So, so much!!! I am so lucky to have him for all of eternity!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Share some Love
Last week, for FHE, we discussed love. Specifically, Christ-like love. It was a really good discussion. Then we made homemade Valentines and ate a heart-shaped cake that Cadi had made. It was a really fun time.
Last night, we took some of the Valentines and some homemade heart-shaped brownies over to some of our extended family here. The Taylors weren't home when we stopped by, but we were able to leave their Valentines on the doorstep (I put everything in ziploc bags to keep them all dry.). The Hills were home, so we got to visit with them for just a little bit.
It was fun to share some love with people we love. :)
Last night, we took some of the Valentines and some homemade heart-shaped brownies over to some of our extended family here. The Taylors weren't home when we stopped by, but we were able to leave their Valentines on the doorstep (I put everything in ziploc bags to keep them all dry.). The Hills were home, so we got to visit with them for just a little bit.
It was fun to share some love with people we love. :)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Progress Report
We're just over a month into the new year, and I have been making great progress in some of the goals I set, but not all.
Let's review and report:
1.Get Healthy... This is one that I am still struggling with. I've done tons better at balancing and managing my time for just about everything else, but this one is still eluding me. I am trying to keep #7 in mind and not get too discouraged, because as you'll see, I am doing great at many of my other goals... I can't expect huge changes in all areas all at once... but I do want to focus more on this one now that I'm doing better in others.
2.Get Organized... This is going GREAT! I've been playing the 15 minute game with my friends almost daily and it is helping tremendously. My house is always clean now and that makes it so much easier to keep clutter down. Now when we play, I often focus on an area to declutter for one of those 15 minutes, or when we work in a room that I already have clean, I pick a clutter spot/drawer/etc and spend my time there. I am going to keep this going - I love how it feels!
3.Increased Spirituality... This is also going GREAT! I have fallen in love with reading the scriptures again. It's not a chore or a race to see how quickly I can read the chapter, I am focusing on each verse, pondering it, feasting on it... and I LOVE IT!!! I began keeping my scriptures in the family room instead of next to my bed, and I read frequently throughout the day now. Part of that decision was to discourage reading when I'm tired, and part of that decision was the goal to have my children SEE me study them. I have memories of my mom reading her scriptures at the dining room table, I want my children to have similar memories of me; I want them to say "We do not doubt that our mother knew it" when it comes to my testimony. :)
4.Read the Silmarillion with Ryan... We've been doing this frequently. I can't read daily, I have to be alert and in the mood for it, because otherwise, I can't concentrate enough to process it. But I'm really enjoying the story and background information for Middle Earth... Yes, I'm a dork, I don't care. I love all things LOTR and this is a huge part of it! lol
5.Record more songs on my piano... Well... Nothing has been recorded yet. But I've been practicing and I'm even closer to recording two of them, there's still a chance I can get those done this month. I'll keep working on it.
6.Manage money and plan properly so we can take the vacations we want to this year... This is going very well! Thanks to a good tax return and lots of recent OT hours, I have no worries about this. It still requires good money management, we are still keeping that belt tight, but I am confident now that we are going to make it. :D
7.Resolve not to be 100% successful... I did not mean this as an easy out or means to give up on my goals; I mean for this to keep me from getting depressed or discouraged with my imperfections. I want to forgive myself, which includes recommitting, not giving up, when I don't succeed. And I've done pretty well. (See #1, lol) I need to continue with this so I don't give up, especially in regards to #1 and #5, where I haven't met my goals yet. I know that it might be hard for me to find my footing for #1 for quite awhile, as my schedule really is quite busy, but it won't be that way forever and I just need to do what I can for now so I'll be better prepared when the timing is better.
In general, I'm quite pleased with how things have been going lately. I have areas I still need to improve on - greatly! But, I've also seen huge improvements in others, and that makes me so excited to continue. There are still 11 months left in the year and lots of room for improvement. :D
Let's review and report:
1.Get Healthy... This is one that I am still struggling with. I've done tons better at balancing and managing my time for just about everything else, but this one is still eluding me. I am trying to keep #7 in mind and not get too discouraged, because as you'll see, I am doing great at many of my other goals... I can't expect huge changes in all areas all at once... but I do want to focus more on this one now that I'm doing better in others.
2.Get Organized... This is going GREAT! I've been playing the 15 minute game with my friends almost daily and it is helping tremendously. My house is always clean now and that makes it so much easier to keep clutter down. Now when we play, I often focus on an area to declutter for one of those 15 minutes, or when we work in a room that I already have clean, I pick a clutter spot/drawer/etc and spend my time there. I am going to keep this going - I love how it feels!
3.Increased Spirituality... This is also going GREAT! I have fallen in love with reading the scriptures again. It's not a chore or a race to see how quickly I can read the chapter, I am focusing on each verse, pondering it, feasting on it... and I LOVE IT!!! I began keeping my scriptures in the family room instead of next to my bed, and I read frequently throughout the day now. Part of that decision was to discourage reading when I'm tired, and part of that decision was the goal to have my children SEE me study them. I have memories of my mom reading her scriptures at the dining room table, I want my children to have similar memories of me; I want them to say "We do not doubt that our mother knew it" when it comes to my testimony. :)
4.Read the Silmarillion with Ryan... We've been doing this frequently. I can't read daily, I have to be alert and in the mood for it, because otherwise, I can't concentrate enough to process it. But I'm really enjoying the story and background information for Middle Earth... Yes, I'm a dork, I don't care. I love all things LOTR and this is a huge part of it! lol
5.Record more songs on my piano... Well... Nothing has been recorded yet. But I've been practicing and I'm even closer to recording two of them, there's still a chance I can get those done this month. I'll keep working on it.
6.Manage money and plan properly so we can take the vacations we want to this year... This is going very well! Thanks to a good tax return and lots of recent OT hours, I have no worries about this. It still requires good money management, we are still keeping that belt tight, but I am confident now that we are going to make it. :D
7.Resolve not to be 100% successful... I did not mean this as an easy out or means to give up on my goals; I mean for this to keep me from getting depressed or discouraged with my imperfections. I want to forgive myself, which includes recommitting, not giving up, when I don't succeed. And I've done pretty well. (See #1, lol) I need to continue with this so I don't give up, especially in regards to #1 and #5, where I haven't met my goals yet. I know that it might be hard for me to find my footing for #1 for quite awhile, as my schedule really is quite busy, but it won't be that way forever and I just need to do what I can for now so I'll be better prepared when the timing is better.
In general, I'm quite pleased with how things have been going lately. I have areas I still need to improve on - greatly! But, I've also seen huge improvements in others, and that makes me so excited to continue. There are still 11 months left in the year and lots of room for improvement. :D
Monday, February 7, 2011
OMSI
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
That is where we were on Saturday. We have friends with an annual pass that got us all in for free - and that is a price I can handle! ;) We had a lot of fun! We started with the Mummy exhibit, which had just opened and was fairly busy. We weren't allowed to take any pics, but it was cool. And I did take pictures of some of the other things we did, so take a look (click to enlarge)...
That is where we were on Saturday. We have friends with an annual pass that got us all in for free - and that is a price I can handle! ;) We had a lot of fun! We started with the Mummy exhibit, which had just opened and was fairly busy. We weren't allowed to take any pics, but it was cool. And I did take pictures of some of the other things we did, so take a look (click to enlarge)...
Saturday, February 5, 2011
It's a "go"!
But that decision did not last long. Within a couple of days we got our flyer in the mail and we lost our resolve. We decide to MAKE it work. We resolve instead, to not spend extra money on books/clothes/etc to keep our cost down, and I started to ask around for a babysitter for Rori so Ryan won't have to take vacation time. Once we realized we could find ways to go without causing extra hardship on our families, we were so excited! We ran our plans by the husbands and they all expressed that they had been hoping we could go, too. So... Yay!!!
This week we registered, so now it's official! And we can't wait!!! Women's Conference 2011, Here we come!!! :D
Friday, February 4, 2011
3.83
Acadia is doing a great job in school! She is in Excel (Advanced) classes for all of her academics, as well as orchestra, and was honored today, along with many other Excel students, for maintaining a high GPA last term. Her GPA last term was 3.83! Each student received a certificate, shook hands with the principals, and received a Hershey's Kiss and fun pencil.
(Acadia is pictured above with her principal, Mr. Price.)
This term, she currently has straight A's, so she's raised that 3.83 to a 4.0. We're so proud of her! Good job, Acadia!
(Acadia is pictured above with her principal, Mr. Price.)
This term, she currently has straight A's, so she's raised that 3.83 to a 4.0. We're so proud of her! Good job, Acadia!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Build-a-Bear Visit
Over a year ago, my mom and brothers gave the girls gift cards to Build-a-Bear. We used them soon after. At the time that we used them, there was some deal going on; if you spent so much, you would get a $10 gift card. Even though we were paying with gift cards, we still earned the bonus gift cards (two $10) and thought it would be fun to go back and redress their bears at some point. But I kept forgetting anytime we were going to the mall, so we were never prepared (with bears and camera in hand)... until last week.
I took the girls out shopping last week and this time we were ready to use our gift cards. Cadi, once again, opted to make a new (naked) "bear" instead of getting an outfit (she went over budget but used her own money to pay the difference). Rori brought her bear back and got a super cute "love bug" outfit for Valentine's Day. Here are some pics (click to enlarge):
I took the girls out shopping last week and this time we were ready to use our gift cards. Cadi, once again, opted to make a new (naked) "bear" instead of getting an outfit (she went over budget but used her own money to pay the difference). Rori brought her bear back and got a super cute "love bug" outfit for Valentine's Day. Here are some pics (click to enlarge):
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