The Ordinary and Unexciting

• "A house does not have to be perfect to be a home of joy, a child does not have to behave perfectly to love and be loved, and every moment of life does not have to be perfect to be of value. Too often, I realize, we fail to see the glorious reality of the simple joy that abounds in the seemingly mundane routine of day-to-day living. Instead, we tend to idolize the past, idealize the future, and devalue the present.... What better way to show our appreciation to Heavenly Father for what we have than to embrace our lives, albeit 'ordinary' and 'unexciting,' with joy?"
  --Winnie Dalley; Ensign, March 1998, page 59
  

Do you ever feel this way? I certainly do—this really caught my attention and helped me to focus in again on what's really important. It's so hard not to compare yourself with others—it's even scarier to realize that others are comparing themselves to you—if only they knew.

I am going to embrace the dents in the corner of my wall upstairs, and be grateful that my kids were trying so hard to learn to clean and vacuum when they slammed it into the corner, denting it forever more (a memory forever)

I am going to embrace driving Zach to seminary every morning at 6:30 am, because I know all the wonderful blessings he's getting because of it.

I am going to embrace my friends, my friends who aren't movie stars, who aren't rocket scientists, but who are my life line, my comfort, my joy, my strength—I don't know where I'd be without my friends.

I'm going to embrace my sweetheart, my Prince Charming, I'm going to love him for all that he is, and overlook the things that just don't matter.

I'm going to embrace my kids, I'm going to laugh with them, and play with them, I'm going to be thankful for every moment that they're with me, and even after they move away.

What are you going to embrace?

Nursery--what gives???

My current "job," if you will, at church, is the 2nd counselor in the stake primary--over the nursery. Well, I volunteered to do the nursery in our ward until they found someone to do it--which they still have not.

Here's my problem, and I would appreciate ANY, and ALL suggestions--how do you have a nursery when no one is willing to help? Sure, ask someone else to do it, they say yes and never show up. The primary presidency can't do it, they're already overwhelmed with the kids in primary. The parents can't do it because the have their own callings.

A friend of mine suggested not having nursery, she said that when her kids were young they didn't have nursery because there just weren't enough people to make it happen. So, do you suggest that nursery is cancelled and have all the mommies and daddies be upset, or do you ask them to do nursery and have them say they can't.

I am not in any way saying there should not be a nursery, but I am also at a loss as to what any other option would be. The young women can't do it--and there aren't 2 people willing to do it.

A few weeks back I was in the nursery, ALONE! Gasp! I know! I love the kids, and I don't mind it, but I had nine toddlers in there--yes, ALONE! Two of them were tipping over a little toy kitchen on themselves, so I ran over there to stop them. While I was attending to this, two other children on the other side of the room climbed up on the table, and one of them pushed the other off the table--this resulted in a loud thump as his little head slammed into the counter next to the table he was standing on. This was not all--oh no! The entire room was filled with the stench of poop--I think that every one of them decided to fill their britches at the same time! So, we're all crying, (and gasping for some fresh breath), at this point, and I have no one to help me. I opened the door and lo and behold the Bishop, that lucky man, was the first person I saw. I am not proud to say that I was at my wits end at that moment and wasn't overly kind about the way I went about expressing my distress. All the mommies were summoned and little diapers were changed and they sent in a member of the presidency to help me out--thank heaven above!

I am not complaining here--well kind of--I just don't know what the answer is, and I do know that one person in there is ABSOLUTELY NOT SAFE, NOT FUN, AND NOT THE ANSWER! Help me my friends! Ask your friends--draw on the wisdom of your wards and please send it this way!!!!

Who's Your Long Lost Twin???

Question: Do people ever come up to you and randomly tell you that you look like someone they know? Well, as of late, I've been bombarded with this question, so, I've decided to do a little experiment--I'll ask my nearest and dearest buddies to put in their two cents! This should be very enlightening. So, this is how it works, you look at the pics and decide which, if any, you think looks like me. Or, if you don't think any of them look like me, put in your own candidate, or you can just say that I am an Intergalactic Princess and it's just not possible for anyone to be as remarkable as me:) Part II: Who do people tell you that you look like?

Pictures:
1-This is just li'l ole me--lovely right? No laughing.
2-Claire Danes
3-Julia Roberts
4-Trisha Yearwood


Just a funny--I think my friend Renee, down in TN looks just like Lucy Lu, so lovely.
Jen, my buddy from UT, looks just like Felicity Huffman, and one final; my cute li'l sis looks just like Xena:Warrior Princess (Ha! Ha! Ha!)

So long 2008!

It's been a great holiday! We shared it with friends and family, and had a beautiful Christmas as a family! We missed all our friends back home, and in places far from here; but we were all together in spirit, and always will be.

What was your most memorable moment of 2008? No celeb news--unless you were the celeb.

My most memorable moment was spending time with my family at King's Island, and then up at my brother's house in Illinois to bless their little girl. It's been years since all my siblings and I were together, so this was an occasion to be treasured.

Happy Thoughts Welcome Here!!!

Se

 

    

Front page of the Richmond Register

Twelve-year-old Ali Peterson of Winchester chats Saturday with re-enactor Martha Gordon of Columbus, Ind., about the kromski spinning wheel made in Poland which Gordon uses to spin yarn. Gordon and her daughter were demonstrating how settlers made their own clothing. Nancy Taggart / Register Photographer

Julie, RD, LD----Yeah!!!

Hey everybody! I took my qualifying exam to be a Registered Dietitian, and I PASSED! I am official! Hooray! This has been a long time coming and an even longer time studying! Thanks to my family who supported me--all my love!