Something to think about

Here are a few quotes that have me thinking:

"If you always do what you've always done-you'll always get what you've always gotten"

"That which you give your time to you give your life"

"We are either drawing closer to god or moving toward Satan. We don't stand still"

Surprises

My birthday is on Saturday, so yesterday my hubby took the kids to buy me a present. Of course this is suppose to be a surprise to me and I am not suppose to know that this is why they went out. When they got back these are the converstions we had:

#2(I refer to my kids in birth order):So dad he took us to this store that had all books, no toys and there were these breakable things and he asked me which one I liked and I said the one with the lady and the baby. Then we went to another store and got you those things you liked.
Mom: I thought this was suppose to be a surprise.
#2: Oh yeah- we are not allowed to tell you that it's for your birthday and it's a secret.
#3: We are making you a surprise for your birthday- but don't tell dad- he will be very mad.


I just love birthday surprises :)

Peanut Butter Brownies

For those of you that read my other blog- I wanted to post some pictures of my peanut butter brownies. They turned out pretty good. I used way too much peanut butter- so they were extremely rich.

The Planet Formerly Known As Pluto

I just read this (below) today. Did anyone else know that Pluto was no longer a planet- there goes that diorama I made in elementary school. It's status changed in 2006. My kids are way into a show called "Planet Heroes". Each planet has one person who lives there that is a member of the Inter-Galactic Federation of Space Heroes (or something like that). Well the hero from Pluto is named Shiver and in the show he ultimately saves the world with his plutarium crystal which is a substance found only on Pluto. Well how is the poor guy going to take it when he finds out his planet is no longer a formal member of the solar system. Very Interesting!

Pluto (pronounced /ˈpluːtoʊ/, from Latin: Plūto, Greek: Πλούτων), also designated 134340 Pluto, is the second-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System (after Eris) and the tenth-largest body observed directly orbiting the Sun. Originally classified as a planet, Pluto is now considered the largest member of a distinct region called the Kuiper belt. Like other members of the belt, it is composed primarily of rock and ice and is relatively small: approximately a fifth the mass of the Earth's moon and a third its volume. It has an eccentric orbit that takes it from 30 to 49 AU (4.4–7.4 billion km) from the Sun, and is highly inclined with respect to the planets. As a result, Pluto occasionally comes closer to the Sun than the planet Neptune does.
Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, are often treated together as a binary system because the barycentre of their orbits does not lie within either body. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has yet to formalise a definition for binary dwarf planets, and until it passes such a ruling, Charon is classified as a moon of Pluto.Pluto has two known smaller moons, Nix and Hydra, discovered in 2005. From its discovery in 1930 until 2006, Pluto was counted as the Solar System's ninth planet. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, however, many objects similar to Pluto were discovered in the outer solar system, notably the scattered disc object Eris, which is 27% more massive than Pluto. On August 24, 2006 the IAU defined the term "planet" for the first time. This definition excluded Pluto, which the IAU reclassified as a member of the new category of dwarf planets along with Eris and Ceres.After the reclassification, Pluto was added to the list of minor planets and given the number 134340.

COLD

It is so cold here today! WHY? Well I thought I would post some pictures from our recent cruise to help me feel a little warmer. Enjoy!

The Present

My goal right now is to live in the present- to not always be worrying about the past or wishing for the future. I want to live now- this moment- this time. I want to appreciate now and be me now. These lyrics are to one of Trace Adkins new songs and they definitely describe how I feel.

You're Gonna Miss This -

Trace Adkins

She was starin out the window of their SUV

Complainin sayin I can't wait to turn 18

She said I'll make my own money

And I'll make my own rules

Momma put the car in park out there in front of the school

And she kissed her head, and said 'I was just like you'

You're gonna' miss this

You're gonna' want this back

You're gonna' wish these days

Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna' miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride

In her one bedroom apartment

And her daddy stops by

He tells her it's a nice place

She says, 'It'll do for now'

Starts talkin' about babies, and buyin a house

Daddy shakes his head

And says baby just slow down

Cuz' you're gonna' miss this

You're gonna' want this back

You're gonna' wish these days

Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna' miss this

Five years later there's a plumber

Workin' on the water heater

Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'

One kid's cryin' one kid's screamin'

And she keeps apologizin'

He says they don't bother me

I've got two babies of my own

One's thirty- six, one's twenty- three

Huh, it's hard to believe

But you're gonna' miss this

You're gonna' want this back

You're gonna' wish these days

Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna' miss this

You're gonna' miss this

Yeaahhhh... you're gonna' miss this...

Yesterday I heard the story of a father with four sons. He sent each of them to see a distant pear tree. The first son he sent in Winter, the second in Spring, the third in Summer and the fourth in Fall. When they had all returned he asked each one to describe what they had seen. The first said an ugly and dead tree, it was barren and miserable. The second said no you are wrong it was green and covered in beautiful buds and full of promise. The third said no you are wrong it was covered by the sweetest smelling blossoms you will ever see and so beautiful and the fourth son said no you are wrong it was dripping with the most wonderful luscious sweet tasting fruit and was so satisfying. The father said you are all right- you all saw the tree in different seasons. This is like our lives we all have different seasons to go through and we shouldn't judge our lives or those of others in the winter we must wait for all the seasons to pass to see the true potential.

"To every thing there is a season, and time to every purpose under the heaven:A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. "

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Our beloved prophet and friend has passed away. I am so sad because I really loved him- but I cherish his life and I celebrate the wonderful person he was.

Gordon Bitner Hinckley was born June 23 1910. He was our prophet since 1995. He truly was my prophet. He was the prophet I most remember and love. I have always loved to study the lives of the prophets and see how they became the great men that they did- in hopes that I too may raise great children unto the Lord. In President Hinckleys fathers patriarchal blessing it said "You shall not only become great yourself but your posterity will become great, from your loins shall come forth statesmen, prophets, priests and Kings to the most High God. The priesthood will never depart from your family, no never. To your posterity there shall be no end...and the name of Hinckley shall be honored in every nation under heaven." This has truly come to pass- President Hinckley was loved and revered by every nation in the world. He was a remarkable man!

He taught me more than I can say. He loved women and our roles as mothers. He gave us the "B's" Be grateful, Be smart, Be clean, Be true, Be humble, Be prayerful. He built more temples than any other prophet and to him I will ever be grateful!! I love him with all my heart and I will always remember the faith he had and the love he showed to all of us. I have read his book Standing For Something and it has changed my life. President Hinckley you will truly be missed! "God be with you till we meet again"!

"We thank thee oh God for a prophet"!!!

Hip Hop Violin - Paul Dateh and inka one

This is amazing- it's what I like to call gettin' down and funky! This is what I hope my teenagers will listen to some day- real beautiful music!

Betty Boop

I love my grandma Betty- we call her Betty Boop- she is so beautiful!! You will never meet someone who loves life more than her. Everything is so so good and so so beautiful to her! She is elegant and lovely and graceful. We named our oldest after her. I wanted to post these pictures of us with her recently. I am a little apprehensive about posting pictures of us online- so this will be for a limited time only. BOOP BOOP A DOOP.

The Saviors Peace

Our family is speaking in church this coming Sunday and the topic that I was assigned to was "How reading the BofM brings the Saviors peace". This is an interesting topic for me because our family does read the Book of Mormon everyday and there are not too many peaceful occasions- someone is usually yelling- or running away- or discussing other things, like how come it takes money to buy freight cars for trains, etc. PEACE is usually the last thing I feel when we are finished. Now I do realize that our family is young and that times will change and there will be periods of quiet reflection, but right now- I have to remind myself that PEACE comes through time- time for the message to mean more than just the words on the page- time to study and pray and learn all that our Heavenly Father would have us know- time to grow and mature spiritually. I know that this will come- in due time.

In-Loves

You might have noticed that I referred to my sister in law in the last post as my sister in love. That is because I noticed something about family recently- and that is that we don't get to choose who our biological sisters and brothers are we are simply born into the same family and I am very lucky because I have three sisters and a brother, whom I love. We also don't get to choose our in-laws- they come with the person we marry-our true loves- whom we DID choose. The law is something we follow because we are obligated to do so. Well I CHOOSE to LOVE and be "in-love" with my "in-laws" so I am going to start referring to them as such!

Sara Evans - As If

I saw this video today for the first time. I have heard this song lots of times- but the video made me smile. I always do this with my husband- I like to think we are perfect, he is perfect, our love will always be
perfect. "Cause I love the way you wear those worn out GAP jeans walkin all around the big ninth green, baby let me believe you're perfect at least for a little while". Now I know why my sister in love adores Sara Evans :).

Valentines Day

I adore Valentines Day! I always have. The pink, red, hearts, sweetheart candy, cards, flowers, etc. I adore it all. If I had the time and money I would send valentines to everyone I know. I just love LOVE! Can't wait- it is my favorite day of the year!

My Home

I found this poem in the Friend Magazine. It is simple and pure. I thought it was very sweet and perfectly described the way I feel about my home.

Jane Lamb, “My Home,” Friend, Jun 2006,
My home is not the wood. My home is not the brick.My home’s a loving mother who soothes me when I’m sick.My home is not the garden, or the place we park the car.My home’s a gentle father who loves us as we are.My home is not the windows. My home is not the doors.My home is my big brother who helps me with the chores.My home is not the chimney or the smoke that billows there.My home is all my family as we bow our heads in prayer.My home is more than just a house with walls and roof above.My home is where my family lives in peace, in joy, in love.

My New Blog

Welcome to my new blog. - I once heard an analogy of our minds being like a huge harbor- anything can come into the harbor- but we choose what gets to stay and send the rest away. I love this. I relate to this. I just need to learn to believe it and do it. So I guess in a way- this is a start- if you are invited to read this- I choose you to stay. I hope that one day I will be able to more fully send the other ships away.

The Not So Big Life

The title of this blog came from a book I have never read. This may seem strange and you are right to think so. I long to read this book, but time does not allow me to at this point in my life. The Not So Big Life is about "changing the way we live by fully inhabiting each moment of our lives and making room for what really matters". This is something that I thirst for in my life- to fully inhabit each moment. I don't quite know how to do this- perhaps I should read the book:)