Family Learning and Study

We continue to study the Plan of Salvation together as a family. I love the books that it is creating as we learn together. A couple weeks ago we studied the creation. I can't help but think that Heavenly Father and Jesus had a lot of fun planning and creating this earth for us. There are so many little things that are just delightful. I have to wonder what they may have created with just me in mind. I love this earth. It is a wonderful place to be!

So here is a link to the pages we have added to our books this month.
Plan of Salvation Workbook - Creation
Creation Quotes
Creation Pictures

Plan of Salvation Workbook - Birth and the Veil of Forgetfulness
Birth and the Veil of Forgetfulness Quote Glue Ins

A Trip to the Fort

This past week we found ourselves in a tourist area on a weekday as a family. With those three components together and with the right amount of cash currently available, we couldn't turn down the opportunity to tour the fort in Fort McLeod. We even timed it right to watch the musical ride.

Breanna had visited the area not too long ago with the school so she led us around showing us different things she remembered seeing. The kids enjoyed feeding the goats, watching the horses, petting the horses and visiting the horses in their stable. They also enjoyed the towers and were amazed at some of the artifacts they saw.

There is nothing like a trip back in time to help one appreciate what we have in our day. WOW! I remember heating water for baths and laundry and having to use an outhouse but, at least the roof wasn't sod and the walls were solid without cracks that let in cold and weather. What a blessing it is to live in our day!

We followed up our museum trip with a family picnic and had a lot of fun playing in the park and enjoying the shade. Good times.

Paper Plates of Rice

I love genealogy. I have scads of it and can't ever seem to get enough. I have even started a blog just for family history. This last week I was introduced to a history book that I never knew existed. I was even permitted to borrow it.

My goal is to digitalize the entire thing. It is going to be quite an undertaking but worth every moment!

There is such great joy in genealogy. I love the stories of courage, hardship and triumph. I love to see the emphasis of family that was present in times past. This particular book is going to be like opening a treasure trove previously unavailable to me. I am so grateful for an uncle who trusted me with such a treasure.

POSTSCRIPT: You can view the content of Paper Plates of Rice on my Family History blog.

Blessed by Hail

It's been a month since that nasty hail storm that wrote off all our vehicles and caused damage to shingles, windows and more. While it is a pain having to redo some of the things on the house, it has turned out to be a great blessing as well....

 Bye-bye car! The car has been threatening transmission problems for years despite how new it was. Thanks to the hail storm we have been able to upgrade to something more reliable.

Adios to the truck as well (not the Toyota - that is somebody else's vehicle) This truck was pretty old and was fast becoming unreliable as well. Thanks to the hail storm we were able to upgrade our truck to a newer cleaner model!

What a blessing that storm was. A blessing in disguise you could say. So many blessings we are receivers of are so easy to overlook because they come in the form of natural and normal every day happenings. I am sure I have overlooked far more blessings than I have acknowledged at the hand of the Lord. It is my hope that I can come to recognize all  blessings in life, every day, for what they really are! Even hardships can be blessings. What great comfort and joy there is in that knowledge!

Massive Milestone!!!

Breanna has been wanting to earn this horse for about a year and a half now. We told her that it was hers as soon as she started speaking in a classroom setting. Breanna was diagnosed with selective mutism at the age of 6. That is just a fancy way of saying that she is particular about who she talks to. Last week we went to church in a different ward and Breanna participated in the class, speaking when spoken to. That was a huge milestone and earned her her horse.

Breanna has such a fun personality. She loves to tease but at the same time she is ever conscious of the needs of others. She is very caring and loving and a joy to be around. Breanna has no difficulty talking to people who do not expect her to be mute. But those who do, will probably not easily hear her voice. I am always amazed at the amount of control she has over what she says and who she says it to. What a joy and example she is to me. This last week she participated in her primary class in our home ward as well. She is breaking out of her shell.

I love to watch my children learn new skills and gain confidence in the things they are learning. It is such a blessing to be able to teach them and interact with them every day. I love being a stay at home mom - I have the most important job in the world and I love it - even when it is hard!!! I am so blessed.

Preparing for and Entering the Fair

Well it's been some time since we did this, but this year we actually put it together to enter a number of exhibits in the local fair. Preparation was intense, though not everything was done in the two weeks since school got out but here is a sampling of what was keeping this household busy since then...

A photography experiment looking through Naomi's glasses.

#1
So Naomi tried to do a photo story... she had the girls act out  fighting over a horse.

#2
So they got pretty into acting out the story - a little flair for drama...

#3
Action shot... Melodee did such a good job that Breanna felt like it was for real...

#4
With Melodee's triumph came came also real tears from Breanna.
Naomi decided at that point not to enter a photo story in the fair.
Maybe next year!

Sorry this one is sideways... This is Alisha's black and white drawing. It is fabulous!

Besides taking lots of pictures, drawing, painting, and gathering school projects from the past year we also did story writing, poetry, and even handwriting exhibits. When everything was ready we had 70 exhibits put together.

This took a lot of work and preparation and we really had to focus to be prepared. We had to think about the fair every day, even when we weren't home to do anything about it. While we challenged each of the kids to enter as many exhibits as they could there were some who chose not to think about it every day and those participants had far fewer exhibits to enter when the deadline hit than those who focused on their objective.

Life is a little like preparing for a fair. If we want the blessings and rewards that Heavenly Father has promised the faithful, we have to focus on that goal every day. We cannot sit idly by and expect to receive as many blessings as those who are anxiously working to fulfill their spiritual potential. Whether we are anxiously engaged or not, our actions do not affect how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father, but because He strictly keeps His promises, he can only bless those who have fulfilled the criteria for the promised blessings. When the deadline hits and we are taken home to our Maker, we will be held accountable for all our works (except those which through the Atonement of Christ have been repented of) whether they are good or not.

On a small scale, my children who didn't put forth the effort were rather disappointed with their rewards when they saw the real potential for what could have been theirs. They really wished that they had put forth the effort more diligently to enter more exhibits in the fair.

SO.... HOW DID WE DO? You are probably wondering... We did GREAT!!! Look at all the red ribbons the kids won!

I even won in a few categories!

Here all the kids and ALL their ribbons. What a day!

So as you can see that while all my children won, some won a lot more than others. Now that they understand the potential of entering many exhibits in the fair, they will know what they are aiming for next year - as long as they keep what they learned this year in mind.

In life too we have to constantly bring to our remembrance the blessings promised so that we don't forget and become complacent in our efforts to choose good over evil. What a joy filled day we had as we entered and participated in the fair. The joy we will feel from the spiritual blessings we receive for obedience will be many times a  thousand fold what we experienced this week.

All the kids excelled to one degree or another. Their smiling faces are great indicators of that!!!

The Best of Awards

Every year at the end of school an award ceremony is held. It is unfortunate to my way of thinking that only a few of the many scholars are recognized for their efforts and hard word throughout the year. Some of my children come home with loads of awards and others seem to be forgotten depending on the year. I see the deep disappointment in their faces every time this happens and it pulls at the heart strings of their parents - so we've done something about it! About 8-10 years ago we instituted a Family Awards Day. Everybody is recognized and honored and each receives a special treat. This is a family tradition that is eagerly anticipated and loved by all...

Of course the candy-gram at the bottom makes the award very appealing. The candy grams are fun because they introduce a little good clean humor to the occasion and the anticipation is always the greatest in what chocolate treat each family member will receive this year!

What a blessing and a joy it is to take a small moment pondering the great qualities each of our children have. Our family awards day gives us a great opportunity to communicate to them how wonderful we think they are, recognize their achievements and encourage them to carry on doing what they know is right. Chad and I also receive the awards. Last year the kids made out our certificates, this year we did the awards for each other. He gave me such a wonderful award it made me emotional. I am so blessed to have such a good husband. What a joy my husband and children bring into my life each and every day!

Broken Glass

Well this will be a short blog post as I am short a finger for typing. I was helping to clean up some of the broken glass around here and managed to slice my finger open - not too bad, only 1 stitch was needed.

Sitting in a hospital waiting room is always an interesting experience. Some of the people in the waiting room had obvious problems, but many were not discernible. My injury was so minor compared to some of the other things that others were dealing with. Sometimes small things feel huge though, like when the freezing went in to the end of my finger and it felt like it is portrayed in cartoons - like it is literally changing in size with each heart beat!

Life is a lot like sitting in a hospital waiting room. We all have things that we have to deal with - for some people they are very obvious, for others they are not at all visible, yet, we each need help and assistance from one that has training and experience in dealing with the various difficulties. Thankfully in life, our physician is perfect - he set a perfect example in how to treat others and he also taught how to heal. Only through the Savior can we heal when we are spiritually wounded. He is as important to our spiritual health as a doctor can be to our physical health. As I watched the various people move through the waiting room I felt grateful to have such assistance available to me. I am ever more grateful for the spiritual assistance available to me and every living being on this earth through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

What joy there is in the promise of complete spiritual and physical healing.

Despite Adversity!

When we were hit by a severe hail storm just last week it seemed like nothing would have a chance to survive. Upon surveying the damages the next day the lawn was covered with leaves and branches and new, undeveloped fruit. The grapes looked bedraggled and the greenhouse looked like bubblewrap that has been popped, but with a little bit of effort and cleaning I began to see what was left and gospel truths filled my yard. The common theme through this experience was the blessing of repentance which gives each and every person on this earth the promise that they can clean up their lives as though the sin or sins had never, ever  happened. What a wonderful blessing.

This flower popped out within days of the storm showing a determination to stand forth in glory regardless of adversity. We too can be radiant and filled with joy despite the adversity we face.

My water garden was untouched by the storm with exception to the foliage that had blown in. We cleaned out the dead leaves and debris which, if we had left it, it would have decayed into a terrible mess. From my water garden I am reminded that sin and error must be dealt with immediately or they introduce something ugly and putrid into ones life.

The fish were all safe and secure in their watery home. They are well protected from  hail as ice cannot penetrate deeply into the water because it floats. So the water was a shield for the fish from the flying ice and debris during the storm. Our spirituality can be much the same. It will shield us from much of the fiery darts of the adversary IF we ensure that our spirituality is developed enough. It would have been fatal to the fish had they been in shallow pools. When our spiritual armor is thin we too can be fatally wounded.

Once the debris of leaves, twigs and other items were removed from the yard it was once again radiant. Repentance works this way. Through the Atonement, when we work at removing unwanted debris from our lives, the Atonement can actually make it as though those things never happened. What a wonderful promise.

Well, the grapes got thinned out by the storm. We cut the dead branches away and then realized that now the sun can reach the fruit and it will develop and provide us much nourishment come fall. We too are like the grapes. When adversity thins and prunes it is painful, but as we persist in righteousness, we will behold a great harvest in our own lives and receive blessings along the way. One blessing for me right now is that I don't have to prune my grapes!

The long shadows fall as we complete our cleanup efforts feeling fully rewarded. There is a great spiritual joy when we persist in daily repentance and righteous living, cleaning away the undesirable.

Our home. It took quite a beating and while it may not look like much, it faced the opposition without faltering and protected us from the raging storm outside. The gospel and our conversion does this for us spiritually. 

Still green and still growing. While some of these plants are a little beat up, they still have strong roots that will  help them overcome and regrow the lost foliage. Our roots in the gospel help us recover when opposition seeks to beat us down.

In the shelter of the house. Properly sheltered, these flowers never even felt the icy  balls of hail that plummeted out of the sky. With the Savior as our guide, we too can position our selves in places of safety.

And he still felt like singing. This little bird has been a joy in our yard ever since the storm. We hear him sing every time we go outside and he never wanders far away. Yes, even though we took considerable damage to our personal property I still feel greatly blessed in my own life and my soul is filled with song.

President Hinckley has encouraged us to stand a little taller and to be a little better. The evergreen trees lost a lot of their new growth, but as they reach taller every year, this slight setback will help them to be a little better as they grow and develop.

What a joy it is to  be taught by the creations of the Lord on a regular basis. I love the parallels and the lessons I receive as I seek to be taught. I am saddened when I hear others curse the storm. It was great and it was terrible, but God's hand was in it in that He, and He alone, can teach the lessons that testify of the truths we most stand in need of remembering.

Awarded to...

Well the end of another school year always brings with it lengthy awards ceremonies. While the time investment is high, it is always worth the wait to see our children presented with honorable awards. This year almost everyone received an award or recognition for something. The younger grades (3&4) were not part of the presentations we were able to attend. They had their own classroom presentations during the main awards ceremonies.

Melodee gets the Citizenship Award

Myles recognized for his help on the Tech Crew

Beth and her good grades

Naomi on the honor roll

Alisha gets a scholarship

The yearbook committee recognition

While we don't seek recognition, these awards days help me see my children in a different atmosphere and it is so good to see them thriving as they live in the world but not of the world. They are strong and valiant and they don't receive awards for those things, but their spiritual strengths are a large part of the reason they excel in other areas of their lives. I love that spiritual knowledge as well as secular knowledge go hand in hand. That when we persist in gaining a spiritual education it supports the things we are taught in school for the most part. That same spiritual education also helps us recognize when false doctrines and teachings are taught, and in that way we cannot be deceived.

I love learning. I love the availability of information that we have today. We are such a blessed society. What a joy it is to invest in spirituality. I am so blessed!

And Walked, And Walked, And Walked

We recently celebrated the Centennial year of a town we live near. Part of the festivities included a parade. It was interesting to find that 2012 is also the Centennial year for when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints first came to this area. It was here for several years and then everyone moved away for a time (they were mostly farmers and had poor crops and could not support themselves off the land at that time). Some time later a ward was organized. To help with the celebration our ward asked for volunteers to walk in the town parade pulling handcarts. Our family volunteered to pull one of 4 handcarts in the parade. We dressed up as many as we could find costumes for and prepared ourselves to represent the church.

Trying on the costume.

Gathering for the 'trek'

Here they come!!!

Myles pulls his weight alongside another member of the ward.

They spotted me!

And on they go. Breanna got to ride in the handcart!

It was a very hot day, but they were blessed in that they were near the beginning of the parade and once they were done they came and watched the remainder of the parade with me.

What a blessing it is to belong to such an organization as this church where we seek to center our lives around our Savior, Jesus Christ - He who hung on the cross and died for all mankind that they might live again. I love the gospel. I love the opportunities I get to share it with others. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a source of endless joy that permeates my life every day. I am so blessed to have a pioneer heritage, the gospel and doctrines of Christ and of course, my eternal family.