T.M.I…..

So, we’ve been sick….and it’s all my fault…I jinxed us:

“Thank goodness, it is now Sunday afternoon, and (knock on wood) Sylvie seems to be feeling much better.  I think it was just a little bug….”

Apparently, you have to REALLY KNOCK ON WOOD and not just type it….or maybe I should have just kept my mouth/keyboard shut in the first place…..Sylvie & Corben were throwing up within an hour of that statement.

ANYWAY, us getting sick doesn’t happen….EVER.  At least, not this kind of sick.  I am an insane OCD hand sanitizer/hand washing/use a paper towel to hold the gas pump/open the door with my elbow/flush with my foot kind of girl and I have worked EXTRA hard to keep us away from all this nastiness.  So, we did NOT catch the Swine Flu….Thank Goodness!!…….we caught the Evil Puke-Your-Guts-Out-In-the-course-of-a-few-hours Flu.  In the course of 2 days EVERY person in my house was sick.  That’s 6 people!  4 of us in the throws of it at the same time! AAHHH!

Now, I’ve been hearing/reading about a lot of folks who are so frustrated because it seems that as soon as one of their kids is well, the next one gets sick, but let me tell you…….

(Here’s the TMI part)……When you’ve got one throwing up downstairs, one throwing up upstairs, you’re in the other bathroom with your head over a bowl when your “well” child runs in to tell you HE’S starting to feel bad, too, and he suddenly starts throwing up in the sink beside you and you have to then lie there on the verge of death while you have children balled up in different beds & bathrooms on the floor waiting for it all to end themselves……

…..you’d kind of wish it was spread out a bit more.

I would have been so grateful for the one on one time with each sick child….mine had to go it Mommy-less for a good portion of the way.  Thank goodness Ryan was the last to get sick and he waited until everyone else went to bed.  Thank you, Honey!

P.S.  I’m here to help anyone who is having a hard time with all this stuff going around.  I’ll run errands, pick up kids from school, I’ll even share our left over Jello & Pedialite…….Let me know!!  (But please don’t breath on me…thanks.)

My Weekly General Conference….2

Wow!  I love studying this way!  Ok, here’s how I did it last week that I feel was very successful.  I started the week watching the video.  I then printed off a text version that I carried around with me and read in carpool, when I had a break at home, etc.  Before reading each day, I prayed about the topic.  I then used a different pen or pencil to highlight the things that struck me and I wrote thoughts and feelings in the margins.  At the end of the week I again watched the video and this time highlighted my text version with the new things that struck me as I noticed the points where the speakers voice emphasized a certain something.  I wish I could now spend another whole week practicing what I learned as there were things that I figured out at week’s end that I hadn’t understood in the beginning.  But, I’m on to the next one and have already noticed that the last talk has helped me to understand this one more!  I love this!

Again, Saturday morning session:

Helping Others Recognize the Whisperings of the Spirit

by Vicki F. Matsumori

Click here for TEXT and here for Video.

Quote:

• "The scriptures and the prophets teach what this constant companionship feels like...My favorite description...comes from an eight-year-old boy who had just received the Holy Ghost. He said, “It felt like sunshine.”

  —Vicki F. Matsumori

Facts:

1.  Sister Vicki Fujii Matsumori went to Primary even before she was a member of the Church. Her parents wanted her to attend a church when she was a child, and their home in Murray, Utah, was close to a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“I always knew it was true,” says Sister Matsumori. When she learned about tithing, she wanted to pay it. When she learned about fasting, she wanted to fast. When she was about to turn eight, she wanted to be baptized.

However, when she asked for permission to be baptized, her parents, George Yasuyuki Fujii and Yoshie Matsumoto Fujii, told her they wanted her to know more about the church she was joining. Her father knew a little about the Church and told her that she should learn the Articles of Faith before the bishop interviewed her for baptism. So she did.

The bishop did not ask her to recite any of them, but Sister Matsumori still treasures the gospel knowledge she gained while she was in Primary.

Her parents continued to support her and her younger sister in Church attendance, and they eventually joined the Church when Sister Matsumori was in high school.

Sister Matsumori was born on December 15, 1950, in Murray, Utah. She attended Granite High School and later graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in journalism and English in 1973. She also earned her teaching certificate and went on to teach junior high school and to be an educator at other schools as well.

On June 6, 1973, she married James Matsumori in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of two girls and one boy. She says her calling as mother is the calling that best prepared her for her calling as second counselor in the Primary general presidency. Other callings that have helped her prepare include Primary teacher, ward Primary president, and Cub Scout leader. She also served on the Primary general board for more than five years. 

(http://www.josephsmith.net/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=78348fbe352fe010VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1)

2.  At the April 2005 church general conference, Matsumori was accepted by the church as the second counselor of Cheryl C. Lant in the general presidency of the Primary. Prior to her call into the general presidency, Matsumori was a member of the general Primary board for five years and was a frequent contributor to the Friend magazine.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicki_F._Matsumori)

10-25-2009 Week in Review

Mon – Family Pictures!! Being the one behind the camera has it’s good sides and bad.  The worst being that you’re NEVER in a photo!  So, when it’s time to take family pictures you have to find someone else to do it!  Lucky for me, a friend of mine called and asked if I would take her family’s pictures and then her husband would take ours!  YEAH!!  He did an amazing job & ya’ll are welcome to give him your business….after I die. :)

Now, I have to tell you, it took me almost an hour to convince Ella to wear pillow curlers and to put them in.  She kept them in for almost 5 hours!!  We took them out in the parking lot right before pictures and when she saw herself in the window of the car she sobbed and sobbed….I don’t think she recognized herself. Anyway, you can watch the progression, or rather digression, of her curls from photo to photo. Within an hour of the curlers coming out, her hair was straight again!!

                  

Tuesday I went to the NC State Fair with my AWESOME brother, Jason….who got me in free….thus part of the reason he’s Awesome!  We only went for an hour and a half so we could go see all of the exhibits.  However, I did get to watch my most Awesome brother talk a funnel cake vendor down in price!  He can get a deal on ANYTHING!

So, here’s my picture hanging up at the fair.  I didn’t win anything but it was fun to do anyway.  At first look the picture that won first place didn’t really seem very worthy to me.  It’s a girl throwing a rock.  If you saw all the amazing photos people entered you’d understand my questioning.  So I went and talked to a person who knew the judge and was told that this year the judge was looking for pictures that told a story.  Though I feel mine told much more of a story than most of the pictures there, I can see how the winning photo drew her attention.  Plus, it was “tack sharp” and perfectly lit.  Now I know what to try for for next year!

 

 

 Here’s Ella finishing off

the sugar from her

funnel cake…..nothing

left to waste!

 

The day was far from over, though.  I went to my mom’s to get everything I ever owned there out before my sister moved in the next day…..a daunting task.  Then, later that night Ryan and I headed out for our first date in…..years?  We went out with my Wonderful Mom who bought us our tickets to see…..David Copperfield!!  When I was a kid we used to watch the tape recorded specials over and over.  I remember spending what seemed like hours with my siblings watching the video a frame at a time trying to figure it out.  Now, over the years, I may have watched one too many Magician’s Secrets Revealed, because Ryan and I both caught many of his slight of hand tricks.  However, the show was pretty amazing….I was NOT expecting a Car to appear 5 feet off the ground and can’t figure out how he made the floating tissue paper rose turn into a real one right in front of my eyes.  I cannot, however, recommend the show as it was not Family Friendly.  My siblings had tickets to Wednesday’s show so we had to try to keep from telling them anything.  That was probably hardest for my mom who was convinced the entire audience, except us, was working for the show…..explains why our tickets were so expensive! LOL  It was a fun night, thanks mom!!

Wednesday was the BEST DAY EVER!!  WHY??? ----- Because my sister FINALLY moved back to home!!!!!

YEAH!!!

I didn’t get to see her though because she was very busy with two of my brothers and my fabulous SIL on their own trip to see David Copperfield. Fri – The girls and I headed out for an early morning walk around a local pond to enjoy the fall leaves.

 

After the trip to the pond….which ended with both girls taking off in opposite directions into the woods at top speed and neither one of them stopping despite my angry yells to STOP and me having to chase them both down and carry them to the car…..we headed home for a play date with my Sister’s kids, whom the girls haven’t seen in a year!  (I can’t believe she lives here now!)  After lunch, Tam headed out to visit some friends and my fabulous SIL, Jessica, came over with her two cute kids to complete a wonderful day of fun for the kids.

Saturday started EARLY, despite the rain, with a photo shoot and chores to be done.  I did a second shoot in the afternoon while Ryan took the girls to go fly kites.  I was taking the last photos and the rain started pouring down.  It was a long, yet productive, day!

1 AM Sunday morning – Sylvie yelling from her bed…..

The Flu Has Found Us……

5 AM Sunday morning…..finally figured out how to get the bowl in front of her before she makes a mess…..

Sunday morning – Send Ryan and the boys off to church while I stayed home with the girls for a day of “Rest”….(Rest = Laundering an entire toddler bedding set & pillow, 4 stuffed animals, our bedding, 3 towels, 2 sets of clothing, and one blanket.  Scrubbing carpet and flooring in 4 separate rooms (Thank you Folex for your awesome stain removal abilities).  Giving a toddler 2 baths.)

Thank goodness, it is now Sunday afternoon, and (knock on wood) Sylvie seems to be feeling much better.  I think it was just a little bug….(despite obsessive compulsive hand washing, hand sanitizer, and the flu shot…).

The End.

My Weekly General Conference….

Some of you know, and some of you may not, that my Church holds a World Wide Conference twice a year.  It’s broadcast live and lasts a total of 8 hours over 2 days.  I SO look forward to Conference every year.  It just fills me up Spiritually.  Every year I make a goal to focus more on the teachings that I spent so many hours listening to.  I get a few chances to sit and read through the text versions but find that often they’re long forgotten by the time the next one rolls around.  I can’t possibly soak up Everything they said in the exact moment I hear it and then apply it all for the next 6 months!  I don’t think anyone can….  Anyway, I checked it out and this time around the number of talks almost perfectly corresponds to the number of weeks before the next Conference.  So, I plan on focusing on one talk a week.  To make sure I do it, I’m posting a link to the Audio & text versions of the talk on my blog…and maybe, if the girls are napping, I’ll even post an interesting fact or two about the speaker…..if I can find anything.  Well, I’m already 2 weeks behind but decided that I would go ahead and start at the beginning….

Here’s the first talk from Saturday morning session.

To Acquire Spiritual Guidance by Elder Richard G. Scott

Click here for TEXT and here for Video.

 

Quote:

• "[God] is your Father; pray to Him. If your life is in disarray and you feel uncomfortable and unworthy to pray because you are not clean, don’t worry. He already knows about all of that. He is waiting for you to kneel in humility and take the first few steps. Pray for strength. Pray for others to be led to support you and guide you and lift you. Pray that the love of the Savior will pour into your heart. Pray that the miracle of the Atonement will bring forgiveness because you are willing to change. I know that those prayers will be answered, for God loves you. His Son gave His life for you. I know they will help you."

“True Friends That Lift,” Ensign, Nov. 1988

Facts:

1.  Richard Gordon Scott is a current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

2.  Richard G. Scott was born on November 7, 1928, in Pocatello, Idaho, to Kenneth Leroy Scott and Mary Eliza Whittle. At age five, the family moved to Washington DC, where his father worked in the Department of Agriculture.^[1] His father was not a member of the LDS Church at the time, and his mother was marginally active until the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture of the time, church apostle Ezra Taft Benson, named Kenneth Scott as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture in the administration of Dwight D Eisenhower. Benson's influence led to his father's conversion and the reactivation of his mother. In 1988, as church president, Benson would later call Richard Scott to become an apostle of the church. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_G._Scott)

3.  During the summers he worked various jobs to earn money for college. Working on an oyster boat off the coast of Long Island New York during one summer he found that, at times, the hardened fishermen mocked him for not drinking alcohol until a man went overboard and 17-year-old "“Scotty," as the only sober man on board, was told to put on his fins and mask and sent over to look for him. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_G._Scott)

4.  From 1953 to 1965 Elder Scott served on the immediate staff of Admiral Hyman Rickover, directing the development of nuclear fuel for a wide variety of naval and land-based power plants. (http://www.mormonwiki.com/Richard_G._Scott)

5. The Scotts had seven children with five reaching adulthood. Their first son died after an operation to correct a congenital heart condition. Their second daughter lived only minutes and died just 6 weeks before the death of their first son.^[4] Jeanene Watkins Scott died on May 15, 1995 after a short battle with cancer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_G._Scott)

6. Elder Scott is known for delivering compassionate talks at General Conference, looking directly into the camera, and pleading for repentance and improvements in the lives of members. He emphasizes the Savior's compassion and willingness to forgive past transgressions, and pleads for members to repent and move on with their lives.

Wow! I just learned a lot!

10-18-2009 Week in Review

Wow, this is a busy time of year…..

I’m currently:

Booked through the end of November for photos….

Working on expanding my Heritage Makers business….

Trying to clean/keep clean my house….

Attempting to clean my mom’s house out of every item I left there when I married Ryan after having lived with her for 8 years (?)….all before my sister moves in with her on Wednesday….

Trying to prepare for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a whole slew of birthdays….

Attempting to scan thousands of photos from my mom’s side of the family….

Working on SEVERAL books/calendars/12x12 pages/cards, etc. through Heritage Makers….

Volunteering at Corben’s school….

Helping run errands for some friends who cant….

Trying to do better in a whole array of Spiritual areas….

Leading the music for the children in our congregation and trying to get them ready for next months BIG performance….

…..wait….there’s something else….

Oh yes…..raising/chasing/driving/teaching/feeding/scolding/loving 4 wonderful children…….and a husband.

 

THERE….that’s what I did all week.  Then came the weekend…..

SATURDAY – got up bright & early to head to the grocery store to pic up items for Corben’s Service Project.  He did chores to earn money to buy food for local kids.  He and his classmates assembled kits together all morning.  Way to go!  While he was there, the other kids and I explored a local park for picture takin’ places.  Now, despite ALL attempts…I can get no good pics of my own kids….they run and turn their faces away and refuse to look at the camera…..it makes me crazy.

Later that evening I spent a wonderful few hours with an AMAZING family for pictures.  It was so much fun!  Pics are posted on my photo blog.  My amazing SIL watched the kiddos for me while I ran around with my camera, then she treated us all to dinner & dessert.  She is an awesome Aunt!

Today, is Sunday and a hard day for Corben.  He struggles finding things to do.  So today, inspired by the falling leaves, he headed out with the rake and made his very first leaf pile ever!

After this shot I jumped in and joined him for a full on leaf war!!  I’m still finding sticks in my clothes….

After the girls woke from their nap, Corben made a bigger pile in the front yard and brought them out for their first time in the leaves.  Ella wasn’t too sure but Sylvie loved it!

Then they started coming after me!!

It has been 2 hours now and they are still all out there laughing and playing with daddy in the playhouse and on the swing.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love our yard?  Alright, I’m off to cook dinner……See ya!

9-27-2009, 10-3-2009, 10-10-2009 Weeks in Review

First, I have to post some Pics of Ryan and I on our separate white water rafting trips…….

Here’s Ryan on Monday….

 

Wednesday – Corben packed up all the money he had gotten from his birthday and his savings and we headed out to buy him the new bike he’s been wanting.  Sadly, on the way, we discovered that he didn’t have as much money as he’d thought he’d had.  He was very disappointed to say the least.  THEN, at a stop light I noticed the pile of mail I’d just taken out of the mailbox.  Sitting right there was a birthday card from Corben’s Mom-mom AND the rest of the money he needed for his bike!!  OH HAPPY DAY!! THANKS MOM MOM!!! (love Corben).  It could not have been better timing.  Here his is on his brand new bike that he paid for all by himself. YEAH!!

Friday – The girls and I headed out to their playgroup where we met at the local AC Moore for a tour and craft time.  Ella really enjoyed coloring and the toy train and play dough we got were a fantastic bonus!

The rest of Friday….well a good bit of it….was dedicated to making this fun cake for a friend of mine’s little girl.  It’s based off a picture they found on the internet, so no creativity on my part, just execution.  Still, I think it turned out really cute!!  The stars were actually made from melted Starburst candy! YUM!

Saturday we were able to attend the amazing baptism of two of my nephews.  What a wonderful event.  I was especially touched as each boy was given the gift of the Holy Ghost surrounded by their fathers and each of their uncles and grandfather.  All worthy Priesthood holders.  We are so truly blessed!!

Saturday night I was able to take a good friend to see the General Relief Society broadcast.  (Click here to view the archives of the broadcast.) Each year leaders of our Church’s women’s group give a broadcast that goes live around the world.  It is such an amazing experience to hear the uplifting and spiritual messages as well as to stand and sing at the same time as millions of other women around the world.  What that must sound like in Heaven!!

Sunday we spent a good deal of time out in our wonderful yard…..

 

   

Okay, this part is FUNNY….well, at least to me.  The following sequence of pictures was taken as Ella walked off to pick some flowers.  I was just kind of snapping away and only stopped when I realized she was YELLING at me to look at something….

Only THEN did I look at what she was pointed at and then BACK at the string of pics I’d just taken!!  So now, click on the first picture so you can see it zoomed in…..yes, that’s right…she’s stepping in Doggie Doo……you will notice that all further pictures of her from this day have her in only 1 shoe….Gross!!

   

The next week was a BLUR!!!

Saturday we went to my nephew’s birthday party.  They had a very fun bike parade and the kids had a blast.  Note Corben’s cool get up and his rockin’ Elvis moves!! (Next 4 photos courtesy of Ed Schnegelberger)

    

Dade spent the day on his first big paying babysitting job.  He was so excited to get paid for what he does for free all the time!!  We spent the afternoon watching our Church’s Semi-Annual General Conference.  Twice a year we get the amazing opportunity to listen to a Prophet of God speak directly too us.  He, Apostles, and other church leaders share lessons with us over 2 days and 8 hours of Conference.  I LOVE this time of year.  To be able to sit in my home with my children and listen as the Word of God is preached directly into my living room…..I can’t begin to tell you the Spirit it brings to us.  We are so blessed! (Click here for video and written archives of both day’s talks.)

A CHEESY POEM….

We once had a mouse living in our house, we quickly found a cure

To get rid of the mouse that was raiding our house, all this time I’d though, for sure

That we’d gotten the mouse out from under our house, but this time I think we’ve found

It’s a really cute mouse that’s dancing in our house, and she eats all our cheese by the pound!

Sunday was dedicated to making yummy treats and listening to Conference…..

Monday – My sister showed up in town for a very short visit to look for a house for her and her family.  She is moving here VERY SOON!! (Get your cake orders ready!)  I really didn’t get to see her much because she and her great friend, Sara, (the amazing, talented maker of the frames for my pics) were busy running all over the world looking at every property.  So, as a gift my mom watched the kids on Wednesday and let us all escape to the beach for a day!!  Sara had never been so it was a must!!

 

A Pic I took on the way to the beach….we all felt it was missing something….

Then we realized what it was….

…..(thank you Dade and Corben for your editing & posing contribution….)

This was one of the craziest busy weeks of the year for me! I felt like I didn’t stop all week!

Friday – I was scan, scan, scanning!! Through the company I work with, Heritage Makers, I am able to rent an amazing scanner.  30 pictures a minute, people!!  I scanned over 7 thousand pictures this weekend!! Yes, you heard right, 7 THOUSAND!!  Let me know if you’d like me to rent it again.  I have to charge to use it but it’s SO worth it!!

Friday night I headed over to another Congregation’s activity to share my Yodeling skills.  They were having a Cowgirl night so I fit right in!

Saturday – we got so much done around the house.  Ryan (the great) was finally able to fix my pour wagon that has been crying in the yard for some time.  (See this post for details of her demise.)  I laughed when he got back and said that I hoped he hadn’t been bit by a Black Widow while driving.  (She had a few webs in her…no lie.) But he informed me that there was no problem with that….but that he had escaped near death earlier when, after laying on his back for over 30 minutes beneath the car, he rolled over and found that he’d been laying on a hibernating copper head….a baby one.  (Now babies are more dangerous than adults because they can’t regulate their venom…)

Sunday, mom came over and we scanned several boxes of her family’s old photos.  YEAH FOR GETTING IT DONE!! Thanks mom for your help!

The End.