Nurture

The Proclamation on the Family makes a powerful statement about mothers...

Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of her children. 

What does it mean to nurture?

Webster 1828

NUR'TURE, noun

1. That which nourishes; food; diet.

2. That which promotes growth; education; instruction. (Ephesians 6:4)

NUR'TURE, verb transitive

1. To feed; to nourish.

2. To educate; to bring or train up.

Sheri Dew taught: The word motherhood defines women's eternal roles; it describes their nature as nurturers. Nurture is a rich word. It means to train, to teach, to educate, to foster development, to promote growth, and to nourish or feed. Women have been given the great privilege and responsibility to nurture in all these sense of the word...
Sheri Dew, "Are We Not All Mothers?" Ensign, Nov. 2001, 97.

You are the guardians of the hearth. You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Stand Strong Against the Wiles of the World," 101.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Nephi 22:13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 

Doctrine & Covenants 93:39-40 And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers. 
But, I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.
Mosiah 4:14-15  And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.

Nephi 25:26 We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we teach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophesies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

It's not that important to have a mother in the home to change diapers, make meals, and clean bathrooms because a maid, even a government program can do those things. But, mothers are needed to nurture and no amount of tax-funded boondoggles can repair and replace a missing mother. Too often mothers feel they are relegated to drudgery, they are not. In thinking this way, they miss the mark entirely and miss out on the most creative, challenging, and rewarding work there is; the work of preparing a child in every way for their earthly work while leading them on the path toward their heavenly home, pointing out every glorious vista and star along the way. 

I Resolve... 2013

I have been sick and missed most of the three hour block today ( I couldn't manage to stay away from my class, but I went heavily drugged and didn't cough on anyone). I spent the other hours catching up on blog reading that I never get around to between September and Christmas. I also read through my blog. I was interested to find any of my past New Year's Resolutions and see if any have stuck and if the process is at all worthwhile. I was surprised.
I think it was in 2007 that I resolved to be better about the shopping. I have historically been terrible about keeping food in the house. I would so much rather buy restaurant food than real food, at least that is how I used to be. I cook a lot more now. I have a collection of recipes that I like and that my family likes. I try to follow an old habit that my MIL had of always having, "bread, fruit, milk and cheese" in the house. If someone was hungry, she always ran down this list, which reminds me that having "NO FOOD", which is a frequent complaint of my teenager does not mean that we literally have "No food" it just means that we might be out of potato chips, which "you shouldn't be eating anyway... refer to the list above".
Daily scripture study has historically been a problem for me. I go along really well for awhile and then get swamped and quit for awhile. But, the constant resolve has finally changed something. In the past year, I have turned a corner and I have learned to "feast on the word of God". I have always loved the scriptures, the beauty of the language and I've had a testimony of the gospel since I was ten, but this is different. I really want to know. I have questions that I need answered and I get an incredible amount of comfort from gospel study.  I am still not a daily student, but I'm almost a daily student. I hate to miss.. not out of guilt, but desire to read and to listen to the voice of prophets and apostles both ancient and modern.
My daily habits of health and exercise are almost a complete wash, but not entirely. I still eat too much junk and I have a start and mostly stop exercise plan that really needs to change, but even here I can't honestly say that my efforts are worthless. I have lost 7 pounds since the first of November... slow going, but at least it's in the right direction and I didn't put on the holiday 5 so that has to count for something!
So I resolve to keep resolving.
Every year, I've also made a goal of spending more one on one time with my spouse and it's never happened until this past year, when it did. We did a lot of fun things. We love music and we saw some great performances, the highlight of which was seeing Lang Lang at Abravenel Hall. We went to a couple of plays with good friends. Our friends, Ally & John starred in Little Shop of Horrors and they were WONDERFUL! C even took me Christmas shopping, twice! That was a first. We had regular date nights. Can we keep it up if I don't add it to the list? I think we got this one.

So for 2013
1. End Common Core in Utah
Failure here is very possible, but a friend told me that if this is truly what I believe needs to happen, then I should try. I feel very strongly about it so I am about to make myself a huge pain, which seems to come pretty naturally.. at least something does!
2. Spend quality time with my children every day.
I did this last year and I did pretty well, just not as well as I want to so... I'm not good at playing games, taking walks or sitting on the floor playing toys. When I do those things, I often wish I were somewhere else. So, I am going to achieve this goal by reading good literature to my children and spending time discussing those things that I want them to learn and know. I wish I was the kind of mom who builds snowmen, but I'm not.
3. Scripture study & Family Night
Just to be ever more faithful and take the time to teach the gospel. What is more important to me in the end? Nothing.
4. Lose 60 pounds by the time of my anniversary.
I always make small goals in this direction, maybe try a big one.
5. Keep up with cooking 5 nights a week making the meals ever more healthy.

6. Be Grateful!
Finally, since I just finished A Simple Act of Gratitude, I am going to try saying "Thank You" 365 times. Hopefully, this will be fun. Great book BTW.

That's it. See you on the flip side :)

Pioneer Day!

This is my portait of my Great, Great, Great Grandfather Lars who came across the sea from Denmank and then across the plains to Utah. He made bricks and played the violin. He gave up his homeland, his comfortable job and home to give his posterity the gospel for which I am forever grateful. Happy Pioneer Day! ♥

Pioneers
They cut desire into short lengths
And fed it to the hungry fires of courage,
Long after-- when the flames died
Moulten gold gleamed in the ashes.
They gathered it into bruised palms
And handed it to their children,
And their children's children.
Vilate Raile

Biscuits flying in formation...

Not only did little c's biscuits fly in formation.. they were DELISH!

Big Rainbows...

Big C pulling big rainbows out of the river... by Flaming Gorge in April 2012

King Nebuchadnezzar's Dream...

Daniel Chapter 2 Reading
　
Narrator: And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

Narrator: Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans for the shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. And the king said unto them:

King Nebuchadnezzar: I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

Narrator: Then spake the Chaldeans unto the king:

Chaldean #1: O king, live forever: tell they servants the dreams and we will shew the interpretation.

King Nebuchadnezzar: The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

Chaldean #2: Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

King Nebuchadnezzar: I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. If ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

Chaldean #3: There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter... And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

Narrator: For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. Then Daniel said to the king’s captain:

Daniel: Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

Narrator: The captain made the thing known to Daniel and Daniel asked the king for time and he would show the king the dream and its interpretation. And Daniel asked his companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:

Daniel: Pray for the tender mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that we will no perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Narrator: Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. And, Daniel said:

Daniel: Blessed be the name of God forever and ever; for wisdom and might are His. I thank thee and praise thee, O though God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and has made known unto me now what we desired of thee.

Narrator: Then Daniel was brought before the king who asked: Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

Daniel: Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

King Nebuchadnezzar: And what is the interpretation of the dream?

Daniel: Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom (silver) inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron. The feet and toes, part clay and part iron, are the fourth kingdom divided.
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.


**Note: My friend Laura put this reading together and it was a hit in our Sunday School Class & in Family Night! So, I thought I would share.

We pointed out to the kids that President Obama lives in the White House, that the White House is a symbol of kingdom. It is interesting to discuss other examples of Kingdoms living and dead... Then, explain the symbolism of the stone cut without hands (made by God). Point out that the temples of God are covering the earth and that this revelation given by Daniel 600 years before the birth of Christ is coming true in their (the children's) lifetime.

Mother's Day...

I wrote this sometime ago.. but, since this is my only real personal history I wanted it included here.

Mother’s Day 2006

Sacrament Meeting Talk

　
Between my sophomore and junior years of high school, I was able to travel to Rome and view in person Michelangelo’s famous sculpture the Pieta’. As many of you know, the sculpture depicts the crucified Christ cradled in the arms of his grieving mother, Mary. I don’t know if the moment depicted in the sculpture could have actually taken place, or if the sculpture is more a representation of emotion. In Luke chapter 2:35 Simeon speaks to Mary and says, "Yea a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." How profoundly that verse speaks of motherhood. For when does a mother not pain over every pain and joy with every joy of her child.

As I contemplated this sculpture, I thought of the Christmas story and of the Loving mother" who "laid her baby in a manger filled with hay." The mother who listened to an angel and then, "pondered these things in her heart." Of all the mothers in scripture maybe mother Mary is the one we know most about and that seems so little, yet she is revered around the world and even worshiped in some faiths. As Latter Day Saints we honor her as the chosen mother of the Savior of the world. But, it is her role as mother that I think I most relate to. The swell of happiness she must have felt as she saw the Savior living the life he was meant to live, the pain she must have felt at his pain. The love she must have had for this most precious Son. These are things we know something of as we become parents.
To be a mother, is to know the anxious hours of a long night with a fevered child, the heartache of their mistakes, the worry for their safety, but it is also to know the expanding joy of their laughter, the satisfaction of their achievement and the deep gratitude for their existence.
There are moments in family life that have a quality of perfect bliss. I was raised in a family the oldest of seven children and even in that often chaotic environment, my dear mother once remarked, "I don’t know if I want to go to heaven because I think I will miss this life too much." In reply, my father said, "But this wonderful day is just what heaven will always be like."

Emily Dickinson wrote the lines, "Who has not found the heaven below will fail of it above. God’s residence is next to mine, His furniture is love."

We have a brief glimpse of the heart of our Heavenly Father when we can look at a child and love them just because they are. My heart has filled with joy and peace as I have looked into the sleeping face of my sweet Charity and felt that she was attended by the angels. In turn, I know that it is my duty to her to teach her where she has come from, knowing that the greatest self-esteem comes not from any special talent or gift she might have, but from her divine inheritance as a daughter of God.
My daughter Charity has a rich and beautiful heritage. She has many ancestors who have paved the way and have given her lasting legacy in the gospel of Jesus Christ and I hope that she will emulate as many of their good qualities as she can. As President Hinckley has put it, I hope she won’t ‘drop the ball’. However, mortals are mortal and none of them perfect. A friend of mine once wrote that it is good to revere our progenitors, but we can’t get too entangled with that because ‘for every one that died gloriously in battle, there is sure to be one that was hung as a horse thief’. While in Charity’s case, I am sure that is an overstatement, it is her Heavenly parents, I want most for her to be like.
In the 1959, October issue of the Children’s Friend, Anna Johnson wrote just a few precious words, "I am a child of royal birth My Father is King of heaven and earth. My spirit was born in the courts on high, a child beloved, a princess am I."
These words could not be more true. I know that I have a princess in my home. And, I believe that when we get to know each other well enough, when we learn to love each other, when we see each other and our children as our Heavenly Father sees us we truly can see the royal lineage of our Father in Heaven all about us.

Knowing this teaches us to be less judgmental of each other. I shouldn’t judge another parent because I know how hard I’m trying and how often I think, "What will my actions today cost me in psychotherapy bills tomorrow?"
A good bishop once counseled, "Mothers should be trusted. Heavenly Father is aware of which child goes to which mother."
Mothers are different.
In my own family my two Grandmothers could not have been more different.
One graduated with a degree in nursing, had ten children, seven of them boys, was an avid sports fan and a great cook of large portions of good Mormon cooking all the while working outside the home as a labor and delivery nurse by necessity to help support her large family. I never saw her with makeup or any other form of feminine adornments but she always knew the scores of all the games.
My other Grandmother graduated from Utah State with a degree in clothing and textiles. She is fancy! She is the mother of six children 3 girls and 3 boys. I have seen many pictures of her in glamourous dresses she made with high heels and red lipstick. She was a homemaker by trade, artistic in every way and a relief society president many times over. She is also a great cook of small portions of gourmet food.
　
Both of my Grandmothers were good mothers. Both of them were faithful Latter Day Saints who served tirelessly in the church and were wonderful examples to their children and Grandchildren. Both of them were missionaries. Both of them shared their love, talents and testimonies with as many people as they could, but especially with their families.
I don’t think it matters what style of mother we are as long as we are the kind that has the company of the Holy Spirit.
I have learned as a parent that it is my great desire to be led by the Holy Spirit and to know when our child needs us, when she needs our special attention, our prayers on her behalf, our presence, our teaching.
It is my desire as a parent to feel that I have done what Heavenly Father has asked of me.
Several years ago, I attended the marriage of a cousin in the Salt Lake Temple. The temple sealer gave some advice when he said to the couple, "One of these days, you’ll have a teenage child leaving the home for the evening in a car. How much more peace you will feel on that occasion if from now until that time you have faithfully held family home evening, family prayer and scripture study in your home?"
A friend pointed out to me recently that her nine-year-old daughter is coming to her with a great many gospel questions. She said, I am trying to patiently answer all of them and find joy in the process as my child searches for the testimony she will most desperately need.
In our April General Conference, Elder Henry B. Eyring said, "the prophets of God have foreseen the times in which we live... Anyone with eyes to see the signs of the times and ears to hear the words of prophets know that the peril is great . The peril comes from the forces of wickedness. Those forces are increasing... For those of us who are concerned about such a future for ourselves and those we love... there is hope in the promise the Lord has given us of a place of safety in the storms ahead."
Then Elder Eyring quotes Helamen5:12
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation... whereon if men build they cannot fall."

The sculpture of the Pieta carries so much of the sorrow that we can sometimes feel as mothers, the concerns and the hurts that trouble. Would that Michelangelo had created another sculpture, one in which the Mother Mary would greet the risen Lord. For this is what we hope for as mothers, that our children will come and do what they were meant to do. That we will be able to teach them well and then that they will follow the example of their Savior rising above the filth and grief and trouble of this life to a glorious eternity.
I am so grateful and so awed by the blessing it is to be Charity’s mother. I love her so very much.
I am so grateful this day for my own dear mother whose gifts and talents are many. Who taught me to awe and reverence the creation that our Heavenly Father has made for our happiness. I love to go on drives with her so that she can point out and name every special tree and flower and bush and so she can remind me not to forget how beautiful our mountains are today with either green grass, autumn leaves or snow. She loves the beauty of every season and celebrates every holiday and occasion with exuberance and real joy. I am so grateful for her quiet faith and her extraordinary acts of service and for her great loyalty and love for her family.
I am grateful for a husband who doesn’t criticize and who encourages me and tries to give me confidence in all that I attempt to do. I love him so much.
I am grateful for this gospel, for the blessing it is in my life. For the blessing it is to have its rock not just to build faith, but also to build a family. I am grateful for my Savior and know that he is real and love him very much.

My favorite bouquet...

This isn't the best photo, but I had to somehow record my favorite bouquet C ever gave me.. THIS is it! Saturday he pruned the Prairie Fire Crabtree in our garden and brought me the trimmings to arrange. The spring trees are one of my favorite things on earth, and I have enjoyed this bouquet more than any other. I hope someday our garden will achieve the vision we have for it and produce beautiful bouquets all season.

Thank you C. I love you. You are a person who makes everything better wherever you go.

Easter 1974

Robert Todd & Tiffany 1974

Gratitude is a Princely Grace...

I wrote this article for Homemakers for American and they didn't end up using it.. so I'm going to publish it here and hope it's helpful to someone...

In the age of Entitlement, Gratitude is a Princely Grace: 10 Ways to make Gratitude Part of Your Childrens Lives

One of my husband’s professors in business school related a story about boarding a big city train with his large family. He was asked, "Are ALL of these children yours?" He answered that they were. "In a world of finite resources, how can you in good conscience have so many children?" The professor answered back, "We teach our children to contribute more than they consume." In an age of entitlement, that is the answer to many of society’s ills. But, how do you do that. Here are a few things that worked in my family growing up that I am trying hard to teach my own children.
1. Teach your children to love books. My mother and father read to us often. My mother preferred to read us large format stories with amazing pictures by talented artists. All of my mother’s children are art lovers. We loved horses, my dad read us books about horses: The Black Stallion, My Friend Flicka and Black Beauty. My Dad also loved the great poets and introduced us to Kipling, Shakespeare, Dickinson, Frost and others. When I was little, my parents weren’t rich, but we were surrounded by great books and so we had the world at our finger tips even though we lived in a very small town. We were introduced to other cultures and ideas and we knew what real poverty looked like. I remember coming home from the school library with a teen romance and having my dad send it right back to be replaced by books like The Hiding Place, The Robe, and books by James Michener and Irving Stone. I learned from those books about history and great writing and about courage and loyalty and other great values. I’ve noticed that many of the books on the current school list are quite light some of these consequential themes.
2. Be vigilant about the media you allow in your home. Children do not understand that the point of a program like The Simpsons is to make fun of bad behavior. Children will see you laughing and they will imitate that behavior. Bart is banned in my home as is Shrek and anyone else with bad manners or poor morals. Sponge Bob.. NO! I don’t expect that characters in books, music or film will always make right choices, that’s not art reflecting life, but I don’t allow media in my home that is not honest about the consequences of wrong choices. Children need to know that consequences always follow choices. In addition to the moral depravity you will keep away from your children, you will also keep them from advertisers who are anxious to tell them they can’t live without this or that thing.
3. Teach your children about money. I don’t believe in allowances. Out in the world, you don’t get an allowance, but I also don’t pay my children for every little thing they do. I don’t get paid for every little thing I do either. Some jobs we do just because we are part of a family and it takes efforts by everyone to make things run smoothly. After a certain age, children should be responsible for their own things. But, I also believe there should be ample opportunities for children to earn money of their own. When they are old enough to earn their own money, they should also be taught to manage it. What percentage should be saved? What can be spent? AND, what should be donated? Yes. I believe that children should learn to tithe. They should give 10 percent back to the Lord. If they don’t belong to a church, there are other ways they can learn to give, but a portion of what they earn should be given back in some way. I suggest ten percent. They should be taught to be charitable by example.
4. Teach your children to be grateful. This is pretty easy I think. If you are grateful, if you use the words "please" and "thank you" even when speaking to them, they will use those words as well. Count your blessings and teach your children to count theirs. Remember people in conversation who have helped you during the day, "Wasn’t it kind of that man to open our door?" Mention to your children how grateful you are for your home, for your church for your country and they will feel those things too.
5. Give your children yourself rather than toys or things. Nothing creates a brat faster than a child who is given stuff rather than attention. Nothing makes a child feel more special that a date with dad for ice cream. When I was little, I thought my dad loved pushing us in the swings more than anything else in life. Every once in a while my mom would say, "It’s your day, we can do whatever you want." Those words still make me happy.
6. Teach your children to admire the wonders of nature. My parents are not campers or outdoorsy in any way, but my dad loves his vegetable garden the pretty songbirds that visited our backyard, the sunsets and the stars. My mother loves the mountains, the flowers and the change of seasons. Growing up they often commented on these things and brought them to our attention and made us feel and acknowledge the wonder of the beauty around us.
7. Teach your children to have great joy in simple things. My grandfather always anticipates seasonal produce. He loves to stop and buy the cherries from a local grower, get the Vidalia Onions just as they come to market and buy the pick-your-own fresh peaches to make a pie. If you can’t be excited about the first bite of a new fall apple, you are missing something great in life. But, my point... there is something wonderful to celebrate everyday. Learn to be giddy about peaches and you’ll have a pretty happy life.
8. Learn to be patient. No one is above experiencing traffic, spilled milk, long lines and other minor irritations. Don’t make a big deal out of these things and the kids won’t either. Impatience is a lack of gratitude.
9. Don’t be afraid to discipline, but don’t yell and don’t hit. The point of discipline is to teach a child to discipline him or herself. If your kid doesn’t unload the dishwasher and you choose to ignore it, you aren’t doing the child a favor, When a child grows up and they don’t do their work... their boss will fire them. Families should be a training ground to make children ready to care for themselves and others. Allowing a child not to follow through teaches them that they are somehow entitled.
10. Love them. Let them know that they are loved, valued and appreciated and they will learn to love, value and appreciate others.
In my family now and growing up. These are some of the things that made a difference. I grew up in a family of seven children. All of my siblings have become people I admire and are people who contribute more than they consume.

Christmas Lights at Temple Square...

Our family activity for the 2nd Day of Christmas... 

ABC Letter Bean Bags...

I made this as a Christmas Gift for one of my children... It looks like about hours worth of work, but no... it took about a day and a half to make these. I sure hope they become a favorite toy! Whew.

If you are nutty and want to make these too.. I used these free printables for the letters HERE... And, I love to use plastic poly pellets for the beans because it makes the toy washable, which we need around here, but you could use rice or beans if you wanted. I used two layers of cheap white flannel in between to make them hold their shape better and red thread so that the letters would look a bit outlined. Not difficult, just time consuming.

Big C having a great time in SV...

Love this handsome, smart, tough guy... 

Smile!

Personalize your own photo slideshow My sister Alicia makes these for our family and I LOVE them! This one that shows how fun my crazy nephews are is one of my very favorites. I adore every single one of these folksies. They make me happy everyday.

Little Timmy...

I have a lot of news good and bad. The bad news is my little nephew Timmy is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. He will have part of his colon removed. I wish that he didn't have to have it. He is so tiny and I'm asking that you remember him in your prayers.. he's been in our own every moment. He's been through a whole lot in his first little week of life and we already love him so much. Since we are major nervous wrecks anyway, I'm really proud of Alicia. She's been really tough. The good news is that we are very hopeful he will make a quick and full recovery.

The more good news is that brother Stephen was quoted in the New York Times today. (An article in Brigham Young University Law Review last year speculated that Justice Breyer, who attended Oxford, may turn to the O.E.D. “out of nostalgia for his alma mater.”) Stephen's paper for the BYU Law review... The Dictionary Is Not a Fortress: Definitional Fallacies and a Corpus Based Approach To Plain Meaning is simply brilliant. We're very proud of him.

Life is a roller coaster... sometimes I feel like you can't possibly hold on tight enough.

Jacquelyn M. Voice Studio..

My beautiful sister Jackie is in the middle of a Master's Degree at the Cleveland Institute. But, she is home for the summer and teaching voice lessons for a very reasonable price. If you are local and interested.. let me know.

This is her Facebook Page... which has prices and other info.

Pass it on...

Something so pretty...

all the gold I care about is right here...

Behind every good man...

You know that saying right? Well, it works both ways. Behind every good woman is an amazing man. Today my husband worked in the yard, put in the garden, took down the Christmas lights, conditioned the cooler, shopped for a Mother's day dinner he's grilling and played with a demanding toddler who wanted to dance, be held on the banister so she could play horse, and generally show dad around the house naming stuff and pronouncing it "pretty" or "smell good" or "ick" (ick would be dinner). He answered 1,000 questions from the teenager w/out once becoming impatient. That's why my daughter is so smart right there.
When I grow up, I want to be just like him. He wonders what I want for Mother's Day. Not a thing.
Love you C.

It's only 10 AM and... Good news and hmmm.

Good news? I have been walking around with only one sock on since last night. I can't decide if I'm warm or cold and while this happened because baby l left a strawberry under one of my feet (which made another pink polka spot in my carpet... :) it seems to work.
More good news... Also, I've been to the SLC post office and back b/c I forgot to pay a bill and it's due tomorrow. The late fee would still be more than the gas, although that may not be true next month. L and I listened to A Tale of Two Cities all the way at full volume.. so it was glorious. L likes to sing the little girl part even though she doesn't know the words. It sounds pretty sweet. And, I love to drive along side the mountains. They are so beautiful to me.
Bad news... I've been in a fight w/ c .. which is a bummer. I always want her to love me and she doesn't this morning. She came in my room crying b/c she has curly hair. "Waaaah.. why must I have curly hair!??" I said very flatly, "You inherited it from me. I've always been very proud of it and happy that I looked different. You are gorgeous and if someone is telling you different, they are a jerk. Go get ready for school." I just can't go there. There are kids whose dad's don't have jobs right now. There are kids w/ no dads at all. There are hungry kids, pimply kids, fat kids, kids that can't read. There are kids with cancer and a kid who's missing one of his legs. All of these kids have to face being different at school. I just can't get all worked up that Heaven blessed my daughter with beautiful curly hair. Can you tell that I'm still bugged? Peer pressure is so stupid. If you have advice... please share because this comes up regularly and I am obviously not getting through.
Even more good news... Guess what? The library has a acquired some new recorded books... Wallace Stegner! Crossing to Safety, which is my favorite, is among the new acquisition!
Even more good news... My dad and I are taste testing powdered eggs. Which means I have to make cookies and see how they turn out. I'm going to copy a cookie I tried at Deseret Book which was sooooo yummy. So that will be fun.

Turning a Corner...

This morning when I asked my little one to please eat her cereal at the table (she wanted to eat cereal and watch "buzz")... she turned around put cereal and spoon on the table and pulled herself back up into the kitchen chair. And, when I shouted, "Hooray!" she gave me her cute little smile.

She didn't scream, hold both hands out and yell "stop! Stop!" just to make sure that I know she is opposed to rules or any kind of discipline. She didn't squint her eyes and scream, "you! you!" in an accusing way or have a complete fit on the floor.

She obeyed and smiled and everything here is peaceful and quiet. Have we turned a corner? That would be lovely.

I wish all rules were fair and right and made sense. I wish they were consistently enforced... always within reason. It's civilizing to eat at the table .. right!?!

Who knows. I often feel like I'm making this stuff up as I go. I wish parents were kind and thoughtful and never exasperated or just wishing for QUIET and always knew what they were doing! Then kids would be sure to know that their mom & dad just love them and want desperately for them to grow up right and feel the responsibilities for their success and happiness always.

But, before I get too carried away. Deep breath! One triumph on a Thursday is pretty good.