I’ve been busy knitting hearts for Valentine’s Day. A friend of mine is teaching crochet and I’m teaching knitting in an upcoming workshop for church.
I made the potholder pattern from Lion Brand Yarn just fine but I’m trying to alter it for a dishcloth.
JoAnn’s pattern for a heart here is a little easier but they’re all basically the same. It’s not difficult, I got it on the first try!
I am so, so, so very excited to get one of these printed up on a canvas for our new home. It will be a 24 x 36 inch size (2′ x 3′) hanging portrait/vertically. I need to fix some of the typography but I think it will be pretty.
I am tired. It’s 1:36. I am not holding out much hope for the rest of the day. I got to the gym and ran for an hour and then Costco…and my visiting teachers were waiting for me when I got home. No biggie, right? Right. This means that I did not have time to come in and vacuum up dog hair that collects daily in our entryway because of the white, smooth tile. Plus, she has taken to the floral couch (one we brought from Omaha) as her bed and lays in the formal room off the entryway while we’re gone. Today she went the extra mile and ate a bag of Orowheat Potato Bread in the formal room and left evidence. Dumb dog. She should at least know to eat the evidence, too. So, I kindly invited the sweet sisters in and mentioned they may want to sit on the other couch as it doesn’t have dog hair on it. One sister – pregnant with her 6th kid – was unfazed. She knows the territory. The other sister reminded me of myself when I was young and only had 2 kids (well, she’s much prettier, but you get my drift). She kept trying to brush her baby’s hands after he crawled on the carpet. Really it wasn’t that bad, but…I could do nothing about it. Well, I could have gotten up and vacuumed with my Dyson Animal but that would have been rude. Poor thing, I could tell she was really stressed about it. It was all I could do to offer her to let her children wash their hands on their way out. She accepted. I was humiliated but then reminded myself – just wait until she has 4 kids (may she be blessed with 3 more boys and a dog). And now I cannot bring myself to touch the vacuum. On principle.
Gabe & Benjamin getting drinks.
Beanie eats a doughnut for his main dish! Our standards have gotten so low this past year…we hope to reintroduce vegetables now that we’re a bit more settled!
A gaggle of girls catching toads and the jealous boys looking on!
Our new ward is huge. Really big. We have 3 or 4 Sunday School teachers who trade off teaching every week. Seriously. They make up callings so everyone can have one. I realize this won’t last long because there is a new church being built not very far away and everything will be rearranged and we’ll probably lose half the ward but, still…it’s a nice respite. Not that I don’t enjoy serving. It’s just very nice to not have to magnify four different callings for awhile!
So far we have met only really nice people. Nadine’s best friend is my new Mariyn Godby. She’s wonderful (but I still miss you Marilyn!). There’s a piano playing beautiful woman who reminds me so much of my cousin Leslee Bartlett (and she just got called to Stake YW Pres – lets hope she isn’t there quite as long as Leslee was as Stake Primary Pres!). Let’s see…today we saw a glimpse of a Jared Boldt serving in Primary with his computer. It’s funny how you see people you miss in people you meet. I don’t have a new Sheila Lauducci or Benay Derr yet but I’m looking…not that either of those women could EVER be replaced! I just need a cheap substitute.
While we are enjoying our new ward (you can see pictures of the ward party here), we certainly do miss the Gretna Branch. Our hearts were there when it was formed and will always be there – even when it becomes a stake.
If you look really closely you can see the owner has a FAITH sign hanging near the kitchen sink. So appropriate. I need more faith and if I’d had more while we were going through our trials this past year I wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed by this blessing. As a family, we had a big talk in the car about how all good blessings come from the Lord and how He paves a way when it looks like there is none. This house and contract acceptance are a huge blessing from the Lord and we have been on our knees in thanks many times this day. We accidentally met the owner and she was so kind – she told us that she chose our offer over the other because our realtor had told her about our family and where Don worked and that we had family in the neighborhood so that sealed the deal. Thank you Lord, thank you Corlas Pearsall (Coldwell Banker Buyers Agent only) and thank you to the Zellmer family (current owners).
So, when was anybody going to tell me I was behind on my monthly banner? I guess I liked March so much that I’m two weeks into April and haven’t realized it. It has been a crazy couple of weeks which is why the posts have been few and far between.
Friday night we went to a friend’s home for an Easter egg hunt. It was very fun and the weather cooperated. We enjoyed getting to know the Darby family better and seeing many friends. Great food, good company. You know what I liked best about the night? Everything was casual and perfect. If Stephanie was stressed at all about putting a big party together, you couldn’t tell by me. She was cool as a cucumber and everyone had a good time. Am I the only one who stresses and freaks out about everything being perfect before I can have people over? You’d think I’d enjoy having my home sparkling clean every week just in case of a showing but I need to learn how to relax and live with a little dirt. We had so much fun letting the kids hunt for eggs on their acreage – and I think Ben was worn out for 2 solid days afterward.
Click here to view all of the pics from the party.
This past Sunday was about as perfect as any day could get. Gabe was sweet and brave and got baptized on his 8th birthday. His teacher, Miss Gibb, came and many friends and family. We are so lucky to have him in our family! Gabe is funny, smart, generous and kind (not to mention cute). We had a lovely time at the church during the baptism and yummy treats and cream filled cake afterwards. Thanks to all who came for making it such a special day. It was good to see cousins that we don’t see enough as well as old friends from Papillion. We love you all.
Here’s a few of our favorite shots. We are going to miss so many wonderful people when we finally move! You can see ALL of our church Christmas party pics here.
I guess he was really afraid! There are two bigger chunks of video that I might get around to uploading on youtube but for now this is how “calm” he was after the candy cane and stuffed reindeer!
“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself – the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us – that’s where it’s at.” — JESSE OWENS
I really enjoy quotes from runners because they always seem to be like the jester in a Shakespeare play: The truths they’re talking about have so many levels and layers of meaning. Running is such an accurate metaphor for the journey of life. I know I have learned much from running – just in the course of 2 years – that I don’t think I could have learned any other way and have it so deeply written on my heart. Patience. Trial. Perseverence. Gratitude. The depths and different applications of those emotions are astounding.
The best movies and books, in my opinion, come from the stories of man vs. himself. I know many teenagers enjoy man vs. man (or alien vs. alien) and things along those lines but for me the best stories include subtle action within the heart and mind. There is another literary category of man vs. nature — and this, too, is valid, enlightening and entertaining — but I truly believe that even with man vs. man or man vs. nature, the true enlightenment comes from within those experiences. Those situations all eventually point back to, and reflect, the struggle within yourself. It may begin as a struggle with another person, situation, or nature but it comes back to what is within you. I think those situations help shape who we are mentally and spiritually but I don’t think you can truly discover who you are if you forget the physical element. All of them work together to create who we are.
Some philosophers believe that the body is to be cast off to achieve enlightenment. Don’t tell that to a runner. Runners KNOW that BODY + SPIRIT = SOUL. I’m convinced that the greatest wars are waged within a single human being and it is reflected in the world around us. It’s not a control issue – it’s more of a self-control issue. Balance is the key – nurture, demand, selfless, selfish, experience, knowledge, truth, joy, humor – there is so much to experience. I think that there’s no adventure so profound as the one wherever you are sitting right now.
I haven’t ordered from Deseret Book in forever. I’m years behind on my EFY cd collection. So what made me place an order this morning? This t-shirt. Adorable. Cute for boys, girls, men, women (yes, they have all those styles). It comes in heather gray and pastel ribbing, too, if you’re so inclined…and it’s half off. About $7 per tee. Now that’s a bargain! If you can’t read the picture, the t-shirt says, “give” — the Little Stream. One of my favorite Primary songs – hooray!
We came across this really neat monument on our weekend camping trip a couple of weeks ago – it is fun to find history you didn’t even know was there! I spent many years in the Jesse Knight Humanities Building (aka JKHB) at BYU and 15 years later here I find out he is Newel Knight’s son and they both have very interesting stories to tell – give ’em a search at www.lds.org and you will be inspired. That Jesse sure was a character!
The 2008 packet isn’t available anymore, but here’s a link to the current Deseret Book October 2020 General Conference Activity packet. Enjoy! Happy Conference!
I’ve been asked to be a representative for Deseret Book for the Papillion area to get the word out about Time Out for Women coming to Omaha on Friday, Oct. 24th & Saturday, Oct. 25th at the Qwest Center. If you have not been to a TOFW, it will quite possibly be the best weekend you’ll have in a very long while. I attended once in Kansas City with some girlfriends and we had a blast.
Let me know via email or comment if you are considering signing up and I’ll get you the details. You can register online but if you sign up through me I think there’s some sort of advantage…I’ll have to get you the details once I’ve got my house up for sale! But I’ll make sure you get taken care of for sure. I know that I’m supposed to be looking for people who want to help spread the word or form “groups” of friends who are going. Some can even take a training call from Deseret Book and be a “team member” to help with some event “chores” and get further discounts. Email me (or comment) and let me know what you’d like to do — individually register, form a group, or be a team “member” — and I’ll set you up!
I’ll see you all in October if I’m not in Texas by then!!! (…and in that case I need someone to take over my duties as the rep so let me know if you’re up for that, too — should I move before October — which involves a FREE TICKET and coordinating even more help at the event). I actually hope we don’t move before then, at least a little, because I looked at the speakers list here and it sound just wonderful. I heart Merrilee Boyack. She’s my Mormon Idol.
Disclaimer: This is a wonderful event sponsored by Deseret Book and not the Papillion Stake or LDS church. I have to say that.
I have been intrigued lately with trees and, more specifically, artwork symbolically reminiscent of the Tree of Life. I found this at www.tenthousandvillages.com and have thoroughly enjoyed looking at their website. They seem to have reasonable prices, too. Reminds me of a good friend who purchased her living room furniture because the pillow fabric had a subtle tree of life pattern in the weave. What a nice reminder of scripture stories and imagery to have around your home.