Photo Shoot

With Christmas around the corner I started thinking that we should get our family picture taken for Christmas cards. So I asked my sweet friend, Erin, if she would take our picture. She has a nice camera and likes to take pictures. She met us at the park and did a great job capturing some cute photos. Here's a preview of what's going on the Christmas card:

According to...

I love the funny, silly, quirky things my kids say and how they pronounce certain words...so here's little list for the record:

"Sleepin Duty" - aka Sleeping Beauty
"ginner" - aka dinner
"skelekin" - aka skeleton
"eachgether" - aka each other
"wiggy" - aka wiggly as in "Ben's got a wiggy tooth!"
"ups goes the daisy" - aka oops a daisy
"gril" - aka girl
When I started this I thought I could come up with a longer list, but now that it's after 10pm I can't think so I'll have to add to it later.

A funny story...
The other day Natalie had over a couple of friends to play. Friend A arrived first and they decided to play "house". When friend B arrived, I asked them what they were going to do and Natalie replied they were going to play house. "I'm the mom and friend A is the dog." Then I asked, so who can Friend B be? Natalie's reply..."she can be the Honey." I had to walk away and giggle...funny what our kids pick up!

Mirror, Mirror

My little girl has a developed a love for princesses of all kinds but has taking a particular liking to Snow White. That was even her pick for her Halloween costume this year. Her love of Snow White reminds me of one of her cute little habits that I want her to remember...
I often catch her looking at herself in the mirror when she's brushing her teeth, putting on my make up or washing her hands at the sink and I love how she always smiles at herself and giggles. I love how she's happy with how she looks and who she is even if she's wearing mac n' cheese on her face of has crazy bed hair! I love that in her sweet, innocent 3 years of age that she can see what a cute, sweet girl she is and just smile at herself. I hope that when your 13 or 33 that you can still do the same and not worry about pimples, wrinkles, or what others think of you. Just know that you are beautiful inside and out. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is fairest of them all..." Natalie...it's you!

32 Things

I recently celebrated my 32nd birthday and thought I'd do a post about me...something I'm not very good at doing. I hope someday someone in my family might me interested to know some random things about me at this time in my life. So...

32 Things (you may or may not know)About Me

1. I am the proud mother of 2 beautiful kids and the wife of a wonderful husband.
2. I love gardening and getting my hands dirty trying to grow things.
3. I love being domestic and keeping a home, cooking, cleaning, canning, and all that kind of stuff.
4. I love being creative and usually have some crafty project I'm working on...scrapbooking, paper crafts, sewing, or other.
5. I'm very organized and love a clean and organized home. I've recently become a little famous or infamous for these skills and have helped others organized and clean their homes.
6. I love giving and receiving homemade gifts.
7. I got stung by a bee for the first time in my life this year.
8. Although I'm not the most graceful person in the world, I have avoided ever breaking any bones in my life.
9. I love classical and other more modern instrumental music...I've never really been into popular music much and my husband loves quizzing me when were listening to the radio to see if I know the artist...9 times out of 10 I don't.
10. I have been teaching piano lessons as a means to help my family financially for the past 5 years and love it.
11. My favorite dessert is warm, soft chocolate chip cookies.
12. I have a major sweet tooth and love treats...my figure kind of tells that...I have a hard time saying no!
13. I love autumn and all that goes with it...harvest, Halloween, leaves, Thanksgiving, sweaters, hot chocolate, cooler days, pumpkins, warm colors.
14. I once dreamed of being a doctor and traveling with the Peace Corps to Africa.
15. Instead I graduated from the U of U in Recreational Therapy and loved working with children at Primary Children's Hospital before I quit to stay home and raise kids and teach piano lessons.
16. My favorite holiday is actually Halloween...not the gory, scary stuff but the cute, whimsical stuff.
17. I hate fish and seafood...can't stand the taste of smell.
18. I've been married to my sweetie for 11 years...time flies when you're having fun. We were pretty young when we got married and it's fun to reminisce about how things have changed since our newlywed days.
19. I love family vacations...somethings I inherited from my Dad.
20. I'm a big Disney fan and have loved taking our kids to Disneyland now 4 times.
21. I have 6 siblings...2 brothers and 4 sisters. I love them more than anything and treasure the times we spend together.
22. I have wonderful parents...they did an amazing job raising 7 kids. I'm thankful for their dedication and the good things they did to help us become who we are.
23. I love work...I love being busy and have a project going.
24. I love the climbing into a well made bed with clean sheets in clean pj's...it's very refreshing and relaxing at the end of the day.
25. I love lemon...fresh lemonade and lemon bars...but not lemon Jello - Yuck!
26. I am addicted to Scenty wickless candles and burn them everyday in my home!
I can't stand food smells in my home and avoid it if I can...I'm known for plugging my crockpot out on the back porch!
27. I lack confidence in my fashion sense...I want to look good and be a little trendy but have no confidence in knowing what really looks good...so I'm pretty conservative and basic when it comes to clothes.
28. I love a good, warm bowl of soup.
29. I love the mountains and though I don't do it a lot now, I love hiking.
30. I love our little neighborhood and our friends and neighbors.
31. I have terrible eyesight and got glasses in 2nd grade after my Mom took me to the eye doctor and I couldn't even read the big E!
32. I am a member of the LDS church and am so thankful for my testimony of the gospel and the peace and comfort it brings to my life.

Catalyst

Do you remember learning about catalysts in science when you were in school.

Catalyst:

1 a substance which causes or assists a chemical change in another substance without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.
2 someone or something that helps bring about a change.
3 something that causes an important event to happen.

For some reason that word keeps coming to mind when I think about my life the past few months. An interesting catalyst presented itself in my life and caused me to evaluate the "good, better, best" elements taking up my time. I was worried that maybe the good, better and maybe even some bad were taking time away from the best things in my life and it was refreshing to put away some of those things for a while to make more time for the best.

So, now after some time has past I want to keep up this blog. I think it falls into the better category since it is a journal and a form of scrapbooking for me. Although my attention to it may wax and wane depending on how well I'm doing with giving attention to the best things. So...on to more blogging!

I'm Taking a Break

I'm going to make my 2 family blogs private for a little while...I need to take a break from it for a bit....

Just wanted to let anyone who might read it, that I'm not shutting anyone out on purpose...just need to simplfy my distractions right now...

15 Books

Several weeks ago a few friends posted a list of 15 books that impacted their life for better or worse on Facebook...since I never post anything on my Facebook account, I decided to do it here. Anyway, the instructions were a list of fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you for better or for worse. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes...

Maybe I thought about it too much but here's my list

As a child/preteen:

1. Ramona series by Judy Blume
2. Little Women
3. Anne of Green Gables
4. The Box Car Children
5. Little House on the Praire

As a teenager/college student:

6. Native Son
7. To Kill a Mockingbird
8. The Diary of Anne Frank
9. Don Quixote
10. Les Miserables

As an adult (recently):

11. The Poisonwood Bible
12. The Secret Life of Bees
13. These is My Words
14. The Kite Runner
15. Midwives

The Holy Ghost and the Haunted Mansion

So this week for FHE we were having a little lesson on how we can keep the Spirit in our home. I started out by asking my kids what the Spirit was and Ben replied "it's the Holy Ghost." Natalie then adds..."Yeah, he lives at the Haunted Mansion!" (We're big Disneyland fans and have listened to the haunted mansion ride music a lot lately...a ride Natalie did not enjoy at our most recent trip.) I try to correct her that no, the Holy Ghost does not live at the Haunted Mansion but does can be in our homes to comfort and help us...etc. "No, he lives at the Haunted Mansion, Mom" she insists. I continue to try to correct her that we want him to be in our home and help us. She concedes..."Okay, but he'll have to stay outside!"

The Happiest Place on Earth!

A few weeks ago, we enjoyed a trip to Disneyland with my family...seven siblings and their spouses, 12 grandkids and my parents...27 of in all. It was a great trip and we so enjoyed being with all the cousins and family. We're huge Disney fans and have loved the two recent trips we've taken with extended family (we went in Oct '07 with Bryan's family). Here's some highlights and tidbits:

1. The day before we left, I was packing and getting things ready when Ben came in to talk with me. He was so excited to be going. I think anticipating and planning for the trip is almost as much fun as actually going! Anyway, he says..."Mom, you know how you sometimes have tears running down your face but you're happy?" I respond with a yes.... "Well, that's me Mom. If you see tears on my cheeks they're tears of happiness Mom!" So I asked him if he was going to cry right now and he said "Not yet but almost!" So cute!

2. With such a large group to coordinate schedules with, there ended up being only one full day that everyone was at the park together all day. On that day, we arrived early to the park to be one of the first people in line. One of my sisters was first in line and asked one of the workers if they had a family to open the park yet. If you've never been, they have a little count down right as the park opens and they usually pick a family to come into the gates first and help count down for the "magic to begin". Anyway, they ended up letting our big family come in first to do the count down. We all got badges and were the first people in the park. I cried some tears of happiness I must admit!


3. We arrived early each day at the park to beat the crowds a bit and get on as many rides as possible before it got too busy and crowded. We had so much fun racing from ride to ride...we were definitely exhausted by the end of each day but we packed a lot fun in! Some favorite rides for Ben...Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, the Teacups, and Soaring over California. Natalie wasn't sure about any rides at first but ended up loving Small World, the carousel, and Dumbo.


4. As I said, we're huge Disney fans and have been many times at different seasons and with different groups, but being a parent and taking your kids to see it, really makes is so much more magical. We've been lucky enough to take our kids 3 times in the past 2 and 1/2 years. They're already talking about our next trip!


5. By the end of each hot and busy day of fun and battling the crowds, we were all exhausted and ready for bed. Tuesday night, Ben and Natalie fell asleep before I even finished reading them stories and Wednesday night, Natalie fell asleep during the fireworks and didn't wake up til the next morning...she slept through the noisy fireworks, the walk/drive back to the hotel and me wrestling her into her pajamas!


6. The beach...so nice to sit and relax on the beach after being in the hustle and bustle of crowded Disneyland! It was a bit cool and cloudy so we didn't really get in the water other than to walk in the waves washing up on the sand. Ben and Bryan built a fun sand castle together and Natalie snuggled with me on the beach towels. It was very relaxing and we wished we have more time to spend there.


7. The only thing we really had to complain about ...besided wishing we had the park to ourselves...was dealing with traffic on the drive to and back. We got stuck in traffic in Nevada with the crowds returning from Las Vegas to CA. It took us 2 extra hours to get there. And then on the way home, we got stuck in construction traffic in Las Vegas. Again...another 1 to 1 1/2 hours added to the trip. The kids were troopers though and we played many games of 20 questions and I Spy!

Rain, Hail...and Tears

We have had quite a stormy June so far. After a week or so of unsettled weather, clouds, wind and threats of rain, I commented to Bryan that I wished it would just pour. I was tired of the stormy skies and no rain. It had rained in other areas but missed Herriman for the most part. Well, I wish I could take that back now. Yesterday we had rain on and off most the morning and then about 6pm it started to hail...large pea size hail for about 15 minutes follow by a down pour. My rain gutters were filled with ice and so the water pour off my roof like a water fall, filling my window wells, drowning my flowers, and frightening my 2 little children. I tried to take a few pictures but every time I opened the door, the screaming and crying increased, so the pictures don't do it justice, but I had a good inch of hail on our back patio table. It looked like it had snowed. Later in the evening, after pumping water out of window wells, and getting two kids to bed, I went out to survey the damage. My yard literally looked like tossed salad...like a deranged Edward Scissorhands had attacked my flowers and vegetable garden.
After:

Before...taken 1 week ago.

Now it was my turn to cry. Overwhelmed, I went inside and called my sister and cried about my loss...I thought for sure I was going to have to replant my entire yard. Just when everything was starting to look good and grow...just shredded. Well, my sweet sister came out this morning and helped me clean up debree and fertilize. There is hope for my flowers and vegetables...hurray! I will no long beg for down pours! While we were cleaning it up, I just kept thinking well at least I'm not a farmer and these vegetables are not my livelyhood...just a hobby! I'm hoping for 80 degree weather and have new sympathy for those that have been through tornadoes and lost everything!

Natalie Turns 3!

Our little princess turned 3 years old last week. She has been anticipating this birthday ever since her brother celebrated his birthday in January. Whenever the subject of birthdays has come up since then, she has commented on that fact that she'll have a birthday soon. The past few weeks we have talked about it daily and she has sang Happy Birthday to herself many times!

We threw a Princess Tea Party and invited our family to join us for pink cupcakes cookies, brownies, pettifours and lots of candy (Natalie's favorties). It all turned out so cute if I do say so myself! We sent out invitations shaped like little dresses. As I was putting the finishing touches on the party setup, Ben asked me, "Isn't this a princess party? Where's all the princess stuff?" I replied, "Well, Natalie's the princess." He responded..."oh, okay." The two then disappeared and I hurried with some final preparations. The doorbell rang with the first guests arriving and they came down the hall. He had dressed her up in her Snow White costume, gown, crown, shoes, and purse. Ben announced: "Now she's the princess at the party, Mom! I dressed her up!" It was so cute!
My favorite part of the whole event was the priceless look on her face as we sang Happy Birthday (she sang along too of course) and then blew out the candles. It was adorable!



A little bit of remininscing about our little darling over the past 3 years...

She was born June 4, 2006 (she shares her birthday with a cousin...there are many June birthdays in our family so it bound to happen!) at 8:30ish pm at LDS Hospital. She weighed 6 lbs. and 4 oz. and was 19 in. long. She was 4 weeks early...can't imagine how big she would have been if she would have prolonged her arrival! She seemed pretty tiny though and came with lots of dark hair...you wouldn't know it now what with the blonde curls she sports today!

Before we knew about her, I always said I'd love to have a family of boys. But, boy oh boy, I wouldn't trade her for the world! Having a little girl is so much fun. I love the mother/daughter relationship and look forward to more that will come...well except for the drama which may escalate as we reach the teenage years...I can barely handle the 3 year old drama we have now!

Some favorites at age 3: She is all girl and loves everything pink and frilly. She loves playing with babies, playing house, carrying purses and diaper bags, shopping with Mom, cooking (pretend and real), painting her nails, playing with makeup, wearing dresses and pretty shoes, dressing up, and playing with friends. She's a bit of a fussy eater and will avoid nutritious meals at all costs and instead prefers to drink juice and snack...especially on candy! She loves her brother and would follow him just about anywhere and loves it when he plays with her.

Some quirks at 3 years old: She has a very sensitive nose and is constantly picking up scents and asking me "What's that smell...I smell sumpin'!" If she's not sniffing the air, she's sniffing her pink blankie. She fell in love with her favorite fuzzy, pink blanket when she was 7 or 8 months old and drags it around constantly. When she still had her binkie, she would put the blanket between her nose and binkie and smell it and rub it back and forth. She still hates it when I wash it and can tell if it's been washed with one whiff..."this not smell, Mom!" We have a duplicate blanket so I can wash them often, but she'll smell them both and always picks the dirty, stinky one over the clean, fresh one...crazy girl! She doesn't like cleaing up toys and such but loves to help clean the toilet and dust and vacuum. She is a pack rat and loves filling purses and bags with collections of random items...which drives me crazy! When she talks about size, she using only two words...it's either teeny or huge!

We love our little princess...quirks and all. Happy Birthday Natalie!

Inquiring Minds...and Noses

Have you ever read any of those Sam and Stella books from the library by Marie-Louise Gay? It's a cute little children's book series about a brother and sister who are always on some imaginary adventure together and all the while Sam quizzes his sister about the how and why of things. Stella always has some witty response.
"Stella, how do dogs learn how to swim?" asks Sam. "They take swimming lessons," answers Stella. You should check them out some time, they are so cute and fun.

Anyway, somtimes I feel like my life is a Sam and Stella book. My Benjamin is just like Sam, so inquisitive and curious and quizzing me a thousand times a day about all the hows and whys in the world. I think about 90 percent of his questions I either don't know the answer to or can't begin to think how to come up with a response a 6 year old can appreciate!

Here's a little list:

"Mom, what does the number infinity look like?"
"Do snakes know how to swim?"
"What would happen if you ate a watermelon seed?"
"Why do some animals lay eggs and why do cows give milk?"
"How many stars do you think there are?"
"What are you doing Mom?"
"When is it summer?"
"Why do we have Santa and Christmas trees on Jesus' birthday?"
"Why do some people speak different languages?"
"Is the Easter Bunny real or is it just a costume?"
"What is a butterfly doing when it's in his chrysalis?"
"Why does the Sun come up in the same place every morning and go down in the same place every night?"
"Why do dogs bark?"
"When is it summer?"
"What are you doing Mom?"
"What are we going to do today Mom?"
"Why do monkeys like to eat bananas?"
"Are ghosts real? What about the Holy Ghost?"


And if I'm not being quizzed to insanity by Ben, Natalie's nose is inquiring...

"I smell sumpin, Mom."
"What I smell?"
"Do you smell sumpin?"
"Sumpins in my nose."
"Sniff, sniff..what you smell, Mom?"

Good or bad, Natalie's nose doesn't let a scent go by without asking me about it or letting me know she "smells sumpin"!

I literally feel on the brink of insanity some days with all the questions! I need to be more like Stella and come up with something more witty than "I have no idea" and "Are you kidding me?" Let me know if you have a good response to what the number infinity looks like!

Canna Lilies

I have a bin full of extra canna lily bulbs if anyone is interested in some. The above pictures show a couple from my yard last year. They are a tropical looking lily that is really quite low maintenance and heat tolerant. They bloom in late July and through September. If you want some, they need to get planted right away. Leave me a comment and I'll bring you some or call me or stop by.

Top 25 List

My friend Jamie recently posted a list of 25 things she has loved about being a mother this past year. She said she was feeling frustrated with motherhood duties and needed a boost! What a better way to end a pity party than to count your blessings? So I'm going to take a stab at making my own top 25 list. Here goes:

The Top 25 Things I Have Loved About Being A Mother This Year

1. I love nuggling up and reading bedtime stories with my kids.

2. I love hearing Natalie say "I love you."...she's been stingy about saying it and finally decided she likes saying it.

3. I love greeting Ben as he comes home from school and hearing about his typical day: "first we went to the carpet, then we went to our desks, then we went out to recess then we went back to the carpet then we came home."

4. I loved going to Disneyland 2 times in less than 12 months...and we're going again in June! It's more magical when you take you own children.

5. I love volunteering in Ben's class as the Room Mother.

6. I loved making sock animals with my kids and watching them love and play with them for hours.

7. I love running errands with Natalie while Ben's at school...she's a fun shopper!

8. I love seeing Ben and Natalie play nicely together.

9. I love watching Ben and Natalie hug and kiss goodnight.

10. I love getting pats on the back from Natalie when she hugs you.

11. I love seeing Ben grow up so much...learning to read and tie his shoes.

12. I love going on walks with my family after dinner.

13. I loved sledding in the backyard with Ben and Natalie.

14. I love watching Ben make his own lunch...a hot dog on bread with ketchup and mustard and butter on top!

15. I love listening to Natalie sing primary songs like "I Love to See the Temple" and "The Wiseman and the Foolish Man" as well as "Happy Birthday".

16. I love having fun Family Home Evenings with my family.

17. I love planting a garden with my kids.

18. I loved getting our first family pet and sharing the ups and downs with trying to care for goldfish and guppies.

19. I love watching little faces get excited over something or other and yell out "Guess what Mom!"

20. I love celebrating birthdays and other holidays with fun dinners, desserts, and parties.

21. I love seeing 2 kids run to greet their dad when he comes home from work.

22. I love playing at the park and having fun in the sun with my kids.

23. I love hearing Natalie start to say prayers. She just mumbles the last word you say but it's cute.

24. I love watching my kids pour over their scrapbooks and talk about fun things we've done.

25. One of the best things about being a mother is that I have a great partner to share it with...I love having a great husband who helps make motherhood wonderful!

I Enjoy Being a Girl

Motherhood and womanhood is definitely a bittersweet adventure...but I wouldn't leave it for anything else. Mother's Day has me wanting to post about the women and mother's in my life.



I have been blessed to have the best "Super Mom" around. She truly amazes me. Now that I'm a mother, I'm constantly asking her how she ever survived giving birth to 7 children in less than 10 years and then successful raising us all to go on to have happy and successful lives of our own. She is famous for being able to juggle it all...sewing, cooking, cleaning, teaching, organizing, creating, serving...and on and on. When we were younger she always sewed matching Easter and Christmas dresses for my 4 sisters and I.

We always went to church on time with cute curly hair and pressed dresses...even when my dad was in the bishopric. I think one of the most valuable lessons I learned from my mother is the value of hard work. She has always pressed forward despite the challenges she has faced. I was looking at some old photos of me and my family and noticed her many of the pictures. It was fun to watch how often she was pregnant and see how quickly our family grew. In many of the pictures she is busy being the "supermom" and we're around her happy and thriving. I really had a wonderful childhood. I know that her success as a mother was not without much sacrifice on her part and I am truly thankful for all that she did and continues to do for me.




Besides my mother, I have been blessed with another group of women in my life...my sisters and now sister in laws. I have always loved my sisters but for some reason, after I had Natalie they suddenly became so much more meaningful to me. I always thought that when I became a mother I wanted to just have boys. I grew up with the drama of 4 sisters and thought boys would be a nice way to go. However, when a daughter entered my life, I immediately thought, "She's got to have a sister! How can she go through life without a sister?" My sisters are my best friends and we have been through so much together...I just can't understand how any girl can get through life without them. So a big thank you to all of them and the great talents and love they share with me.

I truly enjoy being a woman and a mother...the bitter and the sweet...and am thankful for the blessings that come with it.

Kudos to My Husband

Bryan has been an awesome gift giver this year...not that he was ever a bad gift giver...but he has been especially thoughtful and generous so I wanted to blog and brag about me sweet hubby. It started with me birthday when he gave me a great organization cart for my growing ribbon collection. Then for Christmas he gave me a nifty personal laminator. For Valentine's Day he gave me a Cricut Die Cut Machine...it's so fun! And this morning for Mother's Day he surprised me with a Kitchenaid mixer. What a fun surprise! I even already used it and made cookies for a family dinner this afternoon. Isn't he great? Now I've got to think of something amazing to give him for Father's Day....any ideas?

BOM Book Club Update

Well, as you can tell from my previous post that my Martha side has been more dominant the past few weeks and my scripture study ambitions haven't played out as well as I planned. However, I did get through a dozen chapters in 1 Nephi and had a few thoughts to jot down.

I've been thinking a lot about the contrast between Laman and Lemuel and Nephi. The constant whining and complaining from Laman and Lemuel is exhausting and it has me thinking about how much I might be like them. Nephi on the other hand is so obedient and dedicated. He presses forward with the challenges presented before him with unwaivering faith and hope. As a parent, I often find myself in conflict or contentions with my children. I'm hoping that as I continue to read and study, I'll be inspired to find ways to be more positive and cheerfull wtih them during difficult times.

Last month's Visiting Teaching Message had some great quotes about scripture study. Pres. Benson said that "Success in righteousness, the power to avoid deception and resist temptation, guidance in our daily lives, healing of the soul—these are but a few of the promises the Lord has given to those who will come to His word.. . . Certain blessings are to be found only in the scriptures, only in coming to the word of the Lord and holding fast to it. "

I'm inspired to read more. Leave me a post if you've been reading with me.

Teacher Appreciation Madness

So, I've been busy the past 2 weeks with Teacher Appreciation week for Ben's school. I'm the room mother for his teacher and have loved every opportunity to volunteer in his class this year. This was my first experience with Teacher Appreciation and I went a little crazy but had a lot of fun too! Part of the week included decorating the classroom door. I fell in the love with the phrase "Mrs. Craven, You Take the Cake!" and decided to make a 2D cake for her door. I think it turned out pretty cute and I got lots of compliments on it. Here's a picture:



For the class gift I decided to make her a little quilt with every student's hand print and signature on it. I got the idea from a quilt my mom recieved a couple of years ago...she's also a Kindergarten teacher. The women who made her quilt appliqued 48 little hands on a beautiful quilt for her. I am not so talented in my sewing abilities so instead I embroidered the hands and names and threw the rest together at 10pm the night before I gave it to her. It was full of flaws since I hurried to finish it but I was worth it to see her reaction to it when Ben gave it to her.



Anyway, it was a crazy couple of weeks with all the projects and also dealing with everyday Mom life and getting ready for a piano recital and working in the yard...yada yada. But I love teachers and wanted it to be a fun week. I'm glad it's through though!

Mary, Martha, and a Book of Mormon Book Club

Martha and Mary from the New Testament have been on my mind recently...I'm sure you're all familiar with the story from the Luke Chapter 10 when Christ comes to visit Mary and Martha:

38 ¶ Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

I have read this many times, heard many talks and discussions about it, even read a book about it (Mary, Martha and Me). It has meant different things to me at different times of my life. I often associate myself with Martha...encumbered about with many household tasks and projects that can interfere with my attention to other needful things. I find myself recently encumbered with cleaning house, raising children, teaching piano lessons, being a room mother, crafting, scrap booking, cooking, etc. All good things but they can get in the way of the attention I pay to my spiritual health and time spent studying the scriptures. I'm sure all you mothers out there can relate. Anyway, I've been trying to shape some better habits with reading my scriptures and got to thinking about a "Book of Mormon Book Club" my Relief Society did awhile back when we were reading the BOM for Pres. Hinckley's challenge. I enjoyed it so much and have decided to start my own little Book of Mormon Book Club on this blog.

Here's how it will work if anyone wants to join me:

Set a goal of how many pages you want to read each night or each week. (I'm going to try to read 5 to 8 pages a night).

Sunday or Monday, I'll blog about thoughts or interesting things learned in my reading this week. If you want to participate, leave a comment on each weekly post about your own reading and thoughts.

So that's it!

If you want to join my little Book of Mormon Book Club, just leave me a comment!

One last thought...I've often wondered how the story of Martha and Mary would have turned out differently if they would have helped each other have the best of both worlds. What if Mary would have helped Martha before Christ came, or encouraged her to sit and listen and then they would do the work together later. I hope adding this spiritual post to my blog about temporal things can help me (and maybe some others) find a better balance between my "Mary" and "Martha" endeavours.

The Family Car: Past and Present

(Disclaimer: This post has been on my mind for a few weeks so I'm finally posting it but I'm sure it will not be interesting to anyone but me...it's just for the scrapbooking/journaling point of this blog...you'll probably want to skip it!)



We recently bought a new family truckster and for some strange reason it got me thinking about family cars. Maybe I inherited it from my Dad...he loves cars and talking about old cars. He loves rattling off the the make and model of old cars he sees around town and such. Anyway, this post is dedicated to family cars, past and present.

It's intersting how far the family car has come in the past 3 or 4 generations. My grandparents didn't have cars as children, but pretty much walked everywhere or took the bus or train. My parents were kids, they did have a family car though very different from our recent purchase. My mother loves to tell about how they drove around in a panel truck that my grandfather took on flooring jobs. They sat on buckets...actual buckets...not bucket seats! When I was a kid we had several versions of the station wagon you can see in the picture below.



It looks like we were on one of our many summer vacations as evidenced by the fast food cups and bag were holding...we never went out to eat otherwise. I love the "car seat" my younger sister is in. My Dad is holding her in this white bouncer chair sort of thing. I remember my younger sibling riding in the car in it as babies. We never wore seatbelts as young kids. In fact, I wonder if the car even had them! As a pre-teen and teenager I know we had them in our vans and we did wear them but not like my kids do. We climbed all over the station wagon or van, especially on road trips. It's a wonder that we never got in an accident and had someone ejected from the car!
The price of cars past and presents also just kills me. Our recent purchase cost us just a little more than my parents paid for their first house! Can you believe that! My grandparents first car (it was used) cost them $90! Their first new car was the panel truck whick cost a couple of hundred dollars. My grandfather got in an accident in this truck shortly after buying it and totalled it. He was so proud of it when he bought it. They paid someone to fix it but it was of course never quite the same. They nicknamed it the "blue goose."

Anyway, just a few interesting things to be remembered later.

Little Pigs Have Big Ears!

You've heard the sayings about children and eavesdropping..."little pigs have big ears" or "children may not obey but they will listen." These expressions came to mind this week as I had few experiences with my children repeating things they have heard me say. Just yesterday at lunch time, I pulled out some Teddy Graham Trail Mix I'd recently bought and passed some out to Natalie. She looked over the contents: mini chocolate teddy grahams, mini graham bees, tiny pretzel twists, and yogurt covered raisins. She replied "Oh, these pretzels are kinda cute!" I smiled only to hear her brother reply, "Food cannot be cute!". I laughed and recounted the the banter to Bryan. He pointed to Ben and said "Daddy" and then at Natalie, "Mommy." We have had several such conversations where I have commented on how some snack or food I've prepared turned out cute and he's sarcastically disagreed! Funny how our kids picked that up. Ben's also been heard to repeat some silly phrases we say...especially Seinfeld quotes!

I've been also thinking about a conversation I once overheard my own mother have. She was talking to my grandmother about my aunt and her daugther. She said something along the lines of "If you want to know what kind of parent you are, just watch your children playing house." Apparently my aunt had been watching her daughter play with some friends and got a view of just what kind of mother she was. Recently I've had my own such experience. I've lately overheard Ben talking to Natalie in a sarcastic tone when he's frustrated with her. He'll respond to her questions or actions with sarcastic questions. "What does it look like I'm doing Natalie?" "What do you think?" It really started to annoy me so I sat him to down to discuss it one afternoon. I realized half way through the discussion why he was talking this way. I often respond to him with questions, sarcastic and serious...and had, in fact, used a couple when I was talking to him! What a good mother I am!

So I'm learning to be more careful about what my little pigs ears hear...whether it's funny Seinfeld quotes or words of discipline. Oh how much respect I've gained for my own parents since I've become a mother. It's a tough job!

The Big 33!

Today is Bryan's 33rd birthday. We celebrated it yesterday with our parents over for dinner and birthday cake...since he had to go out of town today. So here's a little celebration of his past 33 years.

Bryan was born March 30, 1976 to Lynn and Laraine Peterson in West Valley City, UT.
He was not an angel baby (though he tries to claim otherwise...I on the other had WAS and angel baby and hardly ever cried :). He was sick often and had to have tubes in his ears, was hospitalized for pneumonia and had his tonsils taken out when
he was six. He remembers jumping up on the operating table to get his tonsils taken out. Then, when they were administering the anesthesia, they told him to count to 10and he'd be asleep before he could finish...well he count to 10 and then some before they realized they might need to up the dose! His parents also fondly remember him crying all the way home from Yellowstone as a baby.

I called him in Las Vegas tonight and asked him to recall some fun childhood memories or favorite things...
"I loved grossing people out with my crooked pinkies."
"I loved playing basketball in the front yard with neighbors."
"I loved playing "CHIPS" (the old motorcycle cops show) with your (Valerie's) older brother (yes, I married the boy across the street!)
"I loved camping, playing with the family dog, eating anything but vegetables!

Some accomplishments he's proud of:
Sports - playing on Granger's football team, running track, basketball
Becoming a detective...he was attacked as a child near his home and the detective that handled his case made a lasting impression...he never outgrew the boyhood dream to become a cop.

Favorite things as an adult:
"My wife!"...(how sweet!)
"My kids"
"My job"

"Favorite food...still anything BUT vegetables!"

Happy Birthday honey...Love you lots!

The Contents of a Woman's Purse

I've heard it said that you can tell a lot about a woman by the contents of her purse. Well, my little Natalie LOVES purses and has quite a collection...5 purses plus 2 doll diaper bags and a zipper bag she adopted from me. She plays with these on a daily basis and they a packed full of interesting things. The current contents from all 5 purses and the zipper bag are as follows:

-2 Valentines Day cards
-a snapshot of herself
-2 advertisements from her Tinkerbell DVD
-a little book she colored in Nursery
-2 combs and 2 mirrors
-several costume jewelry necklaces and bracelets
-1 half-eaten chapstick
-Bryan's IPOD chord
-gum wrappers
-3 sets of play keys
-2 play lipsticks
-a wallet with a pretend debit card
-a play makeup combact
-a coin purse
-loose change
-several buttons
-a business card
-2 little Madonna idol dolls Bryan got in France
-and an old cell phone

Now what exactly is this saying about my daugther? Well, I've been thinking she's a disorganized packrat that loves having piles of clutter around her...the opposite of her mother. This until I looked through my own purse the other day to realize the contents of my purse could suggest I was a disorganzied packrat! Here's my list:

-2 sets of keys
- a wallet with checkbook, debit cards, library cards, Costco card, expired coupons, "loyalty" cards to various stores like Great Harvest and Cold Stone, my kids immunization records, insurance cards, coupon books to Jiffy Lube and the UPS store.
-crumbled receipts
-old grocery lists
-empty packages of fruit snacks
-smashed golfish
-a ziploc bag of teddy grahams
-an umbrella
-cellphone...uncharged of course
-gum and several gum wrappers
-used tissues
-lotion
-hand sanitizer
-post it notes
-and a handful of crumbs

Needless to say I will be less critical of my daugthers purses and try to keep mine in better order!

Spring Cleaning Tips

Isn't she ambitious?

So a dear friend recently emailed me and asked me to post some Spring cleaning tips on my blog...specifically how to clean grout and how to clean wood blinds. Now, I disclaim being any kind of expert but I do like to clean and have been working on my own spring cleaning. So, with a grain of salt, I post some simple spring cleaning ideas to celebrate the first day of Spring!

1st- Make a list...decide what you want to accomplish and put it in writing. I like to work room by room. So I make a list for each room and cross it off as I go.

2nd - Be prepared. When you set out to do some cleaning and organizing, gather all cleaning and organizing supplies before hand. Be aware of the time you want to spend on the task and don't take on too much at one time.

3rd - Committ to getting rid of old, unused, impracital items in each room or area as you clean and organize. I like to committ to getting rid of 3 things in each area. It's very refreshing to toss out the old ...and maybe reward yourself with something new for all the hard work...a new set of sheets or towels, a new wall hanging, etc.


Some favorite tools and cleaning products:

1. Lysol all purpose cleaning...it kills 99.9% of germs unlike Pinesol and other similar type cleaners

2. Murphy's Oil Soap...great for cleaning blinds, wood floors, and I love to use it to clean walls and baseboards.

3. Swiffer dusters...great for catching dust instead of swishing it around. Works great on blinds and ceiling fans.

4. Containers..."a place for everything and everything in its place". I love using baskets, rubbermaid totes, and other containers for every closet and drawer. It really helps keep things organized.

5. Labels...a great companion for all those containers.

Now for cleaning grout:

If your looking to just keep it clean I love using Lysol All Purpose Cleaner like I mentioned or Mr. Clean. But you can also try diluted vinegar, dilute ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. If you need more professional cleaners, try an oxygen bleach powder. It cleans and removes stains without bleaching out the color in the grout. I'm going to try one called Stain Solver. A stiff brush is also helpful in cleaning grout. I like to use the Sonic Scrubber... its a little spinning brush with interchangeable heads.

And the wood blinds:

Regular maintainence is the best...weekly dusting with a damp cloth or Swiffer duster. Never get real wood blinds wet. Murphys Oil soap works well on faux wood blinds for cleaning. Tilt the blinds to a 45 degree angle and then wipe each side. I have a neighbor who said she soaked her faux wood blinds in bleach to treat the yellowing from the sun and found it successful with a little scrubbing. I haven't tried yet but am thinking about it.

Well, hope that gives you some ideas or inspires you do de-clutter. Happy Cleaning!

Girl Scout Cookie Tip

Did you all buy your annual supply of Girl Scout Cookies? I got my favorites: TagaLongs, Samoas, and Do-si-Dos. I also got a box of Thin Mints. They're not really one of my favorites except for this fun little trick you can do with them. I learned it from one of my sisters a couple of years ago and now it's become a tradition. Make a yummy cup of hot chocolate, grab a couple of Thin Mints. Take a small bite out of each end and then use the cookie like a straw and take a sip of hot cocoa. Not too much...and then put the whole cookie in your mouth. It melts in your mouth and is delicious! Try it! If you didn't buy Thin Mints, Keebler Grasshopper cookies also work.

Family Resemblance: A Comparison

Do you find yourself comparing family resemblances? I do it all the time with my family and with friends and neighbors...who looks like who and who doesn't. Anyway, not sure why I'm compelled to notice such things. So here's a little comparison for you. Who do you think looks more alike?

Bryan (2 years)



Valerie (9 to 12 months I think)



Ben (1 year)


Natalie (1 year)


Natalie (2 years)


I think Ben has always looked a lot like me. Natalie's 1 year picture looks somewhat like me but the older she gets, the more I think she looks like Bryan. The recent picture of her looks a lot like Bryan's 2 year picture. The shape of their faces is similar. What do you all think?

Little Goldie Goldfish

We had a bittersweet Saturday morning...we lost our pet goldfish Goldie. Bryan was going to feed them when he noticed Goldie floating on his side. He came downstairs to inform me of the news and we debated whether to tell Ben or just replace him. Well we decided we should tell him and I thought he would take okay because I had been preparing him from day one that goldfish don't live as long as people. But when we broke the news to him, he broke down in hysterical sobs and carried on about the injustice of the situation. Even after the hysterics calmed, he kept getting big crocodile tears and his little chin quivered. I tried to get a picture of that sad, sweet face but he would have nothing of it. Any way we sent Goldie to a watery grave and headed to the pet store for a replacement. We ended up coming home with 2 guppies..."Gubby-Gubby" and "Lellow". They are quite hyper fish and have been chasing Red around the bowl a lot. Ben commented that he was still sad that Goldie died but was glad we could have 2 new fish. Oh, the circle of life.

Yankee Doodle Handy Stamps

This post is dedicated to my sister-in-law in Connecticut who recently started her own little business selling handmade stamps. You can view her designs at Yankee Doodle Handy or click on the Yankee Doodle Handy button on the right. She's having a contest right now to win a free stamp. Check out her blog to enter or buy a stamp. She had some great designs for return address stamps, stamps for kids and lots more! She is a very talented lady...I wish she lived closer so I could work on crafty projects with her!

The Princess and the Potty

We've been working on growing Natalie up a bit...you may remember my "No More Baby" post a few weeks ago. So we decided to take the plunge and potty train. I've been putting it off because I had such a rough time potty training Ben...it took a year I think and he still likes to power struggle over whether he needs to go to the bathroom or not. Anyway, I was dreading a repeat experience but decided to give it a go. It has been a miracle...2 days later and she's pretty much potty trained! She's still nervous about No. 2 but No. 1 is all taken care of! Hip Hip Hooray!

Backyard Bunny Slopes

Isn't it so true that you don't have to travel far to enjoy life and be with the ones you love? The grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. This past week we discovered some fun in own backyard. We gave Ben some snow tubes for his birthday last month and hadn't used them yet, so I decided on President's Day we would experiment with the slope in our backyard.



I didn't know if it would work out or not but as it turns out the slope in our backyard is just perfect for my timid two and their sleds. We've had some snowy days followed by sunny days recently and that has made for some great sledding conditions on our backyard.




Ben and Natalie had lots of fun sledding down our backyard hill all morning and afternoon. I got lots of exercise trudging back and forth to help Natalie carry her sled. Our own backyard turned out to be just as fun as going to the mountains to sled...even the wildlife think so...watch out for deer poop!



Anyway it was a fun afternoon of smiles and giggles from all!