NATHAN GETS BAPTIZED
October 2014
Baptism... I can't believe that Nathan is old enough to now be Baptized! He looked oh so handsome in his new church duds (and I was so thrilled that he cooperated for a few solo pics in the yard before we left!). I have loved spending our mornings during Enrichment talking about the importance of it and how it is a Saving Ordinance that we must do here on earth. I loved hearing the older boys share their thoughts throughout the week on their own baptism and helping Nathan learn more of this gospel principle. Seth gave the talk on Baptism and had 2 buckets on the table - one labeled "Promises We Make" and the other labeled "Promises". He then had objects that symbolized the promises we make (like a name tag to represent how we take upon us the name of Christ, a set of scrtiptures to represent us keeping the commandments, an orange cone to help us "remember" Christ and a pair of work gloves to symbolize Service that we promise to give to others). He had Nathan and Jackson take turns coming up and pulling something out of the bucket and then he would talk about it. (The items he had for our blessings was: a gift to represent the gift of the Holy Ghost, a Water Bottle: to represent the cleansing powers of the baptismal waters and a pictures of a happy boy which represented the promised blessing of joy and happiness when we keep the commandments). It went over VERY well and several people commented on how well of a job he did (the other boys mom commented on how she was impressed with Seth's Confidence and Knowledge of the gospel!) Then John was able to baptize him and also perform the confirmation. It was so sweet and special and Nathan kept saying how it was the happiest day of his life! We had to rush straight from the Baptism to his football game (since he didn't want to miss it!) and then after his game, we went out to lunch to celebrate! It was such a wonderful day!
OUR GIFTS TO CHRIST
November 2014
Each Christmas Eve, we have a tradition of giving gifts to Christ. We have a elegantly wrapped gift in white with a slit on top where we can insert our slips of paper of the gift we want to give Christ for the upcoming year. One year we decided to do a Family gift of being more consistent with our Family Home Evenings. That year, I think we only missed 2 times! This year, I wanted to do something a little bit different - 2 weeks ago I chatted with each of the kids and challenged them to come up with a gift that they could do NOW until Christmas Eve (and then we'd put what we did inside the box and give it to the Savior). My gift is to read the entire Book of Mormon again before Christmas Eve and dads is to have personal scripture study each day. We recently chatted how our days are going much better, more peace is felt and we are definitely being able to feel the power that the scriptures bring into our lives!
AUGUST'S SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT
March 2015
For August's Science class (from BYUI) they had to answer a question after selecting 2 elements and expounding on them. I really liked his response:
So the 2 I chose in the beginning were Faith, and Holy Ghost. I learned from both subjects, which I was surprised because I was thinking I already knew it all. Faith ties in with everything. If you don't have faith, then what do you have? You wouldn't have: any knowledge of God, The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, Personal Revelation, You wouldn't be able to lay hold on the word of God, you wouldn't have the lords hand in learning, and you couldn't be inspired as to what to say when you teach, serve, and love your peers.
Now to switch topics, The Holy Ghost does so much for us everyday that we don't even realize it all. He is always by our side, as long as we are living righteously, and prompting us to do what's good and what is best for us. He inspires us as what to say and teach, he helps us learn and grow, and he can testify that what the Lord and the Prophet say is true.
THE GIFT OF RECALL
September 2015
While I think I am a good teacher, I really struggle with being a "natural" teacher. What I mean by that is I feel like I need a word-for-word script to be able to teach. I admire how dad can just sit down with the kids and TEACH from the heart because he can easily recall things and it just flows so much better and is much more engaging! I have tried in the past, but feel like I falter and trip over my words and then I second guess that I really have presented the material accurately! The information doesn't ever seem to really "stick" and I can't recall facts easily. I know that the Spirit is the true teacher and so I took my concern to the Lord and prayed that my mind would be opened and that I would be able to remember the things that I read (I have started a more rigorous academic study for myself in the mornings and then share with the kids what I have learned as to be more inspiring to them -- and also to be a good example that we all need to continue learning!). So I had been studying the history of the Constitution and really wanted to share it with the kids in an exciting discussion (vs. me just reading from a book) and so prayed that I would be able to remember the things that I was studying and that I would be able to recall the information and be able to hold a discussion with the kids that would capture their interest. So the time came and I put my faith in the Lord and... the experience was beautiful! It was a living and exciting discussion about the Constitution I was able to have with the kids! My mind was able to recall the readings I had spent time on (and when I did refer to the book, it was just briefly and then I was able to continue on in an exciting way!) Afterward I felt so happy and accomplished and the kids were all able to participate (on their own levels) and share with me what they had learned! I was so grateful to Heavenly Father and hope to continue teaching in this way!
FATHERLY LOVE
Oct 2015
One thing I love about when the Missionaries come over is the spiritual message they give to us before they leave. This week, they shared with us a Mormon Message about how much our earthly fathers love us and then related that to how much (even so much that we can't comprehend) our Heavenly Father loves us! During it, I just felt so much love for my dad and how wonderful he is! He has always been such a wonderful example of a true disciple of Christ and incredible teacher to me! My thoughts then turned to how much Heavenly Father loves ALL of us - and he has blessed us all with so much - LIFE! This World! Our Families! Jesus Christ! and I just became so full of love towards Him! I am so grateful to know that he loves me and is aware of me and my struggles and victories! I was brought to tears by how much love I felt for Him and I hope that my actions show him that love.
REFLECTIONS
Jan 2016
Well besides the obvious fact of talking and rejoicing in Christ this week as we celebrated the birth of our Savior - I also had 2 other moments I wanted to remember...
1) As we went caroling at the retirement center - I was touched by the Spirit and brought to tears on several occasions throughout the night as we sang our hearts out to the residents there! You could see the joy and gratitude on their faces as we caroled down the halls and stopping as doors would open! Bringing cheer to others this Christmas made it even more special and magical! I was especially touched by Aubrie's thoughtfulness to make cards for everyone! Many were shocked when she handed them one and they would ask "For me!?" (side note: Aubrie commented later that night that she knew for sure that she was on the "nice list" because of her service!). One resident opened her card immediately and then hung it up on the outside of her door for all to see! I would really like to continue on this new tradition as it really demonstrates the true spirit of Christmas!
2) As we were in the midst of purchasing the new minivan - I took some time to really appreciate how wonderful the old '89 Suburban has been to our family! We talked with the kids that how for the past 5 years, this vehicle that we only paid $1,000 for has provided our family with the transportation that we needed (even making the trek to the Oregon Coast, to Nebraska and also hauling a uHaul here to North Dakota!). Also in the past 5 years, we figured we only put about an additional $1,000 of repairs into it. We shared out testimony with the kids on how we truly feel that this was a direct blessing of paying our tithing! The scriptures tell us that there is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven that was set even before the earth was made and that when we pay our tithing, the Lord has promised to open the windows of heaven upon us (and we saw many of those this year - most of which have been documented here in the Spiritually Speaking! While checks from heaven didn't magically appear, we have certainly been blessed beyond measure with our health, things lasting longer than they "should", finding amazing deals that have our money stretch further, etc)
LISA HILDRETH
Feb 2016
I really feel that Heavenly Fathers places people in our lives to help us out! Sometimes we are that person for others, and at other times, we are the ones needing assistance! One such person is Lisa Hildreth. I have never met her, yet she has been placed in our lives at this specific time to help and serve us. I first "met" Lisa on a Facebook site for Billings, MT Rental homes. She had a home listed there and I contacted her to find out additional information. We clicked immediately and within 10 minutes she wrote "I can't help but think that we share the same faith... are you LDS?" She had gone to my Facebook profile and saw our large family (additionally, she saw a picture of the Temple!). Turned out that she is a Realtor and only had this one house available as a rental. It wasn't in the part of town that we wanted and so she said she'd keep her ears out for a home that would fit our profile. A few weeks later, we decided to purchase a house and she was the Realtor that we contacted to help us. From the beginning, she was very attentive and helpful! I felt bad telling her that we had decided to go back and rent vs. buy - but she was very understanding and kept checking on us to see if we'd found a rental (and had been asking amongst her Realtor friends - as well as people within the church if they knew of any rentals). When the home on Evergreen came available on Craigslist, I knew we'd be interested in in right away as it had been a home that had been on the market that fit our "specs" and we wanted to check out. The problem is that we weren't familiar with that specific area of town but knew we'd need to move fast on it if we wanted it! Dad suggested I call up Lisa to get her unbiased opinion of the area - so that's just what I did. What I wasn't expecting was for Lisa to hop in her car right then and head to the house and take video of the entire area (including about a mile away leading up to the neighborhood!). She then sent over pictures of the front, side and back yard as well as views from up and down the street! She is also going to walk through the open house in a couple of days and then send over video and pictures from the interior. Wow! We just felt so blessed and so very well taken care of by her! We truly feel like she has been an angel for us!
THE GIRLS GET BAPTIZED
June 2016
What a beautiful thing to witness - the girls' chose to be Baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! Dad performed the ordinance and Grandma and Grandpa Carlson gave the talks!
SEARCH THE GARBAGE!
Jan 2017
It is always so amazing to me how much Heavenly Father is aware of us AND it blows my mind how he uses the Holy Ghost to impress upon us things that will help us - no matter how trivial or small it might be! Case in point: Last Sunday after dinner I went to get my *fancy* Norwex rag to wipe down the counters... but it was no where to be found! I had everyone in the family looking for it! It's the only one I have and the only one that makes the counter tops sparkle! No one was able to find it. I had a prayer in my heart to help me find it and the fleeting thought came to "check in the garbage" - so I did... but nothing. So we finished tidying with a (junky) cloth and we all went to bed. Monday morning, I give another really good search for my rag and finally resign myself to spending the money to replace it (because I NEED that rag! haha). Monday is our garbage day and so I'd tied up the garbage and put it by the front door for dad to take it out to the dumpster on his way to work. As I did so a VERY strong impression came into my mind that said "Your rag is in the garbage! Search thoroughly through it and you will find it!"... so I grab the scissors, cut off the knot that I had just tied into it and really start searching through it and guess what... I FOUND IT!!! It was down in the bag! I thought to myself how cool it was that Heavenly Father knows all and he knew that it was important to me to find that rag AND how he used the Holy Ghost to let me know where to look!
OVERCOMING FEAR
May 2017
Nathan gave the Scripture for Opening Exercises in Primary today!! He has been reluctant (which is actually just a nice way to say he has refused! haha) to do any assignments in Primary. One of the members of the Primary Presidency asked me last week if I thought Nathan would do BOTH the prayer and the scripture this week. I knew he was ready and told her that he would. Earlier this week, we selected a scripture (Moroni 10:5 "And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.") He could read it and we practiced it multiple times a day all week long! I knew he was really nervous to do it and he kept telling me he was worried throughout the week. I told him HE COULD DO IT!! and that Heavenly Father would be right there to help him and to help him not be too nervous. He couldn't eat breakfast this morning and all through Sacrament he kept telling me how nervous he was! We said a special prayer and he seemed to be a bit better. Finally it was time for him to say the prayer and he did great! Then it was time for him to read the scripture. He had practiced it so many times that he had it memorized and just got up and said it (without opening the scriptures). I was so proud of him! I knew that took a lot of courage for him! On the way home I told him not only were dad and I so proud of him, but that his Heavenly Father was also proud of him! He seemed pretty proud of his accomplishment! Here's a super cute picture I took of him on the
A HARD SPONGE
June 2017
I was really touched by one of the speakers today in church. They were sharing their thoughts from the Conference talk - Lest Thou Forget by Elder Rasband (Oct 2016). The part that really spoke to me was the counsel that we should share our Spiritual Experiences (and more specifically share them in our journals) for us to reflect back upon throughout our life. I looked up the talk when I got home and wanted to include this one quote regarding our journals.
It says: "Share your testimony with your family; encourage them to remember how they felt when they recognized the Spirit in their lives and to record those feelings in journals and personal histories so that their own words may, when needed, bring to their remembrance how good the Lord has been to them."
I love that last part about it being a reminder of how GOOD the Lord has been to us! That is a very big reason why I include these "Spiritually Speaking" sections with our weekly history. The Lord has truly been very good to us and it's amazing to look back on each week to see His hand directly in our everyday lives! From the earth-shattering answers to prayers to the small tender mercies (like this week, while on the way to the mall to look for some cute summer shirts for me, I had the direct impression to check Ross first - and when I did, I found FIVE shirts for under $50! and I never even made it to my original destination of the mall - Sweet Tender Mercy!)
Also, this same speaker shared an analogy that I hadn't ever heard before and I thought it was really neat so I wanted to share it here for my future reflection... Imagine you have an old, dried up sponge that is super hard! Now this hard sponge is kind of like us when we are "hard-hearted" - we are unbendable, unchanging and stuck! BUT what happens when that hard sponge gets wet? It becomes soft and changes in texture and shape. Now think of each drop of water as something that brings us closer to Christ - Scripture study, Praying, Service, etc... Each of those things (drops of water) when applied to our lives, literally change US! I thought that was a really neat visual and it totally made sense to me!
WE ARE GOD'S CHILDREN
July 2017
I've been feeling a little "blah" lately in regards to my spirituality. I know part of that is because I haven't been to church in THREE WEEKS (I seriously cannot remember a time where I have missed 3 consecutive weeks! 1 week we were traveling back home from Idaho, last week I was too sick to attend and today Nathan and Lexi were too sick to go and John was the only Elders Quorum Presidency member that was going to be there so we thought it best for me to stay home). Missing the Sacrament for so long and the general upliftment I receive each week has been hard. Also, while I was so sick, my daily scripture study didn't happen and I know that is also playing a part of my "blah-ness" - if that's even a word. It's Fast Sunday today and as I was about to open my Fast last night the Adversary whispered "You're not at your usual level of Spirituality... you shouldn't even Fast. Don't even Pray. Heavenly Father doesn't want to hear from you..." and my heart was sad. Then the saying "When you feel the least like praying, is when you need to do it the most!" came into my mind and so I knelt down and shared my feelings with God. Immediately I felt peace and happiness come. I was amazed (even though I shouldn't have been) that Heavenly Father is ALWAYS there to pick us up and help our hearts feel better. Then this morning I was watching a talk from Women's Conference and I know that the message was intended for me at this time... The speaker shared how when she had her first son and the doctor placed that little baby into her arms - she loved him so much. Unconditionally. Not because of anything that he had done (because he hadn't done anything yet in his life) but because he was hers. The same is with Heavenly Father - He loves us (NOT because of anything we've done or achieved) but because we are HIS! We are his children! Obviously that is an eternal truth that I have been taught from very early on in my childhood, but today it just came to me from a different angle and just really spoke to my heart! Let us all remember WHO we really are and at the very core of that is we are a child of God!
GOSPEL WISDOM
Oct 2017
Nay had some profound thoughts when we were teaching Brother Mark Kessler and I thought it was really sweet and touching. Ben had given the lesson and it was from President Eyring. The lesson discussed renewing our Baptismal covenants through taking the Sacrament, reading scriptures, praying, forgiving others, etc. We were on the topic of forgiving others and trying to be like Christ. Brother Kessler talked about getting along with co workers that you don't like and that you have conflict with. Little Nay looked at him and said, "love your enemies". It was so sweet and so nice to see him offering up gospel wisdom. It does my heart well that he has gospel knowledge and is able to apply it to everyday situations. I'm shedding a little tear now as I write this. He's such a special little guy.
A TIED TIE
Feb 2018
A really neat experience happened today that I want to recognize and remember... So, you would think that after having FOUR boys, I would know how to tie a tie... but I don't. John still helps Ben and Nathan each week (we really need to work on this but with their Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, it is VERY difficult for them to master this skill)... Anyway, so today with John gone to Mexico I just wasn't going to have Nathan wear a tie - but he was adamant that he needed to have one. So I told Ben to pull up a YouTube video for me to watch real quick so he could wear a tie to church. I watch the first step like 4 times (literally! haha) and I'm confused by it and then it was like all of a sudden my mind knew EXACTLY what to do and my hands are flying and doing what needs to be done and VOILA - I get the tie on him (mind you, I haven't even finished watching the video! It was mind blowing!) I was amazed! Ben was there watching and said "How did you know how to do that!?" and I was like "I don't know! My hands just knew what to do! I don't think I could do that again! Heavenly Father knew Nathan wanted to wear a tie to church and gave me the knowledge on how to do it!" It was crazy... but soooo cool to have that happen!! Seriously! Wow!
JOB IN BOISE
March 2018
Another amazing Blessing that has come up this month is the whole job opportunity in Boise! Like seriously... furthest thing from our minds and then wa-bam! Job literally comes and finds us! Since leaving the Boise valley 5 years ago, I haven't had any desire to go back... like none whatsoever. But from the moment I heard about the possibility, my heart has been changed and I am eager to return! It would also significantly help us in reducing our debt of student loans, a personal loan and vehicle loans (by being able to sell John's truck since the job provides a truck as part of the benefits package, and then if we move ourselves, we can put the moving allowance towards the debt as well as the signing bonus that they're offering). I can't help but feel that Heavenly Father knows of our deep desire to be out of debt ASAP and he's providing a way! We also feel it's no coincidence that the exact same week August breaks up with Cami, this job presents itself. If we had an opportunity to move back to Idaho anytime sooner, I'm sure August would have certainly been on that moving truck with us back there to a very unhealthy relationship!
* And speaking of August, we feel another answered prayer was his heart being turned to seeing what others have been seeing for years - that he was not happy with Cami and not heading in the right direction with her. This is something that has concerned us for years and finally had to put it in the Lords hands. We feel so blessed!
YOUTH CONFERENCE TO SALT LAKE CITY
July 2018
by Ben
So, This weekend I had the opportunity to go to Temple Square for our Youth Conference- and I have to be honest when I say that it was a life changing experience that I'll never forget.
So, to start off this trip, we had to be to the church at 4 O'clock in the morning- which was tiring due to the fact that I only got an hour and a half of sleep prior. Regardless, I woke up, did my hair (because it's flawless, and needs to stay that way), said goodbye to my sweetheart, Ashley, then proceeded to drive down to the church with my mom in the front seat.
The car trip was a blur- mostly since I was asleep half the time- but when we made it to Salt Lake, I immediately noted to myself how beautiful it was, and once we got to temple square, all I could think about is how it has to be the closest thing to Heaven that was on earth. Everything surrounding the Square was even centered around Christ: Zions bank, A billboard that read "Trek, the movie", all the buildings that have The Church's logo engraved to it, and last, but DEFINITELY not least, all the Square itself.
For starters, We split into two groups- boys in one, girls in the other- to do some sort of Scavenger hunt (We had to find items on the list and write down their descriptions, etc. . .). So, let me tell you my top four highlights of the Square:
1: The Christus. It was absolutely beautiful, and something that was definitely inspired by Heavenly Father.
2: The statues of Adam and Eve in front of the Garden of Eden. It was so awestrucking to see our first Parents in front of a inspired painting of The Garden.
3: The Tabernacle Organ recital. We sat amongst a crowd in the pews as we listened to a performer play the organ for half an hour. Definitely could feel the spirit
4: The Conference Center. Okay, so first of all, it was MASSIVE!!! and honestly, there was this reverence as soon as we stepped in that was so still and peaceful!
Okay, so moving onto the biggest part of the entire conference; The Mission Center Tour:
Our Bishop has some serious connections with some of the Seventy, and we were given a once-in-a-lifetime tour of the facility! You had to use key-cards to get anywhere, and we were basically considered VIP. We met with a Brother on one of the higher levels in a conference room where we all sat around a large table as the guy in charge showed us the entire process of choosing a mission for a missionary! To sum it up, a few of the Apostles will take turns sitting in a room with two large screens (one screen has a picture of the future Missionary on it, while the other has all current mission locations eligible for sending the young man or woman to) and decide where the young man or woman should go. In interviews with some of the Apostles, they said that the spirit has never spoken to them stronger than when they are selecting a place for Heavenly Father's servants to serve.
After the tour, we went to the Lions house- the place where Brigham Young use to live- and ate dinner there. It was fantastic, and afterwards we all went to a massive house up in the hills of Salt Lake which belonged to one of the leaders' brother, and I and another Priest did a devotional before we all played games together. After that, the Young Women went to a separate house for the night, and us boys spent hours well into the night wrestling, playing pool (non gambling of course ;) ), and watching Night At The Museum before all passing out on either the couches or floor.
The next morning, We went to the Ogden Temple, and I got to Witness, Baptize, and be Baptized. It was such an amazing experience, and I loved every second of it. Afterwards, we ate doughnuts, and went to a park, but the girls all freaked out once they found like ten homeless people living in the female restroom, so we ended up going to a different park for a few hours, had a barbequ, and played games before heading back home.
Also, I must mention that I lost a pair of my dad's headphones on the way up to Salt Lake, and was dreading the fact that I had to tell him. It was when we made our last stop before the church when one of my leaders found them next to a swing-set ( this location was our first stop on the way to Temple Square, so I guess I lost them when I got out of the car). I really felt loved by my Heavenly Father for letting me retrieve those headphones, and even though it may not seem like a big deal, it truly meant a lot to me and I am super grateful.
So, there you have it, my Youth Conference! I'd like to bare my testimony that I know that our church is the true church, and I have such a confirmation that our Heavenly Father loves us. I know that The Book Of Mormon is true, and that President Nelson is truly called by God to be our latter day Prophet. I love him, and sustain him, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
MOM'S NEW STAKE CALLING
August 2018
When the Stake Executive Secretary called and asked for me (and dad) to meet with Stake on Tuesday, I started having a feeling that I would be getting a calling. On the way to the Stake Center, the thought came to me that "hope you've enjoyed your break (being in Nursery) because that's about to be over!" As they extended to call to be the 2nd Counselor in the Young Women Presidency the Spirit testified that Heavenly Father KNEW me and WANTED me to serve there. The new President has no clue who I am, has never met me but as she was going through the Directory of each ward and came upon my name - she told me that she knew I was to be called and that I would bring a love to the Young Women that was needed. This has happened to me in my own personal life when I was first called as the Young Women President in a ward that had just been created. I didn't know over half of the ward members but as I prayerfully went through the directory, the Spirit testified to me who I was to choose as my counselors. In fact, I didn't even meet or see who my 1st Counselor was until she stood up in Sacrament meeting when she was getting sustained (and I was like "ooooh.... that's who she is!" LOL... I can only imagine that is how it was with the new Stake YW President this time with me. That is just another witness that this (and any calling!) is truly from Heavenly Father. He knows each of us and he knows where he needs us!
We all met at the Stake Center after church today to be set apart. As I walked into the High Council room, the YM President came up and greeted me with a giant smile and big hug! It was the same with the other Counselor and Secretary. I am feeling really excited to work with these women and get to know them all better.
The 2nd Counselor in the Stake Presidency set me apart and pronounced a beautiful blessing upon me. A few things that stood out:
* My past experiences in church and home have prepared me for this calling
* Don't look at the YW as a "program" but see the girls and leaders as individuals and discern what their needs are
* My family will be blessed because of this calling
* Heavenly knew of the love that I could bring to the Young Women
It's been a great, spiritually uplifting day :)
March 2011
It all started last conference. In one of the sessions (I'll have to go back over my notes to find out exactly who it was) but he stated that we (as parents) needed to fortify our homes against the evils of today and make our homes a safe haven and refuge to our children. He counseled that we could fulfill this fortification of our homes if we did 5 things:
1. Family Prayer
2. Family Scripture Study
3. Family Home Evening
4. Family Dinner together
5. Regular "Interviews" with our children
When
I heard this, I was right in the thick of things with photography
(aka: no dinners at all were being made, let alone eating together as a
family!). I felt very strongly that I needed to heed this counsel and
do all that I could to follow these guidelines. I was just so busy
during the week that I didn't feel like I had time to make healthy
dinners each night. It was then, that I decided to cook a weeks worth
of meals on Saturday afternoon and then we'd just have to pop them in
the oven each night! This worked WONDERFULLY and we were soon having
dinners at the table each and every night!! Fast Forward to this past
month (February 2011) and I had my good friend, Lotus Rummler, come
over to help cook for one of my weeks. She asked why I was only doing a
week at a time and not a whole month and incorporating Freezer
Meals.... so I started thinking about this. While I loved having a
weeks worth of meals - it still made Saturdays a little crazy with
trying to fit in all of the cooking! I decided that cooking for a
month would be a benefit! I then set off on my mission of learning all
I need to take this challenge head on! I was serving as the Young Women President of my Ward at decided to use this as one of my 10 Hour Projects for Personal Progress.
Here is a breakdown of exactly what I did:
* I spent about 5 hours reading and learning the "how to's" of freezer
cooking and compiling recipes that I knew my family would
enjoy.I then had to write out the grocery list which took another hour!
* 5 hours of food shopping and putting the groceries away
* 17 hours of cooking. 5 hours on my own cooking and
shredding 10lbs of Turkey meat and 17 lbs of Chicken! Then a full 12
hour cooking/assembly day where Lotus came to help
It
was a L.O.N.G. day and we have already collaborated on what we can do
different to speed up our time and make things go smoother! Here were
some of our thoughts:
*Have
stations... like the can opener station, then the raw prep area where
we assemble, and then the wrap it up/prep for freezer station. Pre
writing all of the labels and having them w/ the recipes so we don't
have to hunt for labels/pens...
*have the ingredients for each recipe collected together in one place, with that recipe with that pile
* organize the kitchen so we're moving in a rotation of stations
*Have a couple of boxes
or baskets so that we can load up our recipe ingredients and move them
if we need to altogether to keep us from walking back and forth...
* Have each recipe printed on its own sheet of paper and have it with the ingredients for that dish
*Having the kids made it really
slow going and they wanted to "help" the entire time! LOL Here's what
I've been thinking about what I could do next time: start at like at
8:30am... then arrange for Nathan and the girls to go over to a
neighbors from like 9-12:30pm... then Nathan would get on the bus and
we'd have the girls for a few hours in the afternoon... then when
August and Seth got back at 3pm, have them take the girls to the park
(since it will be nicer by that point) and then *hopefully* we'll be
finished up by 4ish when Ben and Nathan get home from school (or send
them to the park with the older boys too) .....
A HIGH ADVENTURE SCARE
July 2012
That August and Seth were safe during High Adventure! We actually had quite the scare regarding them this week. I dropped them off at the church at 8am ready for a 3-4 days of adventure! The plan was to arrive at Riggins, Idaho by about noon and check into the SRHAB (the Base Camp) at 1pm. At 4:30 that afternoon, I received a phone call from Julie Meyer (the RS President who also had a boy going to High Adventure) and she stated that her husband (the Scout Committee Chairman) had gotten a call at 2:30 that afternoon stating that our troop had never checked in and were wondering if he knew where they were. They said they could wait 1 more hour, but then would have to leave them. Bro. Meyer received another phone call at 3:30 saying they still weren't there and the buses had to leave. I found out at 4:30 and immediately called John (who happened to still be at Gowen Field working). He proceeded to make several phone calls to the Idaho State Police who in turn located all of the little towns between Boise and Riggins. There had been no reports of any breakdowns or any wrecks (which made us all feel better but we still didn't know where they were!) Cell reception was null and none of the wives of the leaders had heard anything from their husbands all day.... It was a mystery! John had decided that if we hadn't heard anything by 7pm, he and his dad were going to drive up there and look for them. Bro Meyer ended up heading up there a little after 6pm (after he was told that it would be Thursday afternoon before anyone from their camp could verify if they had indeed hooked up with the tour guides). Everyone was praying. I just felt sick to my stomach! I kept thinking the worst and how life would be so different without my two awesome boys! Shortly after 8pm, we got a call saying they were found and had caught a bus and made it with the group! Yay!! Immediate relief and peace came over me! We still didn't know what had happened and knew it wouldn't be until they got home that we could ask where they were - but that was OK since they were alive and safe! When the boys got home later in the week, I ran up to them and hugged them tightly and asked why they had missed the bus - August looked puzzled and replied that they hadn't missed the bus and were there by 1pm and been sitting on the bus the whole time! Apparently what had happened, was they went directly to the bus loading area without checking in at the base camp headquarters and so they didn't know they were up there just waiting. Regardless - I am so grateful that all of my children are well and healthy and were safe this week!
100 CHART
September 2016
mom and dad decided to recommit our efforts for Family Prayer, Family Scripture Study, Family Dinner and Weekly FHE (we're fairly decent now, but know that we can be better!). We thought back to a time in our life when we were very diligent in doing all of these things and it was back when our Bishop challenged us to do all of these things and had a chart made up to track our progress. Soooooo... mom designed up a new chart for us to keep us accountable on these things (that would also look cute being displayed!). Below is what will be printed up and the kids will color in the circles each day that we complete the tasks (the 4th circle every 7th day is for our FHE).
My mom heart was happy when Lexi (and Aubrie) expressed an interest in bearing their testimonies at church. Lexi worked on hers and today had the courage to get up and share with the congregation her testimony of the Scriptures and of Jesus Christ. She did a great job!
Also, Ben texted me while at football practice saying that he felt truly blessed and protected (as a fierce lightening storm erupted during his practice and he was directed to safety).
Also, our Family Chart (that I shared in the last post that will keep track of our daily family dinner, prayers and scriptures, etc) arrived from the printers this week (I love the way it looks in our home!) and while it has only been 1 week - we are 100% on target!! I am already beginning to feel a shift in our home and our dedication to the Lord strengthened!
TWO WEEKS LATER...
I wanted to report on the last two weeks since incorporating the "Daily Family Prayer, Scriptures, Dinner and Weekly FHE" chart!
First of all - we have NOT missed a single item! That means for the past 14 days we have had these daily drops of goodness within our family. Have we noticed any difference? Well, I will say that just 2 days ago Ben came up to me and said "Have you noticed that the house has really been peaceful?" Yes, Ben. Yes, I have!
BEN'S FIRST HOME TEACHING AND A BAPTISM TALK BY MOM
November 2016
Ben and dad went Home Teaching. This was the first time for Ben and he was thrown right in and gave the lesson. Dad said that he stood up (vs. the traditional just sitting where you're at), walked across the room, unbuttoned his suit coat, gave a little cough and then proceeded with the lesson. His recap of it was that "he made the Home Teaching lesson lit and fun for once!"
* Mom was asked to give a talk at a Baptism. It was for one of the little boys in her scout group. It was a very spiritual time and as she sat singing the opening song, she couldn't help but think that Seth was participating in a baptism in Nicaragua that day as well! She was asked to speak on Baptism and she found a cute idea of the "3 Bears of Baptism" from Pinterest and it went over very well! Here is a quick summary of what the 3 bears represent (hint, they represent the promises we make when we are baptized).
- The first BEAR of baptism is to bear HIS name. You bear your father’s name. Your name shows others you belong to your father, to your family. By being baptized, you take on the name of Christ and become an official member of his church. You will try to do things that Jesus would do.
- The second BEAR of baptism is to bear testimony, or to bear witness and share with others that we know Jesus is the Son of God. That we know he is our Savior and we know His gospel is true. Always remember him in your thoughts, actions and the example you set.
- The third BEAR of baptism is that we bear one another's burdens, that they may be light. That means we help each other with the work that needs to be done and also we help others when they have trouble and sorrow so they won't suffer alone. This is one way we can follow the Savior's commandment to love one another, the same way He loves us.
A FULL FAST FOR AUNT HOPE
November 2017
Today was Fast Sunday and we were all fasting and praying for Aunt Hope that the medication she is on for her MS will cause her lesions to go inactive. All of the kids typically fast from Saturday night until Sunday afternoon (but not necessarily a full 24 hour Fast) but today Aubrie was determined to do a full 24 hour fast in honor of Hope and although it was really hard for her - she did it! We were so proud of her!
BE A GOOD EXAMPLE
Feb 2018
So we've gone through periods of time where we're REALLY good at FHE, and then other times when we're more spotty. We'd been somewhat spotty this past year and so we decided we wanted/needed to rededicate ourselves to weekly FHE's! We also decided to involve the kids more and so we've been rotating who plans FHE (starting with Lexi and moving through each family member weekly). It was my week last Monday and then while I was emailing with Seth, I thought it would be super fun to have him give the lesson and so I asked if he had a Spiritual Thought that I could present to the family on his behalf. This is what he sent to me:
"Well something that is really important I think is just being a good example. It's the examples in our lives who make us who we are. Jesus is the perfect example for us and he taught us the way we need to live to have a happy life and a happy family. So if he could do that for us with his example I'm sure we can all be examples each and every one of us. We can be examples to our friends and family. Being an example doesn't always mean doing something big or special, but it's in all the little things that we do every day that make people want to be like us and be around us. I find being a good example is something key in missionary work not only for the missionaries but for members too. Because if people can see us as someone they want to become, it opens up windows and opportunities to teach. You know what they say actions speak louder than words. I just hope that every one of you can think of little ways that you can be an example in the family and to your friends, and by doing so you'll find yourself closer to Christ."
We
then went around and came up with specific ways each of us could be
good examples throughout the week. It was really neat to have him be a
part of our FHE - even being so far away!
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