Saturday Quotes-Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem is translated to Seize the Day.  This brings to my mind that we must not put off tomorrow, what we can do today.  It also inspires me to live my life to it's fullest and have no regrets.

Friday Favorites-Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu  is a place I hope to someday visit.  My husband served a 2 year mission in Peru but was in the northern part and was not able to go to Machu Picchu.  About 10 years ago, we were able to go for a short visit, but again only saw Lima and just north of there.  My husband wanted to see some of the people he had met back on his mission.  But this place is so green and lush and seems to be at the top of the world.  It's definitely a place on my bucket list.

Thursday Tips and Tricks-How to train your brain to stay positive

I love when it's only 3 things I have to do to accomplish something.  It seems more accomplishable.  Express gratitude, Challenge negative thoughts and Repeat positive affirmations.  Perfect.  Now I just need to incorporate this into my daily life.

Wacky Wednesday-Love and sacrifice...

I thought I was the only one this happens to.  If you are one of my children reading this, you better be grateful.

Tuesday miTunes-This Never Happened Before by Paul McCartney

This song is from one of my favorite movies-The Lake House.

See post on April 25-Favorite PG rated movie

Monday Messages-Love is a verb

I first came across this idea when I read "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey.  He talked about how "love" the feeling may come and go, but real love is the actions we show.  If the feeling seems to be changing, we should do those loving actions that will bring the feeling back.  When we promise to love someone forever, it is that we will always show them love, not that we will have those love feelings automatically.  Showing consistent, genuine loving actions will cause the feeling to accompany it.  I am grateful to have read these words so long ago and to use love as a verb.

Sunday blessings-Love

I am grateful for the capacity to love that I have been blessed with.  I am grateful for the love that was shown to me by my parents and family in my childhood.  I am grateful for the love in my family now.  I am most grateful for the love I feel from my Father in Heaven.  It is the greatest feeling one can have.  The feeling of being loved is a powerful accelerant for success (if that makes sense).  As I come to understand my Father in Heaven's love for me and I feel it, I have a greater capacity to accomplish anything and overcome anything.  If you're reading this, go hug someone and tell them you love them.

Saturday Quotes-Choose your love...

Definitely not always easy, but worth it!  This week is my 26 wedding anniversary.  When I think of love in this quote it reminds me of Stephen Covey teaching about love as a verb.  I will try to find it and share later.

Friday Favorites-sunrise on the ocean

I would love to wake up to this every day...

Thursday Tips & Tricks-eyelash curler

Maybe everyone already knows this trick.  If you put the eyelash curler under the warm hairdryer, it curls your lashes better.  Just don't burn your eyelid-it hurts.

Wacky Wednesday-punishment for teens

Boy, times have changed.  This is so true.  I remember when the punishment was being grounded and you couldn't go anywhere.  

Tuesday miTunes-Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

I like this song and I enjoy singing along when I'm alone in the car.  The words aren't necessarily applicable to me, but I like it anyway.

Monday Messages-Object lesson on being grateful

Everything red

Focusing on the negative keeps us from being grateful about the positiveAfter everyone in the room has had a sufficient time period to look for everything in the room that is red, ask them to close their eyes. Then ask them to keep their eyes closed and tell them they can raise their hand if they can name the yellow items in the room.

Most will not be able to name anything unless they are wearing the color themselves. Of course any color can be used.

Does that mean that the color did not exist when they were looking around? Of course not.

Sunday Blessings-"all good things"

All good things come from God.  I am blessed by my Heavenly Father in countless ways.  Since doing this blog, I have been able to focus on different blessings each Sunday.  I've covered the main things but I realize that there are infinitely numerous things to be grateful for.  I have such a good life-great marriage, good kids, the cutest and most entertaining granddaughter ever, my faith, my health, my husband's good income, a beautiful home, a car that runs, wonderful extended family, a nice Ward Family (my church congregation), my senses to enjoy nature, I live in a safe community, and most of all, a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ including the knowledge that He is my Savior and through Him I can accomplish every righteous desire of my heart.  I know there are many people suffering in different ways and I again remember President Uchtdorf's reminder that we should learn to have a grateful heart, no matter our circumstance-if we have a long list of blessings or feel like they are few.  Sometimes, the blessings of today don't last indefinitely and that attitude of feeling blessed and grateful will be challenged.  It is in those hard times that we should pray for our loving Heavenly Father's spirit to get us through, not that He will take away our trials.  I can say from experience that this is easier said than done.  But I can also say that I have tried it and it does seem to help.  When we feel His love for us, it is easier to endure anything.  Humble prayer, I think, is the key.

Saturday Quotes-Motherhood is a choice you make every day...

Friday Favorites-self-freezing soda

I LOVE a really cold soda on a hot day, but when the ice waters it down too much, it's not as good.  My favorite is Root Beer almost frozen.  But you have to be careful not to overdo it.  I think everyone has seen an exploded soda in the freezer-NOT FUN TO CLEAN UP!

Thursday Tips & Tricks-Uses for Epsom Salt

1

Brush your teeth with Epsom salt and peroxide to fight against periodontal disease. While some dentists recommend using baking soda and peroxide, the sodium in baking soda can create a problem for people needing to restrict their sodium intake while Epsom salt will not.

2

Soak your feet in warm water and Epsom salt to soften and smooth corns. Dr. Levine states in The Doctors Book of Home Remedies that soaking your feet in warm water and Epsom salt will bring temporary pain relief by diminishing "the size of the bursa sac" while taking "pressure off the nearby sensory nerves." I know Epsom salt and warm water was one of the things prescribed to relieve the pain I experienced when I had folliculitis.

3

Sprinkle Epsom salt on your garbage cans to deter the raccoons. Another tip I've heard is tying a rag soaked in ammonia on your garbage can. If the taste of the salt doesn't get them the odor of ammonia will.

4

Add 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt to a gallon of water and spray your lawn for a lusher, greener lawn.

5

Add Epsom salt to olive oil and use to exfoliate your skin. Add the Epsom salt to your shampoo to rejuvenate your scalp. Let it set on the skin for a few minutes to be absorbed before rinsing.

6

Use Epsom salt and liquid dish detergent to whiten floor tiles and dissolve dirt. By adding some Epsom salt to your sudsy water you will get a cleaning boost.

7

Make a home remedy for blackheads by boiling ½ cup of water, 3 drops of iodine and 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt. Let cool enough to touch. Bottle the mixture and use with a cotton ball to apply to blackheads. If the mixture separates days later just heat in the microwave and wait to cool before applying again.

8

Use Epsom salt to fertilize and feed roses, tomatoes, and peppers. In general, magnesium plays a role in strengthening the plant cell walls, allowing the plant to take in the nutrients it needs. It also aids in seed germination, photosynthesis and in the formation of fruits and seeds. Either mix in 1 T. of Epsom salt into the soil at the bottom of the planting hole when setting out transplants or mix the 1 T. in a gallon of water and water the seedling.

9

Increase your magnesium levels in your body by soaking in Epsom salt bath water three times weekly. While it is extremely difficult to get enough magnesium in our systems through our diets, it is readily absorbs into our systems through our skin. Magnesium is needed by our bodies for many functions; however, a doctor should be consulted prior to extensive use, particularly for those with kidney problems. Magnesium works to activate many other enzymes our body needs.

Magnesium is useful in the treatment of asthma, COPD, fibromyalgia, ADD, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, angina, cardiac arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, fatigue, kidney stones, migraine and tension headaches, complications due to pregnancy and premenstrual syndrome. Our bodies cannot properly use serotonin without the assistance of magnesium. Serotonin is a natural chemical created within the brain responsible for feelings of well being and relaxation. So maybe there is something to that saying "Calgon take me away"?

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_4887228_epsom-salt-number-of-ways.html#ixzz31S967hQO

Wacky Wednesday-silence is golden

Tuesday miTunes-All The Pennies by Mindy Gledhill

This is a very cute song, and has a great message.  I love the line that says "but I'll take less if more means having less of you."  It's a song that reminds me to be grateful for a husband who likes to come home and be with his family.  Also, to appreciate the things that money cannot buy.

Monday Messages-Elder Holland on Motherhood

I love Elder Holland.  He always seems to give me the strength I need to endure my challenges.  I wish I could have heard this message when my children were young and my days and nights were so hard.  But I feel like the demands and trials of motherhood are even more difficult for young mothers today.  My daughter is a mother and doing a fabulous job and I will share this message with her.

Happy Mother's Day

Today we honor all mothers.  But on this day, I think most about the blessings of being a mother.  I have had the privilege of seeing motherhood from many perspectives.  I have been a working mom, a single mom (when my husband has to travel for work), a stay-at-home mom, a daycare provider/mom, and a grandmother.  I have been the most happy and satisfied just being the stay-at-home mom.  Not that it's easy.  Sometimes I think back fondly to the time I worked and took my kids to daycare, but I am grateful that it was only a few years.  The laundry and dishes never stop piling up and even adult kids need emotional support from the mom sometimes.  They look to mom for a good dinner, even though this mom doesn't like to cook.  They look to mom for help with school projects and homework, even though some of this mom's skills are lacking (especially the higher math).  They need mom for rides and advice when they aren't feeling good.  So much is needed from mom.  But this mom is glad to be the one they ask.  This mom loves being helpful and needed.  This mom gets so much joy in doing all these things for her children and home.  This mom loves her children unconditionally and forever.

Being a mom is the toughest job you'll ever love.  But I can attest that all the sacrifice is worth the happiness it brings.

Saturday Quotes-good mothers

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother... Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children... Some may have to work part-or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." Elder M. Russell Ballard

Friday Favorites-my favorite mother

My favorite mother of all time in all the world is of course, my own.  She is smart, generous, fun and thinks I'm amazing.
I love you mom!

I love generational pictures...my goal is to get a 5 generation mother/daughter picture.  At least we got 4 generations in this one.

Thursday Tips & Tricks- Keep Calm

Mom's have a way of making us feel like everything is going to be okay.  So whenever a crisis hits and you don't think you can handle it, or when life seems to be ganging up on you, or when you just don't know what to do...

Wacky Wednesday-Mothers are all...

Tuesday miTunes-a song for mothers

Hilary weeks "to do list" is funny, but gives a pretty accurate picture of a day in the life of a stay-at-home mother.  Every day is not the same and some are less busy than others, but there just don't seem to be a lot of "ME" moments when you can take care of yourself.  Luckily, it gets better as the kids get older, but those first few years when your kids are young are just rough.  Then the teenage years are rough again for different reasons.

Monday Messages-"Because of Him" video

This is a great video that helps me ponder and realize that the single act of Christ performing the atonement was the MOST important event in all history.  We owe Him such a great debt of gratitude and all he asks in return is for us to follow Him and keep His commandments.  Pondering the significance of the atonement not only helps me appreciate it, but makes me want to share it with others.

Sunday Blessings-Signs of Spring

Now that winter is over and the News is only forecasting rain, I can savor this season of Spring and the wonderful month of May.
First, the trees are either budding or blooming, the grass is green and growing, flowers are showing and warmer days are more numerous than cool ones.  Also, more birds are singing and we even have a little nest in the tree outside our kitchen window.
Graduations are perfect now because they seem like endings, but are really beginnings.  Spring is the hope, excitement and anticipation of all things new, spontaneous and about to begin.
Today is Sunday. So I am reminded of the scripture in Moses 6:63

 63 And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.

Spring is full of new life, awakening, rebirth and renewal.  Chirst's resurrection and the power of the atonement to change us should be the reminder of Spring.  When I attend church and take the Sacrament, I can renew my spirit and awaken the desires I have to do good after cleansing my soul with repentance.  Even after the dead of winter and the barren trees and plants, it amazes me how it all comes to life again.  The green of the grass is a more beautiful green than I remember.  The flowers are the most brilliant colors and for some reason the sky even seems a brighter shad of blue.  All these point to the hope of Christ that assures us we can become new again, we can change into better versions of ourselves and we can believe that as we age and contemplate dying, that too will really only be a beginning to eternity.  I am so grateful for all the reminders of Spring.

Saturday Quotes-To be a star...and in a way we all are stars...

Friday Favorites-a great date with my daughter

My youngest daughter and I needed a date so we went to this great movie theater where the seats are full recliners and they have trays to hold your food.  The food is from the full menu and my chicken caesar wrap was delicious and even came with fries.  We also used the bathroom afterward and the faucets have built in air dryers that dry your hands in seconds.  The best part of this date was that everything was a surprise.  It made us feel like royalty.  It was like First Class and now we aren't sure we can go back to coach.  Oh yeah, the movie was pretty good too.

Thursday Tips & Tricks-9 times tables trick

Yes.  It works.  Astound your 4th grader or grandkids.  This would have been nice to know when I was learning mine...back in the days before Pinterest or even computers-I know, I don't what we used to do with all that free time either.