Quote of the Day

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
- Mark Twain

Quote of the Day

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put foundations under them.
- Henry David Thoreau

Quote of the Day

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.
- William B. Sprague

A nice link

http://amysfinerthings.com/100-finer-things

Long weekend

This weekend has been cuh-rAY-zee but the main message I got from General Conference is less is more. I'm still going to try to work on special goals but time with my husband and kids is the most important thing.

Uplifting Weekend

I received lots of spiritual nourishment over this past weekend. Sunday was just pretty good all around but Saturday we had a women's conference at church (Stake Relief Society workshop and broadcast) and it was awesome. The workshop was from 10-1 and it was called Becoming an Elect Lady of the Lord. My first class was about the temple and cleaving to our covenants. Second one was about the definition of virtue. Virtue = Power. They challenged us to complete the Young Women's Value Virtue. Third was a discussion on charity. And fourth was a class on establishing a Gospel centered home. I really liked the handout for that one because it gave me a list of goals and you know how I like lists:

Gospel centered home handout (the links are my own additions based on my impressions and the notes I took)

Then that night I got to watch the General Conference Relief Society broadcast at a friend's house. It rocked. The main message I found was that nobody on this earth is perfect and we shouldn't be judgemental. We shouldn't even judge ourselves unrighteously. We should just try to be the best we can and not compare ourselves to other people. That lesson went along very well with my favorite note from the class about charity. It was that the assignments we are given by the Lord are not the tape measure for how "perfect" we are. They are just the gifts God has given us to use to change ourselves. Good stuff.

President Monson told a great story (like he always does) which I would share here but I don't think I'll tell it as well as he did. So, if you didn't get to see the broadcast, you should definitely watch it or read it online or when it comes out in next month's Ensign.

All of Saturday was such a big boost in motivation for me. I would really recommend clicking the links I've shared and being uplifted yourself.

Giveaway Link!

Giveaway: Silhouette Craft Cutter ($300 value!)

End Goal

Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.
Alma 48:17

"Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says, 'Oh, crap she's up!'"
- Unknown

Rising Generation

We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith.
~ Elder Neil L. Andersen

From: Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

Good stuff :-)

SPF 50

For Labor Day weekend we went with another family and took our boys to Tybee Island (our closest beach). Monday morning, after I slathered my kids with SPF 50 from head to toe, I had some sunscreen left over on my hands, so I rubbed it on my face. I covered my nose and ears really well and then smoothed the rest over my cheeks, forehead, chin. Then we got our stuff loaded in the cars and headed to the beach. We had a lovely time. Three hours of pretty perfect, not-too-hot-not-to-cool weather. The wind kicked up a little for a minute and we thought we might get rained on but then it passed and we went back to playing in the water and relaxing on the sand.

It wasn't until around hour 2.5 that I remembered I hadn't put on sunscreen anywhere else but my face. Oops. I figured I wouldn't burn too badly, though. We went in the morning, we were about to leave soon and the September sun didn't feel that hot.

Boy was I wrong. My husband (who didn't use any sunscreen) and I both had turned a very painful shade of fuchsia by the time we pulled into our driveway that night. But the SPF 50 had done its work for our sons. And for my face. My freckles weren't even any darker. So even though my back and shoulders are just now (four days later) starting to feel better, I was spared the agony of a pealing nose.

So...

I told you that story to tell you this one...

The past couple of weeks the hubby and I have finally started trying to get the little man to sit still for family scripture reading and prayers. Now, daily prayer and scripture study is a habit that I have always struggled to maintain. I'll finally get in a groove where I'm doing it every night and then I'll miss just one night, the habit is broken, and it'll be weeks or even months before I get my feet under me again.

But, with our son, it's different. I know it's only been a couple of weeks but I can just tell that this is a habit that I'm going to keep. Knowing that I'm responsible for another person's eternal progression is a strong motivator. And even though you would think that wrestling with a toddler would make the acts of reading a book without pictures and kneeling down to pray a lot more difficult, I've found that it's actually soooo much easier to remember to do it when it's part of his bedtime routine. So it's great. Because reading scriptures to him means I'm reading scriptures. And praying with him means I'm praying.

And I've discovered this beautiful thing about being a mother.

You can't give someone else something good without getting a little on yourself.

Learning

Looking back at my 5 Year Plan, it's all about home economics. These are big goals for me but yesterday I rediscovered something else I'd like to add to my list of things to do.

Study regular economics.

Most people will probably think that sounds totally bland and boring but it's something I'm really interested in. I actually started on this goal yesterday without realizing it when I was doing some research for another blog of mine. I'm not going to go into many of the details here because that other blog is a political blog and I made it separate from this one for a reason. But the point is I found myself watching a video of an economics lecture. And it was enlightening to me. I could actually feel my brain waking up and firing neurons it hasn't fired in a while. I've always heard that learning something new will keep you on your toes and sharpen your senses. I just hadn't put it into practice for a while. Specifically using that analytical part of myself made me feel fresher for the rest of the day. It wasn't stressful because there isn't going to be a test or homework, but I found myself taking notes anyway. Learning something "academic" made me feel really good. Smarter. Which I like.

I actually have three blogs. My family update blog, my political blog, and this "better myself" blog. And I think that making all three of them is going to contribute to this "woman I want to become."

Real Quick

I just updated the "About This Site" page and my 2-year-old is having a melt down so I think that will have to do for a post for today.

FHE

I finally have one thing I can put a check mark next to on my To-Do list here. We did Family Home Evening tonight. Ta-Da! I know it's just one week but I feel the need to celebrate it. It's a big deal for me! It's a big deal because it's the first FHE we've actually done with our 2 year old son. And this is why I have this list. I need to get on the ball here! My kid is two and I'm just now starting to do these things. But this list is helping me remember. Which is good. :-)

Mothers Who Know

This talk was given in the October General Conference of 2007. I wasn't even pregnant with my first child yet but I still felt inspired by Sister Beck's powerful declaration. No beating around the bush with this one. She sets forth several high standards but also emphasizes (over and over) the power and influence we can have as women of God.

Wishful Thinking (Can't hurt to try)

Disney knows what I like!

Housekeeping

Oprah and I may not agree on some things (presidential candidates for example) but I still love her show. Information and inspiration is what I need in my quest to be "That Woman" and she and her producers know how to deliver that like no other.

So! Here to be added to our collage of  "things to work on" is:

I stink at housekeeping. Which means that, on occasion, my house stinks, too. So this is a big thing for me. And Oprah's organizational expert Peter Walsh breaks things down nicely. It's all about the proper mind set. What is the vision we have for our home? Hmmm...Good question. :-)

6 B's Article

Proverbs 31:10-31

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

A lot to live up to.

5 Year Plan

Last year all the way back in March I started a list that I called my 5 Year Plan. I didn't get very far on it before I decided I wanted another baby and morning sickness was reintroduced into my life. But I wanted to put that list on here as a jumping off point for this new blog. So here it is all nice and linked for future reference.

First Item

I would like to take this opportunity to add to our list the following. Always remember this one:

#1 Don't be too hard on yourself. Recognize that you are already an awesome person just the way you are. Your desire to be better is just part of that awesomeness. It's all about progress. Eternal Progress. You are a child of God so...

today

you

are

loved.

Those Women

I've always wanted to be one of THOSE women. You know the kind I mean. The awesome wife/mother/friend who other women secretly hate just a little bit because she makes it look so gol-durn easy. The superhero of the homemaker set. With the well-behaved, well-adjusted, recently-bathed children and the lemon fresh kitchen to match.

Now, I'm probably never going to become one of those women. This is true mostly because I am the mother of two young boys and no matter how "recently-bathed" I get them they will probably never appear to be so. However, I feel that a lot of what I have admired in other women is attainable.

And so I have started this blog. I work best when I have a To-Do list and this will be just that. My "That woman I want to be" To-Do list. And I invite anyone who wants to to join me in my journey. Come on! It'll be fun! ;-)

~Amy