I'm Grateful For... #22

Sabbath... It is the Lord's day and our time to reflect on his love and kindness. What a wonderful gift to mankind.

An Amazing Sabbath

Played with my amazing Cutie Crew in Nursery. We were loud but definitely had a great time. And Mr. Man got home in time for us to renew our recommends and had a relaxing time at home...

Happy Father's Day!

(From Desktop Publishing dot com)

( From Hawaiian Magic dot net)

To all the wonderful dads out there, this is your day to be cherised, loved and be honored. Thank you for ALL that you do and will do to bring happy memories to your own families.

Great dads have been a treasure of this world, so keep it up!

Our own Heavenly Father smiles upon you today and love you even more for creating a little bit of His home in yours...

Enjoy a maile lei on us!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Sabbath Gratitude

So like lately, I was plagued with insomnia. Which meant, I didn't doze off until 5:30 this morning! Aaaaaahhhh!!!

Anyway, it was a struggle to stay awake for the two little ones that are super energetic from abundance of rest and having a quiet day. It was a struggle to get up and do anything that required standing up in fear of falling over from feeling sleepy!

Now that you get the picture of how tired I am... Let's move on to the positives- instances that made me want to cry from overwhelming gratitude. (Sundays do have that tendency if you take the time to see, hear and listen)

First, the kids let me sleep in though I couldn't. (It maybe because they put up a tent in the living room which took up all the space...)

Next, they cleaned it all up and made me a bed on the couch plus some awesome snacks (we're talking chocolate here people!)

Then, Ian told me a great joke:
Ian: Mommy pretend you're my teacher and ask me to spell VACUUM

Me: Ian, please spell VACUUM

Ian: VACUUM, V-A-C-W-M. VACUUM.

Me: That is wrong. There are two U's.

Ian: I know, I said W because there are two U's. Get it? Double U.

Of course, there's Pandora (dot com) that you can pick your own songs according to what you like only. For Sundays, choose Kenneth Cope. The best part, it's FREE!!!

I really love my tablescaping blog and the love from the comments are just so overwhelmingly wonderful that I truly wish that I can meet all these wonderful women. Most are grandmothers, but I think, I'll fit in just fine...

Plus there are the awards that above mentioned women bestow each other in the name of blogging friendships. So cool!

Then, you all know that Lisa's Academic Decathlon Team made State and off they went to Houston. Throughout, she texted and called. Most were just today's and she's missing my cooking. How awesome is that?

Our Sundays are not always perfect, reverent or quiet, but it certainly is the day that we always find reasons to be grateful for what we have.

How is your Sunday so far?

Some Sunday Solace

We all need to be reminded just how loved we are...

I WILL BE HERE
Steven Curtis Chapman
Tomorrow morning if you wakeup
And the sun does not appear
I will be here
If in the dark, we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
'Cause I will be here
I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen
And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and trying
We'll be together
I will be here
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I will be here
Just as sure as seasons were made for change
Our lifetimes were made for these years
So I will be here
I will be here
And you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you
And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here
I will be true to the promise
I have made
To you and to the
One who gave you to me
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here Oh, I will be here

Because we are... Every single day...

A Great Sunday!

Today, we made it to sacrament, but didn't get inside the chapel right away. Actually, we had to circle to the other side of the chapel to get a better view of any leftover spaces. We found some seats in the overflow (which is unusual that it was opened). Our first counselor to the bishop and his wife were called to head a mission involving the storehouse, for 18 months. Both were asked to share their testimony and their family members came to listen (why else would the overflow be needed?). They spoke after two young men that knew that prayer and using a good compass can lead to a better you. This couple's testimony brought both tears and laughter throughout the whole room as each relayed their excitement and anxieties over their upcoming mission. It was an amazing moment for all of us as this couple is dearly beloved within the ward. Even our children were all quiet, not listening, but quietly doodling away, as if letting us soak in all that we are hearing. Thank goodness for the purity of little children. I feel so blessed to have my three, that's for sure!

Their topic, "losing yourself in service". What a great reminder! I'm glad I came, attended sacrament and opened myself to any kind of service I can render those three short hours. Again, like a great spa, I came out feeling refreshed and full of hope that my family and I were better for it.

To top that a bit, my friend Heather Wolfe came to sacrament! I know how hard it is for her to sit in one place because of her MS, but that didn't deter her from coming today. It was great to have had the chance to visit with her for a little bit before I headed to Nursery, where I was rewarded with pretend sprinklings of S&P, guessing games and song requests as well as three exciting rounds of "Ring Around the Rosie".

Then, my daughter Lisa, reacting from her wonderful time in YW, volunteered to make lunch of eggs and rice (either she really wants those eggs or she's buttering me up for something else later. Hey, no problem here, yes or no, I get to enjoy some eggs!).

Last night, I also heard from a few friends that I've been kind of worrying about. It turned out that two had to move and the others just had a busy, busy schedule. Whew! ?(my nerves are again at peace with the world- ohm... ohm...)(yoga pose numbing my legs and fingers)

Thanks for reading!

"Mary Did You Know?" (11 Days to go...)

(We read this book every year...)
Sabbath days are so amazingly refreshing that it's almost a spa, a massage and a confession all wrapped into one!

Today, most of us are sick, at least three out of five, but we had a quiet day, so it was only fitting enough to have a quiet and reverent evening... So, we chose stories and songs that reflect the respect we should be showing the Lord especially this time of year...

Poem: "God Is Love" by Jon Bowring

Story: Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell

Song: "Mary Did You Know?" by Kenny Rogers
(my new favorite...)

I love how this song directs us to think about who Jesus Christ truly is to most of us and why he came to earth. Also, at the end of the book it says, "A little one came for the world."
The birth and coming of Jesus Christ is the true meaning of Christmas...