40 Days: Days 22 - 24

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 22: "We must cherish one another, watch over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction that we may all sit down in heaven together." -Lucy Mack Smith 

Today's reading: Alma 30-36
Mark and ponder: Alma 30:60

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"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 23: "Faith is a gift of God and comes to each and all of us who serve God and supplicate Him for the guidance of His Spirit. By doing our duty, faith increases until it becomes perfect knowledge." -Heber J. Grant

Reading for today: Alma 37-41
Mark and ponder: Alma 32:21

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"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 24: "Satan wants us to be as miserable as he is. And he knows that we can only have that true happiness if we are washed clean through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by deep and continuing repentance."

Today's reading: Alma 42-44
Mark and ponder: Alma 34: 32-34

40 Days: Days 20 & 21

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 20: "The average woman today, I believe, would do well to appraise her interests, evaluate the activities in which she is engaged, and then take steps to simplify her life, putting things of first importance first, placing emphasis where the rewards will be greatest and most enduring, and ridding herself of the less rewarding activities." -Belle S. Spafford

Reading for today: Alma 20-24
Mark and ponder: Alma 11:40

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"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 21: "Each time you choose to try to live more like the Savior, you will have your testimony strengthened. You will come in time to know for yourself that He is the light of the world." -Elder Henry B. Eyering

Today we are reading: Alma 25-29
Mark and ponder: Alma 11:43

40 Days: Day 19

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 19: "Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand and watch over them with tenderness. When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what power it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human mind." -Joseph Smith 

Reading for today: Alma 15-19
Mark and ponder: Alma 5:46

*******

With my parents in town I got behind again. I am still back at the end of Mosiah. I figured it would be better to just wait until I could concentrate and think straight to pick up reading again instead of reading to get it done. These are some of my favorite chapters and I didn't want to miss them.

40 Days: Day 18

"Forty Days Closer to Christ"

Day 18: "You will be a light to the world as you share your testimony with others... Through the combined faith and testimony of His daughters, God will touch the lives of millions in His kingdom and across the world with His light." -President Henry B. Eyering

Reading for today: Alma 11-14
Mark and Ponder: Alma 5:14

40 Days: Day 17

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 17: "This is what we desire to instill into the hearts of the sisters- to be useful in their sphere and not be discouraged because of difficulties in the way, but trust in God and look to Him, and His marvelous blessings, I will promise you, will be poured out upon you." - Lorenzo Snow

Today we read: Alma 6-10
Mark and Ponder: Alma 4:10

40 Days: Day 16

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 16: "I believe it is far more important to live for our faith than die for our faith." -Mark E. Petersen

Today's reading: Alma 1-5
Mark and Ponder: Mosiah 4:30

40 Days: Day 15

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 15: "Don't be limited in your views with regard to your neighbors' virtues... You must enlarge your souls toward others if you'd do like Jesus... As you increase in innocence and virtue, as you increase in goodness, let your hearts expand-- let them be enlarged towards others-- you must be long suffering and bear with the faults and errors of mankind. How precious are the souls of men!" -Joseph Smith 

Today's reading: Mosiah 23-29
Mark and Ponder: Mosiah 4:27

40 Days: Day 14

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ" 

Day 14: "God's angels are ever on call to help us... What a promise! When we are faithful, He and His angels will help us." -Elder Russell M. Nelson

Reading for the day: Mosiah 16-22

40 Days: Day 13

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 13: "How you deal with life's trials is part of the development of your faith. Strength comes when you remember that you have a divine nature, and inheritance of infinite worth." -Elder Russell M. Nelson

Reading for the day: Mosiah 10-15
Mark and Ponder: Mosiah 2:17

40 Days: Day 12

"Forty Days Closer to Christ"

Day 12: "The happiness of a man (or woman) does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions." -Alfred Lord Tennyson

Reading for the day: Mosiah 4-9
Mark and Ponder: Jacob 2: 18-19

Productivity!

My parents are coming to visit on Saturday and some preparations needed to become priority. Yesterday I made a to-do list and thought I'd have the boys help since they were off of school AGAIN, but I was happy to let them sit in front of the computer while I did my own thing (bad Mom) and none of us being active.

I'd really like to be sewing, but decided I needed to get some work done first. I put on the Adele station of Pandora and amazingly I felt like doing something! So, I tackled the bathrooms first. Man they were gross - especially the boys :P yuck! But, no more! (hopefully it'll last until Saturday *fingers crossed*)

To make me feel even better, what I have accomplished:

My bathroom: tub, toilet, sink, mirror, trash
Boys' bathroom: same
Downstairs bathroom: same (well, except the tub b/c there isn't one ;))
Laundry - Jared's sheets
Wash windows

Left to do:
-sweep/mop bathroom floors
-sweet/mop kitchen and entry
-vacuum downstairs
-vacuum upstairs: boys, mine, hall
-wash towels, sheets, cleaning rags
-organize hall closet
-change filter
-clean out van
-menu/grocery shop (round 1)
-break down boxes in basement

Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have done that. Now it looks like I've hardly accomplished anything. But considering how much it's hurt to move the last few days, I think the fact I've done something and my bathrooms smell nice is pretty darn good - And I'm not done for the day yet!

**I sure hope I have energy tomorrow to finish my tasks. Seems I can have a good day in between some not so good days.

40 Days: Day 11

"Forty Days Closer to Christ"

We are a quarter of the way through. 

Day 11: "In any and every age of the world when God has called or commanded a man or a people to perform a certain work, they, through determination and perseverance, and faith in Him, have been enabled to accomplish it."-Wilford Woodruff

Today's reading: Words of Mormon- Mosiah 3

Extra Challenge: Go the extra mile this week in your church assignment. Find out how the people you visit teach are doing, and discover what you can do to make their lives easier. Find a way to magnify your other callings that you hadn't considered before. 

*****

Made it to Jacob by the end of yesterday.

Hahaha I did it!!! I have caught up! I am current :) I thought I traded productivity today for scripture time but I got both!

40 Days: Day 10

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 10: "Remember that we do not run alone in this great race of life; we are entitle to the hep of the Lord." -Thomas S. Monson

Reading for the day: Jacob 6-Omni
Mark and Ponder: 2 Nephi 31:20

40 Days: Day 9

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 9: "Every sister in this Church who has made covenants with the Lord has a divine mandate to help save souls, to lead the women of the world , to strengthen the homes of Zion, and to build the kingdom of God." -Elder M. Russell Ballard

Reading for the day: Jacob 1-5
Mark and ponder" 2 Nephi 31:13

Shoveling counts

as exercise today. Totally.

I am so grateful for the two high schoolers who offered to help me shovel the driveway b/c the pile at the end where the snow plow pushed the snow was a daunting mound. Aaron thought it made a great mountain, but when you have to move it, it isn't such a great thing.

Shoveling wore me out and made me sore. It hurts to walk now :/

40 Days: Day 8

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ" 

Be still my heart, almost done with Isaiah. 

Day 8: "Obedience allows God's blessing to flow without constraint. He will bless His obedient children with freedom from bondage and misery. And He will bless them with more light." -Russell M. Nelson

Today's reading: 2 Nephi 22-33
Mark and Ponder: 2 Nephi 28:-9

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yeah. Made it to chapter 6 today. But it felt good to be back in the scriptures.

40 Days: Day 7

"Forty Days Closer the Jesus Christ" 

Day 7: "The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life." -Julie B. Beck

Reading for the day: 2 Nephi 12-21
Mark and Ponder: 2 Nephi 9:28-29

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Man I am so behind :P I just started chapter 2. Weekends are hard to spend a lot of time in the scriptures. Too many ppl around :/ (which is good in its own way, just not for the time needed for long scripture reading stints).

40 Days: Day 6

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 6: "I stress the deep need each woman has to study the scriptures. We want our homes to be blessed with sister scriptorians- whether you are single or married, young or old, widowed or living in a family. ...After all, who has any greater need to 'treasure up' the truths of the gospel (on which they may call in their moments of need) than do women and mothers who do so much nurturing and teaching?" -Spencer W. Kimball

Today's reading: 2 Nephi 7-11
Mark and Ponder: 2 Nephi 2:27

40 Days: Day 5

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 5: "As you guard your virtue and purity, you will be given strength. As you keep the covenants you have made, the Holy Ghost will guide you and guard you. You will be surrounded by heavenly hosts of angels" -Elaine S. Dalton

Today's reading: 2 Nephi 3-6
Mark and Ponder: 2 Nephi 2:25

40 Days: Day 4

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 4: "When we qualify ourselves by our worthiness, when we strive with faith nothing wavering to fulfill the duties appointed to us, when we seek the inspiration of the Almighty in the performance of our responsibilities, we can achieve the miraculous." -Thomas S. Monson

Today's reading: 1 Nephi 19-2 Nephi 2

Mark and Ponder: 2 Nephi 2:11

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I have been behind a couple of days and have finally caught up to where I should be today though I still need to read today's assignment. I have been amazed at some of the things I've seen this time that I haven't before - mostly because of the ties I am seeing to the Old Testament that I was clueless about previous to our scripture class.

Some thoughts that came from the reading -

The Lord favors righteousness. Period. He doesn't favor one person over another, only their level of righteousness. You obey, you get blessed. You disobey, you don't. Nephi asks his brother, do you think the Canaanites would have been destroyed if they were righteous? Nope. They were wicked and ripe for destruction. The Israelites were righteous, so they got the choice land. Once they were no longer righteous, they too were ripe for destruction and suffered the consequence. This is one of God's laws and it applies to our land and people today.

As Nephi has his vision, he talks about the Church of God and the Great and Abominable Church (or the whore of all the earth/harlot). This caught my attention from a scripture class reference when the Lord begins to symbolize the church as his bride. He makes the statement that when they follow after other gods, they play the harlot. I realized this analogy was carried over with Nephi's vision of the two churches, or forces on the earth. As Nephi describes the history of the world as it unfolds, it looks obvious that the church would be the Catholic church, but it is said that really it represents all who fight against Zion. With the discussion we had about 'playing the harlot' and what that means regarding our faithfulness to our Father in Heaven, it made more sense that Satan's side would be referred to as the harlot - selling yourself for that which does not last.

Also, in reading at such a fast pace, I get an even better picture of Nephi and realized that his faith comes from looking for the Lord's blessings until he is so sure of the Lord's power that he has absolute faith and trust in His father. There is no room for doubt. And I believe it is because of this love that he feels from the Lord that his lament about letting his weaknesses get the best of him is so strong. We look at him and think, man he's so good. What is he talking about? But Nephi sees his shortcomings as missing the mark and disappointing His father after He's been given so much. And I believe it is those same feelings that enable to push passed his depression and keep trying. I haven't actual read "Nephi's psalm" yet, so maybe I am mis-remembering, but I was impressed at how sure his faith in the Lord was and I believe it comes down to him recognizing the hand of the Lord in his life.

Getting a little thick in the middle

Alright, since I've been talking about posting a picture I decided to post the ones from two weeks ago along with an update from today. Not really a lot of difference, but hey it's pics. In other news, I am quite sore today from yesterday's workout. I woke up a little after 5 this morning but opted to go back to bed. Although this should be disappointing, I have been extremely productive. It snowed last night, so I shoveled all the sidewalks and driveway this morning plus I cleaned the house! It helps to have company come over ;) I finally sorted through my big paper mess on the kitchen counter as well as on the computer desk, vacuumed, dusted, did my morning kitchen duties, ran a couple loads of laundry and put away all the laundry that's been sitting around since Saturday night. So, even though I haven't exercises, I have certainly been active today. I'll consider today a tie with the bed.

Valerie 2 - Bed 2

Jan 16 vs Jan 29th

40 Days: Day 3

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 3: "Regardless of your particular circumstances, as you become more and more familiar with the truths of the scriptures, you will be more and more effective in keeping the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. Become scholars of the scriptures-not to put others down, but to lift them up!"-Spencer W. Kimball

Reading: 1 Nephi 16-18
Mark and Ponder: 1 Nephi 19:23

This week - Valerie 1: Bed 1

I did it! I am so proud of myself! I fought the bed, and I won!

I woke up at 4:30 to go to the bathroom and lay back in bed realizing I couldn't go back to sleep. I laid there thinking about getting up to exercise. I thought about my beloved P90x and longed to feel so limber and stretched out, but as I went through the routine in my head I just couldn't bring myself to do jumping jacks. I thought about my other beloved 20 minute video. I thought about how last night I was so sick and dizzy and still a felt a little bit like that and wondered if being vertical was really that great of an idea. In the end, I decided to try. I got up, got dressed, took Aaron's laundry basket downstairs, grabbed an apple, water bottles, and my shoes and headed to the basement. I switched out the laundry and turned on the Wii. I weighed in (183 - still not bad for two months of random exercising) and thought about doing some Wii Fit exercises but decided I didn't get enough bang for my buck. I bit the bullet and put in CardioX video and put on my shoes while I waited for it to cycle to the beginning. Um, disc error. Score? I turned it off and headed to the main floor and the computer and found a 30 minute exercise video on YouTube. Perfecto!

 I didn't break a sweat, but I worked my muscles and got my heart rate up. I feel energized and good. This particular producer has three different videos so I will either rotate them every day or do three a week as I hoped with my goals. Well, who am I kidding? If I do all three in a week whether it is every day or every other day will be a miracle :) But I really do need to quit being lazy about this b/c my body is paying for it. I took a picture to post last week or the week before and I haven't posted it yet (Obviously).

Matthew came down as I was finishing the last of my workout a little before 6. It was nice having a little bit of quiet coherent time with him.

It did feel really good to exercise though. What finally got me out of bed was thinking that I could always take a nap later. I am starting to feel the crash, but a nap will have to wait at this point.

40 Days: Day 2

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ" 

Day 2: Thought for the day: "Faith is a gift of God; it is the fruitage of righteous living. It does not come to us by our command but is the result of doing the will of our Heavenly Father." -George A. Smith 

Today we are reading 1 Nephi 11-15
Mark and Ponder: 1 Nephi 15:34

Special Challenge: Do you have a current temple recommend? Even un-endowed members can carry a limited use recommend. 

40 Days Closer to Jesus Christ

"Forty Days Closer to Jesus Christ"

Day 1: Thought for the day: "Followers of Christ pattern their lives after the Savior to walk in the light. Two characteristics can help us recognize to what extent we follow Him. First, followers of Christ are loving people. Second, followers of Christ make and keep covenants." -Elder Walter F. Gonzales

We are reading 1 Nephi 1-10 
Mark and Ponder: 1 Nephi 3:7

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Yesterday as I taught my Primary lesson, I thought of a reference to a story in the Book of Mormon, but my memory was foggy enough that I couldn't recall exactly what I wanted to (which I can usually do pretty well when it comes to the BOM stories). This morning I spent a good deal of time reading for my Old Testament class and though I am learning SO much, the days I am not reading from the OT to prepare for class I end up not reading at all. As I thought about my brain lapse yesterday, I thought that maybe I need to re-read the BOM and perhaps it would help in some other things that I am having difficulty with.

As I was catching up on Facebook, I noticed that the Relief Society in my TX ward were doing a challenge to read the BOM in 40 days. I recalled my earlier thought and wondered if I could accomplish it. A little bit later the above popped up. Apparently there is an actual 'study guide' to go along with the challenge. I think I need to take up the challenge. The thoughts go right along with our Stake and family goal to "love someone back" and be more Christlike.

hmm

I am not sure if I am grateful or insulted that Aaron prayed this morning that the house would be clean today. When he ended the prayer I asked him for clarification and he said something about getting the house clean because it's kind of messy and that he'd even let me vacuum even though he likes to do that job. Huh.

Where did it go, George?

Has anyone seen my motivation?

This has been a very weird week. No school Monday for MLK day, early release on Tues, snow day on Wed and here we are on Thurs. It feels like a Monday yet here we are at the end of the week.

I haven't exercised since last Thurs :/ My sewing umph has even seemed to run out of steam. I have done well keeping up with the dishes in the kitchen though :) I think it mostly habit at this point. *fingers crossed* I haven't been very good at sweeping after breakfast and dinner, but it does get swept at least once a day which is something. Aaron even enjoys that task so if nothing else I can get him to do it :)

A local friend invited me to join a private FB group for health accountability. It isn't working for me. The constant posts are kind of annoying me actually, and I've only been a member for about 12 hours. Not a good sign.

Monday the boys had dentist appts and Aaron picked a little notepad from the treasure box. I was intrigued when before we headed to bed he started making a list of his "P's" (things that need done to be ready for bed: potty, pray, pjs, paste, pillow) so he could check them off. Last night he lost his notepad and was a bit distraught. This morning Matthew found it in the bathroom where he must have left it after checking off paste. It occurred to me that this falls right into his 'routine kid' personality. He likes the checklist on the fridge with the daily tasks, we use a to-do list on Saturdays or other days off when we have things that need accomplished, and now he has created his own checklist for getting ready for bed. It also kind of reminds me that the things I do really does influence my kids - for better or worse.

Bootcamp Days 3 & 4

So I ended up skipping day 3, but then on day 4 (I think that was Thurs) I did both videos. For 7 minute videos, they sure pack a punch! I was sore yesterday :) It is isn't a debilitating kind of sore, but an 'oh, you used me yesterday' kind of sore. Unfortunately I skipped yesterday too. So much for consistency. I will attempt to double up again today to make up for it.

In other things, I didn't do any of my weekly cleanings though I did try to keep up with my daily kitchen ones. Wed I didn't feel very good but did manage to put away all the cans and such that I had bought over the weekend and finally brought inside. I set up my can rotating system and loaded them up in the sun room. Having the clutter out of the kitchen definitely helped keep me on track with daily kitchen clean up. My goals for my bedroom and the boys' room has not been accomplished yet, but there's still today ;)

I have been in a sewing kick so a lot of my time has been spent looking at patterns online and actually doing them. What are short projects for one person ends up being an all day affair for me. When I eventually pull out the SD card from the camera I'll have a bunch of pics to upload :)

Bootcamp Day 2: Lower body

Bootcamp Day 2

Check. I could even do it despite having showered :) It feels good to work my legs again!

28 Day Boot camp Day 1

I didn't get to shower before the boys left for school, so I had no excuse for not exercising. I decided to ease my way back in with a program I did this summer. It is a 28 day bootcamp through Sparkpeople.com. It is a 10 minute video every day. Today's was a cardio workout and man am I out of shape!! It always amazes me how quickly our muscles deteriorate when they aren't used. It's only been two months but geesh! I think it is good that I am taking the 'easy' way back. With a 10 minute workout, I can't use the excuse that it takes more time than I'm willing to give. I was going to snap a picture for a 'before' but didn't get it done. Tomorrow.

The thing I like about this program is that it is only 10 minutes and every day works a different muscle group. And the amazing things is that 10 minutes is enough! I saw real results this summer. I figure once I get some of my muscles back into shape and as well as my exercise habit, then I can branch out to my other videos.

Week in Review

So overall I think my week went pretty well and was very productive. Having the checklist on the fridge has really helped me keep on top of kitchen duties. I am a little wary of falling out of this habit, but I am hoping that we can get to a point as a family that when I start getting lazy the rest of the family will pick up the slack. It will be a slow process as everyone learns new habits, but I think it can happen.

This week I focused on getting the kitchen into shape, laundry under control, started on my room and cleaning the living room (which the boys and I did together on Saturday). They were supposed to do their rooms as well, but by the time we were done with the LR they were done. I told them I would do it for them during the week but they may lose things they value b/c I they have no value to me (like all the programs they take on Sundays to make paper airplanes). They said it would be ok, but we'll see. I have been wanting to do this for awhile but haven't had the energy or disposition to do it. Now that I am in cleaning mode it is much more likely to get done.

The "I'm proud I got this done list":

• dusted the kitchen walls, cabinets and fan that have been bothering me
• wiped off all the food splatters on the walls (also been bothering but not done anything with)
• watered the plants in the living room
• bought and put together an additional shoe shelf so all the shoes can actually fit now instead of being spread through the entry area
• mopped my bathroom
• washed my sheets and blankets
• tackled the paper stack in the kitchen (much smaller but not completely gone)
• vacuumed the couch
• cleared out the floor area around our bed

So major tasks for this week are to clean the boys' room and mine. I want to be able to vacuum all the floors :) That is the ultimate goal so everything else leads up to it ;) I also need to get a better handle on meal planning.

Today my right knee has been bothering me to a point that it was really uncomfortable to walk. I am hoping it is a fluke and not related to any 'exercise' I've done recently. I am thinking of reaching out to acquire an exercise buddy otherwise it may never become a habit again soon. But I am almost to the point of desperation so I might get motivated on my own. It seems that my knees always feel better when my muscles get stronger.

Bout time!

*whew* I did it. I finally exercised. It wasn't much, but it was something. I have a daily check off that I've been working off of to keep up with the kitchen and boys' homework. (Aaron loves being able to mark off his assignments :) And frankly, so do I.) One of the of the things on my list is to exercise 3 times a week. At the beginning of the week I focused more on getting back into reading scriptures so I would do that while I ate my breakfast. By Wed I was thinking I should read scriptures while I go on the treadmill, but I like to do it while I eat since I am sitting there anyway. Well, today and yesterday I finished off Aaron's cereal while Jared ate his breakfast, so no excuse there!

I decided to bite the bullet and get on the treadmill. I pulled out the board I'd used last year to rest my computer on while treadmilling and instead placed my Old Testament Institute manual and scriptures on it. Petty excuse, but I was already showered and dressed for the day so I didn't want to do exert myself too much so I just walked. I have also had a headache since yesterday so I didn't want to exacerbate it either. (And yes, I took some tylenol for it but it is still around just duller.) I read three chapters of Leviticus and corresponding insights from the manual before I decided I couldn't concentrate much longer. In all, I walked a little over 20 minutes, maxed at 3.0 mph and .90 miles. I debated completing a full mile but wanted to be done at 20 min so I didn't. As I said, not much, but it is more than the nothing I've been doing :)

"there shall not be room enough to receive it"

 10 Bring ye all the ^atithes into the storehouse, that there may be^bmeat in mine house, and ^cprove me now herewith, saith the Lordof hosts, if I will not ^dopen you the ^ewindows of heaven, and pour you out a ^fblessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. ~ Malachi 3:10

Last night Matthew came to bed and tossed an envelope at me and asked if I'd paid tithing. Inside was a Christmas card from his company with $100 cash. Because he was gone, they had forgotten to give it to him. Yet another witness to me of the blessings of tithing.

Blessings

Like most of my spiritual habits, tithing is something I have a testimony of and has always been a top priority for me. Unfortunately since moving into our place which doubled our rent, it hasn't been as easy to pay tithing. We would put it off because bills tend to collect interest or have dire consequences when gone unpaid. As things money got tighter, I realized we needed to pay tithing in order to have things work out. When we were newly married and money was scarce, sometimes it was even scarcer than other times but we always paid our tithing. In just about every instance where we were down to our last dollars, we would discover a paycheck that had been tucked away somewhere and needed deposited.

So after this summer when money was getting tight again due to poor money management, Matthew and I talked about making tithing a higher priority. I am the one who generally pays the bills and at the beginning of December I paid tithing despite what the bank account looked like. In fact, the amount of tithing we had to pay was the same amount that Matthew's school tuition was. I realized it would be better to pay tithing and let the credit card gain interest because we needed the blessings. And the blessings came. Within days of writing the check (and I hadn't even turned it in yet) Matthew got word that the Army was offering re-enlistment bonuses again and he was eligible in January. The amount of the bonus is enough to replenish our savings that will be completed depleted when we pay Feb's rent. Not only the news came of the bonus, but Matthew got a call from his mom about money that his grandmother had invested for each of her children and grandchildren. Next time his mom comes to visit, she will bring it. Is it in our hands? No. But it is money coming our way that we had no way of knowing would come.

Tithing settlement was looming for us the last Sunday of December and neither of us felt that we were full tithe payers until we paid the remaining tithing due for the month of December. There was enough money to pay tithing but not the bills that would be due at the beginning of the month. Basically paying that tithing was our widow's mite. I wasn't sure how it would all work out with the bills. Thanks to our savings account we were able to pay rent and our credit card that carries some of our bills. Matthew gets paid on the 10th for his pest control job and I am never sure when a check will come through for his Army work. We had a bill for student loans we have set to pay yesterday but I forgot to do it so I logged on this morning to check what our situation was to pay it. Lo and behold, money had come through from the Army. I was able to pay that bill, but another bill is set for the 9th. I logged into that account to figure out if we'd have enough left after the student loan was paid. Normally our auto and property insurance runs about $150 a month. It was $55 and not due until the 13th!!! (well after the pest control pays us). It will all work out! I know this is because we paid our tithing. We offered our faith and trust and the Lord has blessed us. I am so grateful and humbled by His constant love and mercy, especially when I am weak.

Work it, girlfriend!!

I am so proud of myself. I updated and printed off the weekly and daily checklists I created last year. I posted the daily on the fridge and finally got started on it today. I feel like whatever I had this weekend was kicked to the curb and I had the energy and desire to get my to-do list checked off. Maybe it helped Aaron prayed that I could work hard today ;)

It is a sad commentary that today was the first time since we moved into our house in May that I mopped the kitchen floor. It was pretty nasty - and honestly I didn't even do that great a job, but it is cleaner than it was before the boys left for school :) Saturday's - to-do list was my top priority today along with the other daily tasks. It really helped to have the visual. I even put away all the laundry! Well, I take that back. I haven't done Aaron's basket yet and Jared's is folded though not put away. Usually they sit in a basket and slowly dwindle until it is laundry time again. I am really hoping to get out of that habit and have the baskets available for the clean clothes as they get done in the dryer.

Because it makes me feel good, here is what I did today:

read scripture
read from Institute manual for class tomorrow
emptied/load dishwasher
wiped down counters (still need to tackle THE counter where all the paper piles up)
wiped down table
swept/mopped kitchen and downstairs bath
cleaned downstairs bath
washed towels
put away whites, dress clothes
folded blankets, Jared's clothes
helped in Aaron's class
put dinner in a crockpot (yay for thinking ahead)
played Careers with Aaron after HW was done

And Jared had a great day too. I love this 20 mg of Focalin :) He came home in a really good mood and dropped all his stuff in the kitchen. Without a word from me, he said "I know. Hang up your jacket. Put your shoes away. Take care of your lunch box (and he actually ate all his lunch!!)" Plus his Word Study was already done, so I gave him 15 min on the computer. Then he did his math in less than 10 minutes, typing, practiced his trumpet, read his 30 min, has his backpack ready for tomorrow.

Slippery Sabbath

Oh what a day! Thursday night we had somewhere between 6-10 inches of snow fall so school and work was cancelled. Yesterday was clear but the temps were low so this morning all the snow and water still on the road turned to ice. I was supposed to be at the church at 7:45 am for Ward Council. I was running a little behind anyway, and then I had to scrape ice off the truck. Matthew came out and helped which was nice. But it was starting to rain too. When I finally got on my way it was slow going. We'd had snow plows going through the neighborhood every night since Thurs except for yesterday. As people had shoveled their driveways and then drove out, the snow crept back into the streets and iced over. This was my first experience driving on really icy roads and it was nerve wracking - especially since I was in Matthew's truck which tends to make me nervous anyway. I was grateful the roads were pretty empty as I left my neighborhood because I slid right through the stop sign. I wasn't sure I'd be able to make the turn on to the next street, but I did. Once I got on the main highway the roads were just fine though it took me half the trip to feel secure in believing it.

I was concerned about all the curvy roads that I'd have to take when I exited to get to the church so I drove another way thinking it would be straighter and thereby safer. Well, it was a nice thought. Sure it was straighter, but it was less traveled so the tendency was more snow and ice. It was pretty slick and slid a few times, but eventually I pulled into the church parking lot. Then I had to make it from the truck to the door without slipping on ice which was worrisome too. I made it though without falling. Just as I entered the doors my phone started ringing. It was the Bishop. His first comment was 'I hope you are at home.' Nope, I just walked through the door. Since alerts had started coming in from the townships of the dangerous road conditions, they decided to cancel church. I decided to get back in the truck and head home while the truck was still warm.

Coming home was easier than the going until I got to our neighborhood. It seemed even more slippery than before!! I was afraid I was going to slide into the cars parked along the curbs even though I was only going 10 - 15 mph if that. I was grateful to pull into the driveway and be home for the day.

I came home to boys who were ready to walk out the door for church and a slightly frazzled Matthew. I suggested we have our own church service and after some discussion, we set up a time for church to start and a program. The only problem was that our house was a mess and needed to be transformed to a suitable worship center. All the stuff I had on my to-do list yesterday that didn't get done.... I was so impressed with the boys because they willingly and cheerfully helped clean up the living room. It was a much better experience than I could have had yesterday. I think the fact it was Sunday and the computer is not a variable in the day made the requests easier. Anyway, a little bit before everything was done Matthew checked his phone msgs and realized that homes with a Priesthood holder could administer the Sacrament - that would be us! So Matthew prepared a Sacrament table and set up the bread and water. It was kind of cool. Different, but cool :)

Matthew conducted the meeting, Jared conducted the music, and I played the piano. We had an opening hymn (Our Saviour's Love), a prayer, brief announcements, then a Sacrament hymn (God Loved Us so He Sent His Son) and the administration of the Sacrament. Following the Sacrament Aaron shared a scripture story he read and liked: the Passover and the children of Israel fleeing Egypt. After Aaron, Matthew gave a talk on the Savior, the Passover and the Sacrament. How the Passover was symbolic of the sacrifice Jesus would make on our behalf to save us, and now we take the Sacrament for the same reason. The Jews had the Passover feast once a year, but we have our "Passover feast" every week. Then we sang Redeemer of Israel for a closing song and had a prayer. All the topics flowed really nicely together though it wasn't planned that way.

Following Sacrament mtg we had Primary and I gave the lesson I was supposed to do today on how we are a child of God and can be like him someday. I started with showing pictures of baby animals and asking what they will look like when they grow up. Of course, they'd look like the adult version of themselves. A pony will be a horse, a cub is a bear, an elephant is an elephant, etc. Then I showed them a picture of babies and we talked about how although babies grow up to be adult humans, they are different because they are a child of God. We have earthly parents that we look like and traits and characteristics that are passed on to us, but we also have Heavenly parents that we can be like. We read Psalm 82:6

 6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are ^achildren of the most High.

Then we talked about how our earthly parents love us and asked the boys what ways they feel their parents' love. Jared talked about making sure our needs were met with food and shelter. Aaron mentioned hugs and kisses. Matthew talked about how parents show their love by helping us make good choices and saying no to things that aren't good for us. Then we talked about how we can feel Heavenly Father's love for us and when I asked if anyone had any ideas or experiences, Jared shared about a time his prayer was answered (his eyes got all teary as he mentioned it), and Aaron shared a story of a time his prayer was answered too. We sang I Know my Father Lives and I testified that the Holy Ghost helps us feel Heavenly Father's love and that we really are a child of God and that He loves us.

After my lesson, we prayed and kind of stuck around the living room and talked. Matthew mentioned a discussion he had with the boys yesterday about the word 'damn'. He explained how cursing someone is passing a judgment on someone but that it is Jesus' place to judge not ours. I offered the explanation that just like a dam keeps water from moving to its final destination, when someone is 'damned' they can not progress to return to live with Heavenly Father. And to not be able to return to Father is hell. Since we are all children of God, this is the opposite of what we want. We want all of our brothers and sisters to make it back home.

Last night they started reading Jacob 5 while I was gone to a mtg. This chapter is the allegory of the olive tree and  I was impressed with how much Aaron remembered from the 6 verses they read. We watched the seminary video about the allegory and the boys seemed to really understand the concepts that were being taught because later as we read the next set of verses tonight Jared kept asking about grafting and they were quite responsive to the questions and points brought up.

By this point it was almost noon so we took a lunch break. I was feeling really tired and not all that great, so I went to lay down. I told Matthew I'd come help clear the table when everyone was done, but I fell asleep and he did it without me. I ended up taking a 3 hour nap. Matthew told me later that I looked really sick when I woke up though by the end of the night I was looking much better. While I was asleep Matthew made butter mints with the boys. The process is pretty easy and the boys really enjoy helping shape and cut the dough. When I finally woke up (though I could have slept longer) we played some board games. Jared chose the Missionary game and Aaron chose Careers. We were only supposed to play the Missionary game for 45 minutes but ended up enjoying it enough we played for an hour and a half!! By the time we were finished with our games it was 7:30 pm! Bedtime.

We finished the night off with scriptures and family prayer. It really was an amazing day. I loved the spirit we had in our home and the time together. In some ways I think it was more of a Sabbath and full of worship than when we actually attend church. The only thing I wish we would have done different is have a testimony meeting as part of our service since it is Fast & Testimony Sunday.