"You become what you want to be, by consistently being what you want to become each day."I was talking on the phone to a friend earlier and she mentioned she and her daughter want to write a book someday. The first chapter will be "Nice People are Nice." The second chapter will be "Mean People are Mean." I told her that fits in perfectly with my latest favorite quote.
--Richard G. Scott
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Quote Currently Hanging on our Mirrors...
Monday, April 18, 2011
Develop, Share, Give
Go figure - my time and brain power towards writing has been more limited the past few months. I hate not parking myself for this, especially when there's something I really want to get down, but I don't want to click "publish" when I don't have enough time to polish. (I especially don't want anyone walking away from their computer stupider than when they sat down.)
While stewing on this problem, I realized that I'm still thinking and gathering thoughts, but they are being delivered in a different format. Yet it wouldn't take much more effort to bring those things to this format. So that's what I'm going to do.
A few months ago I led a discussion on a quote I heard in December:
While stewing on this problem, I realized that I'm still thinking and gathering thoughts, but they are being delivered in a different format. Yet it wouldn't take much more effort to bring those things to this format. So that's what I'm going to do.
A few months ago I led a discussion on a quote I heard in December:
"Develop yourself, share yourself, then give yourself to something bigger than yourself."Since I wanted to learn as much I could from the discussion and the great women participating in the discussion, knowing I wouldn't remember a lot after sitting down, I asked my counselor to take notes for me. For each part of that quote we discussed a scripture that goes along with it, then talked about how we could do that.
Develop Yourself - Matt. 25:14-19, 22-25. How can we develop ourselves? Try new things, education, strengthen weaknesses, temple attendance, develop talents, pray, read the scriptures, church magazines, accept new callings, set goals, learn from others, stretch and grow.
Share Yourself - Matt. 5:14-16. How can we share ourselves? Teach others, service, callings, smile, visiting teaching, give and show love, be a friend, volunteer (don't wait to be asked), make time for others, be receptive to the Holy Ghost, give your heart, speak your mind, visit and get to know each other.
Give Yourself to Something Bigger Than Yourself - Matt. 16:25. What can we give ourselves to? Callings, community, schools, family, marriage, serving a mission, family history, temple work, sharing testimony. Ultimately, to the Lord.
As we talked about each of these it was brought up that going through this leads to self-reliance. It's a cycle - sometimes we need to work on developing, other times we can give of ourselves more, but we should remember that when we are asked to give ourselves to the Lord, He will qualify us and help us be what we need to be. We need to counsel with the Lord on how, when, where we can/should share and give ourselves, and remember that we are all individual with unique gifts and talents.
The responsibilities of the Relief Society as individuals and as a group are to (1) increase faith and personal righteousness, (2) strengthen families and homes, and (3) help those in need - each of which fits very well with developing, sharing, and giving ourselves. When we follow these, we will strengthen ourselves, our families, our ward, and everyone around us.
Any other thoughts?
My thoughts on 12/17/2012 - I wish I would have asked them HOW them personally doing those things has helped them to develop, share, and give. It's one thing to say you should read the scriptures, and deeper learning and application to say how it's actually been beneficial.
Any other thoughts?
My thoughts on 12/17/2012 - I wish I would have asked them HOW them personally doing those things has helped them to develop, share, and give. It's one thing to say you should read the scriptures, and deeper learning and application to say how it's actually been beneficial.
Touchy Feely - Lego Series 4
For those that don't know, Lego has been put out 4 sets of 16 minifigures each. Series one and two had an extra bar code on the back which could be scanned to find out which minifigure was inside. Lego realized people were picking and choosing, so they took the extra bar code off starting with series three. There are some tiny raised dots that supposedly indicate what is inside (not always correct), so most people resort to the touch method.
Back to the story. Before we headed to the store I looked to see if there were any feeling helps and didn't find any, so while this is not regular fare for my blog, it is a public service announcement to assist those attempting to feel which minifigures are hiding inside those little orange series 4 packages. Sammy is helping me explain.
Artist - We could tell this best with the palate. It is small, flat, and roundish, with a handle on the back.
Soccer Player - We found this by the trophy and cone piece.
The Monster - The head piece is easy to find - big and flat on top, head hole at the bottom.
Kimono Girl - The dress/skirt is the easiest way to tell this. It's a pretty big piece.
Lawn Gnome - The long fishing pole and handle. He also has shorter legs.
Hockey Player - The hockey stick and body armor piece (it goes over the neck onto the body).
Ice Skater - Harder to tell. Little skate pieces.
Musketeer - The hat is a dead giveaway. Also the sword.
Punk Rocker - The guitar is long and forks at the bottom. The hair is an odd shape as well, small and curves on the bottom side.
Sailor - The hat is easiest - round with a lip around it (edge of the hat folded up).
Crazy Scientist - He has rubber hair, so the points are hard to feel. If you find a big rubber piece, you got him. Also the beaker.
Street Skater - Skateboard piece is easy. The wheels should be off, and they feel like little dumbbells.
Surfer Girl - The surfboard is big, and if you find her hair it has the knob on the top.
Hazmat Guy - The helmet is a big piece. Besides just a head piece, it has the front/back that slides over the body attached.
Viking - The helmet is really different, and you can feel the round shield and ax handle.
Werewolf - I would usually find him by his hair (like the elf's hair from series 3), then feel for the small bone.
My hands ache after all that package feeling (we went through 3 cases, mostly full), but supporting my Lego genius is great quality time. Plus, I since he's not a big fan of reading, I use these little guys as reading incentives. We have a couple friends we help and swap with now. Feel free to join us!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Small Miracles, Everywhere
Last Thursday I lost my iPod Touch.
I didn't realize I didn't know where it was until that evening. I immediately went through in my mind when I knew I had it last. That afternoon Erin had played with it but brought it back to me, and I vaguely remembered putting it in my pocket, but wasn't sure if that was the right day I remembered that happening or not.
I DID know that we'd been a couple of places, including Wal-mart, and while I was there my lovely Erin decided that since mommy wouldn't buy her an umbrella, it was time to take off through the store running and hiding. Knowing she would just run farther if I initially gave chase, I just watched where she went, snuck up on her, and did a shorter chase-and-grab than it would have been. There was still some wrestling involved and a bit more chasing, but eventually all was settled, and no, I still didn't buy the umbrella. But I was sick thinking maybe I had lost it there.
Friday I did some looking to no avail, and called Wal-mart to see if anyone had found it there (no). That evening I went to bed feeling really upset about it. Didn't help that I folded laundry for an hour and a half and didn't have my iPod there to play the inspiring words of great men and women to make it less drudgery.
Still, I woke up Saturday feeling hope, and carried that through the day. Did more looking, did more praying, but still found nothing.
That night, the miracle happened.
I was cleaning the kitchen getting ready for Sunday. Everyone was in bed and I was finishing up, but at about 11:15pm Madeleine woke up crying. I walked in her bedroom and cuddled her for a few minutes, laid her back down, and went back to work. At about 11:45pm she woke up again, but since I was about done this time, I brought her in to the kitchen while I finished up.
A few minutes before midnight I walked her back to her bedroom and was cuddling her back to sleep, when suddenly, I heard a small chiming noise. My first thought was that I could use my phone for an alarm in the morning, something else I use my iPod for because our regular alarm is terrible. My second thought was, but that wasn't my phone! It was in the kitchen charging and the dishwasher was running, so there was no way I could have heard it if it had been my phone. The more I thought about it, I knew it had to be my iPod... somewhere. But at least that somewhere was in the house!
The next day Adam took a dive under Erin's bed for me and came out with the iPod. Guess she decided she needed another round of playing and forgot to get it back to me that time.
May seem silly, but to me it was a miracle that I was in the perfect place at the perfect time to hear the chime of an appointment reminder, a feature that I don't hardly ever use. It was a little, "I love you, and want to help you even with your small worries" from Heavenly Father.
I know they happen far more than we ever realize, but I'm so grateful for the small miracles in life!
I didn't realize I didn't know where it was until that evening. I immediately went through in my mind when I knew I had it last. That afternoon Erin had played with it but brought it back to me, and I vaguely remembered putting it in my pocket, but wasn't sure if that was the right day I remembered that happening or not.
I DID know that we'd been a couple of places, including Wal-mart, and while I was there my lovely Erin decided that since mommy wouldn't buy her an umbrella, it was time to take off through the store running and hiding. Knowing she would just run farther if I initially gave chase, I just watched where she went, snuck up on her, and did a shorter chase-and-grab than it would have been. There was still some wrestling involved and a bit more chasing, but eventually all was settled, and no, I still didn't buy the umbrella. But I was sick thinking maybe I had lost it there.
Friday I did some looking to no avail, and called Wal-mart to see if anyone had found it there (no). That evening I went to bed feeling really upset about it. Didn't help that I folded laundry for an hour and a half and didn't have my iPod there to play the inspiring words of great men and women to make it less drudgery.
Still, I woke up Saturday feeling hope, and carried that through the day. Did more looking, did more praying, but still found nothing.That night, the miracle happened.
I was cleaning the kitchen getting ready for Sunday. Everyone was in bed and I was finishing up, but at about 11:15pm Madeleine woke up crying. I walked in her bedroom and cuddled her for a few minutes, laid her back down, and went back to work. At about 11:45pm she woke up again, but since I was about done this time, I brought her in to the kitchen while I finished up.
A few minutes before midnight I walked her back to her bedroom and was cuddling her back to sleep, when suddenly, I heard a small chiming noise. My first thought was that I could use my phone for an alarm in the morning, something else I use my iPod for because our regular alarm is terrible. My second thought was, but that wasn't my phone! It was in the kitchen charging and the dishwasher was running, so there was no way I could have heard it if it had been my phone. The more I thought about it, I knew it had to be my iPod... somewhere. But at least that somewhere was in the house!
The next day Adam took a dive under Erin's bed for me and came out with the iPod. Guess she decided she needed another round of playing and forgot to get it back to me that time.
May seem silly, but to me it was a miracle that I was in the perfect place at the perfect time to hear the chime of an appointment reminder, a feature that I don't hardly ever use. It was a little, "I love you, and want to help you even with your small worries" from Heavenly Father.
I know they happen far more than we ever realize, but I'm so grateful for the small miracles in life!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
40 Bags, 40 Days
I saw a new cleaning/organizing challenge and I'm all over it. After all, it's a SMART* goal.
The goal is...
40 bags out of the house in 40 days!
Those bags can be garbage, donations, giveaways, whatever, and you choose the size of the bag. (When I told my kids about it to rally their participation, they thought a snack bag size of bag would be great, but I'm thinking grocery bag size.) My day 1 was yesterday, and I took that bag out of my bedroom. Seeing as how I've been bad enough about starting (lots) of blog post without finishing them lately, I'm not even going to think about updating daily or weekly or anything. Update at the end will be good enough for me.
It's a whole different type of motivation, though, looking at things with a "what can I kick out to reach the get rid goal?" mentality.
Who's with me???
(Jamie, you're automatically recruited.)
* For those that don't know, a SMART goal means that the goal is:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Relevant
T - Timely
To learn more about SMART goals and a variety of other leadership lessons, join me at Wood Badge this summer!
The goal is...
40 bags out of the house in 40 days!
Those bags can be garbage, donations, giveaways, whatever, and you choose the size of the bag. (When I told my kids about it to rally their participation, they thought a snack bag size of bag would be great, but I'm thinking grocery bag size.) My day 1 was yesterday, and I took that bag out of my bedroom. Seeing as how I've been bad enough about starting (lots) of blog post without finishing them lately, I'm not even going to think about updating daily or weekly or anything. Update at the end will be good enough for me.
It's a whole different type of motivation, though, looking at things with a "what can I kick out to reach the get rid goal?" mentality.
Who's with me???
(Jamie, you're automatically recruited.)
* For those that don't know, a SMART goal means that the goal is:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Relevant
T - Timely
To learn more about SMART goals and a variety of other leadership lessons, join me at Wood Badge this summer!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
WHELMED
More and more I really enjoy words.
I thought of the word "whelmed" earlier today. In my little brain it should mean not quite overwhelmed. Like "Wow, crazy!" but not, "Whoa, I can't take this!" Don't you think?
The dictionary doesn't agree.
The Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines "whelmed" as "Covered, as by being plunged or immersed." It has no overwhelm.
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines "whelm" as:
1. to turn (as a dish or vessel) upside down usually to cover something : cover or engulf completely with usually disastrous effect
2. to overcome in thought or feeling
It defines "overwhelm" as:
1. upset, overthrow
2. a. to cover over completely : submerge
b. to overcome by superior force or numbers
c. to overpower in thought or feeling (The same as whelm - how can that be when you add "over" to it?)
Then get this. The Free Dictionary online defines "whelm" as:
1. to engulf entirely with or as if with water
2. another word for overwhelm (What??? There we go again!)
I like their "overwhelm" definitions the best:
1. to overpower the thoughts, emotions, or senses of
2. to overcome with irresistible force
3. to overcome, as with a profusion or concentration of something
4. to cover over or bury completely
5. to weigh or rest upon overpoweringly
I like my personal definition of whelmed. Maybe if we all started using it according to the definition like unto "to weigh or rest upon somewhat," "to heavily weigh the thoughts, emotions, or senses of" we could start a new trend. I think whelm would be a fun word to use.
I thought of the word "whelmed" earlier today. In my little brain it should mean not quite overwhelmed. Like "Wow, crazy!" but not, "Whoa, I can't take this!" Don't you think?
The dictionary doesn't agree.
The Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines "whelmed" as "Covered, as by being plunged or immersed." It has no overwhelm.
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines "whelm" as:
1. to turn (as a dish or vessel) upside down usually to cover something : cover or engulf completely with usually disastrous effect
2. to overcome in thought or feeling
It defines "overwhelm" as:
1. upset, overthrow
2. a. to cover over completely : submerge
b. to overcome by superior force or numbers
c. to overpower in thought or feeling (The same as whelm - how can that be when you add "over" to it?)
Then get this. The Free Dictionary online defines "whelm" as:
1. to engulf entirely with or as if with water
2. another word for overwhelm (What??? There we go again!)
I like their "overwhelm" definitions the best:
1. to overpower the thoughts, emotions, or senses of
2. to overcome with irresistible force
3. to overcome, as with a profusion or concentration of something
4. to cover over or bury completely
5. to weigh or rest upon overpoweringly
I like my personal definition of whelmed. Maybe if we all started using it according to the definition like unto "to weigh or rest upon somewhat," "to heavily weigh the thoughts, emotions, or senses of" we could start a new trend. I think whelm would be a fun word to use.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Simple Woman's Daybook
Things have been so busy in so many levels that I haven't had much time to think about writing here, and even e-mail messages that take extra thought take me days to write. I've been wanting to write for a while; I think this is my speed right now.
Outside my window... it's dark and cold. The girls are in bed, all my guys are playing with the scouts building snowcaves, but are coming home tonight to sleep in their own warm beds.
I am thinking... of how to simplify, and the things I should be focusing on that are really important.
I am thankful for... so many things. My family. My wonderful and fun husband who I love to be around, and my children who are a delight to be a mother to. Thankful that Adam will be doing something he'll love all summer working at a scout camp, even though I'll miss having him around.
The latest news... a new calling - Relief Society President. Yah, crazy. Came as a complete shock. Heavenly Father has far more confidence in me than I do in myself, but I'm thankful to know He qualifies those He calls. Should be a fun ride!
From the learning rooms... we finished reading "The Hobbit" together a few days ago and started "The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle." I'm learning all the time; hopefully the kids are too.
From the kitchen... Jamie has done a lot of the cooking the past month or so. He's been home quite a bit, so we've had some really delicious things. It's been a blessing, especially as I'm learning my calling and getting up to speed with that.
I am wearing... my jammies (cozy time), but I got a couple pairs of pants for Christmas that I love. Haven't hardly worn jeans since then.
I am creating... memories and love. That doesn't require a clean/organized home, right? But still/always trying!
I am reading... "Enchantment" by Orson Scott Card. Maybe 1/5 of the way in, good so far. Some here and there's bug me (like random crude language, not swearing but crude), but an intriguing story.
Goals for the New Year... Without even checking my reading goals every year have become more simple, and this year is no different. This year I want to read one book each month of my choosing. I say that because I am now involved with two book groups, plus a homeschool group that had a book for each month. With all that, I don't feel like I have a lot of opportunities to read what I want (not saying all those books aren't books I want to read!). I have so many things I want to study that my reading time seems to get less and less.
A picture thought... so glad my kids are friends!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Choosing to Follow
Our family was invited to perform some service a couple weeks ago, and we quickly accepted the opportunity. Simple really. Meet at the church, and help clean.
While we were there, I thought about how the process of gathering people for this service could be improved. I had seen sign up sheets about it in the past, but we got a phone call. Maybe the sign up sheets hadn't worked. I wondered if it would make a difference if it was laid out how often our congregation had the responsibility, and if everyone were asked to perform this service once, possible twice, through the year.
The person in charge was there with us, and I asked if she gets a lot of excuses when she asks for help.
"Yes, I do. Or people just don't call back." She mentioned later that she's done it all herself before. With our crew, it took us two hours. That would be a big job on your own.
As I thought more about it, I wondered if things would be different if someone else were making assignments. My mind went through a list of people, and and I imagined possible scenarios if they were in charge. Some gathering friends, some guilting people into helping, and some like this one, performing the service on their own if necessary.
This all brought me to another, bigger question. Why do we choose whether we follow based on the person leading?
True, some people are natural leaders. They gather people easily, and people are quick to follow. I've noticed that I love to see someone with a vision actively working towards that, and it is especially effective when they are sharing that vision (i.e. vocal about it!).
There are others maybe not as charismatic, not as readily noticed. They perform their duties more quietly, yet placed as a leader for a time, they are moving forward as well. Is their effort less? The result also accepted? Leadership in a widow's mite-ish sort of way.
I guess the biggest question is where your loyalty lies - the person or the cause.
While we were there, I thought about how the process of gathering people for this service could be improved. I had seen sign up sheets about it in the past, but we got a phone call. Maybe the sign up sheets hadn't worked. I wondered if it would make a difference if it was laid out how often our congregation had the responsibility, and if everyone were asked to perform this service once, possible twice, through the year.
The person in charge was there with us, and I asked if she gets a lot of excuses when she asks for help.
"Yes, I do. Or people just don't call back." She mentioned later that she's done it all herself before. With our crew, it took us two hours. That would be a big job on your own.
As I thought more about it, I wondered if things would be different if someone else were making assignments. My mind went through a list of people, and and I imagined possible scenarios if they were in charge. Some gathering friends, some guilting people into helping, and some like this one, performing the service on their own if necessary.
This all brought me to another, bigger question. Why do we choose whether we follow based on the person leading?
True, some people are natural leaders. They gather people easily, and people are quick to follow. I've noticed that I love to see someone with a vision actively working towards that, and it is especially effective when they are sharing that vision (i.e. vocal about it!).
There are others maybe not as charismatic, not as readily noticed. They perform their duties more quietly, yet placed as a leader for a time, they are moving forward as well. Is their effort less? The result also accepted? Leadership in a widow's mite-ish sort of way.
I guess the biggest question is where your loyalty lies - the person or the cause.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Sammy's Ah-Ha
I started reading 10 Conversations You Need to Have With Your Children the other day. Right off the author mentions Psalms 127 where it talks about children being arrows and happy is the man that has his quiver full. The analogy is made that if children are the arrows, then parents are like the bow, so no matter how far the arrow has flown, the path was originally guided by the bow. I like that.
So tonight Sammy and I were reading about George Frideric Handel, and withing the first couple of pages in that it talks about Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Handel's father DID NOT want his son to become a musician). Sammy went to grab his scriptures to look it up, so since they are similar, I shared the Psalms 127 scripture with him.
While telling the boys good night tonight, Sammy told me he'd thought of something. "If kids are the arrows, and the parents are the bow, Heavenly Father is like the person using them, and heaven is the target."
L.O.V.E. I.T.
I told him thank you for teaching me. Children truly are an heritage of the Lord.
So tonight Sammy and I were reading about George Frideric Handel, and withing the first couple of pages in that it talks about Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Handel's father DID NOT want his son to become a musician). Sammy went to grab his scriptures to look it up, so since they are similar, I shared the Psalms 127 scripture with him.
While telling the boys good night tonight, Sammy told me he'd thought of something. "If kids are the arrows, and the parents are the bow, Heavenly Father is like the person using them, and heaven is the target."
L.O.V.E. I.T.
I told him thank you for teaching me. Children truly are an heritage of the Lord.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Paying the Price
I've been thinking about the price.
What is the price for the things I want?
Is the good, better, best question a question of price? In choosing one thing, we must remember the cost, not only of what we choose, but the cost of not choosing something else.
What am I willing to pay for? What is so important to me that I am willing to pay the price?
An example of paying the price - Bruce R. McConkie:“Dad paid a price to learn,” says his son Mark. “He knew gospel understanding comes to people who earn it—it’s not some sudden flash that comes without effort. Even though he had already read the scriptures many times during his life, he reread the entire standard works, taking notes on everything that was messianic in nature, before writing The Promised Messiah. Then when he wrote The Mortal Messiah, he read the entire standard works again and wrote down everything that was helpful in analyzing the life of the Savior. For The Millennial Messiah, he read the entire standard works a third time and wrote down everything that was millennial. Some people may not appreciate the intense labor that went into it.”
"A daughter once asked him how he learned the gospel. When he was a young man, he said, about eighteen or nineteen, he went through the Book of Mormon verse by verse, studying and cross-referencing, and rewriting each verse in his own words. He covered the entire Book of Mormon in this way and had a stack of papers over a foot high when he was through. “I asked him what he did with those papers, and he said he threw them away—it wasn’t the stack of papers or what he wrote that was important, but the discipline and understanding it gave him. This is the way he taught himself.”
I've been reading the book "Change Your Questions, Change your Life." It is good to ask the questions, and even better to take the time to discover the answers.
What is the price for the things I want?
Is the good, better, best question a question of price? In choosing one thing, we must remember the cost, not only of what we choose, but the cost of not choosing something else.
What am I willing to pay for? What is so important to me that I am willing to pay the price?
An example of paying the price - Bruce R. McConkie:“Dad paid a price to learn,” says his son Mark. “He knew gospel understanding comes to people who earn it—it’s not some sudden flash that comes without effort. Even though he had already read the scriptures many times during his life, he reread the entire standard works, taking notes on everything that was messianic in nature, before writing The Promised Messiah. Then when he wrote The Mortal Messiah, he read the entire standard works again and wrote down everything that was helpful in analyzing the life of the Savior. For The Millennial Messiah, he read the entire standard works a third time and wrote down everything that was millennial. Some people may not appreciate the intense labor that went into it.”
"A daughter once asked him how he learned the gospel. When he was a young man, he said, about eighteen or nineteen, he went through the Book of Mormon verse by verse, studying and cross-referencing, and rewriting each verse in his own words. He covered the entire Book of Mormon in this way and had a stack of papers over a foot high when he was through. “I asked him what he did with those papers, and he said he threw them away—it wasn’t the stack of papers or what he wrote that was important, but the discipline and understanding it gave him. This is the way he taught himself.”
I've been reading the book "Change Your Questions, Change your Life." It is good to ask the questions, and even better to take the time to discover the answers.
Monday, September 20, 2010
My Comedy of Errors
All I wanted to do was take a friend some dinner, and this is what happened:
1. I was making lasagna and realized I didn't have any mozzarella cheese. To the store (also grabbed a bag of salad and french bread, which I wanted to go with the lasagna anyway, and extra noodles just in case!), and home.
2. Got meat and noodles cooking, and realized quickly that I didn't have any ricotta cheese or spaghetti sauce. Didn't even occur to me before then as ingredients I would need. Argh! Had enough sauce for one pan of lasagna (if I stretched it), but decided I just couldn't do it without the ricotta. Back to the store, and home.
3. Opened the car door to get out the ricotta and sauce, and a jar of sauce rolled right out and broke on the driveway (one of those slow motion moments - "Nooooooooooo!"). Thank goodness it was on sale, so I had bought three jars instead of just one or two (might have bought more, but I didn't grab a cart). Cleaned up the mess, back to cooking.
4. Cooking away. Sammy got after Erin for playing with my iTouch. Then he said something like, "What did you do?" He grabbed it and turned to show me, dropped it on the floor (ouch), picked it up and handed it to me. Something wasn't... right. Erin had deleted a bunch of the programs I use the most. Big Argh!
5. Finally finished making everything, hoped the lasagna cooked long enough, but since it was already late, I dashed off with a few extra of my little friends to deliver it.
6. While we were there, Carolyn walked back to their chickens and collected several eggs in her shirt (this girl should have been born on a farm). My friend offered to let her take an egg with us, and put it in one of those little rubbermaid containers that hold next to nothing but was perfect for the egg. Erin wanted one too, of course, so without another little container, I told her we could put it in a drink holder for the ride home.
7. Driving home on the freeway, Erin asked if she could eat the egg. "No, it's not cooked yet." "But can't I eat it now?" "NO, you cannot eat it now. It's gooey and slimey, not scrambled or fried." Silence. A few moments later Carolyn turned to look at her. "MOM! Erin cracked her egg!"
8. The egg was together enough (learned shortly that she'd cracked a hole just smaller than a dime), that she was able to pass it up to Carolyn. Still driving on the freeway, we swapped the broken egg to the little container, and I put the uncontained egg in my cup holder. Napkins were passed around; baby wipes found and dispensed.
9. Made it home without further excitement. Our dinner was done cooking. We set the table, and ate.
It's all much funnier now.
1. I was making lasagna and realized I didn't have any mozzarella cheese. To the store (also grabbed a bag of salad and french bread, which I wanted to go with the lasagna anyway, and extra noodles just in case!), and home.
2. Got meat and noodles cooking, and realized quickly that I didn't have any ricotta cheese or spaghetti sauce. Didn't even occur to me before then as ingredients I would need. Argh! Had enough sauce for one pan of lasagna (if I stretched it), but decided I just couldn't do it without the ricotta. Back to the store, and home.
3. Opened the car door to get out the ricotta and sauce, and a jar of sauce rolled right out and broke on the driveway (one of those slow motion moments - "Nooooooooooo!"). Thank goodness it was on sale, so I had bought three jars instead of just one or two (might have bought more, but I didn't grab a cart). Cleaned up the mess, back to cooking.
4. Cooking away. Sammy got after Erin for playing with my iTouch. Then he said something like, "What did you do?" He grabbed it and turned to show me, dropped it on the floor (ouch), picked it up and handed it to me. Something wasn't... right. Erin had deleted a bunch of the programs I use the most. Big Argh!
5. Finally finished making everything, hoped the lasagna cooked long enough, but since it was already late, I dashed off with a few extra of my little friends to deliver it.
6. While we were there, Carolyn walked back to their chickens and collected several eggs in her shirt (this girl should have been born on a farm). My friend offered to let her take an egg with us, and put it in one of those little rubbermaid containers that hold next to nothing but was perfect for the egg. Erin wanted one too, of course, so without another little container, I told her we could put it in a drink holder for the ride home.
7. Driving home on the freeway, Erin asked if she could eat the egg. "No, it's not cooked yet." "But can't I eat it now?" "NO, you cannot eat it now. It's gooey and slimey, not scrambled or fried." Silence. A few moments later Carolyn turned to look at her. "MOM! Erin cracked her egg!"
8. The egg was together enough (learned shortly that she'd cracked a hole just smaller than a dime), that she was able to pass it up to Carolyn. Still driving on the freeway, we swapped the broken egg to the little container, and I put the uncontained egg in my cup holder. Napkins were passed around; baby wipes found and dispensed.
9. Made it home without further excitement. Our dinner was done cooking. We set the table, and ate.
It's all much funnier now.
These Are Our Hall Ways
If I posted all the started posts I write, there would be a lot more on here more often, but it would all be a lot more incomplete and unpolished (maybe no one would notice the difference??). Maybe I should publish one once in a while just to throw people off, or challenge the world to finish my randomness for me.
We have a family mission statement. It is about two months old now, and it took us almost a year to write (I blame myself). Our writing process went something like this:
We have a family mission statement. It is about two months old now, and it took us almost a year to write (I blame myself). Our writing process went something like this:
- One family home evening we talked about what a mission statement is, and told everyone to start thinking about things that make our family different than other families so we could jot those down in a week or two.
- A few months later, we talked about it again, and said, "Hey, remember when we talked about having a mission statement? Now let's write down some ideas." We passed out note cards and had everyone write down at least five ideas on how our family is different from other families, or the kinds of things that are important to our family. When it was over, we read them through, I gathered them up, and put them in my scripture bag.
- A few months later, we pulled them out again, looked them all over as a family, grouped similar suggestions, and talked about ways we could reword some things to include other things as well. When we were done, they all went back into my scripture bag for further fermenting.
- A few months later, I pulled them all out again and typed up the ideas. Over the next few days I looked at it and stewed over it, changed the order of a few things, adjusted wording here and there, then e-mailed it off to Jamie for his thoughts. He gave some suggestions, and I incorporated those in. A bit more minor tweaking, and voila, it was finished and ready for the rest of the family.
As you can see, the process could have been a lot quicker, but maybe we needed that time to come up with some of the best parts. It really was a family effort. When it was complete and I read it to the kids, we pulled out the cards and talked about where each of their ideas worked in. They were all pleased. Except for one thing, which I will mention at the end. But here it is.
We are the Hall Family
and these are our Hall Ways.
The Halls are great people! (That is always said with vigor.)
As family members and friends, we love each other and serve each other.
We love spending time together, both playing and working.
We love to learn great things.
We can do hard things and we do the right things.
Miracles happen when we're working together.
We focus on Christ, study the scriptures, and follow the prophet.
The temple is our goal.
Together, we are the happiest family.
We recite this every morning now before scripture study. Everyone memorized it really quickly. About two days into it, Sammy told me we're bragging there at the end. I told him it's not bragging, because every family, when they are together, can be the happiest family. I mentioned what he said to a friend who also has a family mission statement, and she said, "He should hear ours then!" Part of theirs mentions that among a variety of other wonderful things, they are "gooooood lookin!"
At least once a week someone mentions something that we should add to it, whether it's something funny like, "We love our baby!" or a portion of a scripture that we feel would apply well. I don't think there will be any changes at this point, but maybe somewhere down the road we'll look at that.
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