Gratitude Day 2

I am very grateful to have such a good husband. He is a wonderful provider, a terrific dad, creative, fun, hard-working in everything he does, and my best friend. We have our ups and downs, as I'm sure everyone does, but he is very committed to making things work and I love him.

Gratitude Day 1

November is definitely a month to be grateful for many things, as we remember and celebrate Thanksgiving. I'm already late. :) Yesterday, as I was out doing yard work, I was thinking about how grateful I am to live in a place that has all four seasons--Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn--yes, even winter. I love the beautiful colors of the leaves right now. I love the smell of the leaves, too. I am definitely lucky to be able to enjoy the seasons.

Fall Break

Last week, we took the family to Southern Utah for Fall Break. It was so nice and warm. Apparently, mother nature didn't get my order--I wanted 70 degree weather for the whole month of October.  :) This week has been perfect!! Anyway, having for kids who are so completely different is a challenge sometimes. We have one who could spend all day hiking and bird watching; one who could live at the mall; one who wants to explore and find treasures; and one who wants to do anything related to animals. And don't forget the dad--he could spend the whole trip going to historical sites and museums. Me? I'm just along for the ride. We managed to do a little of everything. Exploring caves, hiking (Zions), shopping, looking for animals, swimming, picnics, and even a beach (Sand Hollow)! It was so nice to get away for a few days.

Swimming...

I was sitting here this afternoon reflecting on life. I have always felt about 20 years old (on the inside). I remember when I was really little having, what I thought at the time, grown up thought processes. I always felt so much older than I really was and then once I hit my 20s, I started feeling much younger than I really was. I've also come to realize that there are some things I just don't like to do and one of them is swimming. I've never been a good swimmer; I HATE putting my face in the water because it always, no matter what, goes up my nose and that stings and burns forever; and my hair--I hate getting my hair in that chlorine because I'm losing a ton anyway (that's a story for another day) and I feel like that damages it so much. But I love to go "swimming." My version of swimming is playing around, splashing, floating, etc in the water where my feet touch. I don't like water slides because of the whole going under the water issue. However, this summer, I had a day that was soooo much fun!! It was one of the most fun, best days I've had in a long, long time.

My youngest sister wanted to come down and go to a water park. I wanted the kids to come too, but Jon decided to take them camping. I was kind of dreading it, because what if she wanted to go on the slides? My body isn't 20 anymore, even if my mind is. We were both a little nervous, but decided to try the slides anyway. We had the BEST time ever!! We went down the same 2-3 slides almost the whole time and laughed, screamed, and giggled, almost to the point of crying. It was SO MUCH FUN!! I'm so glad we did that and had such a fun time.

Eagle Project

Teen 1 finally decided to do his Eagle project. He's been putting it off, saying it's too hard. I told him it's like running a marathon and quitting 100 yards before the finish line.  This is it--all he has left--merit badges are all done.  He found a project he was passionate about and that was that. He helped protect young native trees from beavers and deer so the natural habitat can grow back, attracting native birds and animals. It was quite the project, but he did it! Thank you everyone who helped!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Fun

I saw these cookies and thought I definitely had to try them. How fun are they?!

I made a batch of cookies, dragged the toothpick through the chocolate and got this.

Yeah--creative cooking isn't in my pool of talents. At least they still tasted good.

New Resource for LDS Missionaries and Families

  I thought this would be helpful to some of you. I know it will be for me.

MissionHome.com provides new resources for missionaries and their families

Where you serve is not as important as how you serve.

Salt Lake City, UT (September 17, 2013) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints currently operates over 400 missions with more than 75,000 missionaries serving throughout the world. When the missionary age change was announced in the October 2012 general conference, a new wave of prospective missionaries began preparing for the moment they would receive their call.

After receiving the call, missionaries and families often begin their search for specific information on that mission. Until now, there has not been a centralized site to learn about the culture and people of each mission area.  On October 1^st, 2013 Deseret Book Company will launch an online missionary website, MissionHome.com. MissionHome.com focuses on each phase of missionary service—prepare, serve and return. It includes helpful hints to prospective missionaries including tips for how to pack efficiently and how to prepare to leave as well as inspiring and authentic experiences from former missionaries.  A complete mission directory, created by missionaries who themselves have served in that area, provides information about local customs, food, transportation, safety, and many other insights.

“We saw a way that we could provide a gathering place for missionaries and the families of missionaries to become acquainted with the area where they would be serving as well as provide other unique resources,” said Laurel Christensen Day of Deseret Book Company, “and MissionHome.com was born.”

MissionHome.com is easy to use and provides a library of information for prospective and returning missionaries as well as help to families of those currently serving (a section for senior couples will be coming soon). Familiar LDS authors as well as recently returned missionaries and past mission presidents will be regular contributors to the site. 

In addition to great free content and resources, families will be able to send care packages directly to their missionaries with guaranteed delivery from Deseret Book. Service is available to most missions.

For more information on Mission Home, visit www.missionhome.com.