Completely Blessed

What more could I ask for? (Climate of Texas aside) This is what I am thankful for tonight........ I am mastering, in due time, the art of making bread. Goodbye store bought bread! Homemade is one-hundred times better. We have a little garden that is actually producing. What a miracle to behold: planting a tiny seed and watching how it grows. I feel like I had very little to do with this whole process. I only made a nice spot for it to grow and the miracle took place. I have moon flowers vining in the backyard, which have the most beautiful smell. We even have a toad that hangs around our house at night to catch the bugs. There is life here in Texas after all!

Our new neighborhood friend.

This is the moon flower. It blooms at night and

has a surprising beautiful smell. It blooms so fast that you can stand there and watch it open up.

My homemade bread. First attempt at white sandwich bread. It tasted great. I think I will keep this recipe.

Still Walking

I am thankful for many things this Sabbath day. I am learning and growing in many different ways lately. Life throws things at me but I feel confident enough to conquer them all. I feel like I am holding a bat and I am hitting all the balls that get thrown at me. Before, I would have just lied down and quit when things got too hard. Everything was too hard it seemed. Here is my strategy now: Faith; I know that if keep walking (overcoming the hardships, trials and taking my battle scars with me and move on) and keeping faith that the Savior promised he would always pick up what I could not carry myself.

Oh how thankful I am for our Savior who makes it possible for me to carry on in this wonderful and often difficult life.

A Proud Moment.....

Today is a great day already. Aside from the fact that I have made it to 34, my oldest daughter, who is now fast becoming a moody teenager held the door open for her little sister as they went into school. This may seem a simple enough task, but for weeks Allison would run into the school with Emily running to catch up behind her, this is due to  Emily always, without fail, taking the time to give me a kiss and tell me she loves me before getting out of the van.....So, trying to instill good manners in my children, I have reminded Allison on several occations to hold the door for the running little sister behind her. Today I caught a glimpes of Allison remembering , a split second before Emily got to the door, to go back and hold it open for her. Allison gave me a knowing look and she saw my smile and thumbs up. The little things......I love them....best birthday gift.

A Poem About the Titanic by Allison Ricks

Why did so many have to die?
Not as many silent good-byes.
Aboard the Titanic they forever lie,
Buried in other's sorry demise.
Shaking, breaking, the unsinkable did fall.
Only Carpathia aswered the call.
Before, they were all just dandy and fine; all up celebrating, some getting ready to dine.
We sink! We sink slowly, but surely.
Get all children and women, but hurry!
People panic, tensions rise in the air.
The salty-cold water sings the song of despair.
People freezing, people scared.
People call out but no one is there.
A depressing story this tale did tell.
In our hearts this memory will dwell.
Even though some people don't care, the sorrow they had is ours to share.

Happiness Can't Be Bottled Up and Kept For Another Day, But Every Day We Can Create Happiness

Today I am just plain grateful. I have been given soo much temporally and spiritually.

We had our area Stake Conference today that was seen via satellite from Salt Lake City, UT. It was a nice meeting. At one point President Monson's daughter was speaking. She was talking about smiling and being happy. A picture of President Monson came on the screen displaying a large grin. I started to think about his smile. It is simple. If I do not live righteously I deny myself the kind of happiness that brings that kind of smile.

I feel like I am just learning how to live. Really live. Living, to me, now means patiently wading through the difficult times, being able to enjoy the good times, and then look back and appreciate the difficult times.

Our House with an Upgrade

Scenerio: we are moving to the house right across from us which has the same layout as our first. I will no longer have the cold, sterile hospital looking floors throughout my house any more....Yeah!!
Before..........

Blahh

After.......

Yeah!

It's the simple things in life...........