A Distracted Mind

I have been slow on posting lately. Occasionally I have thought, "Oh, I should put this on my blog!" but now I can't remember what that was. I have been distracted. Very distracted. Lots of things going on in my unorganized mind. We have been looking at houses, mainly forclosures. We have been thinking, analyzing, dreaming, and wondering what we should do. And of course, shortly after we began to look, the rumor mill began and our phone began to ring. We have shown our home a few times, but nothing has come out of it except decluttering and cleaning on my part. Maybe I should list the house for sale - I might get some things done. On top of that, there is girls camp to plan, which in all honestly intimidates me. So, I like to look at real estate instead. A good distraction. I've also decided to set up an etsy store - just to see if I could do it. Not sure I can yet - although I have had one sale. I have learned two things during the process: 1. This is another good distraction. and 2. I am not nearly as technically savy as I thought. Just another thing to keep me from thinking about girls camp. I did tell Steve that I could get out of this calling by either moving or becoming pregnant. This might explain his sudden interest in real estate. However, we have finally concluded that moving is not going to be in our forseeable future. So, that really only leaves me one option. . . . (That of course is a joke)

What the World Needs

The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity. - The Joy of Womanhood, Margaret D. Nadauld Young Women General President, November 2000 Ensign

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to wish everyone a very, Merry Christmas! We miss seeing our friends and family far away. We send our love and best wishes for a Christmas full of peace, harmony, and love. And may we all remember the wonderful blessing of the Savior's birth, His life, and His atoning sacrifice. Merry Christmas

Technical Difficulties

My computer is sick. It doesn't want to turn on - at all. So, for the next few days I will not have my computer to check email, finances,post pictures etc. Its amazing how dependent you become on technology. Hopefully, I will have it back up and running soon. In the meantime I am using one of Steve's laptops.

The Beehive Bazaar

The girls are going to be selling their jewlery and things at the Beehive Bazaar again this year. If you are in Utah or will be in Utah on these dates, you really should come and check it out. I doubt you have ever been to a boutique like this before! We will post pictures of thier things later . . . when we get them finished.

The Infinite Power of Hope

Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace,mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet;it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency General Conference October 2008

Stressed

I am a little bit stressed. A few days ago my camera broke. I am trying to get it fixed, but of course that means I have to ship it far, far away and I won't see it again for at least two weeks. I found my old camera, but I can't get it to charge. So, that means that I won't be taking pictures of:

• our pumpkin carving
• all the beautiful leaves that are about to fall in our yard
• The Halloween Parade at school ( Yes, we still get a way with Halloween parties, and Santa even comes to school at Christmas!)
• Halloween Night
• Our Halloween Dinner that has become a tradition
• the 162 cans of wheat, flour, sugar, and oats I canned at home today
• And Ruthie's very dirty, sticky face from eating the sugar off the table that spilled as I filled the cans

So, to say the least I am disappointed. Maybe Steve can work a miracle for me. He's good at that. Then tonight I sat down to sew napkins to match my table cloth for the Halloween Dinner. (I know what your thinking - napkins?! Why?! But I really needed a creative outlet and decided to attempt sewing napkins) However, my sewing machine is very old and now broken. Abigail's sewing machine (yes, she has her own and yes she is a much better - I ask her for help. ) is missing the pedal and power cord. Can not find it anywhere! We took it to be serviced a few months ago and haven't used it since. It's possible it could be at the repair shop, but I doubt they will have a clue.) I Don't mean to sound like I am whining, but I suppose I am. Do you think I can make napkins with fabric glue?

Heartache

I had an interesting experience, one in which I am having a hard time shaking off. Not that anything terrible happened to me, nothing did, but it was a painful reminder that everyone has heartache. Eliza has a friend from fist grade whose parents are going through a divorce. I will call her friend "Jill". Currently, the kids are spending one week with mom and one week with dad. Recently, the mom moved into our neighborhood which means Eliza's friend is now in close proximity every other week. Yesterday, Eliza came bounding through the door and announced, "Mom, Jill is at her mom's this week, can I see if she can play?" After a snack, homework, and a little laundry I agreed to walk down with Eliza to her house and invite Jill over. I don't want to go into all the details, but something wasn't quite right when we arrived. I ended up coming inside and visiting with her for over an hour and all the while trying to understand what was wrong. The mom talked about the burden of being a single mom. Her feelings of inadequacy, the heavy load of providing, missing her children, worrying about them, and the apparent devastation of a failed marriage. I came home with much on my mind. There is more to the story, but its not necessary to elaborate. However, it was a heartrending reminder that we all have heartache and struggles. Its so easy to look at others and pass judgement, to be critical, or even oblivious. Yet life has its difficulties - for everyone. I just hope that I am not so caught up in my own life, my own stress, and my own disappointments that I neglect reaching out to someone else. And I fear I have. I think of the words which Elder Holland spoke , . . In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and “the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.” Perhaps then we can be emissaries sent from God.