Two Conversions

How's your Tuesday? I'm pretty good, I guess. I have to speak in church on Sunday and that always makes me SO nervous. It's a good thing for this quilt I'm working on -- all of my nervous energy goes into making it, rather than preparing my talk. Why am I like that?

Anyway, the quilt is coming along nicely. I'm truly amazed. I forgot to mention that I'm converting a lap size quilt pattern into a queen-ish size quilt. It's been a bit of a challenge, but I found this great website that helped me with the measurements and such:

http://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/standard-quilt-sizes.html

Here's the quilt as of Saturday (this is without the flower appliques and trim). I'm so excited! It's very satisfying for me to see a project come together and to look at it and say, "I made that." Tawnya, I hope you LOVE it!

Okay, back to my talk. The topic I was given is "The Parables of the Sower and the Wheat and Tares". I've been a bit overwhelmed by it. I've been studying the last few days and really thinking about what these parables mean. Zeke mentioned how interesting it is that the Lord allows the "wheat" and the "tares" to grow up together. Why? He said we need each other. I think he's right. I also think at any given time we can change our hearts for good or bad. 

We decide if we will be the "wheat" or if we will be one of the "tares". I also think it is our duty to seek out the "tares", to love them and help them, regardless of their beliefs or standing in the Church. I was once a "tare" -- a full-on, nasty WEED! I'm trying to be more like a "wheat" these days, but only because dear friends of mine took me by the hand long ago and loved me and helped me want to change.

Of course we think, "Oh, I will be the wheat. I will be faithful and good. I'm on the Lord's side". But how many times do we find ourselves justifying our poor behavior? Or not standing up for something we know is right? (I'm saying this, because I'm guilty of those things sometimes).

I love this quote:

 The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.  ~Edmund Burke

I found a great talk from Elder Richard G. Scott called, "Full Conversion Brings Happiness"

I'm sharing this with you, because when I read this part, especially the personal questions he poses to us, I literally felt sick to my stomach and my mouth went dry. I'm not sure if I'm truly and fully converted... I hope so, but now I wonder.

“The sower soweth the word. [Some sown] by the way side, … but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.”

Could that happen to you, in the wrong environment, with the wrong friendships?

“[Some] on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when … persecution ariseth … immediately they are offended.”

Have you ever been in a circumstance when someone proposed something inappropriate and you did nothing to resist it?

“[Some] sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world … and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”

Have there been times when you wanted something so badly that you justified an exception to your standards?

“[Some] sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.” ⁸

It's always very ironic to me when I discover the topic I've been given to speak on is the exact thing I need to work on. It's even harder to realize I've been thinking I was more like a "wheat" and that I've been truly converted, but while preparing this talk, it's become painfully apparent that I have a lot of work to do. Such is the blessing of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints -- we are constantly reminded to be better. Serving in the Church is good for me, because I'm always asked to step outside my comfort zone and to stretch and grow. 

I hope by Thursday I can post a picture of the finished quilt AND have my talk ready at least by Saturday...

Balance, Exactness, Focus

30 Day Mom Challenge

This is one of the best "To Do" lists I have ever seen:
30 Day Mom Challenge
I printed one off and put it on my fridge. Of course, it is great for Dads too. I feel like each day has been very focused and sometimes quite an eye-opener. 

For each day of the month, find the corresponding number and follow the tip. So, if you begin the challenge on November 9; start with tip 9 and move on from there.You can repeat the list every month!


For the 24th, today's challenge is: Do not interrupt your child when they are talking. (I didn't realize how much I did this). I hope this will help me be a better mother. :)

Go hug your children. Right now! I'm serious. :)

Just for fun: Gabe likes to wear his hoodie backwards and use it as a baby sling for Wilson:

Words to Live By

This is something I found in our Elementary School's monthly newsletter "Parent Tip". My friend, Julie, does the newsletter, so I am sure it came from her. Thanks, Julie! I keep a copy inside my kitchen cupboard and try to read it at least once a day.  Great words to live by in so many different areas of our life. I'm going to focus on at least two or three each month. I have so many friends and family members who are struggling right now. I love you! I hope we can all have a HAPPY January and a wonderful year. :)

• Drink plenty of water. 
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. 
• Eat MORE foods that grow on trees and plants and eat LESS food that is manufactured in plants. 
• Read more books than you did in 2011. 
• Sleep for 7 hours each night. 
• Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
• Don't have negative thoughts about things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive, present moment.
• Don't take Yourself so seriously. No one else does.
• Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
• Dream more while you are awake.
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
• FORGET ISSUES OF THE PAST.
• Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes from the past; that will ruin your present happiness.
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 
• Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
• Realize that life is a SCHOOL and you are here to LEARN.
• SMILE and laugh MORE.
• Each day give something GOOD to others.
• Forgive everyone for everything.
• Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of six.
• Try to make at least three people smile each day.
• Your job won't take care of you when you are are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
• Do the right thing!
• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
• However good or bad a situation is, it will CHANGE.
• No matter how you feel, GET UP, dress up, and SHOW UP.        The BEST is yet to come! :)

Not-so Fancy Monthly Menu Planner

Okay, be honest. How many of you just GROANED when you read the words "menu planner"? I know you're thinking it's too much work and you don't have enough time to do it. Maybe you're even thinking it's not even worth your time.

Well, I do not consider myself to be what some people call "organized" or "prepared". However, I have been making monthly menu planners almost consistently for over 5 years. Wow! I didn't even know it had been that long until I looked back in my binder to see when I started.

Menu Planning has been one thing that has REALLY saved me time, money, and stress. (Believe me, I have other things that are taking all of those.) When it's time to fix dinner, I do NOT want to worry about what to fix and I especially don't want an "excuse" to order pizza. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE eating out and ordering take-out, but that doesn't exactly fall into our grocery budget very often.

There was a really cool lady in our church named Sister "P". For those of you in my neighborhood, she was the groovy red-headed one that moved here from Las Vegas... yeah. I miss her (she moved to Idaho). Anyway, she had all of us come over to her house one night and she shared her menu planning tips with us.

First of all, you need to make a list of ALL of the meals you typically fix for your family. WHAT?!?! I know, it sounds painful. Don't think about it, just do it -- it might take you 10 minutes, if that.

This is what mine looks like from this summer. Nothing fancy by any means, but the necessary information is there. You can also add meals you would like to try.  I have added and changed many as I've went along. Sister "P" encouraged us to keep everything in a 3 ring binder.

Now, there's a really cool website called "Organized Home" where they have lots of cool tips and ideas to get more organized in your home (Hence, the name!) I linked to the MONTHLY MENU PLANNER. If you want to get neat and fancy, you can print it off... or if you're like me, you can just draw one.

 Anyway, you get the idea, right? I like to plan our menus when we're all curled up watching a movie together. I can randomly ask, "What sounds good for dinner this week? or What new recipe did I make that you guys really liked?" This is a great way to involve my family in what we are eating for dinner. I also like to have my calendar with me so I can add special dates, events, and holidays when I know we'll be doing something special or when I don't have to fix dinner at all (YAY!)

Now, when you go grocery shopping, you can jot down (or make a copy of) your menu and you'll know what to buy for the meals. It just works out SO nicely...

Also, just so you know, I don't follow the menu plan exactly and this is why I like to do a monthly planner. I have groceries on hand for at least 2 weeks worth of recipes so I can make what sounds good. I can move stuff around to adjust to what we want and whatever our family schedule might bring. The schedule is more of a guideline, really. (Lora, I put that in for you!) You know, I might have "Chili and Cornbread" planned for the 8th of February, but the weather has been SO nice lately, I might not be in the mood for it, so I can make "Chef Salad" instead and have Chili on a night when the weather is chillier (no pun intended, maybe.)

Then, next month, will be even easier... you can look back at last month and transfer what your family liked and just cross off what they didn't and add new stuff. Be sure to move stuff around. There are certain things I like to make because they are fast and easy, but my family will say, "Didn't we just have spaghetti?" So I try to rotate stuff like that no more than once a month or so. I also like to try a new recipe at least once a month. Then, if it's really nasty, I have a valid excuse for ordering pizza!!