Even after Surgery

It's true, what they say, that at times of difficulty you really find out who your friends are. I am so blessed with a whole ward full of friends. In the last week I have had many visits and phone calls, meals and treats, flowers and gifts brought to me that I know I have truly been blessed with friends. Of all those people who have given me support I am most grateful for my husband and children. Chad drives me where I need to go, runs the errands, the house and has even taken over the laundry. He won't let me even hint at doing anything. My children bring me meals, run errands for me fetching this or that and check in often to see if I need anything at all.

As to how I am feeling - every day seems to get a little better, a little less pain and a little more comfort. I have been well taken care of and healing is underway.

I can't help but think that while surgery is sometimes required for our physical health, sometimes it is also required for our spiritual health. Of course spiritual surgery doesn't require hospitals and doctors and all that comes with it, but spiritual surgery can be very painful and humbling. Once a person has determined to change, in other words, agreed to be operated upon, they must find a surgeon that they trust - one that they know will perform the surgery with skill. When it comes to our spirits, the only one truly qualified is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Him complete healing can take place. Unlike physical surgeries, using the power of the atonement for spiritual surgery actually heals a person so completely that there isn't even any scarring left - just a firm desire to never make that mistake again.

I feel so blessed to live in a time when  the knowledge of the body is such that surgeries can be performed to increase the quality of life for those who ail physically. I am so thankful that the cure for life threatening spiritual ailments has been available since before the foundations of the earth. I am thankful for the friends that help and encourage me with my physical needs just like my Savior, helps and encourages me through my spiritual needs. Life is a joy, even after surgery.

A Little Bling!

I now serve as the Cub Master in our ward. I have learned so much about the scouting program in the last few months! What an amazing program. When it is run the way it is outlined it is filled with great things to do, lots of games and fun ways to learn. It's pretty cool. I even started putting our Cub activities on a blog to help keep everyone on the same page! I am liking blogs more and more all the time....

Yup, that's me in my uniform. I love red so I'm quite pleased with the shirt. We don't have neckers yet to wear... hopefully we get them soon. The other day I decided to do a Scout themed craft. It took all of about 5 minutes and it turned out great!

This is actually a pendant. I love the crystals! They were so fun to put on and they added a lot of flair to the wooden pendant. I haven't turned it into a necklace or anything more as of yet. I was going to make a woggle, but I may not need to make one now... so we will see! In the mean time I got to learn how to work with these delightful crystals!

I find it interesting the things I learn and even some of the projects that I take on are very much inspired by the callings I am given. When I served in Relief Society I learned how to teach, really teach and I loved it! It inspired me to study more diligently and as a result I now have 3 books of study materials I have enjoyed putting together. We have a wonderful study group and I look forward to our monthly meetings. Relief Society projects combined with messages from General Conference inspired yet another book of learning and now, I work with kids in the Scouting program and I make all sorts of things! The pendant above is only a sampling of one of my projects.

I love the opportunity to serve the Lord in whatever capacity He needs. One capacity which I will never be released from is that of motherhood. What a grand and glorious calling that is! I have so much fun with my kids.. They bring me such joy as I watch them together and independently  as I listen to their questions and help them find answers, and as we work on projects together whether big or small. I love to just visit with them. They have been a pure source of joy permanently woven into my life. I expect to learn lots more in my role as a mother and as a cub leader. For me, service in the church and service in the home add the 'bling' that the crystals added to an otherwise boring wooden pendant. Without serving others, life just isn't as interesting. What joy there is with a little BLING!

Hands On!

This week was my last art class. I'm a little sad to see them end, but I am excited to be able to choose from the many techniques we were taught and use them in combination to make my own wax paintings.

This week I finished one piece and have two more near completion.

 This is the finished one - at least the surface is complete. I still have to finish the sides with a dark stain and add hooks on the back for hanging. This painting includes gold ink, colored wax, embroidery thread, transfers, and a laser cut sticker of a butterfly finished off with gems.

 This partially finished piece was done with drywall mud and a stencil. The finishing on it include India ink, alcohol inks, wax and shellac.

This vivid piece is mostly just layers of wax which have been allowed to swirl together. It features some  alcohol inks as well as some gold shellac.

This was an interesting class. I found that those class members who went home and worked on some of the painting techniques were better prepared to learn more. I found this interesting because the gospel  of Jesus Christ is so much that way. If we don't practice the things we learn, it is so much more difficult to incorporate them into our lives. It takes work and concentrated effort. Sometimes it takes a willingness to feel rejection, hurt, pain, disappointment, adversity and sorrow without letting those things cause us to lose focus - they are in actuality the heat that provides us a way to practice gospel techniques that will fill our lives with beauty. I love this principle. It is a source of joy and truth to me. I am so blessed to have a husband and children that encourage me to develop my talents, just as they help me to live the gospel.

That Holy Place

This week has been a beautiful week filled with visits to the Holiest of Holy places that I know of. Melodee was eager and excited to be able to go to Cardston this week and later in the week everyone got to go to Calgary for the open house there.

 It was a little bit chilly outside as we came out of the temple. You can tell because Melodee's smile is a little frozen on the outside, but let me tell you it was as bright as day on the inside! What a special privilege it is to be able to enter the House of the Lord.

 The lovely autumn colors surrounding the Cardston, Alberta temple

The temple in Calgary was beautiful! We felt privileged as a family to be able to visit and tour it. The peace that exists here even when it is open to the general public is amazing! I love the temple!!!

 There we are - in front of some of the beautiful windows. This is just before we went on our tour of the temple.

 The inscription above the door.

 Looking up from the lower area we were able to see the heads of our children just poking up over the wall.

 Pictures of the outside of the temple at dusk really emphasize the lovely colors in the windows.

 The windows feature a wheat motif which is throughout the interior of the temple. What a wonderful reminder that wheat is the bread of life but the Savior is also known as the 'Bread of Life". This temple will forever stand as a reminder of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Moroni stands attop the temple facing east, ready to welcome the Savior back on his return when he will come to rule and reign on the earth.

Of course we aren't permitted to take cameras or other photo taking devices into the temple on the tour but I found a bunch of photos of the interior of the Calgary temple online and have included them below. They are from the LDS newsroom.

The sealing room

This is another sealing room from a different
temple. It shows somewhat the effect of looking
off into eternity through the mirrors
which decorate every sealing room in
every temple.

This is a photo of the baptistry.

This is one of the instruction rooms. This was one
of my favorite rooms as the mural on the
walls is so well painted. I could sit and look at
it for hours before I would feel like I had seen it all.

This is a portion of the brides room.

Some of the detailing on the ceilings. Each room is
uniquely detailed. I love the designs they used!

Every light in the temple (except the chandeliers) features
wheat. They are lovely lights and add to the theme in
a lovely and tasteful way.

The recommend desk. Every person who enters the temple
after it is dedicated must prove his or her worthiness to
enter a house dedicated to the Lord. This is done by
showing a recommend to the attendants at the desk.
Temple recommends are obtained after interviews with
at least 2 ecclesiastical leaders where individuals are
given the opportunity to qualify themselves for temple blessings.

President Ezra Taft Benson eloquently describes why I love the temple so much:

"In the peace of these lovely temples, sometimes we find solutions to the serious problems of life. Under the influence of the Spirit, sometimes pure knowledge flows to us there. Temples are places of personal revelation. When I have been weighed down by a problem or a difficulty, I have gone to the House of the Lord with a prayer in my heart for answers. These answers have come in clear and unmistakable ways." -- Ezra Taft Benson

There are no words in the English language that I know of that can grasp the depth of the joy that is felt when one enters the temple with all their family members present. The Calgary temple open house gave us the opportunity to bring our children to the temple, it let them see the beauty there that is dedicated to the Lord. It conveyed to them things about the temple that I cannot express in words but every one of us felt the desire to return to partake of the blessings of service offered there. The temple is a joy in my life and a strength and a beacon. I love the temple - it is so filled with goodness and light - we are so blessed to have so many around us in this day and time.

The Master Artist

Orange is not my favorite color, at least not for clothing (nothing personal to those who like to wear it), but I have to admit that the world would definitely be lacking without orange. Things have been very busy at our house amidst baking and canning, computer work, cleaning and studying there is never a dull moment. One of the highlights of my week is my art class. I will miss it when it ends. In my last class we did a collage. I had to work at it a bit to like it. My color choice was black, red and white, but when I melted my wax I discovered I actually had a dark orange instead of red ... so I went with it (not much else I could do by that time). This is what I finally came up with...

The orange doesn't dominate the piece and I was able to find some pictures that seemed to suit the color fairly well. As always there are some things I will do differently next time, but overall I think I like it.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined using something as sticky and hard to clean up as wax as a possible art medium! I love the results!!! Chad teases me saying that it's like food to me - I can't seem to get enough... but it is really cool. It has taught me something about life. Sometimes people look like uninteresting blocks of wax. We can't see their potential, their talents or their hopes and dreams, but under the right conditions they blossom and develop into something absolutely stunning. The Lord often applies a little heat to help us make the transformation. Some people resent the difficulties that will mold and shape them, but it is through those difficulties that characters are built and over time, beauty begins to emerge if we are willing to work with God. If we are not, the beauty is still there waiting to come forth, but all too often it is repressed through bitterness and resentment. Without applying heat, the wax I work with would never even come close to an appealing work of art. God is the artist in my life. I am so thankful - he is a master artist, the very best and that is a source of joy every day of my life.

One Dozen to Her Name

It's a little early but we've celebrated another birthday at our house!!! Taking Thanksgiving, General Conference and a birthday and neatly wrapping them all into one weekend has made for a great family weekend!!!

THE BIRTHDAY:
Celebrating 12 years is a big birthday and very important to any youth. Melodee is eager and excited to enter the Young Women program with her older sisters and participate in the weekly activities that they enjoy. After eating a scrumptious Thanksgiving meal, we were all too full for cake so we skipped right to the best part of a birthday... the presents!

 Melodee has a real creative streak and was delighted with gift that support her artistic inclinations as well as some tasty treats from her older sisters.

It wasn't until Saturday following the noon meal that we had the birthday cake making it a full birthday weekend.

The cake was a delicious angel food cake with chocolate pudding for frosting. Well chosen Melodee!

GENERAL CONFERENCE:

Favorite sayings and thoughts from conference:

• Don't wait until you are ready to die to really learn to live.  (President Uchtdorf)
• It's not a race, it's a journey. Find joy in the moments. (Sister Uchtdorf quoted by her husband)
• All the unfairness of life can be made right through the Atonement of Christ. (Shayne M Bowen)
• Gaining knowledge is an eternal principle... we much especially pay attention to increasing our gospel knowledge. (Ann M Dibb)
• Spiritual maturity must flourish in our homes. (Quentin L Cook)
• The greatest gift a child can give their parents is obedience to eternal truths and principles as they live lives of righteous. (Ann M Dibb)
• Lessons taught in the home by goodly parents are becoming increasingly important... Teaching in the home is the most sacred and important responsibility. (L Tom Perry)
• God is mindful of each of us and will never forsake us. (Robert C Gay)
• The Lord knows the level of our efforts... we cannot hide our sins from Him. (Scott D Whiting)
• With faith come trials of faith that bring increased faith. (Neil L Andersen)
• One of the most serious abuses of children is to deny them birth. (Dallin H Oaks)
• There is no burden that Christ cannot ease or remove. He will NOT fail you! (Walter F Gonzalez)
• The Lord is in all of our lives... may we be aware of His blessings in our lives. (Thomas S Monson)
• The Lord will work with us and help us to overcome EVERY challenge! (Marcus B Nash)
• We should know the gospel is true and be true to the gospel. (David A Bednar)

I was thrilled with the announcement that the age for missionaries has been lowered to 18 for young men and 19 for young women. What a wonderful blessing this announcement provides us.

THANKSGIVING:

This year I am especially thankful for family. Each of my children are a delight and a blessing to me. They bring me more joy and satisfaction than any thing I have ever experienced or possessed in this life. My husband blesses my life every day in his care and support of me and the children.

A Little Creativity

So I'm taking this cool art class that teaches us how to paint with melted wax. It's pretty neat but quite abstract. You can check out the first part of the class in my previous post "Wax Fun". Today, I decided it was time to take my waxes and put together a piece of art with the techniques I have learned so far. It took me about 2-3 hours. Here is the finished result:

With this just being my first piece there are lots of things I would do differently next time but this was a lot of fun! The sky is marbled wax. It was so cool melting it and blowing it around. The field is layer upon layer of wax done in textures which allow the different colors to show through. It is finished off with glass beads and some antiquing. A wheat transfer in the corner finishes the design. I look forward to trying another one.

I love to create. I love the interest of the kids in this project. They frequently checked my progress as I added elements and colors. I haven't figured out how to do an art class with this particular medium as of yet, but if I can, my kids will also get to learn this fun form of art.

The Paradox of Our Times

A friend of mine recently posted this on Facebook and  it describes our times so incredibly well I thought I would post it on here so I can find it again when I want it.

THE PARADOX OF OUR TIMES

Is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers
Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints
We spend more, but we have less.
We have bigger houses, but smaller families
More conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees, but less sense
More knowledge, but less judgement
More experts, but more problems
More medicines, but less wellness.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often
We have learned how to make a living, but not a life.
We have added years to life, but not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back
But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour.
We have conquered outer space, but not inner space.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted our soul.
We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We've higher incomes, but lower morals.
We've become long on quantity but short on quality.
These are the times of tall men, and short character;
Steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare,
More leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are the days of two incomes, but more divorces;
Of fancier houses, but broken homes.
It is a time when there is much in the window, and nothing in the room.
~The Dalai Lama

This was actually written by the official holy leader of the Tibetan people. I have heard our leaders say similar things. In fact 12 years ago I remember hearing a talk to the women of the church by Margaret Nadauld who taught:

"Women of God can never be like women of the world.
The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.
There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind.
There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined.
We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.
We have enough greed; we need more goodness. 

Joy really does come in the qualities and characteristics Sister Nadauld extols. It is time for individuals to overcome the paradox of society and seek those things we lack. As the Tibetan leader points out we each need more patience, tolerance, frugality, higher values, love, peace, cleanliness, higher morals, deeper character, stronger relationships, internal peace, health, stronger families and homes and fuller lives filled with quality time spent with those who matter the most. When we make those things our focus, the negatives melt away and take with them the daily frustrations and irritations that so easily fill our lives. With those things gone there is time to focus on spending quality time with family and friends. We can focus on balancing our lives by prioritizing those things that will bring spiritual growth, charity, tolerance and joy back into our daily lives. 

I am grateful for the insights of others. They help me see clearly and focus on the things that are most important and bring JOY surging into my life, infusing my days with light and peace.

A New Look

After 15 years in a grey house it might be a bit of an adjustment to start telling people we live in the big white house on our street... It took us two full days of hard work but the house is mostly white!!! The pictures will tell the story best...

DAY ONE:

Setting up scaffold and painting the trim

Setting up scaffold was a big job. We did a lot of it before the kids got home from school, but as soon as they got here we had hoards of helpers. Melodee, Charity and Breanna were eager and willing assistants and didn't mind getting in and getting dirty!

A big thank you goes to my brother, Will and another friend, David who loaned us their scaffold! You both made the job a lot easier.

Myles  is right in there getting
the job done.

 DAY TWO:
There was rain in the forecast but we forged ahead with the project anyway. As the day progresses the pictures show how the sky becomes overcast, yet we were so blessed.

The face lift begins....

And up to the peak...

Here the texture is being added

 Myles stayed home to help. He was in his element and an absolute asset to the job! Thanks Myles!!!

Another shot of the texture being added,
but look at the difference!

And down the other side to
finish the south face!!!

That completes the first wall!!!

What and exhilarating day!!! The difference one day of work made was amazing. All day long the rain clouds gathered thicker and thicker yet seemed to move around us to the south. What a blessing to be able to finish without complications from weather. The rain didn't start in earnest until the cement was set and safe!

DAY THREE:
This was another day with heavy skies yet there wasn't even a drop of rain to thwart our progress.

There they go, working from the
back of the house to the front...

Alisha was here to help this time...

An overall view of the project.

From there we moved over to
the front porch and did 2 of the
3 walls there. It looks amazing!!!

Another view.

From the west..
The front porch will get finished
after the new window is installed !!!

This has been an incredible week! It is absolutely wonderful to finally be able to put the finish on our house. I am so grateful for my amazing husband who has worked so hard to make this happen for us. He did such a great job of the finish coat! He even made it look easy!!! Myles and Alisha were able to work with him and behind them the rest of the kids lined up wanting to have a shot at helping too. Even though they didn't get to help on the actual stucco work, they were great helpers to me as I worked on the landscaping projects that I am still trying to fit in before the snows fly. Together we moved piles of dirt, planted bulbs and helped keep up with the cleanup from the stucco work.

What a joy family is! This was a huge undertaking but together as a family we did the work and together we have rejoiced in the progress we made. This Thanksgiving we have so much to be thankful for. The Lord has blessed us bounteously and it fills our lives with love and joy!

A Delightful Day

This was a fabulous day though if I were to list the elements of the day you may not think so...

• up at 5:30 a.m.
• genealogy efforts
• off to work by 7:00 a.m.
• 2 major projects accomplished before noon ☺
• 1:00 p.m - Beginning of an even more major project
• Quick visit with a beloved aunt
• By 3:00 full into yet another even MORE major project
• 8:00 p.m time for a break from manual labor

So it was a long day... in fact it was a long day before noon BUT what a great day. I couldn't believe the accomplishments that we made. Chad and I worked hard together but as soon as the kids were home from school they were very interested in helping as well! Everyone wanted to be on the scaffold -- even though they weren't allowed. Myles helped with the painting. I cut trim when needed. My most major project of the day involved digging and moving dirt for about 5 hours. Melodee started to see the vision and began to do it on her own! What an awesome worker!!! I didn't leave her on her own long though, just long enough to pick up her sister from work and later I took a few pictures of the project. I'll share those pictures on another post for now I'm just going to post the BEFORE shot:

There it is - it doesn't look that pretty but that is our home. This is the look my house has had for many years, but I love my house. I am so grateful to have a home that comfortably holds our family that it doesn't matter if it is the most gorgeous house on the block or not. Shelter is a wonderful blessing, and this home has blessed us tenfold! I am so grateful to have a husband that is able to do the upkeep and repairs as needed on our home.  He is such a hard worker and sets such a good example for the rest of us. 

So the day was filled - completely - with hard work, but the blessings are so great that the results of our efforts filled each family member with satisfaction and joy (not to mention a need for sleep!)

I was a beautiful day!