Technology Hiatus

I took a mini technology hiatus the last couple of weeks. I seriously can't remember the last time I was on the computer for Facebook, blog stalking, celebrity updates, etc. This is part of the reason...



Our peach tree really produced peaches this year. I got 20 quarts of peaches, 5 quarts of peach pie filling and 30 jars of peach jam. All of that and there are still peaches on the tree. I'm trying to decide whether to do some more pie filling or just freeze them. Decisions, decisions. I also decided to get a couple flats of raspberries and made 30 jars of raspberry jam and have over 40 cups of shredded zucchini in my freezer. I love gardening and all the yummy food I get to do stuff with, even with all the hard work. The best part is looking at the finished project. Now I have apple sauce and apple pie filling to do and then I think I will be done with canning this year. I know many of you are old timers at all of this but this is really my first year being able to can and make jam and I have really, really loved it. I'm especially grateful for my fabulous friends Angie and Tara who just showed up and helped while I was in the bottling process.

Andrew's First Day of School

I realize that I am quite behind on more than a few important posts i.e., Andrew's baptism, Vanessa's first birthday, etc. that I am going to work on but for now, I'm just going to try and keep as up to date on the goings on of our family as possible.

Andrew started 3rd grade this year. He was so excited to start and luckily really enjoyed his first day and really, really likes his teacher. I am so happy he is enjoying school and he loves to learn as much as he does. Ally starts school soon and is excited. I just hope she loves it as much as Andrew. I am liking getting back into a schedule and routine and am looking forward to being able to help out in the classrooms.

WWF Marks Style

These pictures really need no explanation. All I'm going to say is all of the kids had fun.

Little Pill

It has been determined that Vanessa is a climber. One day she was playing on the couch and I ran into the kitchen real quick to come back and find





Do you think she's proud of herself???

She has climbed on various Rubbermaid bins, our bed post, package of toilet paper, etc. She is definitely keeping me on my toes.

Trials and Blessings

I have to admit that lately I have been having a pity party. I have chosen to look at the things in my life that have not gone the way I would have wanted them to and the hard things that have been happening. This past year has been a rough one but has also been filled with many blessings. I have been feeling guilty for my negative and ornery feelings lately but for some reason have not been able to change them. I especially feel guilty because I know there are those out there who are struggling with a lot worse trials than what I have been and never utter a word of complaint. I have been feeling impressed to read my Patriarchal Blessing for the past week but just haven't taken the time to do it. Today after an amazing Sacrament meeting and finally pulling out and reading my Blessing I have realized why I have been feeling the way I have and haven't been able to change it, I have been focusing on the wrong things!! I have been making excuses that I don't have time, etc. It's not that I don't have time, it's that I choose to waste my time with TV, computer (stupid FaceBook), etc. Not that any of these things are really bad, but when I fill all my idle time with these things I am not being the wife, mother, friend, or daughter of God I want to be. Yes, it's easy for me to blame these hard things I am going through on my Heavenly Father and sit and wonder why me? What else can happen? But, I know that I need to look at all the wonderful things I have in my life and look at the trials and think, 'what can I learn from this and what can I learn while going through this?' While blog stalking the other night I found this quote which also helped put things in perspective...

One of the most difficult aspects of mortality is that we experience trials. We know that the purpose of these trials is to help us become more like God. More refined. More pure. If God is patient, then I need to learn patience; and the primary way to learn patience is to not have something that is wanted. If God is forgiving (thank heavens!), then I need to learn how to be forgiving; that usually comes through being wrongfully hurt. And so on and so on. As Elder Orson F. Whitney so beautifully said:

“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven” (quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, 98).

I just hope that as I go through trials throughout my life, I will remember what is important, I will learn the things I need to learn and use the trials to develop and strengthen the qualities that will make me more Christlike and a daughter that my Heavenly Father will be proud of.

Doing Chores

It's so nice now the kids are getting older and can help out more around the house. I am still trying to get an official chore chart together for Andrew and Ally but for now, they have their jobs and know what they are supposed to do and are usually pretty good at doing them without too much prompting. Ally wasn't too thrilled about unloading the dishwasher this morning and kept complaining that she was tired and it was taking too long. She finally found a way to make it more fun



build a tower out of cups. It entertained her long enough to forget that she was sick of unloading the dishwasher and soon had the chore all done.

Vanessa has even joined in on the work even though she doesn't have any official jobs yet. She is pretty good at putting her toys back in the basket although for every one she puts in she pulls five or six out. She also likes helping with laundry. She pulls the clothes out and keeps shaking it. It's really cute. She also likes to crawl in the baskets and hang out for a while.

Dogsitting

We watched Jim's sister Dorothy's dog Max while they went to Lake Powell this week. They came all prepared with a Rubbermaid bin full of treats, toys, etc. They even brought his bed and blanket for him to sleep on. The poor dog, Rocky and Vanessa quickly took over the bed and the blanket.



Max ended up sleeping with us while he was here and I didn't feel as bad about Vanessa and Rocky taking over his things when Dorothy told us that he sleeps with them and rarely uses his bed or blanket. We all enjoyed having him come and play with us for a few days. Dixie is still tired after all they playing they did.