they love. “

Frequently, constantly and consistently attend the temple.

Why?

What good will that do?

One of the reasons I love the temple the most is because there I am reminded of the eternal nature of life. Birth is not the beginning and Death is not the end. In the temple I can see better who I am and who my children are. Inside the temple I see myself as a Righteous Daughter of a Loving Heavenly Father and I see my children that way too.

Also I think in the temple we are reminded of the role that Jesus Christ plays in each of our lives. How important our relationship with him and our children's relationship with him is.

In 2 Nephi 25:26 we read,
"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our child may know to what source thy may look for a remission of their sins."

President Ezra Taft Benson counseled us to make the temple a “sacred home away from our eternal home.” He then explained the power the temple can generate in a morally deteriorating world:
“This temple will be a standing witness that the power of God can stay the powers of evil in our midst. Many parents, in and out of the church, are concerned about protection against a cascading avalanche of wickedness that threatens to engulf Christian principles… There is power associated with the ordinances of Heaven – even the power of Godliness – which can and will thwart the forces of evil if we will be worthy of those sacred blessings. This community will be protected, our families will be protected, our children will be safeguarded as we live the gospel, visit the temple, and live close to the Lord.”
Elder Boyd K. Packer has said,
"Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people.”
Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone promised that all who faithfully attend to temple work will have unseen angels watch over their loved ones when Satanic forces tempt them. Everytime a temple is built Satan's power is deminished.

I then shared the story of my son and his mistake that he "fixed" with the picture of the temple. If you don't know what I'm talking about you can read about it here.

The look on the face of one of the deacons sitting in the audience as I told that story was priceless. He is an only child and I don't think he could grasp the dynamics that exist between brothers that could escalate to that kind of experience.

In closing I testified that the temple can fix things. I have experienced that blessing in my life many times. The temple is here to bind our families together and to help us Raise Righteous Children.

I don't have perfect children,
but I do have Righteous Children,
and if you are a parent,
you do to.

Birthday Lunch

Today I went to lunch
at the Cheesecake Factory
with a group of friends
to celebrate my birthday
and the birthday
of one of the other friends.



I am not a huge fan
of the Cheesecake Factory
mostly because I am not a huge fan
of fancy or expensive food.

I like to get my bang
for my buck.

The Cheesecake Factory Menu iritates me.

First of all,
it is way too big.

In my opinion, a menu
should not have page numbers.

What a menu should have
is an item listed
with the price
of that item next to it.

In the Cheesecake Factory Menu
they list a category of food
with a range of prices
and then the discription of each item below.

I know they do not list prices
in high class establishments.

However,
I am not a high class person.

I want to know exactly
how much my lunch is going to cost.

(I told my son that tidbit and he told me
he never looks at the price of a menu item
when he orders it.
Hmm, that explains a lot.)

I have always thought the definition
of a rich person was
"Someone who doesn't look at the price tag
before they try on the dress."

I am definitely not,
and never will be,
a rich person.

I will always look.

However, I digress.

I don't love the Cheesecake Factory,
but I loved being there
and eating lunch,
with my friends,
that I do love.

It was wonderful.

It was fun.

It was delicious.

It was entertaining.

It was perfect.

A lot of my friends
are facing challenges
in their lives at the moment
and it meant a lot to me
that they were willing to
spend some of their precious
and limited time
in my company
to celebrate my birthday
with me.

They are the best!

To prove how wonderful they are
they even bought me
TWO rolls
of the very pricey
Press 'n Seal wrap
that I adore.

They must be rich!

They also gave me some money
to buy a specific item
that I am looking for
that I will recognize
when I see it.
As soon as I find it
I will tell them
what they gave me
for my birthday.

One of my friends
was very embarassed
to be giving me cash.
It seemed somewhat
"Grandma-ish" to her.

Apparently she was so embarassed
that she hid my "gift"
- the money -
in her purse
without knowing it.

All my friends were
frantically searching
the waiting area of
the Cheesecake Factory
looking for my "present".
It was quite entertaining.

Earlier I said
that I wasn't rich
and that I never would be
and perhaps
by the above definition
that is true.

However,
Today I think
I have changed
my definition of RICH.

I think the Rich person
is the one who has friends
in their life
that they know love them
and will be there for them
no matter what.

And by that definition
I am the RICHEST person
in the world!

And it doesn't matter
where you are.
If you are with those kind of friends
it's the perfect place.

Thanks, dear birthday buddy, for choosing
where we ate this year
so I didn't have to.

Time Consuming Things to do While you are Suppose to be Writing a Talk.

1. Write on your blog.

2. Do "research" so you can write better on your blog.

3. Read someone's blog.

4. Write on someone's blog.

5. Read someone else's blog that you found on someone's blog.

6. Write on someone else's blog that you found on someone's blog.

7. Repeat #5 and #6

8. Repeat #5 and #6

9. Repeat #5 and #6

10. Take a shower.

I gotta go take a shower. I'm not making any progress on what I am supposed to be doing at the moment. I am too easily distracted, but first I'll just check a couple more blogs.

Oh look.

My son has written on his blog.

What is this about - DRINKING GAMES!!

How am I suppose to write a talk about raising righteous children while those children are all playing "Drinking Games".

This is hopeless.

Woe, Woe is me.

Sometimes I Want to Scream

My kids use to have a tape that we listened to A LOT.
It was "Safety Kids"
by Janeen Brady and
was produced by Brite Music.

Knowing me I probably still
have it in a box somewhere.

One of the songs on this tape
was about what to do if a stranger
was trying to abduct you.

The words went something like
"Sometimes you have to Scream.
Open up and really yell."

Although I haven't been in danger
of being kidnapped anytime recently
This song somehow reflects how I feel today.

"Sometimes I want to Scream.
Open up and really Yell!
Stomp my Feet and
Throw a Fit.
Yaa-aa-aa,
Sometimes I want to Scream."

And the interesting part is
I really don't know why.

I just feel like having
a lay down on the floor,
kick my hands and feet,
scream at the top of my lungs
two-year-old temper tantrum.

Maybe it's time to request
a release from nursery.

Today I am thankful for
a husband that listens to me rant and rave and just nods and smiles.
A son who lets his dad borrow his truck to drive to work
A roommate that lets my daughter borrow her car to drive to work.

My birthmonth gift to myself today was a bag of Reese's Select Clusters - peanut butter clusters with pecans, peanuts, and caramel. I had a coupon and they were free. Free is good, much better than the clusters were, in my opinion.

Blog Backlog

So, right now I have 13 blogs in the draft stage waiting for me to finish. I start writing and then I kind of just fizzle out. I need a picture, or a quote, or an idea I read somewhere or after I write and write I realize I don't remember what I was trying to say so I stop hoping that the thought will return someday.

One of the things I really like about blogging is the fact that I can post date an entry and insert it wherever it officially belongs. I have always stopped writing in my journals because I get too far behind and then give up because I can't catch up. I still believe that I can catch up my blog and in 25 years when I have figured out how to preserve these posts for my posterity they will never know that a certain post here and there were a little slow in arriving.

That said, if you really feel the need to read every word I write (and those are a lot of words), you may have to check back every now and then to past weeks and months and see if there is anything that has just shown up after being in backlog for a while.

Today I am grateful for

A van that works and has air conditioning.
The temple.
Kids that have jobs.

My birthmonth present for myself today was some magazines on organization that I bought at DI for a quarter each.

Would I Wear a Wig?

Today I saw a lady whose hair
was just a little too perfect.

I kept looking at her hair
trying to decide

if it was real
or a wig.

This got me thinking about wigs.

If I lost my hair for some reason
would I wear a wig?

This is a very interesting question.

My first response would be to say no.

I am not a person who is into appearances.
I am who I am and
what you see is what you get.

I don't really care if my hair is gray,
or needs cut,
or is missing.

Well, perhaps I care,
but I am usually too lazy
to do anything about it and
I think wearing a wig would
be the same way.

More effort than it was worth.

I have always said
if I ever have the chance
to create my own world
all the people in my world
would be bald.

Bald would be all we knew and
so it wouldn't be weird or anything.

Think of all the money we could
save on shampoo.

Think of all the time we could
save getting ready in the morning.
Just buff and go!

Think of all the long hair we wouldn't
have to clean up off the bathroom floor
or try to dissolve out of our drains,
or pull out of our food,
or brush off of our clothes,
or vacuum off of our carpet

I think it's an idea
that has merit.

But back to the wig question.

I also don't like to attract attention
and sometimes people notice
if you are walking around without hair.
Maybe for anonymity sake
I would choose the wig.

If I got a wig
would I want one that looked
like my natural hair.

Do people really buy
gray wigs?

Or would I want something
wild and crazy?
No, not wild and crazy.
Remember the wig is
so I won't stand out
in a crowd.

Hopefully this question
will always be a what if
but
What if you lost your hair?
Would you wear a wig?

What's in a Name?

Today I've been thinking about names. I think it's interesting the amount of time and thought most people put into what they name their children. All of my kids have had a running list of name possibilities for their children, since they were small, that has frequently changed as they have grown. The most unusual, and thankfully currently out of the running, was Bizanne.

Usually even before the woman is pregnant couples are discussing, and often discarding, possible names for their children. Once a baby is on the way it seems to be a frequent topic of conversation until a decision is reached. Some people love to share the chosen name with everyone they meet and others guard it like it's a state secret. I believe a child's name might be one of the most discussed and thought out decisions a couple actually makes together.

I was named after my cousin who died at the age of 10 from complications associated with the measles. I guess I wasn't so much named after her, as my parents liked the name and asked my aunt if they could use it. As a child, I always felt bad that I didn't have a middle name. All my brothers and sisters had middle names and I put the fact that I didn't have one on my list of reasons why I believed I was adopted. (The fact that I was cuter than the rest of the family was also on the list. I had a pretty high opinion of myself as a child.) I remember telling my mom that I thought my middle name should be Grace. It was a family name and I thought it went well with my first name. My mother didn't really think Grace fit my personality. I was (and still am) anything but graceful.

When I was growing up there was usually at least one other person with the same name as mine in my class in school. That usually didn't bother me. In fact during my last year of high school my best friend and I had the same name and we enjoying walking through the halls, both answering regardless of which one of us was being addressed. I think it was more confusing for other people than it was for us. I thought it was fun. My name is not spelled with the usual spelling and I used to get frustrated because people would always spell my name wrong. As I have gotten older I have reached the point where I really don't care how it is spelled. I feel like someone is doing good to know what my name is, let alone how to spell it.

My husband's name is unusual, but I think it fits him. No one in his family calls him by his name. They all call him by his nickname, Boy. Pretty much everyone in his family has a nickname that they go by with the family rather than their actual name, but in public they go by their real names. It can get kind of confusing sometimes. It's taken me 25 years to sort it all out.

Although I like my name, I have never had a desire to name any of my children after myself and my hubby has felt the same way. We have 4 children and their names all start with the same letter. This wasn't necessarily an intentional decision until we were expecting our last child. We didn't want to give him any obvious items to add to his "How I know I am adopted list" and being the only child with a name that started with a different letter would have definitely made the list.

When we found out that our first child was on the way we kicked up the speed on the name discussion. We both felt like we were going to have a girl. We narrowed the list down to 3 names. 2 girl names, I liked one and the hubby liked another and Justin Case for a boy. This was "just in case" she turned out to be a boy. Before we came to a final decision, my husband had a dream in which he saw our daughter and she told him that she really liked her name. She said what it was when he asked and it happened to be the name I liked. The discussion was over. This has worked out well for us because if this child ever complains about her name, which is a very popular name for her age group, we just tell her she picked it.

Our second child received a name that we both liked, but we felt was somewhat uncommon, especially the way we spelled it. He has run into a few boys with the same name during his lifetime so far, more than we would have expected. When he was about 2, I actually found his name in a baby book, spelled the same way, and it's meaning was "to sing". It fit him perfectly and we didn't even know it. When he was an infant he would sing himself to sleep in my arms (I think he liked his voice better than mine), his favorite toys were always ones that involved music and singing, and he is well remembered for his singing during the annual ward Primary Children Sacrament Meeting Program.

The third child to grace our family was automatically referred to by the name my husband had wanted for our first daughter. He had heard it on an episode of "The Streets of San Francisco" and really liked it. I will go on record here as saying that this is one good thing that has come from his love of TV watching. It was always a given that this would be her first name. It took a while to decide how to spell it. It is spelled exactly like it sounds, but it is usually mispronounced. There are very few people with the same exact name and only one that we have ever met that spells it the same way. If you're curious you can find it on a name tag at a Safeway store in Tempe, AZ. A little more discussion went into choosing her middle name. (I made sure all of my children knew they were loved by giving them each a middle name.) We finally came up with a combination of her grandmother's names. The first half of her paternal grandma's name and the last half of her maternal grandma's put together. She usually shortens it to "L dot".

The youngest child's name was the most difficult to come up with. He was the only child we photographically knew the sex of before he was born. We liked the idea we had come up with of combining the grandma's names and decided we would combine the grandpa's names for his first name. However this didn't work out when we tried it and realized we already had a son by that name. Yup, our oldest son's name is a combination of the first half of his paternal grandpa's name and the second half of his maternal grandpa's and we didn't even know it. He was possibly going to be named after a popular college basketball player who was part of the "fab five" that played for Michigan in 1992. This child was a huge fan of March Madness while still in the womb. He couldn't stay still while I was watching any of the games. His dad really liked this name, but I felt it was a little feminine. We finally agreed on a name and his dad chose the spelling. For the first year of his life my mom referred to this son by a different name. By changing an a to an o it becomes a girl's name and that was what my mom was sure his name was. So much for a name that wasn't too feminine. He is the most vocal of our children about wishing he had a different name. I like his name because it is one syllable and easy to yell.

I have sometimes wondered if a person's name has any impact on who or what they become? All the Juliannes or Juliannas I've known have been very smart. Was that in some part because of their name? Would they have been just as smart if their names were Doofiss?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Juliet In the early history of America, girls were often named after a desirable character trait such as Truth, Hope, Faith, Constance, Pleasant, Prudence, Patience, Duty, Charity... Do you think a child named Pleasant always was or a child named Truth never told a lie? I have thought if this were the case, what character trait would I have chosen to name my children after? Would it be Faith, or Hope, or Charity, or Joy, or perhaps Responsibility, or Obedience? Why does it seem that character traits that are used as names usually seem to be female? What would I name my boys, especially if I have a problem with feminine names? How about Grit, or Brave, or Loyal, or Strong, or Tenacious? I thought of one - Frank! Knowing how wordy I am and my lack of decision making ability, I would probably get carried away and name my child Pleasant Faith Charity Obedience Joy Patience and she would just end up confused for life instead of actually reflecting any of those qualities she was named for. Recently I was watching an episode of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman". In it they referred to how certain cultures such as the Native Americans and the Chinese give individuals new names based on important events or experiences in their lives. Most people would have several different names during their lifetime. What event in my life would I want to be named after? "Woman who moved to Arizona and thought she would die of heat stroke." "Woman who yelled until her voice disappeared". "Lady who loved to laugh at dumb things". It could be kind of interesting, but those kind of names seem a little long. You'd definitely need to have a nickname. I guess it's a good thing I just stuck to names that started with the same letter of the alphabet. It makes the list a lot shorter and less confusing.

Open House at McClintock High

Tonight was Open House at the High School. I have been to a lot of open houses at this school, 11 to be exact. For 4 of those visits we had 2 children whose classes and teachers we needed to get to and the hubby and I had to divide and conquer. The most exciting Open House was 2 years ago when it rained so hard that all the parents looked like drowned rats, and we were all sliding on the wet floors in the buildings and walking through knee high puddles. The roof on the auditorium collapsed onto the newly renovated stage and it was very exciting. The hubby missed that open house because he was stranded on the freeway with a stalled vehicle and the oldest son had to go rescue him.

Nothing quite that exciting happened this year. No wind. No rain. No drowned rat parents. Very few parents for that matter.

I can feel that things are winding down.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Now that I finally know the shortest covered route from the Band room to Unit 12, know which building is the Lego building, and know where the "secret" doors are in the auditorium so I can get to an available seat when I arrive late, I am coming close to the end of my McClintock Charger Children.

It has been fun to have all of my children attend the same high school. It is a bond that they all share. They have also shared some of the same classes and some of the same teachers. Things have changed since our oldest daughter arrived on campus in the Fall of 1998 but a lot of things are still the same. The Charger Pride is still as strong as ever.

McClintock High School is a great school to be a part of.


My son actually had the map to all of his classes ready this year without me even having to ask. He drew a route and numbered each stop. Start at the Auditorium for the general meeting, then band, around the corner to History, all the way across campus to Unit 12 for Chemistry, back to Unit 6 on the other side of campus for Math, then to English in Unit 2. I was following the map pretty well until I got to the last hour where he leaves from Unit 2 and goes across the street to Seminary. The route he drew was twice as long as I thought it needed to be. I questioned why he drew it that way and his big brother said it was because the gates are locked and you can't get out where I thought the logic exit point should be. He replied, "No, you can go that way, but THIS is the way I GO."

Why?

Because that's the route where you run into all the cute girls, of course. What was I thinking! I almost missed the parents of the cute girls by going the short way.

Day of Rest?

If Sunday is the day of rest then why am I so tired?
I am tired.
So, so tired.
Physically tired from a busy, busy day in Nursery.
We had 14 children today and they kept us all very, very busy.
So many kids.
I kept losing one of them.
He is the littlest and he seemed to just blend into the crowd.
One time he was under the table.
One time he was sitting in a chair, right where he was suppose to be, eating crayons.
Usually he was in the arms of any male who happened to be standing up or passing through.
For some reason we had a lot of people standing in nursery or passing though today.
With that many kids it was hard for me to feel like I was giving each child the attention that they deserved and demanded.
Even with 3 teachers and a visiting Great Aunt the adults were all kept very busy.
It was hard work!
One of my friends gave me a plaque that says, "Be thankful when you are tired and weary. It means you have made a difference." This friend was the nursery leader right before the hubby and I were. Perhaps she remembers that exhausted feeling that accompanies a busy day in nursery and hopefully I did make a difference in these children's lives today.
Even though it was tiring , I find that I love each one of these little children more each Sunday. They all have little things about themselves that endear them to me. I do believe that it is true that we love those we serve and nursery is definitely a service calling and I absolutely love the children in our nursery.

I'm also tired of feeling yucky.
So, so tired.
I just want to feel good and be able to accomplish something, anything, besides what absolutely has to be done.
My house is falling apart.
My attitude is falling apart.
I am falling apart.
Today during Sacrament meeting I was thinking about how tired I felt and the scripture from Matthew came into my mind.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Do I really believe that?
What does this scripture really mean and how do I tap into that rest that Jesus Christ is so willing to give?
The atonement of Jesus Christ can give me the strength, His strength, to hold on and make it through.
In October Conference in 2006 Elder Dallin H. Oaks shared this counsel:
"Commune with the Lord. … He is your best friend! He knows your pain because He has felt it for you already. He is ready to carry that burden. Trust Him enough to place it at His feet and allow Him to carry it for you. Then you can have your anguish replaced with His peace, in the very depths of your soul”
I need to be willing to let go of my problems enough to trust that my Savior will help me over come them or give me the power to endure them. I don't need to be weary if I will trust in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I can lean on him and receive the rest that I so desire to find and that he so freely offers.
This sounds simple enough. Maybe tomorrow I won't be too tired to try it out. Right now all I want to do is take a nap.

Shopping Spree

Today the daughters, the roommates and I went shopping together. First we went to Ross which is one of my favorite stores because I can find unique things there that I didn't even know I needed. I bought some new place mats (since my old ones are ugly now since I washed them and they faded all over). A sheet set that I am planning on using to make a tablecloth for the table in my living room and a new shirt. My girls said it looked like me. I liked it so I guess that's OK that it looks like me.

Next we visited Lane Bryant. The youngest daughter was looking for new clothes to wear to work. The rest of us were supposed to just be looking. Lane Bryant was having 40% off everything in the store. We found lots and lots of clothes to try on. We had a dressing room fashion show and it was lots of fun. I ended up with 3 pair of Capri's for $8.00 a piece. I thought that was a good deal. The daughter who was suppose to be shopping had some second thoughts and left without anything. Her loss I say. Just for the record. I really liked the carpet in the Lane Bryant dressing room at Tempe Marketplace. If someone wants to buy me carpet that is the kind I want. They also had some nice square stools to sit on that I would take too.

After Lane Bryant we decided we needed an attitude adjustment and since our theory is that food solves all problems we went for food. We ate lunch at Red Robin. I had the Whiskey River Barbecue Burger and it was good, but I have a hard time paying $10for a hamburger. I'm more a $1.00 double cheeseburger from the McDonald's menu or a $1.00 Junior Bacon Cheeseburger at Wendy's kind of girl. The younger daughter ended up paying though so that made it taste better.

JC Penney was next on the agenda for some of us and the rest of the group hit Payless Shoes. The eldest daughter bought a lot of clothes with a gift card and birthday money she had.

While we were shopping at Ross there was a mother there with a little boy in the cart who was probably about 2. He kept saying, "Mommy. I want. I want. Mommy. I want. I want. I want." over and over again. When I passed her I said, "I know just how he feels." She agreed that she could relate too. I think that is a common problem for all of us. "I want. I want. I want."

The "Townhouse Team" had to go home after that to let the puppy out of her cage and the teacher daughter and I went to the Lakeshore Store to spend her $500 purchase order from school. $500 sounds like a lot of money, but we managed to spend it quite easily and quite quickly. She mostly bought games for centers. I should have taken a picture of our cart stacked so high everything was falling out, but by that time I was too tired to take pictures.

It was a fun day. Thanks girls for letting me spend the day with you!

Today I am thankful for

a husband and son that mowed the lawn.

I'm loving this Family Life Merit Badge more and more.
daughters (and pretend daughters) to go shopping with.
SALES!!

I bought myself lots of birthmonth gifts today. I listed them above.

Visiting Teaching + Food = Feelings of Fullness

I think I have one of the greatest visiting teaching companions in the church. She makes me laugh, gives me perspective, worries about the sisters we visit and prays for them, has great insight, is one of the most compassionate people I know, always chooses to drive, buys me a diet Pepsi to end our time together, and is always thinking of creative ways to get our visiting teaching done. I love her Lots!

One of the sisters that we visit isn't always receptive to us coming to her home. If we do get in for a chat she becomes the queen of changing the subject. She is extremely knowledgeable and a bigger talker than I am, if you can believe that, and we always have interesting conversations, just usually not about the lesson topic. I have grown to love this sister as we have visited her and I really want her to have a more positive opinion about the gospel and its teachings. She was offended a couple of years ago and her feelings toward the individuals involved seem to negatively color all of her ideas about the church.

We have found that an invitation to meet for lunch is the best way for us to get together and my companion has set up a standing date with her the 3rd Friday of the month at Sweet Tomatoes. We try up until then to schedule an in home visit, but if we can't succeed we always have our lunch appointment as a back up. My companion also spends Friday afternoons with another sister in the ward who has some health problems and cannot stay home alone. She is part of our 3rd Friday outing and today one of her visiting teachers (who also happens to be my visiting teacher) joined us as well, so we had a really fun, visiting teaching group and discussion.

We were able to share insights and ideas on how knowing that we are daughters of loving heavenly parents helps us in our daily lives. I really needed to be reminded of the truths taught in this message. Things like:

I received my first lessons in the world of spirits from my Heavenly Parents.

Wow, I wish I could remember my Heavenly Father and Mother instructing me and preparing me for my earthly school. What an awe inspiring thought!

"...you need to drink in deeply the gospel truths about the eternal nature of your individual identity and the uniqueness of your personality. You need, more and more, to feel the perfect love which our Father in Heaven has for you and to sense the value he places upon you as an individual."

It is amazing to me how individually and personally my Heavenly Father knows me. My needs, my strengths, my weaknesses, my unique personality. I feel his love and recognize his hand in my life in so many ways. I am so grateful for the gospel truths that I have been taught throughout my life and for the personal testimony of them that has come as I have grown and matured and been blessed with opportunities that have humbled me and helped me to look deeper for the Tender Mercies that are evidence of God's knowledge of and love for me.

One last thought that struck me from this message as I have been pondering the Olympics this week and so many individuals quest for the Gold.

You are a treasured child of the promise. If you will keep the Lord's statutes and commandments and hearken to His voice He has promised that he will make you high above the nations in name and honor and praise.

We can all be winners!

Today I am thankful for

lastings friendships that I have built through Relief Society.
A weekend to look forward to.
Inspired leaders who write visiting teachings messages to teach and uplift me.

My birthmonth present for today was an evening alone with my husband without any kids.

Big Celebration

Tonight we all went to Macayos for a celebration. It was planned to be a birthday dinner in honor of the oldest daughter's birthday,but we ended up celebrating the
second daughter getting a job as well.
She is going to be working as an instructional assistant in a special ed class at Webster Elementary school in Mesa.

The school is about 5 minutes from her old apartment, but a little further away from her new home. That's the way things seem to work out sometime.
The son and the girlfriend mostly celebrated being together. They were so excited to get to hug that they bonked heads and almost gave each other concussions!

I was celebrating not having to cook and I guess the hubby was celebrating getting to spend his hard earned money on all the people that he loves.

When we went into the restaurant it was 105 degrees outside. When we finished and came out the temperature had dropped significantly and it was almost cool (90 degrees) and it smelled like rain. On the way home it sprinkled a little. That was definitely something worth celebrating.

We all came to our house and the daughter opened her gifts and we ate fruit pizza. Yum, Yum!

This is probably my favorite dessert, but it is also what the daughter chose. I think I like it so much because it is so colorful, cold and refreshing. I got the recipe from one of my good friends and it is a keeper. One of the roommates wanted to know if it had olives on it, but those are actually blueberries for my two youngest to pick off.

Fruit Pizza

Make Sugar Cookie Crust. I usually use a roll of refrigerated cookie dough. Cool.

Top with:

1 8oz pkg. cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla (blended together).

Decorate with Seasonal Fruit

Mix together in a saucepan:

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp corn starch.

Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Cool a few minutes and pour over the pizza.

Today I am thankful for

Fresh fruit.
Family and Friends to share celebrations with.
My hubby's job that pays for special occasion meals.

I bought myself a book at Seagull book today for my birthmonth present. There was a lady there buying a stack of books about 2 feet high and I wanted to go home with her, but I limited myself to one non-fiction book and the newest Claire Poulson book that I bought the daughter for her birthday. I'll still get to read it if she owns it.