Thanksgiving

This year we shared Thanksgiving with the Godfrey Family. Because the family is getting so large Wes' Mom decided to have it up to the Church building. It seemed to workout great. The food was wonderful, the table setting very nice and we enjoyed good company. Wes and his sister thought it would be funny to have each family do a skit for everyone. Our skit was the ... uh... least prepared I would say. We danced to music from Nacho Libra and wore sombreros on our heads. Thank heaven for Sophie because she was the most amusing part!

On Thanksgiving day I thought about all the things that I am thankful for. What stuck out the most kind of surprised me. I am so very Grateful for my Trials and the adversity I have faced in my life. I believe and know with out any doubt, they have made me a more thoughtful, caring person. They have opened my eyes to the bigger picture of life. I can see beyond the little trivial things, to the things that really matter. The moments of the heart is how I would describe such things. My faith has been strengthened, the limits I have set for myself have been pushed beyond what I thought I could handle and my Character has been enriched for the better. All these things help me to make better choices, be a better Mother and a better person. I am not afraid of the trials to come, because I have faith that the Lord will never leave my side...he has always been there before.

Hoping that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. ~E

It's Official!

I am going to college! I can't believe it! I am all registered for spring Semester at Utah State University. I have yet to declare a major. There are so many things I'd like to do.

When I tell people I am going back for the most part, everyone is excited! There are a few though that look at me me funny, like.... why are you so excited? I thought I would share my inspiration. that way when I have a rough time, or a class I hate I can look back and remind myself why.

So, when I was 9, my family relocated to Utah from New Mexico. It was a hard time financially for my parents. My Mom decided it would be best to go back to school so she could eventually provide some stability for us, my 2 sisters and I.

She set an example for me, I watched her work full time, raise 3 daughters, go to school full time and most importantly show great determination, self discipline, and Faith in the Lord and Jesus Christ. She did all this during one of the most tragic parts of her life. Amazing.

I want my children to be able to think of me the way I think of my Mother. I want to be an example to them, I want them to know that no matter how hard life can be, if they put their minds to it, they can succeed. I want them to know that they can lean of the Lord and his Gospel for support. Some of the things I remember most about my Mom...She tried her hardest not to study on Sundays. Also, no matter how long she had worked, or gone to school or spent time reading text books, it never failed that if I woke up in the middle of the night, I could creep in and look into her bedroom and see her praying on her knees, with her scriptures opened in front of her. And although I couldn't hear her out loud, I knew she was pleading for strength....and I know she was carried through those times because of her faith!

So there you go, that is why I am so excited. If I can just be half the example my Mom was I will be happy. Also, last night was awesome. When Hayden came home from school to find Wes and not me...all he could say was that he (hayden) was so proud of me. And when I picked Gracie up from School, she said "Mom it will be so neat to have you going to school, because when I say I hate school, I don't want to go I will think twice because you are going too!

How cool is that? ~E

This says it all....no need to ask why I can't get anything done.

Taking a Breather to Count My Blessings.

I am not going to lie, this last week has been tough. First with the loss of my little friend Oscar (my dog), then a few days later I welcomed the Swine Flu most graciously into my lungs! Reguardless of these things, I must look on the positive side of things and count my blessings.

As I sit here tonight, in my little corner doing my nebulizer treatment ( see pic of nebulizer) for my Asthma/pneumonia I am over whelmed with so much gratitude. I have so many things to be thankful for. So here it goes....

I am looking at a clean house thanks to Wes and the kids. They all pitched in tonight to help get it all done. It was such a mess this afternoon, I didn't know what I was going to do. As I sat in the Doctors office listening to her give me instructions, I could hardly contain myself. She kept saying things like SLEEP,REST,TAKE IT EASY, SLEEP. In my mind I was thinking how in the heck can I do that when I have such a Stinky house? It was such a blessing to come home and have a husband who really cares and wanted to help. I am so lucky! BTW, yesterday was our 13Th anniversary. We couldn't go on a hot date, there was no fancy meal, but he did all he could to make me comfy. He got me lots of new fuzzy socks, some new Jammie's, slippers and flowers. I am afraid all I have given him is the impending swine flu. I am so blessed to have such a cute, fun little family and a home that is full of love and for at least a moment is clean (except for our bedrooms)

I am so grateful for friends and neighbors. I had lots of people offer to bring meals in tonight for us. We had a wonderful dinner and dessert, someone else brought french bread, and someone else brought an apple pie. Again, I am blessed. And, most certainly humbled by the goodness of people. It makes me want to try a little harder to be a little better.

I am thankful for my warm house, I hear that we may wake up to snow in the morning! There is nothing better than a cozy warm house on a winter day.

I am blessed to have the knowledge that I can pray at anytime to my Heavenly Father. I can pray for help, for comfort, for knowledge, for forgiveness or just to say thanks. The best part is....he listens, he is waiting for me to pray and converse with him because he loves me, and wants the best for me. AMAZING I know!

Life certainly has it's ups and downs, sometimes it helps to just sit, take a breath (even if it is assisted with a nebulizor) and think about all of your blessings. Life IS good. ~E

Dedicated to Oscar.....RIP

My little companion Oscar died last night. I was pulling up to the house and he got excited and ran under my back tire. He died in my arms on the way to the vet last night at 10:30. I am so heartbroken. he was a great dog!

Quiz.

Humor me and take my quiz, it really does have a point! I am going to give you a tag-line, slogan, or part of a jingle. Name the product or Brand it represents. (The answers are in the comments)

Some times you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't:

Just DO It:

Where's the Beef:

Are you in good hands:

The Quicker Picker Upper:

Like a Rock:

The Fabric of our Lives:

Snap, Crackle, Pop:

Melt's in your mouth, Not in your hands.

How did you do? I did fantastic! Kind of proud that I knew all of them. But really, when I start to think about it, how did I know all of them? A few weeks ago Gracie and I went out for lunch to our favorite chinese place. When she opened her fortune cookie it said "always be in control of your mind, or someone else will. She had know Idea what that meant. I explained that our minds are like sponges and they can soak up alot of unwanted information. The proof is in my little Quiz.

Yesterday for Young Women I taught the lesson. It was on worthy thoughts, and having good thoughts. It really was a great lesson, it made me seriously think about my own mind and the "clutter" it may have. I really do feel like a battle with my mind sometimes, You're fat, your lazy, You're worthless... and so on.

Proverbs 23:7: ‘as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he’

Elder Boyd k. Packer gave a wonderful talk on the subject of thoughts. Some of the things he spoke of were as follows

" Probably the greatest challenge and the most difficult thing you will face in mortal life is to learn to control your thoughts."

"As you learn to control your thoughts, you can overcome habits, even degrading personal habits.You can gain courage, conquer fear, and have a happy life."

"I had been told a hundred times or more as I grew up that thoughts must be controlled, but no one had told me how. I’ve thought about this over the years and have decided that the mind is like a stage. During every waking moment the curtain is up. There is always some act being performed on that stage. It may be a comedy, a tragedy, interesting or dull, good or bad; but always there is some act playing on the stage of your mind.

“Have you noticed that shady little thoughts may creep in from the wings and attract your attention in the middle of almost any performance on that stage and without any real intent on your part? These delinquent thoughts will try to upstage everybody. If you permit them to go on, all thoughts of any virtue will leave the stage. You will be left, because you consented to it, to the influence of unrighteous thoughts. If you yield to them, they will enact for you on the stage of your mind anything to the limits of your toleration. They may enact themes of bitterness, jealousy, or hatred. They may be vulgar, immoral, even depraved. When they have the stage, if you let them, they will devise the most clever persuasions to hold your attention. They can make it interesting all right, even convince you that they are innocent, for they are but thoughts. What do you do at a time like that, when the stage of your mind is commandeered by the imps of unclean thinking, whether they be the gray ones that seem almost clean, or the filthy ones which leave no room for doubt? If you can fill your mind with clean and constructive thoughts, then there will be no room for these persistent imps, and they will leave."

Elder packer offered up some help, something that he does to control his thoughts. He has memorized some of his favorite uplifting songs, and when something negative trys to enter his mind he can shut it down with the song, and go to a happy peaceful place. He says that if you do it enough the song will eventually become second nature and you will just start reverting to it with out having to make much effort.

As some of you know Gracie has been dealing with terrible stomach aches. The more testing we have done the more it looks like it is how she is manifesting the stress from the tornado. Last night I tried something with her. Instead of her telling me how sick she felt I had her repeat 10 times...I feel great, I am health and happy! I don't know if she was sold, but she did it and you know what...she slept all night.

One of of my challenges in this life is being a pessimist or a realist I like to call it. I really loved this lesson and teaching it, I feel like it has empowered me to take my mind back, just because I have been told that it is my nature to be negative, I don't have to settle with that...I am what I want to be.

Thanks for reading my post, I am sure to some it might have not made any sense, but hopefully it helped someone like it helped me. ~E

Feeling a Little Domestic....

Last week Sophia and I took a quick trip to Layton to visit Tai Pan ( A home decorating store). We had a great time. She cracks me up because she is nuts over the place! I really didn't have any intention of purchasing anything. I have had a gift card for about a year that I needed to use. But unless something popped right out at me, I wasn't going to buy anything. Back in the good ole'days I used to find much pleasure for decorating, but not so much in the last couple of years. But, as we walked into one of the rooms in the store, this print jumped right out at me! I love it! It looks really good on my vaulted wall. I am very proud of myself for finally doing a little bit of decorating. And a little secret...I had fun.

Sunday night me and the kids dipped Carmel Apples! I was delightful, we had a great time. We all thought they looked to nice too eat, but we ate them anyway!

I don't know why I feel like I have accomplished so much, but it feels good anyway. Oh and here is a shocker my whole upstairs is spotless as I am typing this... yippee! I think tomorrow I will try to make some bread.... don't hold your breath though! ~E