I finally have my camera back!!

Here are some cute pictures of Hayden from today:

Squeaky Clean!


What the heck am I supposed to do with this?


Yeah...that's right

My Savior, My Friend

As I sit here this Easter evening I am filled with gratitude and love for Christ. There isn’t anything awe inspiring that I could possibly add to the words in John that describe the agony and suffering my Savior went through for me…so I will just add my testimony that I know that Jesus is the Christ and Savior of this world, and that He lives. He is our perfect example. He is our brother and can be our closest friend if we allow Him to be. I only hope I can live worthy enough to be able to feel the nail prints in His hands and kiss His feet one day. I ache to be able to fall into His arms and have Him welcome me and whisper the words “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Three Words That Will Change Your Life

While at Time Out for Women in Tallahassee a couple of weeks ago, Wendy Watson Nelson (wife of Russell M. Nelson) shared the following story…She had attended a high school class reunion in Canada and on her way home to Utah she was passing through Wyoming. On the side of the road she came upon a barn with a steep slanted roof with three words on top that impacted her in such a way that she will never forget it, and has shared this story with thousands of people around the world.

Had I lived my life according to these three words up until now I know my life would be much different, and I could have avoided a lot of grief and heartache through the years and a lot of the mistakes I made would never have had the option of coming to pass. But I cannot change the past, I only have in my power to change the future. If I can commit to live by these three words I imagine my life will be somewhat simpler, and perhaps more stress free. I will probably have more time on my hands, less clutter in my home, and an all around peace.

I’m sure you have in your mind what you think these three words might be. I sat there listening to her wondering what magnificent revelation was going to rest upon my ears that evening. But alas, they were simple. Just a simple phrase that makes more sense to me than just about anything else I have ever heard. The three words are: Not Even Once.

Had I committed to “not even once” wear something immodest in high school…or to “not even once” charge something unnecessary on a credit card…or “not even once” laugh at something inappropriate…or “not even once” participate in gossip…how different would my life be? I am now paying for my carelessness, but I can change how I go throughout my life from here on out. I can “not even once” charge something else on another credit card, or “not even once” tolerate ill speaking of any of God’s children and I can commit to “not even once” watch or listen to inappropriate entertainment.

I spend so much wasted time on the computer and watching TV. Maybe I can start this week (again) by posting a sign on the TV that reads “Not Even ONCE”.

I just have to brag on my amazing husband.

Two nights ago I was deathly ill with the flu. (Thank you, Hayden). I was up all night thanks to my bodily functions and I ended up passing out a total of three times. During all of this, Mike was not feeling well either, but he was so patient with me, always making sure I got back into bed and nice and comfy. He was constantly running back and forth from the bedroom to the bathroom and up and down the stairs catering to my every need. He got me fluids when I needed fluids, he got me a banana when it finally dawned on us to get some potassium in my system and most importantly he called upon the Lord for assistance and gave me such a wonderful blessing. I slept like a baby after that and am now feeling much more like myself. And no, I’m not sharing my husband.

I am now a card-carrying member

Of motherhood. Yes, ladies…it’s official – I’ve finally been puked on. Twice. I’m wondering who this is harder on…the kid who is sick, or the mom who cleans it up. Oh well…such is life.

A Week Without TV

I bought a book this weekend called 21 Days Closer to Christ. Each day it gives you a “Journey”, or I guess something like a challenge. I plan to start that with Michael this week, but something I would like to change about myself is how much time I spend in front of the TV and computer screens. I cannot cut out the computer entirely since I do a lot for Relief Society on the internet, as well as my couponing…but I can cut out the unnecessary time I spend chatting with friends or visiting meaningless websites. As far as the TV goes – I should be able to cut that completely during the day, and perhaps allow myself an hour each night. Each day I want to try to do something productive during the time I would normally be a couch potato. I still don’t know if I’ll have the TV on for Hayden or not, but maybe he wont ‘need’ it as much since I won’t be on the computer as much and we can do more things together. Hopefully I will be able to ‘report’ what we have done differently and the next few posts will be filled with acts of service, precious moments shared with my sun, and experiences that have drawn me closer to Christ.

Time Out for Women

This weekend was interesting to say the least. It seems as though every element was against us getting to Time Out for Women. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes blew through the pan-handle as we were trying to make it to Tallahassee on time. Then our driving directions were so wrong that it took nearly 45 minutes to find the civic center – a trip that should have taken 3-5 minutes. After we finally found it we decided to venture out to find some food. We went up and down the main road of a college town (a place where it seems logical to place dozens of restaurants) only to find ourselves at Circle-K for gas station hot dogs and chips full of MSG. The ATM was broken so that made it even more interesting as we needed to find cash to pay for parking…who uses cash anymore anyway??? But once we got inside (nearly 15 minutes late) Kenneth Cope was busy filling the room with such uplifting music and the spirit was so strong.

My hope is to take the words I heard this weekend to heart and become a “Latter-day Woman of God”. Little by little I hope to better myself. One of my favorite quotes is, “Am I closer to Christ today than I was yesterday?” If I can answer “yes” to that question each day then I’ll know I’m doing what has been asked of me. It doesn’t by any means mean I have to be perfect, because that just doesn’t happen in this lifetime. It only means I need to try.

My Favorite Valentine's Day

As a Relief Society Presidency we decided to deliver some roses to the widows at church. Honestly…it didn’t seem like a big deal at all. I mean, what’s a rose wrapped in tissue from a couple of girls? It can’t mean much, right? As we pulled up to our first stop this young mother was chatting with a friend right before we came to the door. As we rang the doorbell her friend said, “I wonder what your husband will send you today”. There we stood, a small bouquet of roses with a card attached that read “Together Forever”. She was very grateful and we were on our way. The second house we came to was the home of the oldest woman in our ward. She has been widowed for longer than I have been alive. As we handed her the flowers she seemed bewildered. “What’s the occasion?” she asked. “It’s Valentine’s Day!” came our reply. She said “You’re not giving these to EVERYBODY?” (She is over the enrichment committee and is always concerned about our tiny Relief Society budget.) We told her no but that her husband would have wanted her to have flowers today. Her eyes welled up with tears as she reached out to embrace the two of us. As she looked at the card that read “Together Forever” she started to well up again and informed us that this is what they have on their headstones. We delivered a couple more goodies to very grateful women and I cannot describe the feelings I have inside me. I am so grateful to spend today with my husband, but I am even more grateful for our sweet Relief Society president being so inspired to do this for these women who would not be spending today with their sweethearts. What an amazing experience this was and I must say that this has been my favorite Valentine’s Day yet.

A Different Kind of Drug Problem

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farm house in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?” I replied:

“But I did have a drug problem when I was a kid growing up on the farm.” I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher. Or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me. I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four letter word. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad’s fields.

I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline or chop some fire wood. And if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the wood shed.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin, and if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America might be a better place today.

Busy, busy, busy!!

Our day started at 7am when I got up to do a mad clean before Timi and Cory brought Jace by for the day. I did the dishes and cleaned my floors before Hayden woke up and he was very excited to learn that his friend would be over soon. After a yummy breakfast consisting of blueberry muffins and bananas we departed on our adventure. First we had to make a pit stop at the grocery store, but then we were off to the zoo! It took us awhile to actually get to the ‘good stuff’ because Hayden seems to have a fascination with ducks. We trekked all the way to the zoo to sit and watch ducks for a good 10 minutes. Doesn’t he know that there are lions and tigers there??? Silly boy! But it was quite enjoyable to watch him get so excited and run around saying ‘quack quack’ over and over! The boys LOVED the reptile exhibit, one that I wish would vanish into thin air. The thought of a 400 pound snake kind of gives me the creeps! We went on to see the elephants, one of which was slinging mud on himself and making quite a mess! I just hope Hayden didn’t get any ideas! We were there for a little more than two hours before the boys were exhausted. I can’t blame them, I was exhausted as well!

Then at about 6:30 we went to The Cheesecake Factory and had a family dinner. There were 10 of us, so it was chaotic…but very nice to be with everyone. The food was great and the company even better! It’s a shame we can’t do that more often.

I would post an overload of pictures, but I cannot find my camera’s charger and the battery is dead! I’ll see what I can do about that and will hopefully have some fun pictures for y’all in the near future.