Heavenly Humor

I don't know about you, but I like to think that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor. So, yesterday when I woke up to this


I chuckled to myself and thought it was all fun and games. But then I woke up to more.


I'm not laughing anymore. And I'm beginning to think this is some sort of sick joke. Four inches of snow...in October...you've got to be kidding me. It could be a long winter folks. I may think it's beautiful now, but come six months from now when it still looks like this, not so much.

I Pick Neither

Last night at the monthly family home evening gathering, my middle brother informed me that Miriam's hair makes her look like Donald Trump. He then added "or George McFly." So, being a somewhat defensive mother (and rightfully so, in my opinion) I rebutted with the fact that while her hair might appear comb over-ish...it isn't really. After which, he changed his position by saying, "Well, just the back; it's got those comb over looking pieces."

I think she's way too cute to look like either of those old geezers anyhow...regardless of her hairstyle...at least she's not bald! (Not that I have anything against bald babies. This is in reference to said brother, more than anything else).

Here's a back view so you can judge for yourself.

I Heard Exactly What I Needed

Ahh *sigh of joy and relief*...there's nothing quite like the rejuvenation of General Conference! The Spirit spoke directly to me and I heard a few little whisperings that were very needed. I gathered a few main points that I need to improve in my life, but overall the talk that touched me most was President Monson's talk from Sunday morning session. Here are two quotes that I found especially poignant from this talk:

"...be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon."

"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances; we must deal with them the best we can, but we should not let them get in the way of what is most important. And what is most important almost always involves the people around us."

I hope you enjoyed conference as much as I did. It was so refreshing to hear from our living prophet, Thomas S. Monson and the apostles. God truly does speak through them and I am grateful He does!

Here's my list of insights I gathered and plan to implement in my life over the next six months (until the next session of General Conference when I find new areas to improve upon).

• I'm going to spend more time being a better wife and mother...even if this means that my housework and schoolwork will suffer some. I can't go back and change my time with my family, so they are more important.
  
• I'm going to go to bed earlier so that I can wake up earlier. I may not be a morning person, but I always find that I am quite productive when I wake up with specific things to get accomplished. This is especially true when I'm the only one up. When I try to do things at night, I end up tinkering around and doing nothing or very little.
  
• I'm going to be more grateful, including saying more prayers of gratitude only. I really am blessed and need to be better about showing my Heavenly Father that I am aware and thankful for everything in my life.
  
• I'm going to seek to help others. I surely am not so busy that I can't stop to serve my friends, neighbors and those who I may not know, but who may also benefit from something simple I can do.
• I am going to build unity with others by speaking more kind words and gossiping less.

So, my friends, what touched you? What are you going to change in your life? How do you plan to become more like our Savior?

The Apples Are in the Sauce

During the second half of the morning session today, I had my very first canning experience. Someone gave my sister a truck load of apples (seriously, there's enough to make a year's supply of applesauce...for every sibling in my family...and their spouses and children...and possibly their neighbors too) so she asked if I wanted some applesauce. Of course I want some applesauce!! (What kind of question is that anyway?...I can't go eating full-fat brownies all the time, now can I? Well, maybe I could...but then I'd probably need to cut my brownie consumption down by at least half. And based on my current stress-level and emotional state, *see previous post* I need all the brownies I can get.)

Anyway, back to the real topic of discussion -- canning. We made did make applesauce from those apples (some of them -- there's still a good minivan load left, or so) and boy, is it yummy!


It was fun too! Now I feel a little more comfortable with the canning process (applesauce only, there's no way I'm ready to tackle green beans...I'm paranoid of botulism) although, I doubt I could do it on my own. Not without my sister on the phone to tell me what to do along the way, at least. So, in the meantime I'll stick with her and maybe one day venture out on my own into the great world of food preservation.

T.G.I.C.W.

Translation: Thank Goodness it's Conference Weekend!

I don't know about you, but General Conference always comes at the perfect time for me. This time around is no exception. Lately I've been feeling like a Jack of all Trades; Master of None. This semester has managed to skew any sort of balance I had in my life. Now I seem to be crashing as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, student, housekeeper, homemaker, etc., etc., etc. I keep looking to try to simplify, but come up empty handed when all my ideas eventually lead to getting less sleep. My tanks usually running on empty as it is...losing more sleep would likely amplify my chaos. So, I've really been looking forward to this weekend in hopes of getting some personal revelation to calm my inner storm. The spiritual recharge will be nice as well. Heaven knows I need it.

Bringin' Home the Bacon

Last night was a great tip night for Owen. He brought us home a nice chunk of change and he was so excited about it...and I'm excited because he is excited! (Isn't that how married life works, Rejoice in one another's accomplishments and sorrow in each other's failures?) Anyway, one of his tips was even 56% of the bill total. For those not familiar with server (the most current politically correct term for a waiter) tips, 15% is the expectation (although it's commonplace for people to give far less than this) so 56% is amazing! Now, if only we could figure out a way to make this happen every night he serves...

Why Do Babies Sleep Like This?

If you can't tell, she's on her face with her little bum in the air. Can you imagine an adult sleeping like this? Hehe, that would be quite the sight!