100 day challenge update

Time to update on the 100 day Book of Mormon challenge. I am almost on track/caught up. I tend to get a little behind on my INSANE days but on other days I try to read extra. I am suppose to be finishing Omni but I am at the end of Jacob. Jacob 5 is my FAVORITE section in the scriptures to read. Every time I read the Book of Mormon I look forward to Jacob 5. I sing about Jacob 5 when I am almost there. I know I'm silly but I just LOVE that chapter. It is all about olive trees, pruning and grafting etc. Well....I studied pruning and grafting in college YEARS AGO. The first time I read Jacob 5 after I had studied it in college my eyes were about the size of a dinner plate. Knowing how difficult it is to graft anything and the exactness of pruning olive trees not to mention the importance of digging about the earth has really strengthened my testimony of the scriptures. The care that the master of the vineyard gives to the olive trees is so caring. When most gardeners would have torched the place and started over.--to me rotting trees are a good sign to give up. Not to mention how SLOW olive trees grow and how LONG they live. They are really a generational crop. Anyway... I love Jacob 5.

A funny thing happened this time I was reading. The Isaiah chapters throughout 2 Nephi have ALWAYS been a struggle for me. It was always one of those sections that I just drag my feet through so I could enjoy the rest of the book. Until this time. This last year I have been reading quite a bit of Shakespeare for my Shakespeare class that I teach. When I was asked to teach the class a year ago I had only read one Shakespeare play way way way back in high school...I don't even remember which play it was--I think it was Romeo and Juliet (stupid teenagers! can't they obey anyone?!?!). Well after I agreed to teach the class I began to read a lot of Shakespeare... A LOT! One of the challenges for the kids is to read/watch/listen to 17 plays and so I knew that I had to dive in! Reading all of this Shakespeare has done something to me...I have found this love for the Shakespeare language. It is enchanting to me. How the language has so many levels...its so poetic..so beautiful..well I love it. Well the writing styles of Isaiah and Shakespeare are very similar to me. So when I started reading the Isaiah I was immediately in my comfort zone of Shakespeare. I still don't understand all of the symbolism but I certainly get more of it. I never knew that learning Shakespeare would bless my scripture study so much. After I finish this Book of Mormon challenge I really want to learn more about Isaiah and his writings. If Joseph Smith said it was his favorite thing to study, its got to have some good stuff in there that I NEED.
Anyhoo...there you have it!
Happy Day!

For those who love Twilight....

My dislike of Twilight is no secret. But I'm not here to talk about the books and what I don't like with them. I am taking this opportunity to post a video that I found hilarious. I have heard many men mention this problem with their wife...although not this extreme..lol.. Its a fun video that was filmed here locally. So have a good laugh!

Book of Mormon Challenge

Our Stake leaders have challenged our youth to read the Book of Mormon in its entirety in the first 100 days of the year.--That's about April 10th I believe. Luke is all fired up about it and asked me to read it with him. Since this is the first of the year, (and my scripture study really needs a kick in the pants) I told him I would. So far we are on top of it....of course we're only 6 days in..lol.. I remember when Pres. Hinckley challenged the church to read the Book of Mormon in four months, so this challenge is a few days shorter. I am very excited to really focus my reading. The last few months I have been reading a lot, but it has been a lot of Shakespeare and political stuff that I have been reading. Sadly, my scripture study has not been as enthusiastic as I wish it was...I am sure this will jump start it.

Who else is going to do this with me?!?!? I need some people to help keep tabs on me and others that I can pester also. :-)

ANYONE????

Christmas time is here!!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was quiet and uneventful. Very nice. The few days before, Mark had a blister of some sort on his gums so we (Mark and I) were up all night crying. Well..Mark did MOST of the crying anyway. I felt so bad for him. He couldn't suck on his pacifier or bottle and wouldn't even close his mouth. Poor guy! This morning his sore is gone and he is acting like his cute curious self. Hooray!

On Christmas Eve we went to the City Christmas program. It was very nice this year. Sometimes the program is on the weak side, but this year they really did a good job involving the community with an enjoyable program. We then sang songs as we looked at the lights around town. We came home and settled in for the evening. Of course, it was a very long evening as I ended up driving Mark around at about 2am to see if I could get him to sleep. It worked until I brought him home again, then he started crying again. The next morning was delightful to watch the boys open their gifts! The living room became a sea of wrapping paper. Later I had the perfect nap and the boys and I had a lazy Christmas afternoon together.


The best moment of Christmas!!

Lights in LaVerkin. That deer is hung up in the tree by his hind legs. A red string of lights is around his neck and drapes to the ground. What a hoot!! A true LaVerkin resident!!



Ben was very enthusiastic with his gifts. Using every body part available to open the presents.



The stocking that Cory won at his work Christmas party. The kids were really hoping that Santa would fill it.


The making of the candy houses a few days before. I would call them gingerbread houses but I have never made gingerbread and I've been to lazy to learn...so they are grahm crackers covered in candy trying to resemble a house.

Confessions of a Christmas tree Nazi.

Ok Nazi may be a little strong to describe how I am with my Christmas Tree. Well..with any Christmas tree. Years ago I was paid to make Christmas Trees look fabulous. We did trees for the Festival of Trees and we did pieces for the Governor’s mansion. We started the weekend after Labor Day and decorated Christmas trees that filled the store. I remember doing one tree that we did a twelve foot tree with peacock feathers, copper, and lime green. It took three days for the team to get all the lights on! It sold for more than $1200--they were insane I swear! Tons of handmade ornaments, fabric, beads and ribbon. It was my dream job.And it was YEARS ago.

Christmas 2005--not the best picture but you can almost see my insanity wrapped under the tree.

After I started having kids and doing the mom thing, I haven’t actively decorated trees much. That is…except for mine. For the last dozen years or so I have been so uptight about the Christmas tree. I had to have the G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S tree that looked like it came out of a store. This was a great fulfillment for myself. To have something that I felt I was actually good at…I was good at decorating trees. So I was going to do it WELL. The tree may have looked beautiful, and I spent many hours at night looking at the perfect white lights reflecting off of the various snowflakes and icicles. After a few years, the pretty ornaments were getting broke and the kids stopped asking to help set up the tree. (my husband wouldn't even be in the same room while we [aka "I"] decorated the tree. Last year it hit me pretty hard how much the kids didn’t like the tree. They wanted to be apart of the Christmas tradition of the tree and I had owned it completely.

So, perhaps it was because I was 8 months pregnant last Christmas, but I tossed out all of my pretties. The DI received a large amount of décor that year. When this year came around, it suddenly struck me, in October, that I didn’t have anything to put on my tree! Immediately the Christmas Nazi was in full swing planning colors and designs. But, thankfully, that quiet voice in my head directed me in a different direction. My boys and I have had fun putting together a quaint tree that they love. We made all of the ornaments (still working on some!) and James made a wicked long chain for the tree. When I told the kids that they could put anything on the tree that they made, they were at first very skeptical, but in the end they were delighted. We have had so much fun with the tree. We found bubble lights like I had in my childhood and I even put on colored lights—the first time EVER in my marriage. The ornaments are fun, non-breakable, and we made them all. :--)It is not glamorous, not fancy, not even color-coordinated but my boys love it and I love my boys. I love it too. I have loved sharing this experience with my boys.

And yes that is a ring of 5 gallon buckets of my food storage surrounding my tree with green fabric covering them...I still don't want the baby pulling down the tree..lol.

A year of grocery savings

It has been about a year and a half that I have been serious about saving money on groceries. I have spent less on groceries than I ever imagined I would have. The past 6 months I have focused more on finding deals on fresh food and non-processed food.
This week we went to Smiths to do a little shopping. Albies deals have been a big THUMBS DOWN lately. So sad since I love Albertsons so much more than Smiths. At the bottom of the receipt there is a spot where they print your yearly savings. I was delighted when I read "Savings to date: $1007.38"!! Smiths isn't my main shopping store so I was so thrilled to see that I had saved this much. Granted, I would probably never spend full price for almost anything so I doubt I would ever spent that extra $1000 at Smiths, however it is a nice visual of the effort of saving money.
Happy Frugal Holidays!

Visiting Santa

Last night was our Ward Christmas party. The theme was The Polar Express! We had a great breakfast followed by a little skit. We even wore our pajamas--mine were my favorite ones, that glow in the dark. So exciting I know. Then Santa and Mrs. Clause came for a visit.Mark wasn't falling for the big red guy in the fluffy suit. He wanted nothing to do with him! Sorry Santa!

Ben LOVED it! He talked up a storm! This is the first year when Ben will really understand Christmas and the excitement of it.
James and Luke wanted the candy. And that meant they had to sit on his lap. They hammed it up quite nicely..lol..


The kids had a lot of fun and it was nice to visit with friends from the ward. We are blessed to live in a ward that is very caring for each other. I think of when I had Mark earlier this year and how the ward brought me meals for a few days afterwards, but then gals kept calling and bringing me food. And since I never turn down food, I happily accepted it. I didn't have to cook for over a week. I felt so blessed. Anyhoo, it was nice to share some of the holiday season with them at Christmas time.


Here is the little skit that was performed. (Sorry it cuts out at the end...outta space at YouTube.) Luke had one of the parts and was SO excited for it. He really enjoyed being on stage. When he was singing I was so shocked! I knew he could sing..but I didn't know he has such a nice clear voice. It would be nice to get him some lessons someday.