Every year when I put together the Primary Theme Posters for our Calendar … I LOVE IT! All of the simple truths of the gospel are placed in my heart once again – I realize how important those truths are – and the value in teaching them to our children. My heart thrills when I feel the Holy Ghost like that! I shared these over at SFD.
But – I knew my sister Amy and her Harry Potterish Friends would enjoy them.
I shared these over at SFD as freebies.
Perhaps I ought to sigh and smile and feel relieved.
But I’m feeling a little LOST instead.
I was released as Relief Society President on Sunday.
I was sustained on September 25, 2011.
Released on October 14, 2012.
Just over a year.
Probably the hardest year of my life.
I’m still alive.
All the tots are still alive.
It’s really a miracle.
Oh – how I’ve grown.
How much I’ve stretched and learned.
But my heart is still a little sad.
Jimmy got a stake calling to be an assistant Stake Clerk.
We had meetings that conflicted on Sundays & Tuesdays.
The stake asked that I be released.
And it is good.
But it is hard.
I keep thinking of all that I need to do for my calling …
someone just had a baby … the sisters who are struggling that I’ve visted…
visiting teaching changes … etc.
But it is not my stewardship or responsibility any more.
What will I do with myself?
Ok – so really…
on Sunday night after I met with the new president for 3 hours,
I felt so much lighter.
I felt so much HOPE for my life …
to organize my home and family …
get us put back together …
hope that I might have emotional & physical energy to get in shape & be healthy.
This is good.
I’ve lost a bit of that pizazz because we have sickies here this week.
I have a kidney infection & major uti (bleh!),
Tru has a barky cough,
Max has a pink eye.
Both boys are getting over an unknown 8 hour fever.
‘Liza is teething & isn’t sleeping through the night lately.
But …
because Christ Lifts Us Up!
We are so blessed in so many ways…
THIS I KNOW.
I can look back on the last year
and wonder how we kept going.
I KNOW that Heavenly Father strengthened us…
every single day.
The other day during fall break we were reviewing the scriptures we had memorized.
We came across:
T i t L w a t h;
a l n u t o u.
I a t w a h,
a h s d t p.
Huh? We hadn’t done that one in a while.
So we looked it up.
Remember when I knew change was brewing…
This was the change.
I’ve known since Sept. 5,
Anyhoo…
There’s the update.
I have oodles of lessoned learned that I need to journal from my experience as president.
THIS I also KNOW…
When we do our best to fulfill our callings,
the Lord magnifies our efforts,
and tends to make up the difference.
I was never able to do everything on a given day,
but I was able to do a little here and there…
a little laundry… a few dishes…
a few r.s. phone calls (hiding in the pantry)…
a few visits… a bit of mourning with those that mourn…
tucking in barlings… enjoying funny little people…
a bit of rejoicing with those who rejoice…
snuggling little tots… watching Eliza grow up…
a few meetings (or a lot of meetings – according to the kids)…
scrubbing toilets (ok – only occasionally)…
lots of tears… but a heart full of love.
Hey, hey. Cool date today. First day of Fall Break. Wahoo. We spent the morning cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, fighting, and cleaning. We’re working on the “work together as a happy family” routine. But the kids made many efforts… so we’ll give them some credit. My angel of a mother watched the busy tots at home while Hannah and I zipped to the eye doctor. This was the result:
Darling child! She picked out her favorite glasses while I heard about all fishing in Alaska and chatted about church callings had my appointment. We threw a bunch of other ideas at her, but she was determined to stick with these pink beauties. They really are cute on her.
And since I know my sistah’s want to see how soft my cheeks have grown my new glasses, here’s one of the two of us together (with Super Man thrown in there for comic relief).
I know – I know I had Lasik… but I really need glasses for night-time driving (just ask my Presidency about the night I drove us all to the temple. Scary!). I had a hard time picking glasses. My last few pairs have been lovely wire satin silver (they blend in more that way). But the styles now-a-days are chunky and bold. The girls at the office convinced me that I could go colorful since I don’t have to wear them all the time. So red it is!
I love Color Seeds blog. The Wheat field came through on the Google Reader Feed today.
It is my favorite of these… what a wonderful world we live in.
Mt. Timpanogos photo by Michael Lloyd: shared by KSL Weather
Found this on Pinterest. I love Happy Colors. I’d love my entire house to be so colorful…
only I think we need Calm too. A happy corner?, Yes… I’d take that.
Another pinterest find via April. These can go in my happy corner with the green and yellow.
Aren’t these so darling? Wool Felted designs by the Felt Jar on Etsy.
Isn’t this so true for some kids. I believe my Abraham just needs to discover what
type of books he likes. I think he’s spreading his wings a bit… into non-fiction.
Great for teachers … but great for mothers too.
My kids are growing up. They are trying to find who they are and want to be. One is confident and glides through life enjoying it – though is a little dramatic and emotional. One is struggling … with friends … with confidence … with focus … with attitude. Oh, it’s hard. I’ve been so thoughtful about what my role is to help these children along in discovering their true identity – their confidence in knowing who they are as a Child of God. I feel like Elasti-Girl when she tells her children:
It’s so tricky to try and be the mom each child needs – all the time. I usually have 5 little people talking (or crying) to mom at the same time. Oh, how I hope they will be filled with the Spirit when I can’t be exactly what they need right at that moment. I came across this quote again and I hope to keep it in the forefront of my head/heart so that I will use patience and kindness when talking to my kids. I need to choose my words more carefully and remember to always build them up, even when I’m frustrated and at a loss of how to teach them.
This parenting thing is tricky business. I’m most grateful for the still, small voice that helps us know what to do. If only it were quiet enough ’round here to pay more attention to it. Working on that inner stillness!
p.s. had to note that for the first time in oh, like forever, we are having a real quiet time. Meaning, Maxwell is at preschool. Tru is not napping but is upstairs on his bed resting. Eliza is officially zonked. We’ve had the weirdest schedule over the summer and into September. Eliza takes a long nap in the morning and is awake during quiet time and then sleeps again when the kids get home – which has meant no real quiet time for mom. Oh – it’s my breathe of fresh air to regroup and have stillness.
Utah got the first snowfall of the season.
Ugg.
Okay – so it was up at Snowbird…
and it was only 2 inches.
But still…
this means winter is really coming.
I better get my fill of Autumn – like fast.
remember when the other night I was going to bed and thought, “What if I die tonight and one of the last things on my blog are words about how much i hate halloween. that’s dumb.” Really there is more to life going on right now than taking the time to hate halloween.
remember how sometimes i think Truman’s behavior is improving and that he’s very slowly learning. And remember how sometimes i think he’ll never learn… like this morning.
remember how my eyes are bigger than my stomach, when it comes to cold cereal and hot chocolate (always filled to overflowing – oops!) … but when i go to Costa Vida, I can eat a huge amount. Oops.
remember when Eliza took 5 steps this week. New Record for her.
remember how hannah and ‘liza sometimes both have crazy hair.
remember how I was a nimcompoop again this week. i need to apply this statement to my life.
remember when i bought 18 lbs of cute freshly-picked gala apples at Burgess Orchards. That’s a lot of apples. But oh, we love apples in the fall.
remember how Jimmy got a new calling to be the Assistant Stake Clerk over technology and he’s been gone so much setting up broadcasts.
remember when our first crop of corn grew so tall. and remember when we planted 4 zucchini plants. that’s a lot of zucchini.
remember when zhu-zhu pets could play the piano.
remember when we were little and used to dress-up in grandma’s old dresses and go visiting teaching. we really did. their poor neighbors who endured our visits. remember when mary and I reenacted it to be funny. don’t hate us because we’re beautiful.
remember when we had a morning devotional and it was bonkers. we’re having primary at 10 a.m. better zip off to get my sharing time ready. hannah is in charge of singing time. Max is giving a talk. abe is doing the article of faith. and tru is saying the prayer. hopefully ‘liza will be napping because she is a grouch this morning. jimmy is at the brigham city temple dedication session. the rest of us go at noon. oh what a life!
a beautiful, ordinary life?
I somehow thought I was so clever to come up with this take on the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’. I’m sure someone already thought of it, but if not, perhaps someone will enjoy it in their home. Now up in the etsy shop (which I’m supposed to be closing but can’t for some reason).
And just for record sake… I had this idea to create some custom Missionary art.
… Halloween was much sweeter.
And people dressed up like cowboys & indians.
Remember when people were cheerleaders, nurses, football players, and han solo (was Amy a secretary?).
I know some people still have classic dress-ups, but it seems like Halloween has turned into vampires and dead brides and icky stuff. Which is why on a scale of 1-10 of liking Halloween … I’m at a 1. Sorry kids. It’s true.
Let’s look at fantastic Holidays:
Christmas… celebrating Christ’s birth
Easter… celebrating the Resurrection & remembering Christ’s life
Thanksgiving… family and gratitude
Independence Day… celebrating freedom
uhhh… Halloween… trick-or-treat (give me candy) … creepy decorations all over the neighborhood.
I’m the grinch of Halloween. I’ll take the cute part of Halloween like littles dressed up sweetly. But I’d skip the rest.
I just can’t stand paying money on a costume that is dorky or cheaply made that will be worn once. I could sew?! sigh…
I wanted us to all dress up like something similar.
Sesame Street?
Even Jimmy poo-pooed that idea. But isn’t the Green shirt perfect for Truman – It’s his favorite color. And Liza as Big Bird!
We’ve got the super hero thing:
But don’t ya think every kid is going to be Batman this year?
I was aiming for the Book of Mormon Hero theme but nobody liked that one. Plus, I’d have to sew. Ummm… not gunna happen.
Sigh… Halloween – be gone!
