Photo 2

 I went for a walk this morning. It felt so good to be outside! Temps in the upper 30's so everything is thawing a bit. And I took some pictures! This is my favorite. 

Happy Day

I like today.  It’s been good so far.  I planted a few flowers in my yard.  Zinnias and petunias just like my Mom used to plant in our yard when I was a kid.  The sun is shining and a little breeze is blowing.  I feel good today.  The day will get busier and crazier a little later, but for now…it’s not.    

I’m serving leftovers for dinner tonight. The kids will not be happy about that.  There are five of them and it is not possible to make them all happy at dinner time unless we are having pizza.  But Mr. Wonderful will be, so maybe that will kind of even things out. I hope so anyway.  And I’m happy that I don’t have to stress over what to make for dinner and then try to make it in a shorter amount of time than I would like to have to make whatever it is because I would have had more time to make it if I had only planned ahead a little better. Hopefully that came out right. If not, maybe it’s close enough that you can at least get the gist of what I was trying to say. Well, anyway, I’m glad I don’t have to go through all that tonight.

Hooray for today! I hope you have a few bright spots in your day too!

Fresh Air

Cough. Cough, cough, cough, ............. cough. That's what's been going on at our house. Since before Christmas, in fact. Everyone was coughing and no one was getting better and no one was sleeping, either.

(Isn't cough a funny looking word?)

This last weekend was especially rough. Monday came and the sun peaked out and the temperature got up to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It was beautiful! So I opened the windows. Every one. And the fresh air came pouring into our germ infested house. It was glorious! We all went around wearing sweaters and jackets and smiles. The clean air helped our bodies and our minds.

That night we slept. We slept well. I even had a couple of dreams.

We still have the occasional cough, but the worst is far behind us. I am so grateful for fresh air.

Today I'm Thankful For...

very helpful and kind people,
a daughter who says, "Ooooh, Yay!" when I say, "You need to practice the piano."
sunshine,
a husband who loves me, no matter what,
prayer and the peace it brings,
wonderful parents,
pumpkin pie,
and a nice warm house,
just to name a few.

Balance and Prophets

I haven't blogged all week. I missed it! I have to admit that I am very happy just to be writing another post.

I've been working this week on finding the right balance. Life changes now and then, throwing new things at you or taking other things away. And I have to adjust and shift things around to find a new balance. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this particular balance. Maybe a little more tweaking, but it's looking and feeling good so far.

My mind has also been occupied by thoughts of this weekend. My parents are coming to visit. I am so excited to see them! And I get to listen to a prophet's words. The 179th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be held tomorrow and Sunday, Oct. 3-4. I am so grateful for a modern day prophet to give us counsel and guidance from the Lord!

President Thomas S. Monson

Paying Attention

The other day as we were getting out of the van, my oldest son pointed at the van window and said, "Look Mom." I replied, "Oh, yeah, there sure is a lot of dirt on that window isn't there?" He looked at me kind of funny then said, "No, I mean look at the reflection. Cool, huh?" When I looked again I could see a beautiful iridescent reflection of the sun shining through some clouds. It was quite bright, but somehow I had missed it. I wouldn't have even looked at the window if S hadn't called my attention to it.

I think that happens to me way too often. I get so caught up in thinking about other things or noticing the not so good things that I miss the joy around me. Here's to seeing the sunshine!

Create

I love this message from President Uchtdorf. This small sampling is very good, but I love going back and reading the whole thing. It is so encouraging!

Finding Joy: Part II

I was kneading dough the other night to make some rolls for dinner and suddenly realized how much I was enjoying it. The texture, the warmth, the smell, having my very own giant ball of "play dough" to squish over and over, my kids asking for bites of dough to eat, and my own happy memories of watching my mom knead dough and getting bites from her. Maybe this is one of my little quirks, I don't know. Does anyone else enjoy kneading dough?

Finding Joy: Part I

I've been trying to think more about the joyful things in life lately than the things that don't neccesarily bring me joy. Today some of those things are:

The new header I made. I love those lilacs!

Singing songs with my children. Especially Once There Was a Snowman sung backwards. In June!

Puffy white and gray clouds.

Phone calls from my husband.

The freedom of summertime.

Watching my 8 year old and my 18 month old cleaning up their bedroom together. Complete with high fives.

Big hugs.