Guilty Pleasures

I don't even know if I can call it a guilty pleasure....that I was so happy to see the blue skies and sun today. Glorious even if cold. The sun makes it all better.

One of my guilty pleasures everyday is to enjoy some warm herbal tea. I especially like it in my fancy schmancy tea cup.

The other thing I enjoy is my 10 minutes of reading every night before I fall asleep.

Sometimes those little guilty pleasures are what make an ordinary day worth living.

My Favorite Olympic moment

Not an event.

Only a song that I sang to Chloe when she was a baby...

A commercial, that's my favorite Olympic moment...

I Am the rollercoaster...

White Knuckled Testimony

I'm not very good about sharing my testimony.

The missionaries came to our house for dinner this week and as they left, they challenged us to share our testimony with someone during the week.

It didn't have to be the standard....I'd like to bear my testimony, kind of testimony.

We didn't even have to say the word "believe".

Just say how you feel.

And now it's Sunday and church has been cancelled due to inclement weather. Of course, that didn't stop me from having to drive up there...20 some odd miles away for my meetings...but I did it.

I decided that I've shared my testimony this week of being a believer by doing rather than a being a believer in words.

Here's what I feel. I think the Savior knows how I feel because I have been a doer this week. I have born my white knuckled testimony. I've logged more then 300 miles in snow and on icy roads to serve and show my commitment this weekend. It started with a stormy drive to Omaha on Friday, then to a youth conference and dance in Lenexa last night, and to church in Platte City today.

All of those instances on icy roads or limited visibility. I think my hands are sore from gripping the steering wheel so hard.

That is my testimony. I showed up. I made it through the storms. I held on tight and it got me there.

It might be a white knuckled ride, but if we hang on we will make it. Hang on to Him...and He will steer us in the right direction, even if it is a little scary on the way. It's important to be doers of the word and not just to believe it.

That's my testimony, and I'm stickin' to it.

It Ran Thin

My Patience.

It ran thin last night.

I'm feeling a little bit bad about it today.

There were a lot of churchy and missionarying and churchy things this week, ending with a drive to and from Omaha yesterday in a snowstorm.

So I was cranky.

Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.

I wasn't so steadfast last night.

How can I go several weeks being cool as a clam and then...bam...be not so cool?

I think Patience is one of those life long processes....one step forward, two steps back.

Speaking of patience...I noticed that it got more difficult to manipulate photos on my blog about a month ago...what's up with that? Anyone else notice it?

Speaking of patience....for Meet My Camera lovers....Kris will be here the third week of April!! Anyone interested in unique family photos, silhouettes, or even hands on camera training, please contact her and schedule your own personal time slot. I know April is a couple of months away, but this should give us all plenty of time to get the perfect outfits! Be patient.

Google how to be patient and there are a lot of well meaning websites that profess to know the process and steps. I just had to laugh.

I once heard that I needed to stop praying for patience and instead, pray for instances to teach me patience.

Instances can stop coming my way. I obviously have a hard time learning new skills. :)

"We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world."-Helen Keller

Did anyone ever have more authority to speak of patience then Helen Keller?

Loved this one by Leonard da Vinci-"Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind."

And the little wrongs too Leonard? I believe so.

It's all good. Did you know that a great night's sleep is the best medicine for patience.

Victor Hugo once said, "Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake."

Stop beating yourself up and try a good night sleep or a nap when your patience is running thin. HE is awake, turn it over to HIM.

Tidbits I observed today....

from the 12th floor of the Presidential Hotel, Congress Ballroom in downtown Kansas City at a benefit luncheon for the Kansas City Rescue Mission.

It's always worth restoring beautiful architecture....

The color Gold will always be one of my favorites...

I love, love, love chandeliers....

And on a less worldly note...

Fathered daughters are twice as likely to go to college and half as likely to suffer from depression.

"Friendship can be shallow unless you have a project."

"Being an instrument in the Lord's hands is a high calling."

"They loved me until I was able to love myself."

"God is a God of Second Chances."

"God works through people."

"Father-fulfillness...if we fail we destroy society."

I'm thankful for a day to reflect and be reminded of the sacred nature of families and the divine responsibilities and roles of fathers and mothers....wives and husbands, sons and daughters.

Sound familiar? Go here and here.

And if you want to see how to help, go here.

Women have great power to restore families.

Letting it Go

I think the moral of the story of my weekend is: Letting Go.

I am not defined by the decisions of my children or others. What may be a big deal to me, isn't to someone else.

Turning it over the Lord really works.

In the grand scheme of things, I'd rather have the relationship, then not.

“Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head.” –Ann Landers

“There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.” –Unknown

“We need in love to practice only this: letting each other go. For holding on comes easily–we do not need to learn it.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” – Havelock Ellis

For an hour...

For an hour, we celebrated Valentines Day with Chloe.

I'd say, we made good use of our time.

If you have one minute and 51 seconds, you could make good use of that time watching this...

One

Something is happening today.

I still don't know how I feel about it.

I know there are a lot of emotions surrounding this event and the actions that have led up to it.

I hope my heart will be open.

The lyrics of the song...One by U2 keeping going through my head this morning.

Did I ask too much?
More than a lot.
You gave me nothing,
Now it's all I got
We're one
But we're not the same
Well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One

I'm not sure how today will play out. But I do know that I almost can't bear the cycle that has gone on. In my heart I will try to do what I should, to carry the other.

Happy Valentines Day. Spend it with the one you love.

Feeling Seasonal

This winter has got me thinking a lot about seasons lately.

I'm always talking about seasons.

Usually when I'm talking about 'seasons' though, I'm talking about the seasons of life.

I have found myself in the season of raising young adults this year. This season doesn't include many poopy diapers or runny noses. It's a season of a different sort.

Just when I find that I'm getting the hang of the season that I'm in....it changes. I am learning that the trick is to find the joy along the way and enjoying each season that I'm in...

It reminds me of a song from the 70's...

We had joy,

we had fun.

We had seasons in the Sun.

I supposed that is the way we experience joy in each season...is thru the sun...or the Son.

I found this quote today...

"All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within" ~ Horace Friess

Tis true, I think. I suppose Horace was talking about the seasons of the year, but I prefer to believe that he might have been referring to the seasons of our life.

Now is the time to be happy. To enjoy the sun. No matter what season you're in.

Although, I think I might enjoy my season a little more, if Spring would come.

I also keep singing the song from Barney..

Oh Mister Sun, Sun,

Mister Golden Sun...

Please shine down on me!

How big is your but?

Does this blog make me look big???

I mean,

Does my print or font look big?

On my computer screen it looks normal but I noticed on the old laptop my font is humongous!

Speaking of which...

yesterday I was listening to a conversation about trials and problems a young lady was having and I heard her say...

"but" if only...

"but" don't you think...

"but" I would if...

or

"but" if he would just....

How often do we hear that word? It's the famous 'but' word. The word that is often used as an excuse to keep us from reaching our potential or doing our best.

It reminded me of a line in one of my favorite movies, PeeWee's Big Adventure.

I know, how shallow can I be, 'but' I love it. :)

Anyway, PeeWee is talking to his newly made friend, Simone. And she is lamenting that she can't see her way out of this cruddy life of working in a truck stop restaurant, dating the same loser man to fulfill her dreams of going to Paris.

PeeWee says..."Everyone I know has a big 'but'. C'mon Simone, let's talk about YOUR big "but".

Yes, it's true, we all have a big 'but'. My Dad calls it the "yeah, but" syndrome.

For instance...you just gave your friend some thoughtful advice and she says, "yeah, but"...you don't understand." Basically disregarding what you've said. Happens all the time. Not that 'buts' are always bad. But consider the last argument you had with your teen and be sure to count up the amount of time he or she said, "but", and then you'll understand the "yeah, but" syndrome.

Sound familiar? What is your big 'but'? And how big is it?

If I'm asking myself that question, then I have several big "buts".

My big "but" keeps me from doing a lot of things I should, and would like to be doing in life.

I need to work on my big 'buts' more.

In some homes, I've noticed that the word "butt" isn't allowed to be spoken...it's a bad word. Wouldn't it be nice if we could follow that rule for 'but' too?

Let me give you an example of someone I know who evaluated her big "but" and is going on to do great things.

Val.

She was given an opportunity to go to the UN. An invitation to the UN, as in UNITED NATIONS! How often do those come around? I for one have never received an invitation to the UN. At first, she was very hesitant to accept and the more she thought about it the more the list of "buts" increased. It wasn't until she really overcame her "buts" that she realized that this was an opportunity of a lifetime, and no big buts were going to stand in the way, that she accepted. Just think, she might have given up a great opportunity.

Let's all work on our "big buts". And let me know how that's working out for you.

Dance the Night Away

For mutual last night the kids learned the Hesitation Foxtrot.

Once they got over the awkwardness of touching a member of the opposite sex, all went well.

Thank you Sherri for taking pictures. I'm a slacker in the photo taking arena lately.
Some Dads had to step in to help our boy/girl ratio...including our own Dad...

Troy Burgon of the Liberty Stake was very patient and worked well with the kids.

Now our youth have some mad dancing skills for this week's Valentine's Day Dance!

President Kennedy & Mormons

Diversion

It only took 50 sheets of red felt

1 green styrofoam wreath form

3 sticks of hot glue

a pencil

a flower pot for a circle stencil

some scissors

and mad cutting skills

to create a diversion.

People should divert more often.

Happy Diverting!

With Love,

Cheryl & Lola Ebola the Wire Fox Terror

This Gift

I looked out the window

and what did I see?

What is it,

I don't know...what could it be?

I parted the blinds

to see this strange light,

and lo and behold...

it was so bright!

It's blue sky,

blinding snow!

How could it be,

How did HE know?

That today of all days,

I need the Sun.

He knew what I needed,

I need the Son.

This Gift He's given,

we all must need,

for strength and blessings...

God Speed.

I'm thankful for all prayers and well wishes and advice from wise parents who have been down the road before me. Today there will be a very difficult conversation. I honestly believe the Lord gave me this gift of the sun. I really do.

I apologize for my silly poem. I would rather you read Sue Anderson's words....

©1997 by Susan Noyes Anderson,
"At The End of Your Rope, There’s Hope", Deseret Book

If you can keep your head and not lose favor,
When adolescence makes its grand debut;
If you can trust yourself to never waiver,
And always keep an optimistic view;
If you can hold your judgment when teens stumble,
Then watch with loving patience as they rise;
And strive to be forgiving…firm, yet humble,
And loyal, even in the face of lies;
If you can always understand the reason,
Yet never give up looking for the rhyme;
And hold your tongue when silence is in season,
Remembering that all things pass, with time;
if you can seek and find the strength within you,
And neither shrink, nor shun, the grueling fight;
If you can move the mountain, or begin to,
And never, in the darkness, lose the light;
If you can lead when children will not follow,
Yet follow, when you must, where they will lead;
And neither lose yourself, nor wind up hollow,
An empty vessel, sacrificed to need;
If you can do all these and never falter,
Nor doubt, nor pause, nor ever give up hope;
Then you are made of stone, just like Gibraltar,
And every other parent is a dope!


JUST FOR A CHANGE

©2000 by Susan Noyes Anderson, Sunshine for the Latter-day Mother’s Soul, Eagle Gate

Just for a change I’d like to make
a change this very day–
I’d like to do the things that all
those mothering books say.
I’d like to give up yelling and
perfect the old “I” statement.
(Not “turn that racket down!”) …
but “I’m in need of noise abatement.”
(Not “talk back once more and you’re toast!”) …
but “I demand respect.”
(Not “Brush your teeth, or die!”) …
“I fear your hygiene is suspect.”
I’d like to be the kind of mom
who gets the kids to clean
(and they all end up having fun,
and no one thinks you’re mean!).
I’d like to be the kind who gets
the dinner on the table
and never has to set it ‘cause
her children are so able…
And willing, oh, I’d like to be
the kind that makes them willing–
I’d write a how-to book, and
would I ever make a killing!
I’d sort of like to be the type
who’s frugal as can be
and manages her time so well
she’s always home by three.
The kind whose kids are never spoiled
because they love to work,
who think a kid who asks his mom
for money is a jerk.
I’d really like to be that kind––
and, oh, just one more thing…
I’d like to be the kind who’s never
freaked by anything.
The kind who always keeps her cool,
no matter what goes down.
The kind who can control her kids
with one look, or one frown.
(Or two looks or two frowns, or even
one big burst of words!)
I’d like to be the kind who looks
real hip, but not absurd.
In short, I’d like to be a mom
who’s good as good can be.
The only problem is, how would
my children know it’s me?

I love her words. Someday, when I grow up, I hope to be just like her.

I'll take my sunshine any day...even if it is freezing!!

Producing Adults

"The value of marriage is not that adults produce children but that children produce adults.”

--Peter De Vries

I saw this quote on another blog today. It's so un-fitting for my situation.

Let me break it down....the VALUE of marriage is that CHILDREN produce adults.

Whoa.

The Value of my marriage is that me, a child myself, is producing adults.

Then I can't say my marriage is of much value right now. This business of raising adults is by far the hardest thing I've ever done. Does anyone else feel like they are still 20 themselves? When did I become the Mom?

Imagine losing all control.

Visualize it this way....riding the roller-coaster without the safety bar down and going up and over the first hill into the upside down loop with nothing to hold on to. Then your car leaves tracks....

That's pretty much how I feel right now. Only roller-coasters are more fun.

Tell me, please. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Will I ever see my dreams, desires and wishes realized? Is it all completely out of my control? If I give up, does it make it all right? Is there any point of parenting if all you've done is failed at it?

I mean really.

Can I just hire someone else to produce adults for me?

I'm pretty cranky about it. I'm sad. I'm tired. And I've only just begun.

I'm pretty certain I didn't sign up for this ride. I'm afraid of heights and get nauseous easy. Who would ever do that willingly?

Apparently me.

Wish I woulda...

UP-lifting

Here's the best advice I've heard in a long while....

Thank you Sue!

I seem to have an Asian follower who comments in Asian characters...if anyone has a decoder and knows what it means...let me know. :)

Going Hunting

I've seen this color of whitish, grey for too long now.

I'm off to find this elusive groundhog. I'm putting an end to his shadow legend once and for all.

A Piece of my Heart

In case you can't tell, this is a heart shaped cake, brought to me late last night from a member of my ward at church. I especially liked the dinosaur...or triceratops (as Noah would say) sprinkles touch. From the looks of it, my family enjoyed it immensely.

Last night was New Beginnings, an event to help all the Young Women (girls 12-18) of our ward (the unit we worship with) understand the importance of maintaining their values and helping them recommit to living the program and the principles of the gospel of the Savior. I think most women would have no problem organizing such an event. It is simple. It is short. And it is supposed to be easy. But, we're talking about me. Nothing is easy for me. Everything takes twice as long for me to accomplish as most. So, needless to say...last night's hour long program took me more then a month of working on everyday to accomplish. I have put so much heart and time into this project, both spiritually and physically. I know, that's pathetic. When I got home, it broke my heart that I didn't even get one picture taken the entire night.

I spent the entire night tossing and turning. I couldn't stop thinking about the things I said and things I didn't say last night. I had big plans. I had ideas. As soon as I stand up to speak and see people actually looking at me, all plans cease to exist. I find myself mortified at what I've actually said. I can't even seem to put together a coherent line of speech. Public speaking is not my gift. I literally gave myself an anxiety attack replaying all the things I said last night. It would be so much simpler if I could just blog what I want to say.

There I feel much better already.

What I want to say, and what I would say them and to the two special young ladies that I have been working with over the last month, is how much I love them. How they have a piece of my heart with them...forever. How I've invested so much of my time and thoughts over their welfare and that of all the girls in Young Women's. How I worry for them. How I marvel at them. How I admire them and appreciate them. How I wish they knew or could fathom how much they are loved. How I know the Lord knows them by name and counts them as His. How I wish I could make it all better. How I wish they could see themselves 10 years down the road and get the big picture perspective. How proud I am of them. How while I wish I had a photograph of them last night, their impression on my heart will never fade.

There I go, giving my heart away.

For the crafters...

Go here for instructions on that yummy wreath.

Feeling Crafty?

Anyone up for a craft? I'm feeling the love....the love to make this little ditty....

Anyone care to join me?

Urbandictionary Cheryl

The rage on facebook today...

Go to www.urbandictionary.com and enter your name.

Mine came up with several definitions....some of which I cannot post....not that I don't agree...I'm a "G" rated blog. Remember, future generations.

A person of true beauty. A girl with such a kind personality that anyone will simply fall in love with. A Cheryl will help anyone out without hesitation. They have trusting blue eyes and large bussoms.

That Cheryl just saved 100 children!

a perfect girl, someone you can always rely on, kind caring, a great sense of humor, and just amazing

"Cheryl is amazing!!"

A compromise..
A girl with a kind personality who will poop on your windshield if you get on her bad side

She seemed kind, but shes just a cheryl

And those were the positive definitions...:)

And speaking of poo...I would agree with the third definition, if I could actually poo.

I'm 600

I've hit the 600 mark. Yes, I remember I only turned 40 (although I think I have the digestive system of someone who is 600), but my blog has survived 600 of my posts.

I thought it might be interesting to see how much happens in 600 years.

Year 600

World

*The population of the Earth rises to about 208 million people. (I'm trying to figure out how they know this....was there a world census going on? I doubt it. :)

Europe

*small pox arrives in Europe for the first time. Bummer.

*King Ingvar of Sweden invades Estonia but is killed by the locals. Way to go locals!

*The moldboard plow is invented in eastern Europe. (And farmers have rued the day since)

Asia

*The Persians begin to use windmills for irrigation. (Yeah for technology!!)

The Americas

*Loma Caldera in El Salvador erupts, burying the Maya village of Joya de Ceren.

*The Hopewell tradition of North America ceases to be the dominant culture.

*600BC Lehi and his family arrive in the Americas around this time! (If you'd like to see my reference for that fact, please let me know and I'd be happy to furnish you with a copy of the record of his people.)

I find it fascinating that we could possibly know any of this. Record keeping is so important. What if someday, my ancestors use my blog as a reference of what was happening historically? Could I possibly be that important?

Happy 600 to me. Because, it's all about my own history here.