The Life of Mama Gurr

2012-02-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

This picture does the greatest job of capturing Justin's heart. He's such a tender guy and he works so hard for his family. I have been so proud of him lately as he's been growing exponentially between school, work, and family. He's accomplishing so much that I'm sure he never thought he could, and even as he's doing that I am sure that the Lord is still preparing him for even greater things and more opportunities to serve Him that will bless him so much.

I love every moment when I feel other people get to really see the man I am married to, I think that's why I love this picture so much. The first Sunday of February, I felt like our whole ward got to really see him-between our babies blessing and his testimony. I felt this inner satisfaction like, "yep, he's MY husband. He IS pretty great isn't he!?" :)

I love him very much and although I don't always show him like I should, I AM super grateful that the Lord gave me HIM--because the Lord knows my needs. :) Love you honey!

Some goals for 2012

2012-02-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna attempt to not be too long winded here--but I have a lot written down. :)

1. Communicate with Heavenly Father consistently. keep my relationship with Him as top priority and that will bless ALL of my relationships.
(prayer, scripture study-during nap time, temple, meditation when especially disconnected)

2. -Give MY music attention (outside of piano lessons) AT LEAST monthly
. Lately I've been writing a little bit here and there a couple times a week and it's been super nice. I love keeping all the music fresh in my head, and I'm excited about several things that are in progress.
- Continue to SHARE my music through recitals, nursing home, church, friends, etc.
On this note, I reserved the Orem Piano Gallery recital hall for Nov 17th at noon for a recital/ fireside with my music. I am excited and already committed with the date in place. :)
- Record AT LEAST one more song.(This will happen sooner than later. I just decided with my parents this weekend which song I will record next.)

3. FAMILY
Work on not raising my voice in the home.
Have an attitude of gratitude towards my husband and children. Strive to not complain about them.
Raise the quality of family scriptures and continue with higher quality FHE
Be good about consistently making dinners.
Keep up with chore charts.
Read to the kids more.

4. Nurture friendships--because my friends are AMAZING and they really help me grow by their examples AND it's fun for the kids. :)

5. HEALTH- keep eating better and better and get back into running, walking, biking, yoga, hiking, etc. Continue growing healthy recipe supply.

6. Be a good visiting teacher.

7. Save money--mission funds ets.

what makes me cool :)

2012-01-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

I was pondering yesterday on what I love/ think is cool about myself. (Who knows how I got on THAT train of thought!) I hope that reading this makes you ponder the same thing! :)

The things I thought of are also some of the things that are the most fulfilling for me. It gave me this little inner motivation to spend more time with the things that feel fulfilling, that give me the deep, inner core Amber expressed feeling.

I think it's really cool that I homeschool my children. I love that I do that. I love the time with my kids, and I love the freedom it provides. I also love that I don't pressure myself with the need for it to be a daily, set time event. It can be however structured, or unstructured I feel, it can stick with the curriculum or it can be just a random, spontaneous learning moment.

I love that I love the piano. I don't love that I PLAY the piano, I love that I love it. I feel super fulfilled whenever I get to emotionally play the piano. This doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it feels like it touches such a deep part of me....a familiar part that it has touched and nurtured since I was a teenager.

I think it's pretty cool that I write music--and it would be even MORE cool if I would do some more with it. :) This thought yesterday brought up the memory of how super fulfilling it is for me to write, and made me wonder why I don't make the time for it more.

SO, last night I pulled out my finished songs, in progress songs, and my words on a page with no music and started a new song. Yea! I really like it so far too--but I think the other words on the same page will have to end up as probably 3 songs rather than one. Now I need to figure out where this one is going.

This will have to be one of my goals for this year for sure.....to make writing music a priority--for the fun, love, and fulfillment of it. :)

What do you wish you spent more time doing?

Home Water Birth #2

2012-01-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

Jonathan Russell was born Jan 6, 2012 at 2:52 pm. He shares a birthday with his Uncle Bud and is named after his Uncle Russell. He was 9 lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long. My labor with him was the first I've had the started first thing in the morning.

Mom had been staying with us for, I think, a little over a week, and Dad had been at our house for two nights. I woke up feeling good, a stark contrast from the deep depression of the previous few days, and wanted to get out of the house and get my mind off of the fact that there was still no baby. We all decided to take the kids to Cabela's and walk around. We entertained the idea of taking TRAX up to the planetarium in SL, like we did a few years ago with Grandma and Grandpa, but as the morning progressed and contractions did not die off, we decided we better stick a little closer to the house. I put off telling Justin that any action was happening because I wanted to make sure I got out of the house. He WAS a little nervous to leave but I could tell we had enough time. Cabela's was fun and I'm sure helped the early part of labor go much faster than it would have sitting at home.

I had the perfect helpers for Jonathan's birth. Dad kept Joshua, Austin, and Avin happy and entertained around town. Justin, Mom, and Justin's Mom were perfect labor support, doing counter pressure, and helping me stay relaxed with affirmations. They worked together perfectly and made it the easiest labor for me thus far because I was able to stay quite relaxed. I read recently that fear creates more hormones in your body that increase pain, and relaxation creates more hormones in your body that act as natural pain killers. It was cool I could really tell the difference with those relaxation hormones. Danielle, my sister-in-law, did beautifully as the midwife, and Katelyn (sis-in-law) was the perfect errand runner for everyone during labor.

The end of Jonathan's birth was a little different and challenging because Jonathan kind of got stuck a few times and I could tell things were not progressing as usual at those points. Luckily, they didn't last too long and even right after he was born I never felt like giving birth was something I would never want to do again. Instead, for the first time, I felt like birth is something I could totally handle; not easy, but very doable.

Cool side note....the first night after the birth, I was up a lot in the night between the baby and my cramping. Without really thinking anything of it, I was putting my hand on my cramping, hard as a rock uterus and noticed feeling comfort from that as I was breathing. Even though I have been known to do energy work, I still wasn't even consciously, purposely thinking of it as that, it just kind of was happening. I just kept breathing into my hand and uterus as it would ache and it would provide some comfort. The thing that is extra cool about that is that my midwife/ sister-in-law said in the following days that my uterus went back down to size several days faster than usual. I'm sure that was why. A few other natural things I've been doing to try to assist in quick healing are herbal sitz baths and drinking some raspberry/ comfrey tea every day.

Jonathan is SUCH a sweet baby, and hardly cried at all when he was born. He already sleeps through the night (except just to eat of course) and his brothers love him to death. I've been feeling really grateful, and love growing this fun family that will get to support each other forever.

Inventory of 2011 Goals

2011-12-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

So....last year I set some goals--I don't remember all of them, but of the ones I remember, I didn't complete ANY! Aaahh! HOWEVER....I DID do some good things that were inspired by those goals. Here's a recap:

1. Play guitar while kids in bath.....NOPE, I actually didn't even really play the guitar much more. I did learn one new song that I played with my sister and sang for my mom's birthday....but that's about it.

2. Give at least one partially musical fireside. Well, I didn't give any firesides. What I DID do was write a few more songs and I also made my first recording of one of them. SOOOOO fun and fulfilling! I want to write so much more, I just need to create the time with the disciple....but that will be part of 2012 goals. :)

3. Exercising....not so good. However, I am always re-motivated after a baby so this year I'm sure will be better.

4.waking up early....again...not so much

5. Play the piano more and learn and memorize a new song for each student recital of the year. I felt prompted to play my original songs at the student recitals this year. I memorized the song for the first recital (then totally transformed the song later so it is no longer memorized) and the second recital, I decided it was not worth the stress to create the time to memorize the song--so I just played it with music. It went much better the second time as I had learned you have to be right on top of the mic for it to really pick you up.

6. Be on top of home schooling. Get a consistent schedule the kids can

count on and stick to it. Make it fun, quality time that they enjoy. Be creative with it and give them a variety of learning activities.

I did improve a lot this year with homeschool. I found a kindergarten curriculum that I am happy with for Joshua that ties everything into the gospel. We got cute little desks and a white board. Although I am still not (and may never be) totally predictable with the days and times of school, I feel like it is quality time with the children and it works for me. When we skip school too many times I start feeling like I'm not getting real quality time with the kids, because it provides such nice one on one attention.

7. See MY side of the family more.

My family, especially Mandy, helped a lot with this one. I put the idea out there to have monthly family dinners and Mandy picked up the ball and ran with it, while everyone else happily agreed. It has been really nice to see everyone more. I think we only missed like 2 or 3 months this year and those were because of lives being hectic.

8. Once a month nursing home visits and student practice recitals at nursing home.

I did the monthly visit two or three times then slacked off on those. I have had my students do 2 practice recitals at the same nursing home this year. It is super fun to start to get to know some of the residents there, and for them to start recognizing my children and my students. I LOVE it. It was really cool because our ward splits and goes caroling and 5 or 6 different nursing homes one Sunday every December, and this year there was a group going to this nursing home I've been getting to know. I will be going there again in February with our neighborhood homeschool group. So fun. :)

Well, I think that's all I'm going to report back on. It was probably mostly to check in on myself anyway. :) Positive changes and growth definitely took place in 2011.

I am now free to start feeling out goals for next year.

November=2 birthdays and Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

I've got LOTS of pictures for this month's update. Our first event of the month was Jayden's 11th birthday, Nov 7th. He had his celebration at our house a few days early. He's getting so big huh!

These are the only pics I took documenting that Russ, Mom, and Dad came up to the Draper house for a VERY short and busy moving trip. Mandy and I each happened to drop in on their moving. I was especially grateful for being pregnant because they couldn't send ME up the ladder! :/

The boys found the whole event quite entertaining.

Next notable event.....Avin's 2nd birthday! He's getting so big! We had a LONG, event filled day with no naps. Our first fun birthday stop was Jump On It- a place in Lindon with a few bounce houses and lots of trampolines. (It's VERY cheap if all your kids are little. 3 and under are free and 4-8 are $4 an hour. Super worth it!)

Aunt Mandy and cousin Brightyn came along for the fun. :) Brightyn was mostly content just to sit and observe. I'm so happy this little girlie is warming up to me more! She's so stinkin cute.

(Funny side note--this post has 3 pictures of Mandy but NONE of them show her face!)

The big birthday boy himself.

On our way home from Jump On It, Justin called and wanted to go to Chuck-E-Cheese! Holy cow! So much for nap time! We went home, grabbed Avin's presents and cupcakes and headed out for more fun.

Grandpa Carlos is getting used to how spontaneous our little family is, and he was able to come meet us there with practically no notice.

Opening a super cute church shirt from Grandma and Grandpa Madsen. Thanks for the fun presents Mom! :)

Joshua and Austin picked out Avin's main gift, this Cars airplane! (He LOVES all airplanes)

Thanksgiving cutting of the fro

Our only pictures from Thanksgiving Day. We kept it super low key and relaxing and just made one short little family visit all day. We sat around and munched and I made my first apple pie! My favorite part of the day was making thankful books with the kids using leaves that we found a few weeks ago and pressed.

St George, Halloween, and First Flights

2011-11-10T20:08:00.000-08:00

My kookee boys in St George. Mom took most of the pics. I only pulled out my camera twice.

T-ball at the park by Grandma and Grandpa's house

A few pics from on our way out to the neighborhood Halloween party.

Justin got his private pilot license in October and took Joshua, his Dad and I all up for our own private flights. It was the first time for Joshua or I to fly in a small plane and we both LOVED it. We were blessed to have our first flights on a VERY mild weather day--no turbulence at all.

BYU game pics

2011-09-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

We got to go to the BYU vs Florida game last weekend with the kids. I LOVE this pic of Avin! Funny they were so worn out BEFORE the game!

Fat lip even when he's asleep

Daddy's boy

Joshua got a fever at the game and napped on my lap through most of the first half. Once the game picked up he picked up on the crowd's energy.

Nice visual description of how he felt :)

CRAZY monkeys--especially the one in the middle!

The way home

Our Home School Site (2 new posts!)

2011-09-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

I will now be posting updates on our family education on this site--largely for my own satisfaction, but also for family and anyone else who may be interested to see :).

http://gurrfamilyhomeschool.blogspot.com

Our ancestors through Brigham Young...

2011-09-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here is what I found on line when I did a search looking to learn more about our ancestor, Elizabeth Young, who was Brigham Young's first offspring. I knew that her mother died when she was young, before polygamy came along, and I wondered if she was raised by Brigham Young. Here's what I found from a little google search. It's interesting and odd to note that 4 years after Elizabeth's husband took a second wife he moved to Arizona...and she did not. Elizabeth ended up in Idaho with her children and her sister--SO there is more to the story that would be interesting to know!Enjoy reading some family history fam!
History of Elizabeth Young Ellsworth
September 26, 1825 – February 2, 1903

Elizabeth Young was the first daughter of the great Mormon leader Brigham Young and she is my great great Grandmother. This is a little part of her history.

Elizabeth’s father, Brigham Young, was born June 1, 1801 in Whitingham, Windham County, Vermont, the ninth child in a family of five sons and six daughters born to John and Nabbie Howe Young. On October 8, 1824 Brigham married Miriam Works, daughter of Asa and Jerusha Works. The Works were residents of Aurelius, Cayuga County, New York. In the spring of 1829 Miriam moved with Brigham to Mendon, Monroe County, New York. Their daughter, Elizabeth, was born on September 26, 1825 in Port Byron, Cayuga County, New York. Their second daughter, Vilate was born June 1, 1830. Miriam Works Young died of consumption (in the Webster’sDictionary Consumption is described as a “wasting away of the body; a disease causing this; tuberculosis of the lungs”.) on September 8, 1832 at the home of Heber C. Kimball at Mendon, New York. The Kimball family took Elizabeth and Vilate into their home for two years. Then Brigham Young married Mary Ann Angel who became a good mother to the girls.

Elizabeth Young’s future husband, Edmund Lovell Ellsworth, was born in July 1, 1819 in Paris, Oneida County, New York. Edmund had an older sister, Charlotte, who was born in March of 1817 and died in 1839 in Pulaski, Oswego County, New York. Edmund arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois October 7, 1841 and went to work at the Temple quarry.

On July 10, 1842, Edmund married Elizabeth. Edmund worked for William Law for about one year, running a sawmill and doing other work. Their first child was born July 1, 1843 and they named her Charlotte. In the spring of 1844 the Church called Edmund to go with about twenty other men as pioneers to explore the Rocky Mountain County. Their purpose was to see if the area offered a place suitable for the settlement of the Saints.

In February of 1846 Edmund & Elizabeth crossed the Mississippi River, enroute to the Great Salt Lake Valley.

While in the Sugar Creek Encampment Edmund was one of the four men who organized the first brass band in the Mormon Church. During the winter they were called on to play for many dances, sometimes six in a week. Despite the cold, almost every night, William Pitt's Brass Band would play music and many would dance around the campfires singing songs like "Home Sweet Home," "The Old Arm Chair," and "Dandy Jim from Caroline." Others in the band were James Smithers and James Standing.

[February 28, 1846 A number of the pioneers including the companies of Daniel Spencer, Charles Shumway and part of Samuel Bent's company left the Sugar Creek camp for the next camp. Eliza R. Snow was among those who left. They traveled four miles and camped "in a low, truly romantic valley just large enough for our tents, wagons, etc. We arrived a little before sunset." The ground was covered with snow, shoe-deep. The men used hoes to clear away snow, pitched the tents, and built woodpiles in front of them. (c) Copyright David R. Crockett 1996]

Through wind and storm they traveled west to Richardson’s Point, Iowa. When they arrived at Garden Grove, Iowa, Edmund was sent by President Young back to Nauvoo with a span of horses and a carriage to trade them for oxen and a wagon. President Young sent for many things needed in camp, in case Edmund could get them. Edmund obtained everything he had been sent for.

During the winter of 1846-47 Edmund was in charge of the cattle of President Young and President Kimball and he was sent over 100 miles up the river to Bush Bottoms. Edmund turned the cattle over and returned home safely. (Note – This took place at Winter Quarters.)

In 1847, Edmund & Elizabeth, with their two children, Charlotte and Edmund (born 1845), traveled to the Great Salt Lake Valley in the second company of Saints with Daniel Spencer in command. They arrived in the Valley on October 12, 1847. Edmund was Brigham’s Young’s first grandson.

Elizabeth’s sister, Vilate, married Charles Franklin Decker on Feb 4, 1847 at Winter Quarters near Florence, Nebraska.

The weather in the Salt Lake Valley that first winter (1847-1848) was bitterly cold and the family lived in a shanty. Here their four-year old daughter, Charlotte, suffered frozen feet.

Elizabeth’s second daughter, Rowennah, was born in 1848, her second son Brigham, in 1850 and her third daughter Alice Vilate in 1852. On the 24th of December 1853 10 year old Charlotte was burned to death in Salt Lake City. In October of 1852, Edmund married his 2nd wife, Mary Ann Dudley.

In the summer of 1854 Edmund was sent on a mission to England and in November, Elizabeth’s 4th daughter, Luna was born. Edmund returned in 1856; their third son, John, was born in 1858 and their youngest child and fifth daughter, Miriam (called Minnie) was born in 1861. Edmund had married Mary Ann Jones and Mary Ann Bates in October 1856. Both girls were on the returning ship from England and Edmund settled in Show Low, Arizona.

In 1880 Elizabeth sold her home on South Temple in Salt Lake City and moved to West Weber, Utah, to be near her married children. She built a home near her son, Edmund. During muddy weather she slipped on a board and fell, breaking her leg. They had no doctor and as she lay in bed recovering from the injury, her foot turned outward, the bones knitted together wrong and caused her to be lame so that she used a crutch the rest of her life.

A great sorrow came to Edmund and Elizabeth in April 1881 when their daughter, Rowennah Howard (age 33), died, leaving two children, John Henry (Harry), born 1870, and Elizabeth Clift (Cliffe), born 1872. Elizabeth took these children and raised them as her own.

In 1883 the pioneering sprit caused her children to move north to Lewisville, Idaho. Later that year, she and her grand daughter, Cliffe, went to Idaho to visit. They arrived in Idaho Falls on the narrow gauge railroad.

Richard Franklin Jardine, husband of Luna, met them in Idaho Falls and they followed the Snake River north, keeping on the west side of the knolls, then going east to Lewisville. Cliffe says she remembers that there were many Indians in Pocatello and although it was August they were all wrapped in blankets. Elizabeth & Cliffe, thought this was the most desolate place with the sagebrush standing higher than a man everywhere.

In 1884 Elizabeth and the two grandchildren came to Lewisville again, this time to make their home near Edmund, Brigham, Luna, John and their families.

In 1892, Alice Vilate (Allie) Swift, died at Hailey, Idaho, leaving eight children. Elizabeth had her own burial clothes and knowing that Hailey was a small place, she took these clothes with her to be used as her daughter’s burial clothes.

Edmund passed away in Show Low, Arizona on December 29, 1893.

Elizabeth always had a best dress of beautiful black silk, which she wore on special occasions.

While living in Lewisville Elizabeth had a new buggy and a beautiful white horse. She did her shopping and banking in Idaho Falls. She and Cliffe drove down there, through the sagebrush, very often. There were no bridges across any of the canals, they just made a trail down and up and had a very good time.

Elizabeth’s sons, Ed, Brig and son in law Richard Jardine marked a road straight to Idaho Falls rather than going west to the river. Jack Ellsworth recalls that his Grandfather, Edmund, told the story that to clear the road to Idaho Falls, they used a team of horses pulling a railroad tie across the sagebrush. Later, when surveyors came, they hardly moved the road from its original position.

It is said that Elizabeth was a very beautiful woman. She had auburn hair and a very kind, pleasing personality. She was very charitable and free hearted, with a great love for her family whom she chose to live close to.

Her last home was a rock house that her son Brigham owned in Lewisville, Idaho.

Vilate Young Decker, Elizabeth’s sister, moved to Lewisville in August 1902 to live with her. They anticipated great happiness in being together in their declining years. They did enjoy 3 months together before Vilate contracted pneumonia and died the 18th of November 1902.

Vere Ellsworth Belnap, one of Brig’s daughters, stayed all night with Elizabeth on February 2, 1903 and on the morning of February 3, Elizabeth did her own washing. She was very independent and insisted on doing this task herself although she was 78 years old. About noon her son, Brigham, called in to visit with his mother. While they were talking, a pain struck Elizabeth in her heart and in a few minutes she was dead.

Elizabeth and her sister were not separated for long. She was buried beside Vilate in the Lewisville cemetery – their graves being marked by one headstone.

Elizabeth’s children:

Charlotte, July 1, 1843 – December 24, 1853
Edmund, October 7, 1845 – September 14, 1926
Rowennah Wilmot, May 1, 1848 – April 11,1881
Brigham Henry, November 23, 1850 – November 19, 1922
Alice Vilate, November 22, 1852 – April 15, 1892
Luna Caroline, November 17, 1854 – February 26, 1929
John Willard, June 4, 1858 – March 19, 1902
Miriam Josephine, March 30, 1861 – July 1916

Submitted by: Jill Ray Ellsworth Scott

Elizabeth Young Ellsworth Edmund Lovell Ellsworth

Fishing With Grumpa Doug

2011-08-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Last night the boys got to go fishing for the first time ever. :) (Daddy also hadn't been fishing in his entire adult life.) "Grumpa" Doug was visiting us for one night from Oregon and made it a point to get them all out fishing. We went to a little pond across from our old house in Highland.

Joshua, being the oldest, was the most into the fishing part of it all.

Justin took this pic of the dragon fly hanging out on the end of the pole. It was there quite a while.

Avin was a happy camper throwing rocks the entire time.

All of the boys trying to make the ducks think the rocks were bread. There were a million ducks but I didn't think they were picture worthy.

Joshua requested another shot of himself. :)

Daddy's catch! A catfish! Lucky the kids got to see a fish!

Joshua getting a lesson from Grumpa on reeling it in.

Sleepy Avin figured a way to cuddle with his fishing Daddy.

Camping at Currant Creek

2011-08-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went camping near Strawberry Reservoir up at Currant Creek. I had never been there before. It was up a twisty canyon road that soon turned to dirt. It was a GORGEOUS drive, with even a little red rock here and there which I LOVE! This first pic is Avin passed out on the drive there with a little chocolate on his face. :)

We left on Thursday and camped for 3 nights. We were there with our family and Justin's sister Danielle and her kids Thursday night and Friday day. All day Friday I was pretty much totally miserable taking care of throwing up sick children-that of course were totally fine until camping while the rest were playing in our raft on the water. I did get a little hike in with the non sickies that was just a 1 mile loop that went up to the summit of this little mountain by the water, then wrapped around to the other side where we could see the winding stream on the other side of the dam. BEAUTIFUL and perfect for all the kids who wouldn't have gone for a much longer hike. Unfortunately, no camera came on the hike.

Later Friday night Grandpa Carlos, Justin's Dad showed up. He brought his "hobie cat" shown in in few pics below and big orange raft. Saturday we went out on the water again. All the children were feeling much better and all wanted to go. We all split up between the 3 boats.
My niece Kaitilin (no clus how to spell her name actually) waiting for Grandpa and Uncle Justin to get the hobie cat ready to go.

Super cute isn't she!

Joshua, Austin and I got our raft to ourselves. It was pretty fun being the lone rower. The water was beautiful and not crowded or well known at all which made it even better. I think there were maybe one or two motor boats on the lake and one or two little fishing boats, with a few fishermen along the shores.
This picture is kind of needs to be zoomed in, but I was on my raft with the little ones these guys came speeding by from a good gust of wind. I had to snap quick! :() Jayden was the first one to get to test out Grandpa's hobie cat.
The rest of the crew on Grandpa's orange raft which apparently was much harder to maneuver than ours.

Later Avin and Daddy joined us on our raft. Avin fell asleep before we went back to dock!

We rowed over to this little cove that was like fish heaven. We floated around all sneaky so as to not disturb them and peered over the sides with the kids. We all loved it. I didn't catch any fish in this picture but we liked this lone flower.

Austy frost (Austin) feeling a little grumpy and tired.

Caleb, Jayden and Joshua hanging out under our little shade contraption. Jayden pretty much wanted to be shirtless the entire time at camp.
Joshua mimicking Austin's sincere pout y face in the following picture.

"No I don't WANT a picture!" (insert whiny tone)

Austin's camping face. When we were almost home today he said, "No! I don't want to go home! I want to go camping!" Very cute.

Joshua LOVES having his picture taken.

I actually remembered to have someone take a picture of husband and I. I like :). Think it's time for a facebook profile picture update! Check out that view from our camp site! Lovely.

Finger Painting and Paper towel Butterflies

2011-07-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

My pictures are out of order and are not dragging to the correct places SO....to follow our little butterfly project just follow the numbered pictures. :) SORRY!

Pic #3 Butterflies: Here are the butterflies drying out on the table, waiting to be twisted with pipe cleaners.
Pic #1 Butterflies: C So here are the boys with some food colored water and paper towels, ready to make their butterflies.

Pic #2 Butterflies: We folded the paper towels into 16ths and dipped corners in whatever colors they choose. After you dip them it's good to squeeze some of the excess water out over the bowl.

Onto a day we invited 4 neighbor friends over for finger painting. Jayden (1o) measured and mixed the ingredients for the finger paints and it took about 15 minutes on low heat for it to thicken up. It felt like forever. :) Here are the ingredients I got from Slow and Steady Get Me Ready : 3 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup cornstarch and 2 cups water. I then separated small amounts in old baby food containers to make different colors in.
They "painted" on wax paper that was taped to the table. When they were finished they took white typing paper and pressed it on top for an imprint of their work. It was definitely more about the journey than the destination on this one!
Pic #4 Butterflies: Back to the butterflies! Here they are finished, hanging in the playroom. I'm kind of ghetto and just used masking tape but you could be cuter about it I'm sure.

Pieces of Me

2011-06-10T19:47:00.001-07:00

So here's the thing. I may like things. I make be inspired by things or into things. I may go in and out of passionate interest in things and at times they may fade into the background. I am not a yogi, or a health nut, or a hippi or whatever other kind of label or definition I may have been seen as. One similar label that I would say does not apply to this general rule is "musician." I AM a musician.

What I've come to the past week or so is that the only true, or at least THE MOST DEFINING definition of me....one that is unchanging and hopefully determines the most who people see me as, is a daughter of God and a disciple of Christ. I am here to learn and be strengthened by opposition and to learn to follow my guidance that always comes from Christ. This is how I continue to become more and more ME.

So in this little identity crisis, this is the conclusion I've come to. There are roles that I have had in my life that are passing or shifting, interests that I no longer want to spend a bunch of time teaching, etc but who I am, and my most important roles are shifting yet steady. Being a spiritual being and seeking Christ in this world requires constant changing and growing, being the mother and wife that he wants me to be requires patience with myself, perspective, and diligence. But I'll tell you from experience, these paths are the most joyous and give me the most glimpses my eternal me and the most humility and gratitude for my life.

With more clarity:

I AM a daughter of God

I AM a disciple of Christ

I AM a wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, aunt, cousin.

I AM a musician

I AM a teacher

I feel naturally inclined always to share things with others that bring me happiness. It's part of who I am, ingrained. Hence, teacher.

I do love the earth.

I am always learning

I am often not the most tactful person

I am often not very consistent, BUT I feel like that is part of my creativity and don't necessarily see it as a downfall.

I love seeing/feeling the connection between spiritual and physical things.

I connect with spiritual things through seeing and feeling.

Self indulgent......Mayan signature: I seal the output of vision with the electric tone of service. I activate in order to create. Bonding mind. (that's all I remember, but it means something to me)

(Cancer sun, pisces moon, sagitarrius rising)

Trying to Figure Myself Out

2011-05-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

I feel a little extra like a crazy person lately....way too emotional. I'm feeling like there is a ton of shifting going on.

Lately I've been really noticed characteristics in mothers around me that I admire and I'm seeing who these other people are--knowing that I am not those ways, and kind of wondering who in the heck I am. I think I was pretty clear on it as a single person...but all this being married for 5 years and having 4 sons business is putting me into a place where I now feel like I have to redefine myself altogether.

Mental organization....some things I know

I know I am not naturally gifted with super mother of the year patience....AND I know when I hang around people who are it rubs off a little and I learn from them.

I am not very good at sticking to routines....like...homeschool everyday at this certain time in this certain structure. At the same time, I really admire that and like some things about it, and sometimes think I want to do something like that.....it just never lasts very long.

I'm good at being unplanned and spontaneous and going with my mood. :) Who wouldn't be!

I know when I get out and I'm social -- I'm happier and feel more like myself.

I know that I love music and I want it to be a huge part of my families life experience and I want to touch the world with it....and give others the experience of touching the world with it.

I love time by myself.....to do anything. Read, write, play music, write music....it is especially refreshing to work on my own music or play an instrument I don't play as often i.e. guitar or drum.

I love the mountains. I love grass. I love rivers. I love going on walks at night with my husband and look forward to more of that when our kids are older. I love feeling in touch with the earth in general--through anything--being outside a lot, eating lots of things from the earth. I love that feeling of being connected to the earth. I love the sun!

I love speaking and teaching on spiritual/gospel topics.

I feel like this whole spiritual part of myself....the part that is tuned into more subtle spiritual energies has been sleeping for a while. I feel like there is a realm that was there that is missing....and maybe that's okay. Maybe nothing is broken and it's just a different phase of my growth....but I miss it.

Family home.....times up. :) Possibly to be continued....

One Victory

2011-03-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

[2 new posts!]

My biggest challenge in life currently seems to be being a patient and kind mother who always teaches her children how to be Christ like by example. The hyper-activity, high noise levels, fighting, crying, disobedience, etc. really stress me out. Don't get me wrong, I have really good kids who are often very cute, fun, smart, sensitive and enjoyable--but if I expect them to learn to control their emotions better and obey mommy even when they don't feel like it, and stop teasing or wrestling, even when they don't feel like it, well, mommy's heart needs to be a more consistently broken and contrite.

My victory today was consistency. This morning Jayden (10) had a blow out on Austin (2) for climbing across him on the couch and stepping on a part of his leg that was sensitive from surgery. I realized from this that the reason Jayden over reacted so terribly is because he is fed up with his little brothers always climbing on him, jumping on him, and wrestling with him when he doesn't want them to. It dawned on me that they ALL need to learn more respect for each other so that when someone says they don't want to do something anymore, their wishes are honored.

Jayden (10) is part-time at our house and part-time at his mothers and was not here today after he left to the bus stop--but through out the day I consistently worked with my 4 and 2 year olds. We talked about respecting others and obeying mommy first and then voicing their needs after. I caught every little problem early, before it escalated at all and I spoke to them quietly, firmly and eye to eye.

Half way through the day my 4 year old had already caught on and was saying, "Ok mom," an abnormal amount and smiling proudly to himself. It was especially nice when I was putting the baby to sleep and I asked the boys to stay outside of his room while I put him in bed. Normally they would both follow me in anyway and I'd have to give a warning, and probably start counting and then possibly one of them could end up on the floor crying stubbornly because they don't want to go out. Tonight, Joshua (4) said, "Ok mom!" and sat down at the top of the stairs patiently while his 2 year old brother followed his example and stood right outside the door. AMAZING!

Let me tell you, it took some major mental effort today, and was kind of exhausting, but if this much effort yields these kinds of results so quickly--I may be able to pull it out again tomorrow! I admittedly will have my challenge increased when my stepson comes back but every victory counts even if I'm not perfect tomorrow. It will come. I read a blog today that reminded me that as I put forth the effort to overcome my weaknesses, as I surrender my pride, my anger, my frustration, the Lord will take away a little more of my weakness. Every effort that I put forth is matched or even doubled by the Lord, and with Him I can overcome this.

Moroni

2011-02-28T10:32:00.001-08:00

I had this experience come back into my mind this morning, and it had been a little while since I thought about it. Forgive me if I have already shared it in one form or another.

Several months ago one of my friends who is not LDS told me she had been working with Moroni. This is a pretty uncommon type of statement to make so let me attempt to make sense of it. This friend does energetic readings on people which is just what it sounds like. She reads their energy, senses it, tells them whats going on with them, helps to give them some direction and regularly receives messages from the spirit world to deliver to these people.

A sort of side effect of this work, for me and others that I know, is hearing messages from the spirit world through out every day. The danger in this is that there are MANY in the spirit world who are working for Satan and they OFTEN will look or sound or even feel like angels of light! Tricky and not cool! This side effect in my life made me pull back from this energetic sensitivity for a time--because I got confused for a while by the messages and I didn't realize how careful I had to be. I most definitely learned from that experience.

Well, when my friend shared with me that she had been working with Moroni when doing work on some LDS people, my automatic, whole hearted response was, "I want to work with Moroni!" This desire stayed actively with me for a while. I wanted to have an experience with Moroni.

Several weeks later I had a little devotional lesson with my children. I had pictures out and I was teaching them about the restoration of the gospel. We saw a picture and learned that when Moroni was a man on the earth, the Lord told him to bury the golden plates so that they would be protected. I told them that after Moroni died he turned into an angel and he came to tell Joseph Smith where he buried the golden plates. As I was teaching them about Moroni, I felt his presence enter the room, accompanied by a clear testimony to my heart from the spirit that this was Moroni. I was able to describe to them what he was like, because I could feel what he was like. This was a precious experience and I don't feel that I will likely share too many more of this nature as they happen, but it taught me an important truth. When true messengers from the Lord come, they come for an important reason (one of which was to help me testify to my children of truth) AND when these messengers come one way that you can recognize them is by the testimony of the spirit.

[There are other ways to discern visible spirits clarified in the D&C.]

I am grateful for this special experience and that because of it I will always remember the first time I taught and testified to my children of the restoration.

Kick your PMS symptoms!

2011-02-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

Now that I've gone this long without getting pregnant, I am realizing a definite pattern. Every month, during that special PMS time, AFTER I ovulate and BEFORE my period...I have an extra special hard time being the patient mother I want to be. Well, I am now tired of it. I finally looked up in one of my little herbal reference books what in the heck I can do to feel like my normal self more than 75% of every month.

Before I get into anything else I'll just list a few common PMS symptoms: decreased ability to deal with stress, depression, head aches, mood swings, cramps, bloating, food cravings.....

Here are some of the reasons these things happen to us....they actually make sense!

#1 The one we all figure--hormonal embalance, an increase of estrogen

#2 Bloating, i.e. water retention, which decreases circulation to the brain, ovaries and uterus

#3 Secretion of extra salt, hence any sodium cravings which actually balance the sodium levels in your blood. Moral: don't feel bad about eating a little extra chips and salsa before your period :)

#4 Most women experience a desire to eat up to 20% more calories during PMS. This is because it is during this time after ovulation when a pregnancy could begin. It is your bodies way of making sure there are plenty of nutrients there for your body to start making baby. This book discourages trying to diet during this time of month because low blood sugar agitates stress levels even more.

#5 "Secretion of the hormone progesterone...increases the ability of stress hormones to bind with nerve cells in the brain, producing a stronger response to stress."

#6 PMS is ALSO related to a monthly depletion of serotonin, which both maintains mood and regulates bodily rhythms.

#7 "PMS seems to result from an imbalance of calcium and magnesium in which magnesium is deficient."

How to make it better! I'm gonna make a few changes and see if these things help me. I'll let ya know how quick I feel a difference!...expect at least a month or two as it is currently already PMS time :)

take 1,000 to 1,500 mg daily of any calcium-magnesium supplement
"Eat few dairy products and avoid refined sugars. Dairy products block the absorption of magnesium and increase its urinary excretion. Refined sugars also increase magnesium excretion."
EXERCISE (the solution to everything right!)-it increases the oxygen in the blood and helps with nutrient absorption. It also helps keep hormone levels more stable.
Avoid caffeine and chocolate--they stimulate the production of stress hormones
Peppermint tea- helps stabilize mood swings and tone the nervous system

My plan:

Eat less dairy--cheese is the main offender so I'm going to start out just making sure I have at least half of every week with no cheese.

Buy some dates or other dried fruit to fulfill sugar cravings and find some yummy cookies that use HONEY instead of refined sugar. :) (Because I need to take baby steps.)

Buy and take a calcium/magnesium supplement.

Drink peppermint tea something like daily through PMS time and a few other times during the month. (I'll probably mix some raspberry tea with it because its so fabulous for female organs, and we always have some on hand.)

I already avoid caffiene--but not so much chocolate....I'll just do the best I can with that. :)

Be especially consistent with exercise during PMS time! No sad thing for me there--that means mommy time!

I think these things will also help with my RLS (restless leg syndrome) too. It flares up maybe 4-7 days a month and can be really obnoxious.

If any of you want to know specific herbs for other PMS symptoms let me know...I mostly focused on things that help with the stress and mood aspects.

Christmas Miracles

2011-02-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

So yes, this is pretty late, but it COULD be later! :) We had such an amazing Christmas season that I have been desiring to share it just to boast in the Lord and how amazing His children can be and are when touched by the spirit of Christmas. What a wonderful time of year!

Imagine all of these tremendous, totally unexpected blessings happening to you all in one month. (Also imagine you have no money to provide any sort of Christmas for your family outside of stocking stuffers with food stamps.)

"Thank Christmas" (Thanksgiving) -our family was showered with so many wonderful gifts that I felt like we didn't even need to do any sort of Christmas for our kids (AND Justin's mother bought the gifts from us to the people we drew so we could still participate and feel like we got to give a little too)

going into Christmas--we knew April (Justin's mother) had a couple gifts for each of children and that my mom was shopping for them also and that just through them, they would be well provided for--knowing this, we turned down the offer from the ward to do sub-for-santa for our family

our home teacher gives us a $50 gift card to Walmart! shockingly unexpected as their family was also struggling not that long ago

An uncle of Justin's--a very cool airplane Christmas ornament and $500 toward his flight account! Both of us in TOTAL shock! Holy crap! Really!?

a random, non-religious type stranger, behind us in line at the store gave us a $30 gift card as we exited the line

many, many gifts of yummy treats from friends that made us feel very loved (and helped us put on a few pounds)

get this--One night, I come down the stairs after tucking in the little ones and Justin shows me what he just found outside the front door...a giant beautifully put together basket of Christmas goodies, and 2 giant bags of gifts for our family. I immediately broke down, prayed, and cried--shocked and grateful. Completely shocked and humbled--COULD NOT believe it. AND as going through the gifts (multiple for each child) find something that says "open now"---$100 gift card to Walmart--MORE TEARS. COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! Could NOT imagine who would do this for our family

Christmas Eve--a knock at the door--anonymous gift on the porch--crackers, sausage, cute, perfect Alphabet video for the children. What! And while Justin and I were flabbergasted all month long--this was the one that put Justin over the edge and brought him to tears. He expected it was all over and Christmas was here--nope, the Lord still showered more love on us.

After Christmas (postal issues)...an Aunt and Uncle--a show of support and faith--$100! So needed and so appreciated.

Can you BELIEVE all of this!!??? I was so overcome all Christmas season with how wonderful the season is and how amazing it is to see this side of SO many people come out. Can't we just always celebrate the birth of Christ, take on His spirit, and sing Christmas songs!?

P.S. If I forgot anything please forgive me--it was all a little overwhelming.

Addition!! A big one--I remembered, Justin's Grandpa also gives all his family Christmas money every year for themselves, their spouses and each of their children...that helped us make it through our bills in December. Thank you Grandpa!

11 Goals for 2011

2011-01-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

I have been less organized about my goal setting this year. I have felt little happy feelings about the "fresh start" a new year brings and have had little ideas floating around my head as to the shape I want my fresh start to take. I did feel a little silly about these things this year because there's really nothing significant about the specific day of New Years, it's just an idea, a number, and another day--but I do like to take advantage of my cultural programming and set New Year's goals nonetheless. :)

This is my first written record of the previously mentioned ideas floating around in my head. (In no specific order.)

#1: Play guitar while the kids are in the bath

The guitar currently gets quite neglected and that seems like a good consistent opportunity to play. Now I just need to move all the guitar

music near the bathtub. :)

#2: Give at least one partially musical fireside in 2011.

This one is somewhat exciting and fun and somewhat intimidating.

I have been taking notes on this fireside here and there for about a

month.

#3: Get back on the regularly exercising boat--including yoga, running,

and more specifics that are not necessary to specify. I did think the Pioneer Day Parade 10K in Salt Lake was very fun last year and if my knees will have it, I would like to repeat that.

#4: Related to #3...wake up as close to 6am as I can muster--possibly before to get sanity time with scriptures/exercise/prayer/husband and NO children.

#5: Play the piano more--learn and memorize a new song for my students spring recital. This all means I need to figure out a time that the children will tolerate this behavior.

#6: Be on top of home schooling. Get a consistent schedule the kids can

count on and stick to it. Make it fun, quality time that they enjoy. Be creative with it and give them a variety of learning activities.

#7: See MY side of the family more--i.e. increase the Sunday dinner invites.

#8: This one I've been feeling and thinking about a lot and haven't really shared. I'm thinking I want to go to a nursing home every 3rd Sunday for an hour or two. Pick one--always do the same one, maybe take one kid with me each time....talk with people....get to know them...I will have to have husband cooperation, but I really

want to do it. I want to start this legacy of service I hope to leave

behind. I think this step will help lead me to goal #2.

I also am planning on having my piano students doing a "practice recital" at a nursing home this year and hopefully forever from here on out.

I speak in non-committed language about the first part of this because it's a step out of my comfort zone but I'm quite sure I will be sorely disappointed in myself if I don't follow through, knowing the way my spirit feels about it.

I also am planning on having my students doing a "practice recital" at a nursing home this year and hopefully forever from here on out.

#9. On that note- who knows what year this will happen, but I really want to live worthy of seeing angels. I'm done messin' around. There is nothing that could get between me and God that could possibly be worth it. I have temptations that easily beset me that I get to continually work on and why even mess around with anything else. I am committed. I want the spirit, and I intend to follow it--when I slip up, I want to recognize it quickly, dust off and get back up.

#10. Five minute prayer minimum every night. I've been doing this for a little over a week and I think I'll up it again soon. For whatever reason I am not requiring much out of my morning prayers for now. I'm just happy to say them before some child is requiring my attention. On a few nights this has totally changed the way I talk to

Heavenly Father and has reminded me of the scriptures that say to

pray to him over your flocks and your fields etc etc. I have talked to

Him more like a friend, more like a companion--venting to him and

discovering my deep feelings about things as I share them and that

process has allowed me to be taught in a different way as well. Highly recommended. :)

#11: Ooo--just thought of this one fresh--when the weather is warmer, if I have transportation HIKE HIKE HIKE. I did pretty good last year

getting out just me and the little ones and I would be so happy if I could pull that off again. Avin will be bigger and heavier AND not big enough to be an independent hiker BUT Austin will also be bigger and hopefully won't be so oblivious to edges. Pros and cons to aging children. I also would like to camp one time this year with my little family.

Well my computer time is up, 11 goals for 2011.

(Sorry I don't know how to make my posts not go all crazy--it looked all one color and lined up before I published it!)

Letter to an Inmate

2010-12-19T10:37:00.001-08:00

I have an amazing and beautiful friend who does amazing and beautiful things with the spirit to bless this world and God's children. She got a few girlfriends together, worked to get clearance to go sing to a group of around 30 prison inmates in Arizona, and went and did it. She said they wanted to help give these men hope and that it was very inspiring and the spirit was very strong and by the end these men were glowing. She is amazing (did I already use that word? :) ) and an inspiration to me to go put into action the deeds the Lord inspires me to do.

Her project did not end there. The men loved the music so much and wanted copies, so for Christmas she has fund-raised to purchase the cd's for them and will also be delivering letters to them written anonymously to help them hold on to hope. I want to share this letter that I wrote for an inmate this morning because the spirit really accompanied me while writing it and there are parts in it that are helpful reminders to me, and I hope that some part of it will help you want to be a better person too.

If any of you would like to write a letter, they are accepting letters through December 31st. The e-mail you send the letters to is myfamilytreasures@gmail.com.

To you who is reading this :)

I don't know what brought you to where you are today and that is not important. Our past does not define us...it is our present thoughts, feelings, and dreams that create our today and our future todays. I want you to not define yourself by who you WERE and the things you DID, and allow yourself to dream big and let the happy, healthy, inspiring version of you come out. You may not feel right now like there is a person of that description inside of you, but I assure you there is.

A little background. My husband went to jail I think around 5 times before I met him for various charges--mostly drug related, over a 10 year span. I also had about 7 years of my life in which I used almost every drug under the sun. By saying this I wish to give you hope that change is possible, and that if we can do it, you can do it, regardless of what your past held. My husband had a serious addiction that many people don't come out of alive and I know he is thankful every day that God plucked him up and saved him from that life. (That's how he typically words it.) Friends and acquaintances that we have now would never suspect that we had these backgrounds because we have changed and we are new people. It is never too late. It is NEVER too late.

Start over today. Use you time and your thoughts to your advantage. All things can be used for the good of those who love God--He will help you turn anything and everything into a growth and learning experience. Maybe you learned the hard way in the past--but use that, and choose not to learn that way anymore. You can make a difference for others and the changes they see in you will inspire them. Your experiences and the pain they have caused you CAN be used for your good, your growth, and you can use them to help other people. You may walk by someone on the street, or see someone you love and have a sense, a knowing of what they are going through, because you've been there--and because of that, YOU can give them the perfect words. Oh to have ANY part in saving someone from even part of the pain that you went through--I hope and pray in my heart so much all the time that I can do that for at least one person with the things I say and do.

There will be times when you doubt yourself and your strength and your calling in life, it is to be expected. Turn to the Lord. Think of one person in this world that you love so much--your mother, your daughter, your son, your uncle--and KNOW that God has even more love for you than that--and that He will give you strength and that if you trust him with your life--he will make it a life worth living. Just like you want happiness and good things for those you love, He wants that for you. Remember thoughts that make you feel like crap are from the wrong source.

Use this time to your advantage. Let those you love know that you love them and most importantly work toward that clear vision of you are and who you want to be. Be optimistic, be hopeful. Put things that inspire you into your brain so often that it forces out the negative. It doesn't matter where you've been--keep the positive things you've learned from it, throw the rest out, and move forward into a new higher vision of you. Embody that person.

Love, blessings, and my best wishes and faith

-A Friend

The Love of a Mother

2010-12-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

I have an experience I would like to share with you all that is very precious to me.

I had the opportunity to do a little spiritual work with a friend, Elizabeth, that I knew in Texas. She is the mother of someone I used to be very close to and I had not had any contact with her for over ten years. I wanted to practice energy work at that time and let people know that I would like the opportunity for practice if anyone wanted or needed some work. (If you are not familiar with energy work that's okay I will explain :) .)

When I do energy work with someone (whether present or across the world) it is a form of prayer. I begin by connecting with and addressing Heavenly Father, as I do in prayer. I let him know that I would like to do a healing and/or a reading for the person and as I am letting Him know that, the spirit lets me know if it is to be a reading or a healing or both. Typically it is one or the other rather than both. At that point I cast out spirits from my presence through the power of Christ and after spiritually/energetically connecting with the person I am doing work for, I cast out spirits from their presence. (I use the term "I" here loosely because I do realize the work is not done by me, I am just a tool doing only what I feel guided by my Father in Heaven to do.) I often feel a burden lift from the individuals heart and/or mind upon casting out spirits and sometimes I can tell if it felt like one strong spirit or multiple spirits are leaving.

When I connect with the energy of the person, the same way you connect with Heavenly Father when you pray, I immediately feel how they are feeling physically and emotionally. I don't feel little body pains but I can feel for example if their heart is heavy or they are exhausted. Sometimes descriptive words come readily attached to these feelings, sometimes I have to find my own words to explain them. I have had many special and sacred experiences doing this work for people. One night quite a few years ago, I did energy work on my Grandpa Rogers while I was massaging his feet in the hospital. I felt a shaky, uncomfortable, unsettled feeling inside his veins. I didn't know what it was and I didn't know how to explain it, and I'm quite sure I didn't try. The doctors did not yet know what was wrong, but in a day or two they discovered that the blood he had received in a blood transfusion was not a match and his body was rejecting it.

I am inspired to share different messages with people, sometimes--you need to read your scriptures and they will help you gain this and this, or you need to pray, or you really have a lot of spirits around you and you need to read the scriptures, or you need to worry about strengthening YOU right now, or remember Heavenly Father loves you and he wants you to love you too-do things you love...whatever the message may be. At times it has been a little rough for me to say the things out loud that I have felt because I needed to trust for instance that the response would not be, "Oh, well I do pray," or "I do read my scriptures every night." More experience gave me more confidence.

Now that you have a little back ground into energy work and my personal version of it, I'll return to my experience with Elizabeth. I went about our little long distance session as previously explained and had some things to tell her about, which I was going to send her in an e-mail when I finished up. I began closing out her work like I always do, I asked for her to be surrounded with light and that angels would help her with processing anything else she may need help with. I then thanked Heavenly Father for the work and something happened that had never happened before, I heard and felt, "You're not done."

A little thrown off I paused and spiritually descended out of my connection with Heavenly Father, back to my connection with her. The second I reconnected with Elizabeth I felt a spirit come in and I knew and felt, "Daughter." I had no knowledge of Elizabeth having a daughter that would be in the spirit. Elizabeth's daughter told me to tell her among other things, that she loves her and that she will get to raise her. Although I had heard it said that Joseph Smith told Emma she would be able to raise her babies, I didn't have any personal experiences or feelings about it and I doubted. "Really?" I asked this daughter in spirit. "Yes," she said, "tell her she will be able to raise me." I believe she told me this three times and then I clearly felt her leave. With that I knew what had needed to happen was finished.

You may correctly imagine that I was hesitant to share this experience with Elizabeth. I knew nothing about any daughter and I was half scared she was going to tell me I was crazy. I got up the nerve and e-mailed her everything--including a small disclaimer stating that I just had to tell her, even though I may be crazy.

A few suspenseful days later, Elizabeth e-mailed me back. She said that she had a daughter that she had lost before she was born. She had never known from any physical evidence if this child had been a boy or girl, but for 30 years she had felt it was a girl and at times she had felt her with her. She even had a name that she wanted to call her and I believe sometimes would in her heart. She shared with me a sacred thing, that for all this time since she had lost her daughter, she had prayed to Heavenly Father, with the love of a mother, that she would be allowed to raise this child. Her heart ached for this yet she had never shared this desire. In that work that Heavenly Father, this mother and this child allowed me to be a part of, that beautiful, sweet daughter, who loves her sweet mama, was able to put her mother's heart at ease and confirm to her that yes, she would be allowed to raise her daughter. How wonderful. How humbling.

I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers in His own way and in His own time. I know that he loves us so much and that his plan will heal our heart aches. I know that He speaks to us, and sometimes like Elizabeth feeling for so long that her child was a girl, yet doubting herself, and like me being nervous to share my experience with her, we don't trust our own spiritual guidance. I know that if you seek out your Heavenly Father with an open and trusting heart, believing in Christ, you will not be led astray, and He will guide you. He will teach you to trust that guidance as you work to have and keep the Spirit and follow it. No other guidance will do. No other guidance will lead you back home where you belong, and no other guidance will give you the least amount of comparable joy. When you do the Lord's work, he magnifies you because you are His hands, you are His feet, you are His messenger, and you are not and will not be ordinary. Do small things with great love, the image of Christ will be written all over your countenance and you will uplift all who you meet.

-Mama Gurr

The Spirit of St. Nicholas

2010-12-07T13:28:00.001-08:00

I have a wonderfully compromising husband. I was told in a blessing given by him early in our marriage that he is "mold-able" and though he often at first is less than open to a new idea, he also often, after some thought, comes to his senses and agrees with me or lets me have my way. :) Apparently the Lord saw this as an important characteristic that the man who was to marry me must possess. Odd.

This particular instance of our at first clashing ideas came up with the Christmas season. Joshua is now old enough to care and understand about Christmas, why we celebrate it, and Santa. Joshua has a unique little personality and is always asking me what people or characters are real and which are pretend. He often clarifies to me that "Superman is pretend and Jesus and Heavenly Father are real." Well, Justin really wanted to teach Joshua about Santa Claus, but I couldn't bring myself to lie to this child who was asking me, "Mom, is Santa Claus real?" To some people it may not feel like a lie, but to me it did. All I could say is, "Well, some people think he's real, but I don't. Maybe you can see what Daddy thinks."

As luck would have it, Joshua approached his Dad and said something to the effect of, "Dad, Mom said Santa Claus isn't real!" Ahhh! No! That's not what I said! Crap! So no, that didn't go over well and Mommy got in trouble. I told him how the conversation really went and it didn't appease him much. In the middle of our not so quiet discussion over the matter, Jayden came and saved the day and proceeded to tell Joshua all about Santa Claus, where he lives, etc. Lucky for that moment and any chance of having the spirit in our home that day, Joshua believed him and went around the house excitedly talking about Santa Claus and that he IS real. Thank heavens for older brothers.

I was still undecided about how I really wanted to handle Christmas and the children and Justin and his Mother both came up with the idea to teach the children about St. Nicholas-the REAL Santa Claus. I did some research online and learned about St. Nicholas and shared the story with Justin. I was touched by what a giving, self-less, and Christ like man he was and how much he just wanted to glorify God and serve him secretly. Together we decided that this was a good man to teach our children about and that his story could amplify the spirit of Christmas and that as a family we could follow the example of St. Nicholas and take on the spirit of giving to glorify God, celebrate the birth of Christ, and bring people happiness. This year and years to come our stockings will be filled by a secret someone who loves Jesus and wants to make people happy like St. Nick.

Here's the story we read to the children one family home evening to teach them about St. Nick:

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=167

-Mama Gurr

Messiah Sing-In

2010-12-04T09:52:00.001-08:00

Last night Justin took me to the Messiah sing-in in American Fork! I was so happy! When I went to UVSC our choir and orchestra put on a Messiah sing-in and that was the first and only time I had participated in one until last night, although I have WANTED to go every year.

The orchestra had a few little rough moments as did the soprano soloist, but overall it was very good and moving. There's something about singing "all we like sheep have gone astray" with a large group of people in an old tabernacle that is very moving...and then singing that Christ has taken on him all of our iniquities. There were several songs that were quite moving. As a whole I would have done a couple less solos and a couple more chorus and audience songs--they cut a few that I really like.

I was more impressed my both of the male soloists than I was with the women. Justin and I just kept thinking that his mom's voice is so much more full than the woman who was singing soprano...and I wished I could have heard his Grandma singing the alto solos. (I've heard her voice on a recording before.)

Justin was a little restless through most of it, but I think if I can rope him into it many more times in our lives we'll have to get there earlier so we can SEE and that should make it a little more intriguing for him. :) I was sad to not be able to watch the conductor, or the soloists (vocal and trumpet) but I love the music enough that it was okay.

I've officially decided that as long as I'm able and in an area where it's offered, I want to go to or participate in a Messiah sing-in every year for my whole life. I want to be a cute little old lady walking in with my worn Messiah music that I've carried with me every year since I was 30, with memories of going with all different family members and friends over the years.

Anyone remember the story of how Handel wrote the Messiah?? All I can remember is it was in a remarkably short period of time...and did he lock himself in his room or something? I started to look around online but the kids are needing me and I'm out of time. I'll let you know later if I find out some details. :)

P.S. Thanks to Kim and Kimble for watching the kids so we could go!

Becoming Teachable

2010-12-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

To start off this morning, I want to HIGHLY recommend the site listed under "inspiring sites" - Following the Light. John is an LDS author who writes on his site almost daily and the stories there always bring the spirit in a very wise and insightful way.

I had an interesting struggle a month or so ago that has resulted in a fair amount of growth. I am still learning from this experience and I am feeling just how real the battle is here on Earth. I am sure I will progressively share bits and pieces of the things that I am learning but for now I want to share what I've realized about the importance of the condition of the hearts of men.

In the scriptures we often read of the hardness of hearts. When our hearts are hard, or doubting, the Lord is unable to etch His truths upon them. When our hearts are hard it is difficult if not impossible for us to walk by faith, or to feel the spirit. Without the spirit, our discernment of truth is left only mental which makes us very easy to deceive by "the philosophies of men mingled with scripture." Multiple scriptures tell us that people miss out on having the mysteries of the kingdom revealed because of the hardness of their hearts. (two good references on that are 1 Ne 15:11 and Alma 12:10)

This past week I watched the Joseph Smith movie that they show downtown. I was impressed with how believing he was. When he read, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God," he believed it and he believed, nothing doubting, that the Lord would answer him. I believe this is what the Lord refers to when he tells us to become like little children, to become BELIEVING. Children trust what we teach them, nothing doubting. When we TRUST the Lord to speak to us, when we trust him to let us know through the spirit of the truth of all things, he can, and he will.

I remember 10 or more years ago, during a time when I was "spiritual and not religious," I had a friend whose husband used to be LDS and left because he never got an answer as to whether or not the Book of Mormon was true. He had become quite bitter and anti. I don't know the condition his heart was in when he was seeking for a witness of the Book of Mormon, but I believe that to not receive an answer, his heart must not have been teachable. I have learned that the Lord does want us to walk by faith. He wants to teach us the truthfulness of all things line upon line and when we are ready to receive them.

If we want to learn why it is important to pay tithing, the first step is to pay it. Test the Lord. While you are paying it, and acting in faith that you trust the Lord to teach you, seek, study and pray. I had a few questions recently and I went about getting the answers a little backwards. I pondered a lot, and I wanted Joseph Smith to appear and tell me everything he knew that he didn't reveal to the church. I wanted the whole picture all at once, as much as I could get. Somewhere in the process I lost my believing heart and I lost the spirit. I have now learned that the process to receiving answers is believing the Lord can and will teach you, acting in faith, studying scriptures, searching words of prophets and praying. There are too many spirits abroad in the earth to depend on personal revelation alone. (more on that in another post! :) )

When I hit rock bottom with everything, I asked for a Priesthood blessing that told me the Lord would answer all of my questions "line upon line," and that I was to "hug close to the trunk of the tree close to the roots." I started going about my seeking in a different way. I sought out the words of Joseph Smith on the topics I was pondering, I searched in the scriptures, I prayed and I went to the temple once a week for a few weeks in a row. I really felt in the temple that my ability to RECEIVE truth had diminished. I would hear something and my mind would start working on it so much that my heart didn't even have an opportunity to FEEL anything about it.

I have found the greatest way to get the spirit back into your life is through reading the scriptures. You may meditate, you may pray, you may read other enlightening books, and you may feel great love for people, but without the foundation of scripture study, the spirit will likely leave and great truths that you may learn can easily become slightly skewed by the philosophies of men. I like to think I am pretty energetically aware and there is a special grounding and wholeness that comes from including scriptures in your spiritual practice. The scriptures are the main element that helped fix my heart. It wasn't instant, and I'm not overwhelmed with the spirit every time I read, but consistently reading scriptures seems to do more than any other one thing for getting and keeping the spirit.

Be believing.

Great-great-great-great-great Grandpa Brigham

2010-11-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed reading this about Brigham Young. I am looking online to try to see what family members, from way back when, were sealed in the St George temple. Last time I went there I felt Brigham Young so much and felt his love for and connection to that particular temple....I felt like it was "his temple." When I was in the celestial room looking into one of the sealing rooms, I had a feeling that some family members in my line and from around his time had been sealed there. My feelings there and that connection I was able to feel with Brigham Young, felt like a tender privilege.

I also stopped at Cove Fort with the children on the way home from St George that day and had a tour from a senior missionary couple. I had the tour 4 years previous on Justin and I's honeymoon but didn't remember much at all. We came to one of the rooms and as I walked in I felt Brigham Young again, like I had that morning in the temple, and felt that he had spent a fair amount of time there. The senior missionary then proceeded to tell me that this was the room Brigham Young stayed in when he came through. The spirit that day was very powerful. I have felt a special connection with my great-great-great-great-great grandpa ever since.

This article told me more than I knew about Brigham Young and his love for the St. George temple. :)

t. George Temple: One Hundred Years of Service

“St. George Temple: One Hundred Years of Service,” Ensign, Mar. 1977, 92–94

This coming month of April we commemorate the one hundredth year since the dedication of the St. George Temple, the oldest Latter-day Saint temple still in use. That event has great historical significance for members of the Church; the St. George Temple was the first in this dispensation where endowments and sealings for the dead were performed. The dedication occurred on 6 April 1877, just four months prior to President Brigham Young’s death.

The closing years of President Young’s life and the work on the temple were closely intertwined. Those years are examined here by William G. Hartley, research historian with the Church Historical Department.

Aging Brigham Young, unable to walk comfortably due to rheumatism, was lifted gently from his carriage on that New Year’s day, 1877. Two men carried him in a special chair through the newly painted temple doors. The waiting crowd flowed indoors after him, hoping to find seats before the dedicatory service began at 12:30 p.m.

The St. George Temple as it now stands. It was rededicated in November 1975 by President Spencer W. Kimball, following extensive remodeling to improve the interior facilities.

For President Young, the dedication of the St. George Temple had to be a memorable and spiritually moving event. Forty years earlier, he had marshalled his professional skills to supervise the glazing, painting, and finishing work on the Kirtland Temple, a temple accepted of the Lord at its dedication with an outpouring of heavenly visitations. Then the Saints had built again at Nauvoo. Both temples were now lost to the Saints, and although some eternal ordinances for the living had been performed in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, President Young himself had warned that no endowment or sealing ordinance work for the dead could be performed until a temple was raised up unto the Lord.

Construction started on the Salt Lake Temple in 1853, but the work was slow, and was to take forty years to complete.

President Young alone held the sealing keys for temple work. The responsibility weighed on him, and he must have felt the urgency to share the temple ordinances with others in a House of the Lord. Years before, the Prophet Joseph Smith had taken him and other Church leaders into a room above his Nauvoo store. There he divided off the room as best he could and carefully instructed them about the various temple ceremonies. “Brother Brigham,” he said when he was finished, “this is not arranged right, but we have done the best we could under the circumstances in which we are placed, and I want you to take this matter in hand and organize and systematize all these ceremonies.” (L. John Nuttall diary, Feb. 7, 1877, typescript, Church Archives.)

President Young fulfilled that assignment from the Prophet, and he personally directed the completion of the Nauvoo Temple and the administering of ordinances so Saints could hurriedly receive their endowments before fleeing Nauvoo in early 1846.

It was while in St. George, where he spent the last few winters of his life, that President Young determined to have a temple built there, and the feelings of the southern leaders were expressed in Region President Erastus Snow’s exultant shout: “Glory Hallelujah!”

The site was dedicated 9 November 1871, Erastus Snow’s birthday, and hardly were the “amens” uttered to the closing prayer before diggers, using shovels and scrapers, attacked the ground.

Erastus Snow, construction superintendent Miles Romney, and others, had the responsibility of finding the laborers and their lodgings, organizing their schedules, and obtaining the building materials, and they accepted it willingly. They felt it a blessing and reward for persevering in colonizing the desert country. And, as a public works project, it financially blessed many devout and struggling Saints.

The men worked on the temple for wages, receiving pay half in cash and half in Tithing Office checks. Local Saints were expected to labor one day in ten as donated tithing labor. Women did laundry for the workers, teenagers helped guard the site, farmers loaned valuable teams and wagons for the project, and skilled workers from many countries shared their talents. George Jarvis, a former sailor from England, made the scaffolding; David Milne, the interior decorator, was from Scotland; Edward L. Parry, chief stonecutter, was trained in Wales; and Robert Gardner, chief lumberman, learned his trade in Canada.

This photo of the St. George Temple taken some time between 1873 and 1877 shows the lower half of the red sandstone walls being readied for a coating of whitewash. This was prior to the construction of the taller tower now familiar to temple visitors. The original tower was damaged by lightning.

But even with the enormous sacrifice of time, money, goods, and labor by the southern Utah Saints, help from other Saints was needed. Calls for help brought good responses. In one year some 400 men from northern towns labored on the temple as missionaries, usually for forty days or longer.

Construction progressed rapidly. First, underground water was channeled off the site and the ground was excavated down twelve feet. The bottom soil was too soft and wet for the foundation, so black volcanic rock was pounded into it by a makeshift pile-driver—an old cannon barrel filled with lead, harnessed, lifted thirty feet into the air by horse-power, then dropped.

By February 1874 the foundation and the basement were in place; in April the cornerstone was laid; and by March 1875 the red sandstone walls were erected. Plasterers and whitewashers later gave the red sandstone a coat of white to symbolize purity and light.

As the temple neared completion, thousands of loads of rich soil were hauled in to make the barren ground support lawns, trees, and shrubs. Relief Societies sent handmade rag carpets for the floors, and home-grown and spun silks for the altar and pulpit fringes. The Provo Woolen Mill and other factories sent more than 1,000 yards of carpet. Three immigrant artists painted murals and other art work: Dan Weggeland from Norway, and C. C. A. Christensen and Samuel Jepperson of Denmark.

Despite the rapid progress, President Young was reportedly worried. “You cannot realize … how anxious he is to get this temple completed,” Elder George A. Smith told a worker. “He feels he is getting old, and is liable to drop off anytime, and he has keys he wants to give in the Temple.” (“Journal Diary of Robert Gardner,” Heartthrobs of the West, 10:321.)

Finally came that New Year’s Day when Brigham Young was carried in and the basement, the main floor, and the sealing rooms on the east side dedicated by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Brigham Young, Jr., and Erastus Snow. Then the expectant congregation looked toward President Young.

The prophet, earlier unable to stand up, suddenly arose, carefully walked to the stand, and preached to the assembled Saints. “The house seemed filled with a heavenly host,” reported the Woman’s Exponent, “and the President’s face fairly shone with the light of the Holy Ghost.”

“All the angels in heaven are looking at this little handful of people,” he said. “Can the fathers be saved without us? No. Can we be saved without them? No.” In the nearly completed temple, he said, the Saints could finally commence that all-important work. (Journal of Discourses, 18:303–5.)

He asked if the people were satisfied with completing a temple. He thundered, “I am not half satisfied, until I have whipped … the devils from off this earth.” With that, he crashed his hickory cane down on the pulpit, so hard it left the prints of the two knots on the stick in the soft pine. (John Nuttall’s Journal, 1 January 1877.)

The original baptismal font in the St. George Temple. President Brigham Young had men search throughout Utah and Idaho for the finest-formed ox that could be found to use as a model for the oxen supporting the font.

On 9 January 1877, for the first time in more than thirty years, baptisms for the dead were performed in the temple. President Young, propped on a crutch and his cane, personally witnessed the work—224 that first day. Endowments for the dead began two days later, being the first such endowments given in this dispensation—3,208 by the end of March.

President Young personally directed the temple work for his father, mother, and other kindred dead. He also spent time developing a “perfect form of the endowments,” which was then read and taught to temple workers in late March. (Wilford Woodruff Diary, “Journal History,” March 21, 1877, Church Archives.) Final dedication took place in April, with general conference taking place in Saint George for that purpose. On August 29, Brigham Young died after dedicating temple sites at Manti and Logan.

His concern for the completion of the temple for the “perfect form” of the eternal work that was to be conducted there was highlighted by speakers at his funeral. Elder Erastus Snow said: “It is a great joy and comfort to know that he had the privilege of living to complete one Temple and to see it dedicated, and that he superintended the setting in order of the priesthood and the ordinances for the redemption of the dead … something he greatly desired to see done before he should pass away.” (Brigham H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church, 5:516–17.)

No doubt President Young and those of his generation who built the St. George Temple a hundred years ago take pride in the ordinance work accomplished to date in that temple: almost 500,000 baptisms for the dead; more than 4,000,000 endowments for the dead and 70,000 for the living; approximately 1,000,000 sealings of deceased husbands and wives and about 35,000 sealings of living couples; more than 2,300,000 sealings of deceased children to parents and almost 40,000 sealings of living children to parents.

Changing My Style

2010-11-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

Well guys....I've been re-inspired as to the nature and purpose of my blog. I think when I first started "blogging" I wanted to share spiritual things as well as things that may help in just living a more conscious life. While I love my family and kidlets tons and forever, and they are so much of my every day experience, joy and growth, I don't want this blog to be solely dedicated to the sharing of my family with family. Although that is a good thing and will likely still be part of this blog, I want the energy that I put into this to be more reflective, and more like spirit food. Make sense!? I believe it will be good and nurturing TO ME to do this. We'll see how often I share things. :)

My inspiration for this change? An author that I love who wrote, "Following the Light of Christ into His Presence," among other things (also Justin's uncle) keeps an "unblog" where he shares daily spiritual thoughts to help bring people to Christ and to give himself another reason to keep the spirit with him daily. I want to refocus my life. I want an undeviating path, and I want my unavoidable deviations swallowed up by Christ. Ya with me!? Lets do this! :)

Bless, bless, blessed be. :) (Somehow the smiley face never gets old for me :) )

P.S. Warning: I will be likely be changing the web address to mamagurr.blogspot.com or thelifeofmamagurr.blogspot.com

Brightyn Mae

2010-05-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

So my little sister, who is sometimes still a little girl in my dreams, just had her first baby early May 5th..(.which all of you probably know because you are likely all my family members...but I'm gonna pretend you're not for now. :))

I am so overwhelmed with emotion about it, I'm really surprising myself. She is the first family member to have any children since I've had my own. It all changes when you have been through parenthood yourself and now you see someone you love entering into such a sacred, special experience-opportunity that will change them forever. I am just so happy for her I can't get over it. I also have really enjoyed seeing my parent's (especially my mother's) joy over her new grand-baby.

I have a family full of special and wonderful mothers. Little Brightyn has to have been so excited to come down to two driven, overachieving, fun and loving parents. I am so grateful and happy to have her (and her mama) in our family and hope that we are all able to stay very close through out these children's lives. I miss the family closeness that was there before we all went off and got families of our own....but I'm hoping with a little effort to get the best of both worlds. Every time in our lives turns out to be such a special time when we can look back at the whole picture.

We love you Brightyn! Welcome to your new home!

Fun With Special Rocks

2010-04-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to a rock shop in Orem that someone in our ward informed us of. I was super excited as I have a love for rocks and crystals. Turns out this rock shop leads free trips around Utah to go find your own rocks too! Very fun! Joshua and Austin both got a free polished rock for going in with me and Joshua already had his own Citrine crystal from a different store in Salt Lake.

I read last night about different ways to cleanse crystals. (You may wonder why crystals need cleansing at all...just to keep it brief, they can hold on to negative energy. Some people just like rocks and don't buy into any of crystal's metaphysical properties...but I am of course not one of those people. :)) I knew about leaving them in salt water, or leaving them in a window sill on a full moon...but this website also mentioned leaving them in a stream with running water over them or leaving them out in the sun light for a few hours, among other things. SO this morning the boys and I put our "special rocks" on paper towels in the garden for a few hours of some cleansing and energizing sunlight.

We each had our own paper towel for OUR special rocks and put them right where we wanted them in the garden. Joshua and Austin BOTH really love their rocks and like to carry them around with them often.

This day Joshua and I were playing and I was laying down just energetically feeling all the different stones on me and Joshua wanted to try it out too...so we set him up with a little crystal spread of his own. SUPER fun! I'm excited for the kids to be into this from a young age.

Cute Pictures and the First Flight

2010-04-08T18:26:00.001-07:00

Warning: There are two new blogs in a row!!!
Can you believe our view!?

So early last month Justin got to take his "test flight" for flight school. I am so excited for him to do something he will love and it's super fun to see HIS boyish excitement about it. I think it will be a very good and sometimes fun experience for the whole family. Very cool for Joshua and Jayden to get to sit it in the airplane!
Just before take-off
While we were waiting for it to be time for his flight we all went (random underline I can't erase) to an elementary school in Provo that was right behind the condos I used to live in. Turns out Justin went to that elementary school AND it has a perfect climbing tree.

I'm pretty sure I really cared about whatever I was saying in this picture...and something tells me my husband was focusing on other things. :)
See the boyish excitement on Justin's face for his upcoming flight! And I think Austin's face looks porcelain in this picture.
One of my new favorites of Jayden

Fun with bubbles

Easter Follow Up

2010-04-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Easter and the visit of Justin's sister Danielle, and her family. (We end up seeing a lot more of his sister Kim who lives in North Salt Lake when Danielle is here too...so some pics also have her family.)

This doesn't at all capture the amount of people AND CHILDREN we've had in and out of our house the past few weeks. :) The kids had a lot of fun together and it's always nice for the adults to catch up.

So the Easter cookie experiment went pretty well. We started out the event with an Easter primary song and prayer to get the kids in a quiet, paying attention kind of mood. We then migrated to the kitchen and went into the cookie making, taking turns between adults and kids old enough to read on the many scripture passages.

There was one point in the recipe when we needed to leave them mixing for 12-15 minutes so we ended up going back in the front room to sing more primary songs. That alone was pretty fun because it's not often we get to do those types of things with extended family.

All in all I think the resurrection cookie idea was a success in getting every one to think more about Christ than the Easter bunny. I do believe I will make it a tradition...only next year I will make each cookie smaller and more round so that maybe they will be more obviously hollow. I could tell they were hollow but it wasn't super evident to the kids. They tasted very sugary....as they are mostly made of sugar...they were alright. And alright works for me when the making of them is such a positive experience.

Easter Story Cookies

2010-04-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

I was looking for something to do to bring Easter to life for my kids and found this. Sorry it's too last minute to really pass on very well....but I guess I'm a last minute person since I only looked it up today. :) I'll let you know how it turns out. We will have at least 4 extra children (Justin's sister Danielle and her kids are staying over tonight) so hopefully we can calm the troops for an organized activity. If it goes well I may just start a little tradition.

P.S. I also found a little easter set online with the tomb, Christ, Mary and an angel that says its a good material for kids to play with safely. Maybe I can get something like that soon too. :) Gotta take the focus off the bunny!

I would love to hear any ideas you guys have for family Easter activities!

DLTK's Bible Activities for Kids
Easter Story Cookies

Thanks to Melanie and Sarah for contributing this recipe!

To be made the evening before Easter

1cup whole pecans
1tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important, don't wait till you're half done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was Beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1tsp vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar.

Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

Recipe: Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese

2010-03-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hey guys . . . here's another one of my favorite recipes from the Biggest Loser Simple Swaps cookbook. I took it to Jayden's blue and gold scouts dinner and it went over really well. I was so happy it did. It tastes a little like rice-o-roni so kids will like it but its also REALLY good for them. Feel free to take out the cheese, I'm sure it's just as yummy!

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups shopped spinach, kale, or swiss chard

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and quinoa and cook for about 1 minute longer, stirring occasionally. Do not brown the garlic. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 12 minutes, the mixture will be brothy and the quinoa almost done. Stir in the spinach and mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes longer, or until the quinoa grains have turned from white to transparent. Add the cheese. Season with the salt and pepper. Serve hot.

(also good as a cold salad)

Makes 6 - 3/4 cup servings....160 calories, 7 g protein per serving!

A Month Late

2010-03-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

No, no I'm not pregnant (as far as I know :)) but I'm a month late posting pictures from our wonderful visit to St. George to see Mom and Dad. Better late than never. :)

Me and my very cute husband on a golf cart excursion

around Sun River.

The boys and Grandpa in action on their golf cart...Good job Jayden for keeping your eyes on the road! Grandpa made a few Sun River residents unhappy because they caught him allowing an unlicensed child to drive the golf cart on the road! Oops! Very fun for Jayden while it lasted!

Russ gave up his room for us for 3 days and 4 nights! Not to mention any chance of peace and quiet. It was nice to see him as always and fun to see him with the kids.

Gramps tuckered out with the baby :) hee hee

Aww, isn't this cute!

Entertaining Austin

Grampa taking Joshua out on the bike! Jayden

got a LONG ride and Austin got a mini ride.

They are just so stinkin cute

Something James Dean about this...hmmm
Jayden s far off thoughtful look-enjoy the journey

Justin's play time with Avin and the high chair.

Hershey's kiss -Grampa's idea!

That's it! Almost every pic from my camera!

Vegetarian Curry Stew Recipe

2010-02-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

So here is the first of hopefully multiple healthy recipes I will be posting. This one is from the Biggest Loser Simple Swaps cookbook and is very yummy. I am posting this one first for Mandy, because she tasted it and wanted the recipe. :) So here it is! Sorry no picture! Print and enjoy.

Vegetarian Curry Stew

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups finely chopped red onions

2 Tbsp finely chopped, peeled ginger

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 cup diced fire-roasted tomatoes or chopped, seeded, peeled fresh tomatoes, or tomato sauce

1 Tbsp ground coriander

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (I didn't have this and it was still yummy)

3 cups fat-free, low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 (12oz) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes (about 2 cups)

1 cup cooked black beans (you can experiment with different beans or try lentils or tofu)

1 cup cooked chickpeas

salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro without stems

fresh lime wedges

In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until tender but not brown. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Do not brown the garlic.

Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon and cook for about 1 minute, or until very fragrant. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the sweet potato and simmer about 4 minutes. Add the beans and chickpeas and simmer about 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, sprinkled with cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

Makes 8 (1 cup) servings

(Believe it or not 1 cup is quite satisfying! Even for Justin!)

Per Serving: 160 calories, 6 g protein, 28 g carbs, 2 g fat (0 saturated), 0 cholesterol, 6 g fiber, 250 mg sodium

Fun Kid Pictures

2010-02-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Austin loves miss Nala and she is perfect with him
Cute chunker
Mischievous
Innocent Avin
Austin trying out a night in Joshua's bed. He went and

got his blanket and hopped in while we were tucking in

Joshua and we went with it.
Why is this kid laying on me?
Any resemblance??

Little face pullers that don't like to hold still . . . nice idea but it didn't quite

work out like I'd hoped. Austin refused to lay with his head by his brothers,

he seems to like personal space like his mom.
There is a post coming one day with a few recipes. :) It's been saved half done

for probably a week now. :) I'm trying lots of new and very yummy recipes from the Biggest Loser, Simple Swaps cookbook lately (thanks to mom)! I have a new found love for cooking, knowing that what I'm making is good for my family makes it much easier for me to love . . . plus all of these recipes are going over so well . . . with Justin and Jayden anyway. . . more on that with the future post. :)

My Mommy's Footsteps, Literally

2010-01-24T16:26:00.000-08:00

I have no pictures for this post besides the many vivid pictures in the memories of my entire life. Literally since I can remember I have sat next to my mother watching, listening to, and talking to her, while she played the organ. While watching I have mostly watched her feet, her occasional glance down at them, and without knowing it, I learned a few things about playing the organ.

I have never really tried to learn to organ before today. I just got back from an hour and twenty minutes on the church organ practicing. Let me tell you it is WAY more different than the piano than I ever thought. It's not just adding feet . . . even if it was, just that wouldn't be quite as easy as I expected. It is a TOTALLY different instrument and there is a totally different language I will have to learn . . . the great, the swell, the stops, etc. And my fingers have to learn a whole new way of playing.

Here are some differences between piano and organ:

Piano- There is voicing. The melody in any song should stand out, or be "voiced" louder than the rest of the notes.

Organ- No voicing. It doesn't matter if you hit one note harder than another, they will be the same volume.

Piano- Basically use whatever fingering makes the most sense and makes it fastest to get to notes. You have a pedal to sustain the notes!

Organ- Use crazy fingering in order to make the music sound sustained in the correct places WITHOUT a sustaining pedal. (Otherwise it will be totally choppy sounding.)

Piano- No fancy footwork. All of your energy and concentration can go into what your hands are doing!

Organ- Lots of fancy footwork! I'm having a hard time feeling the distance between notes without looking! . . . and SO what my hands are playing suffers too! . . . especially since I have to play that weird to make it not CHOPPY!

Piano-If you are using the pedal for that lovely sustaining sound . . . all of the notes are sustained.

Organ- You can sustain the left hand independent of the right and vs versa which has a lovely effect and makes me feel like I'm playing TWO instruments in an orchestra. (Fun Handel song in the Organ lesson book :))

Summary: This is all very fun and I'm glad my husband had the idea for me to learn the organ and my bishop is letting me practice at the church(we have a ward pianist, not an organist). I feel very much like my mother and have a much deeper appreciation for the talent she developed on the organ. Everyone appreciate your ward organist!

Elliana's Birthday Party

2010-01-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

Last night we had a 4th birthday party for my niece Elliana at our house. Thanks to the new camera I got for Christmas from my sis-in-law, I have pictures! The hit barbie house!
Aunt Kim keeping Avin happy

Miss Elli thinking of a wish!

Uncle Justin and Juliette! Love it!
Uncle Adam and "line backer" Austin playing
Cute cousins Joshua and Elli (in her new princess dress)

Avin 6 weeks old yesterday!

2010-01-04T13:18:00.001-08:00

Little angel face
I love the light on this one.
Avin's most smiley time of day is first thing in the

morning. He started giggling every now and then

this week also.
Avin's 3 big brothers really love him, especially his smallest

big brother, Austin. Austin loves him tons but also has a little higher need for attention himself now. Joshua has started calling Avin his baby

recently and I think Jayden just can't believe how many siblings . . .

BROTHERS he's getting . . . especially between both families.

I'll keep the pictures comin . . . I know not everyone gets

to witness all of this growing up that's happening in our

house and they are always changing.

I've done 2 more posts recently, so scroll on down so you don't miss them. :)

Joshua is in Primary!

2010-01-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

Today was Joshua's first day as a Sun Beam in the primary! What a big boy! He loved it and loved showing his new crown off to us after church.
Updated pics of Avin coming soon! . . . hopefully tomorrow. :)

One more cute thing about Joshua. New Year's Eve we put him in bed around 8:30. At 9:30 I went back upstairs and heard something coming from his room. I put my head by the door and he was singing! I went and gave him some love, told him he sings so pretty and said goodnight again. When I told Justin that downstairs he said he had just heard Joshua singing a little earlier and went in and did the same thing. What a cute kid! We think we'll keep him.

Vaccines

2010-01-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

Hello all, I was just getting out some old books and looking online about vaccines to remind myself why my children are not vaccinated and see if there were any vaccines that I would want to give them, maybe at older than the recommended ages. My book said the DPT shot had formaldehyde in it and other vaccines had mercury,(www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/July2001/AutismUniqueMercPoison.htm) I looked that info up online. Here's one of the pages I found. I 'm not looking to start any heated discussions :) I just want to encourage everyone to make conscious, educated decisions with vaccination. Things are often not as bad as they are made to sound and many of these diseases are most often mild and harmless anyway. LOVES! I'll make my next post more fun I promise! Pictures of children and everything. :)

Toxins may lurk in vaccines

Joe Baker, Senior Editor

Toxins may lurk in vaccines

By Joe Baker, Senior Editor

Whats in that vaccine? The Illinois Vaccine Awareness Coalition thinks you ought to know. So here is a partial list of some of the potentially toxic or contaminated ingredients in commonly used vaccines.

DPTdiptheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanusSmithKline Beecham: aluminum phosphate, formaldehyde, ammonium sulfate, washed sheep red blood cells, sodium chloride, thimerosal (mercury)linked to autismand pig pancreatic hydrolsate of casein.

Lederle DPTformaldehyde, thimerosal, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, polysorbate 80 and gelatin.

MMRmeasles, mumps and rubella, live virus vaccine, Merck & Co., Inc.sorbitol, neomycin, hydrolized gelatin, human diploid cells (from aborted human fetal tissue).

IPOLinactivated polio vaccine, Connought Laboratoriesthree types of polio virus, formaldehyde, phenoxyethanol (antifreeze), neomycin, streptomycin, polymixin B and monkey kidney cells.

Hepatitis BSmithKline Beechamaluminum hydroxide, thimerosal (mercury) and yeast.

ChickenpoxMerck & Co., Inc.sucrose, phosphate, glutamate, processed gelatin, human diploid cells (from fetal tissue)

Polio vaccine, live oral trivalentLederle Laboratoriesthree types of attenuated polio viruses, streptomycin, neomycin, calf serum, sorbitol and monkey kidney cell culture.

You must decide if you want these substances injected into your children.

Abby Dabby

2009-12-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

So I have no pictures to display but today is miss Abby Dabby's (my niece) birthday.

I can't believe it was 10 years ago that I was living with Tricia and Clay in their Murray apartment while Trish was bursting at the seams with Abby in the womb. Abby has always been such a cute, sweet, easy to love little girl . . . who is quickly becoming not so little.

It's a pretty cool thing to watch your siblings raise children and Tricia is an amazing mother raising a daughter that anyone would love to have. I'll just mention a few things I love about Abby. She is SO smart, thoughtful and witty. She is a super creative thinker and writer and is sensitive to the spirit. I am very impressed (from hearing her baptism journal entry and reading her blog :)) with the testimony that she has already developed . They say that it is so much more important to learn how to be happy than to learn all of the things you learn in school...and that often no one really teaches us that. I am lovingly proud of Abby for seeking those things that bring true happiness at such a young age. I also love that Abby enjoys playing with my boys and making Joshua crazy.

We love you Abby! Happy 10th birthday!

Avin Michael

2009-11-25T09:43:00.000-08:00

Our little precious Avin Michael was finally born after a week of little random, confusing, emotional contractions. He was 7lbs 8oz and 20 1/2 inches long and was born at 4:31am on Sunday.
His daddy caught him when he was born, under water in our room and his Aunt Danielle was the midwife. Of course labor was ridiculously painful but I could tell when I got in the tub that the hot water took the edge off.
Avin was born after only 5 hours of laboring and 3 minutes of pushing. Thank heavens for that! He is such a sweet little guy and I feel more bonded to him than I ever have with any of my babies this early on. I was so anxious for him to come that it made me that much more overcome with emotion for him to actually arrive.

Home Energy Conservation and Stuff

2009-11-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

Avan at 20 weeks . . .sorry I wanted to delete some of these and just have the profile but I couldn't delete!

Lessons from Jayden

2009-11-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

I have been having special life challenges lately . . . one of which is multiple daily physical therapy sessions with Jayden whenever he's at our house. This week he's not at our house but we went over to his mom's to show her how to do a few things and I'll be going over again tomorrow to do some more. Wednesday I will be joining her for an hour and a half physical therapy appointment with a new therapist. Basically, this is consuming a lot of my life and its a major challenge for a few reasons.

The most difficult thing for Justin and I is that Jayden seems to have very little self-motivation to get better. If we don't look he doesn't push himself, and every chance he gets he takes weight off of that left leg. He pretty much avoids pain at all costs (which is natural and would take considerable mental effort to overcome) despite his knowledge that his bone won't heal without weight on it and he won't miraculously be able to walk without the effort. It has been so hard to try everything and anything to help him find some self-motivation, some inner desire and strength and to have nothing work- so we continue to do all we can in therapy to force him to put weight in it and straighten it, which trust me, is no fun at all.

This is very complain-y so far but here comes a more productive part. :) Yesterday after church out of nowhere Jayden says, "Mom, do you know something that God can't do?" I said, "Hmmm, he can't forgive us if we don't repent." He said, "Yeah, and he can't make us choose what he wants us to."

That struck me so perfectly because I've been struggling so much with that same thing. It made me think of how often Heavenly Father wants us to make better choices that will bring us MORE JOY and MORE FREEDOM, but we don't want to put in the required effort. He sits on the sidelines lovingly and does everything he can to encourage us in the right direction and he allows us to feel and experience the consequences of our actions. I wish I could say it is now easy to watch Jaydens painfully slow progress, but at least his little wise spirit is helping me learn a little deeper lesson.

Family Pics

2009-10-19T21:14:00.001-07:00

Here's a few of my favorites from our family pictures. Sorry no time to chat! We're lucky I'm posting pictures :).

Birthday and Christmas Idea

2009-09-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well there are many, many life updates I could share right now but of course I want to keep it short for now. A few weeks ago our Relief Society president came over and talked to us for a little bit as we filled out our paperwork to get food from the Bishop's storehouse. She shared an idea with us that they do in her extended family that I thought was a really good idea.

Sometimes it is overwhelming as a parent to think of providing college and mission funds for all of your children. In this family they decided to all start helping each other with their children s college and mission funds. On the children s birthdays and at Christmas rather than buying them presents, Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles use the money they would have on a gift and put it toward their fund. I know for grandparents it may be especially challenging to not actually give a gift . . . but they could at least give LESS gifts and give a little something toward the fund. This way year after year, holiday after holiday, everyone is helping and supporting the child, even if it's $5, and much of the burden is lifted from the parents.

Mom, I thought Dad may especially like this idea because he was saying he wanted to start some sort of spiritual tradition that was something the kids always knew they would get from Grandpa. You can run it by him and see if this is maybe the kind of thing he was looking for.

Hurray for Potty Training!

2009-08-20T14:47:00.001-07:00

Joshua is making me so dang proud these days! He's getting so big and I wish all the family could spend more time with he and Austin and just see how big and funny and cute they are.

Well, I've been working on potty training Joshua for a while now and it's been kind of a struggle. Lots of peed or pooped in underwear, even multiple times 10 minutes after using the potty. I'm sure every mother has gone through this joy. This week we finally crossed a mile stone! Tuesday, for the first time Joshua told me he had to use the bathroom! It came out like, "Uh-oh poo poo" (which often is meant to mean "pee,pee") but when I went over to him he was dry! I took him to the potty then and almost every time since then he has told me when he has to go! It's wonderful! It took probably 2 months for him to open his mouth and tell me, but suddenly potty training just got a lot easier! Hallelujah! I won't have 3 kids in diapers after all! Sing praises!

Air Show

2009-06-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday our family went to the air show at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden with my cousin Jeff and his family. It was really nice to get out and do something out of the ordinary, especially since it was free. I would say my favorite part was seeing the cute, boyish smile on the hubby's face as we walked back to our car afterward. It was so clearly such a nourishing day for his inner kid and he was so happy. I pointed it out to Jayden too so he could really soak in his Dad's joy. Me and the kids quite enjoyed the air show with the F16's too. Very cool. I didn't take my camera once again so these pics are from Justin's phone.

St George

2009-05-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

So last night we got home from a fabulous 4 night 3.5 day trip to sunny and beautiful St George, Utah!! It's about time! I have no pictures because my camera stayed home with a full memory stick, but Mom will undoubtedly e-mail me some soon . . . and probably post some on her site too. We had such a rejuvenating time as a family. Maybe not mom so much . . . she seemed to become Austin's second mother a lot of the time whenever things were going on and a nap time was happening or approaching. Thank heavens for those breaks with one less child.

Anyway, we had a blast swimming (3 of the 3.5 days), eating at the restaurant Dad manages, walking on temple grounds, child golf cart and motorcycle rides, the boys hitting a few buckets of balls and going to a movie, and me, Justin and Dad having a 3 hour very spiritual conversation about our lives with many tears shed by all. That was outside of the other meaningful conversations split up throughout the whole weekend. And that 3 hour conversation . . . you guessed it, Mom watched the kids with no complaints, even with Jayden very impatiently wanting us to come home so he could get out of the house for the next activity. She should have been paid for our vacation!

It was a very fun and relaxing trip. Mom is getting quite the tan and is looking very cute in her new bathing suit. I would have to say Joshua's favorite part of the trip was jumping off the little wall into the water at the pool. Jayden's favorite . . . driving the golf cart. Austin's. . . . eating. Me and hubby, reconnecting with ourselves, each other, and mom and dad.

My only complaint, I would have liked to see more of Russ . . . I never went on the walk I wanted to take with him all weekend . . . oh, and I would have lived without making so much progress on my pregnancy weight gain. :)

I don't think it will take us another year to get down for the next visit this time!

Pregnancy Symptoms and Recent Happenings

2009-04-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

There are a few things that consistently happen to me when pregnant . . .

1. I can find no reason to watch how much I eat, because I'm about to grow anyway . . . so I always put on more in the beginning than necessary but it all evens out in the end.
2. My poor kids have a much less patient mother.
3. I feel more justified in taking my own nap time when the kids take theirs.

So for those who haven't heard, we are 6 weeks pregnant. I still feel good . . . I have a ravenous appetite at times, and some days I never really feel awake, but my stomach still generally feels settled! Let's hope that holds, you never can tell this early on. I seem to want meat more often than I did in any other pregnancy (which I can't remember ever craving) but I'm doing my best to still keep it "sparing." I also have not purchased a pre-natal vitamin yet, so I'm doing my best to take in lots of high nutrient and supplement items.

I'm doing my best to keep my home and the yoga studio in order. Our studio rent went up for April and March was our worst month . . . let's hope it will remain forever our worst month. There's a lady I met last week who has some checklist to help you attract the perfect customers . . . so I plan to get that and put some energy into it. I know I need to put some energy into my vision for the studio for the next 1-5 years . . . and how to get ourselves there. So far I've been going just a little bit at a time. I also heard it's good to have your calendar . . . workshops etc for 4-6 months out! I'm definately behind on that. It's tricky, so maybe by the time the new baby is born I'll have a hang of running the studio baby.

Here are a few more recent pics of the kids. The trampoline picture is Jayden and Joshua with their friends from next door. They are very cute when they play all together.

Brothers

2009-03-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the past two days of all the boys. They are so cute to watch together. They love each other so much.

Eat More Greens!

2009-03-09T14:58:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! Here's another post transferred from what I just put on the studio website. Enjoy! Hopefully I'll get a family update up soon!

We're getting closer to our cleanse the 20th of this month and our bodies will cleanse much more easily if we continue our preparations. The next few weeks, focus on getting more greens and plant based foods in your diet.

A good place to focus to get more greens is on eating a salad a day. You can find a lot of variety in salad by changing up different types of greens as well as your topping vegetables or fruits. Try salads with different varieties of lettuce, spinach, kale or collard greens. Kale becomes softer and more palatable if you place the leaves in boiling water before adding them to your salad. All it takes is a second and they're ready. (We like to add some Bragg's Liquid Aminos for protein and flavor. This also helps us use less of our more fattening and more expensive salad dressing.)

Lately my family has discovered a new found love for morning green drinks. Breakfast green drinks are a great way to get more greens for yourself and your kids. They set your day off on the right foot and give your body a chance to start some gentle cleansing. In the beginning, if you want more substance, eat something healthy with your green drink for breakfast, maybe some whole grain mush or health food store yogurt with fruit. A few days to a week before your cleanse, break it down to just your green drink and maybe a piece of fruit.

Here is the green drink my whole family enjoys:
1 cup water
1 cup fruit juice (apple or orange)
1 banana (frozen or not)
approx 3/4 cup other fruit (We alternate between pineapple, pears, and a mixture of berries. The baby likes pears the best)
1 very large handful of greens (typically baby spinach at our house)

You can minimize the fruit and up the greens as you get used to the flavor if you want a more alkaline drink.

Spinach can be very expensive so we buy conventional 2 lb. bags at Costco for $4.00. They also have 1 lb organic bags for 4.00. I am happy to pick some up for anyone who doesn't have a membership.

Here are some reasons your body loves greens:

-the most concentrated form of nutrition of any food
-packed with iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium
-contain vitamins K, C, E, and many B vitamins
-contain properties which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems
-protect against osteoporosis and diabetes
-they act as an intestinal broom (might not sound fun, but it's better than carrying it with you forever!)
-hormone balance
-strengthen immune system
-stimulate digestion and digestive enzymes
-and many, many more!

Enjoy your green drink and your salad a day! Your body will thank you!

Bye McKayla! and Draper temple trip

2009-03-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I got a call from Erin Baxter, the mother of one of my 2 piano students . . . McKayla. She let me know that she had a good deal come up with her sister to trade for piano lessons and so McKayla would no longer be taking from me. I was understood but could not help being very bummed. (Justin was even bummed when I told him, because he had been home and heard the lesson with her the week before.) I hung up the phone and cried. And to top it all off, the girl came to her lesson that afternoon and she had cut her finger nails!!! We had had a little battle over her need to cut her nails so she could learn to play on the tips of her fingers, and now when she was leaving me she listened!! I couldn't believe it.

So, this is my little tribute to McKayla. :) I am so excited to hear what comes out of her heart on the piano and through her voice in the future. She is a very fast learner and really has a lot to give through her music. She has the passion for it that I know will get her very far. (She loves classical music too and you know that will make her my favorite forever.) She lives next door and she told me she'd come over sometimes and play for me. She better! :)

Well, the Lord in his tender mercies brought me two more potential students that same night so I'm excited about them and I hope they start soon. Once they get past the first few weeks it becomes really fulfilling to watch them progress.

Yesterday my little family and our friend Marianna and her baby went to the Draper temple open house. (Mom watched Austin which made it SO much easier.)

This is obviously not the cutest picture ever of me, but that's all we got! It took forever to actually get into the temple, but once we did it was wonderful! As soon as we walked in the doors I felt the spirit so strong and wanted to talk to Jayden about the sanctity of where we were. I pulled him aside, crouched down by him and immediately started crying. I told him that I knew this was the house of the Lord, that He appears to people in temples and that I wanted him to pay attention to how he felt here. It was a pretty special little experience walking through and telling Jayden about every room. He said his favorite room was the baptismal font room. That temple is amazing and I'm excited to attend it. It also helped me realize how cool the temple is to be explaining it to Jayden and Marianna along the way. Just the symbols of the rooms in the endowment and this amazingly gorgeous building that we dedicate to the Lord. Last week we talked with a neighbor who is not a member but is working on the new temple near South Jordan. He mentioned how picky they are, how everything has to be perfect, and how crazy expensive just the wallpaper is. Yet, while we put all of this money and effort into temples to make them the best, BECAUSE we KNOW who's house it is, there is still plenty of money to go around to help support those in need around the world.

I'll tack on a few pictures for fun of the shrimpiest kids.

Overcoming Sugar Addiction

2009-02-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

Hey, I just put on post on our studio site, and I thought I would just paste it over here too! Here it is! :) Better than no post!

Last week I felt a strong desire to eat something, when I knew I was not actually hungry. I took a moment and tuned into my body. I felt a physical craving in my veins, like a mild internal shaking, and identified my desire to eat as an actual, physical sugar craving. Defining my desire to eat as a sugar craving, gave me a tangible ah-ha moment and a determination to not feed this literal addiction my body has developed.

There have been years in my life that I have spent only putting the best, most whole and wholesome foods into my body. During these times I was not the least bit tempted by unhealthy foods. I mention this to say that I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Sugar is a drug and like any drug there are withdrawal symptoms when you quit. You must make a mental commitment and a plan for when a craving hits. Here are some side effects of this drug that may help deter you when your body says . . . SUGAR!

SUGAR:
-weakens the immune system
-creates extra work for the pancreas
-leaches calcium from the bones (leading to osteoporosis)
-robs the body of B vitamins (essential for your nervous system)
-creates an unhealthy pH which creates an environment for disease to thrive
-creates cravings that lead to higher intake of carbs and calories
-creates general moodiness

Ridding your body of addictions is a beautiful, empowering thing. Make attainable goals, based on your current sugar consumption, to gradually eliminate refined sugar from your diet. If you eat a lot of desserts, cut those out first. Before you reach for food, check in with yourself, see if you are hungry, or if you are responding to a craving. Stock your kitchen with your favorite fruits, maybe some wholesome fruit or carrot juice and drink a lot of water. Remember there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the longer you go, the easier it will become. Your body will thank you.

Craziness

2009-02-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

Life is officially crazy busy. Right now I have a tiny window of time in between putting out facebook invites to our yoga studio workshops this week and a few piano lessons. In between it all I do my best to play with kids and make the house look like it wasn't just hit by a tornado. Here are a few pictures from our fun studio photo shoot. My wonderful and talented friend Ashley did them for us.

I have to say Justin is being a really amazing husband through all of this. He is so supportive and patient with me as I'm figuring out how to balance my life with this new studio baby. I committed to myself just before we opened to keep my family first. It's easy to see how things could get out of balance but I know the Lord wouldn't have provided this perfect opportunity if I could not keep things straight. I want to thank you guys for your love and support. I'll get more family pictures up soon.

A New Post! Its a miracle!

2009-01-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

Mom sent me a fun toy in the mail this week and I just tested it out. I take pictures from my camera to the computer again!!! Woo hoo!!! Now I'll start taking more pictures so everyone can see recent pictures of our cute little boys. (Cause I know it's them I would want to see :)) So here it goes, many many pictures from last fall til now. (The mystery child is my friend Marianna's daughter, Ilene who I used to tend.)

There are some pictures from Jayden's birthday in November. He had a friend party at the Legacy Center pool and a family party at home . . . Dad showed up unexpected with the motorcycle we thought Jayden wouldn't get til the next day. (Turns out the pictures go up on my page in whatever order they want, so they are not in time-line order. I tried.

I'll have to take some new pictures of Austin soon. Love you all! Hopefully it won't be two months before I post again!

Things that Make me Cry

2008-11-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling very humbled and blessed lately because of things that are unfolding in my life. I also have been seeing more how necessary it is for us to reach out and serve and take part in our communities.

There is a show that Justin and I watch every Sunday night at 7 called Extreme Home Makeover. If you don't watch tv much it is well worth watching or even recording for later. They travel around the country building brand new beautiful homes for families who are in desperate need. Most often these families have a member or members who are very ill, or they are poor families who do tremendous things for their communities but live in terrible circumstances themselves. It is very emotional to watch people in their communities donate their time and talent and materials to build them a new home that meets their needs, within a week. Every time this show ends I am left with a desire to find someway I can reach out in my community, and at some point in every episode, I am brought to tears.

Last Saturday some people in our community put together a 5K for a little boy with leukemia. It turns out the Dad of this boy was Braden's brother's mission companion, but that's beside the point. As with all 5K's those who joined the race made a donation, and in this case the money went to the family of this child. I haven't been running much lately, but when I saw the poster for this run with this sweet little boy probably only 2 or 3 years old with tubes in his nose, I was brought to tears and knew I had to take part. I cannot imagine having to go through that with one of my children and on top of that having to deal with the resulting financial turmoil. On Saturday, when I drove up to the park where the race was to begin, I was brought to tears again, seeing all the people in the community who felt moved to reach out and help this family who is enduring a tremendous trial.

I am forever grateful for all of those things and people in my life and in this world that inspire me and help me to be a better person, and I hope that I can in some small way help to do the same for others.

Little Shrimps

2008-10-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

Too bad I can't figure out how to rotate my pictures huh! Well, here's one of Jayden with Grandpa Madsen on Mandy's wedding day and the other one is on his way to school on picture day.

Austin Lamar, earlier this month, the day he started some solid food! Man he loves it! His biggest challenge is keeping those fingers out of his mouth at meal time. :)

How did I get so many kids!!??

All Truth to One Great Whole

2008-10-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of what is probably my favorite place on Earth. It is Navajo Falls in the Grand Canyon on the way to Havasupai. There is such an amazing spirit there. I have been thinking lately about truth and some of the things that I know. I love the idea of all truth being circumscribed into one great whole. For a lot of years I searched for truth in many places. I forgot anything that I thought I once knew and I started over. What I found was that there is so much truth everywhere and when you combine it all together you can dive deeper into any truth you may have previously had. I also found that although there is much beauty, wisdom, and peace in teachings from other religions and cultures (such as yoga) there is a certain DEPTH of peace that is missing without a connection with Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ is my Saviour, and that through him I am able to be cleansed and start fresh as often as I choose. I know that He will help me to fulfill my life's purposes if I hold to his teachings and follow the promptings that come through the spirit. I also have to say that I have experienced in a most literal way that Jesus Christ is absolutely the light and life of the world, of you and me, and that if he was not sustaining our spirits as well as our bodies, we would cease to have life. Read that twice. It is absolutely true. I think there are many people who get excited about the beauty in other true teachings and loosen their grip on the gospel of Jesus Christ. I promise if you will hold on to the teachings of the gospel, you will eventually see and feel how these other truths can deepen your relationship with God and Christ. I promise it all fits. Eventually all of this will be circumscribed into one great whole.

Thoughts on Yoga

2008-10-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Handsome wonderful hubby and Joshua on TRAX

I went to a really amazing yoga workshop last Thursday and Friday. My entire outlook on yoga was transformed in just 2 1/2 hours of discussion and 2 1/2 hours of practice. The two classes I have taught since this workshop I feel have been stylistically very different and I have adviced the students to begin class with "yoga amnesia" like we were advised at the beginning of our workshop. The workshop was taught by a man who has practiced daily for 37 years and who brought ashtanga yoga over from India. Yoga came from "cavemen." All they had was their bodies. They learned from their bodies and created a physical system to help them feel good and comfortable, and out of pain or dis-ease so that they could meditate longer and serve the world in the way they were supposed to without getting slowed down by their bodies. So the purpose of yoga IS NOT to become stronger, or more flexible, IT IS to make your body feel good so that you can leave the mat, and do your work, give the world what you came to give without having to stop to baby your aching back! There of course are many other benefits, but this is what it comes down to in the end. The better you feel, the more you have to give. I am excited to teach with this new perspective and now feel that the most important choices I can make for my body and spirit are those that will get me to a ripe old age feeling good in my body.

General Conference

2008-10-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Different things stick out to each of us at General Conference. This time for me, there was an over arching message of "bring Zion." We heard these messages in several talks. In Elder Christofferson's talk he clearly and powerfully told us that WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING ZION! Pretty serious, and pretty urgent I would say. If we want Zion, it is up to us!! It is up to you! In his talk as well as others we heard specific ways that we can move in that direction more directly. We can laugh things off, we can unify our homes, our wards, and our neighborhoods, we can be free with our substance living more closely to the law of consecration because now is surely a time when our brothers and sisters need that from us, and wow, we can link our prayers together through out our days and through out our lives to create our lives spiritually before they are created temporaly! There is power there. Perhaps the most important thing we can all do is seek for and follow our own personal revelation as we seek to become better and follow the counsel of our latter-day seers and revelators.

A Thought on Gratitude and Growth

2008-10-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I have shared this thought with some of you before , but here I go again anyway. The happenings of the morning got me thinking about gratitude at the beginning of my yoga practice. There are things that happen in all of our lives that fall short of the ideal, and sometimes those things stir up feelings of frustration , doubt or anger. All of those feelings are a sure indication that you are, in that moment, failing to see the opportunity it is presenting. For example, let's say Jayden is being really loud and hyper and asking me for something for the fifth time and at the same time I am trying to feed the baby and Joshua is crying. I could very easily loose my patience and let the noise get to me, or I could see that Heavenly Father, through my children, is giving me an opportunity to grow. (Different days I have different reactions to these types of situations.) So quickly, think of something in your life you are not grateful for that is a challenge for you in some way, and remember in your prayers to be grateful for it. Fake it at first and you may find a few days into it you start to see how that thing can be a blessing to you and your growth.

Family Pics

2008-10-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

Joshua in his doo-pee-doo (superman)pj's

Austin and mommy

2012

2008-10-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a little more lately about the Mayan prediction of massive world and life change on December21, 2012. I actually read a few books years back about the Mayans and where their prediction came from. Justin and I watched a discovery or science channel show about it around a month ago and I guess on that day (winter solstice) the sun, the earth and the center of the milky way galaxy will all line up. Scientists and astronomers are not sure what the effects of that will be as it only happens once every 26,000 years. They theorize that it will cause major havoc, that the poles will shift and that it could cause all types of major natural disasters possibly for all of the days surrounding that date.

I have no idea what will happen. But I do find it very interesting that the sun, our source of light, our earth, and the center of the galaxy, potentially where life began, will line up. Life as we know it beginning in the center of the milky way galaxy is of course just a theory that makes total sense to me (it seems like to Justin as well). There is a black hole at the center of the galaxy, and I think that black holes most likely lead somewhere else, even if that somewhere is right here in a different dimension. It all seems to add up to something significant.

So here's the last part of my thought. The scriptures say that no man knows the hour of the end, and/or the coming of the Savior and I believe that. I think it is likely that life as we know it will be dramatically altered around that date. The surface of the earth may be altered, and like one of my friends said to me, the gap between the "wicked" and the "righteous" will be even wider. No matter what happens and no matter when the Savior returns, we know that now is the time to choose which side we will stand on. We can't walk the line. We have to decide that whatever happens in the world around us, we will live in faith knowing that every aspect of our lives can be used for our good, for our learning. Prepare yourself physically and spiritually. Do your best to live joyfully and thankfully with what you've got and heed the council of the brethren!!! Prepare every needful thing.

2008-09-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

The quote I used in class this morning was from Hafiz, a 14th century Persian poet.
"O keep squeezing drops of the Sun
From your prayers and work and music

And from the most insignificant movements
Of your own holy body.

Now, sweet one,
Be wise.
Cast all your votes for Dancing!"
Live, breath, move and love it!

2008-09-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm shocked at myself creating a blog! I must be growing! Well, clearly our family has grown in multiple ways since this picture but the only pictures I can post for now will be pictures I downloaded a while back. So here's the fam!

The Life of Mama Gurr

Some goals for 2012

what makes me cool :)

Home Water Birth #2

Inventory of 2011 Goals

November=2 birthdays and Thanksgiving

St George, Halloween, and First Flights

BYU game pics

Our Home School Site (2 new posts!)

Our ancestors through Brigham Young...

Fishing With Grumpa Doug

Camping at Currant Creek

Finger Painting and Paper towel Butterflies

Pieces of Me

Trying to Figure Myself Out

One Victory

Moroni

Kick your PMS symptoms!

Christmas Miracles

11 Goals for 2011

Letter to an Inmate

The Love of a Mother

The Spirit of St. Nicholas

Messiah Sing-In

Becoming Teachable

Great-great-great-great-great Grandpa Brigham

t. George Temple: One Hundred Years of Service

Changing My Style

Brightyn Mae

Fun With Special Rocks

Cute Pictures and the First Flight

Easter Follow Up

Easter Story Cookies

DLTK's Bible Activities for KidsEaster Story Cookies

Recipe: Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese

A Month Late

Vegetarian Curry Stew Recipe

Fun Kid Pictures

My Mommy's Footsteps, Literally

Elliana's Birthday Party

Avin 6 weeks old yesterday!

Joshua is in Primary!

Vaccines

Abby Dabby

Avin Michael

Home Energy Conservation and Stuff

Lessons from Jayden

Family Pics

Birthday and Christmas Idea

Hurray for Potty Training!

Air Show

St George

Pregnancy Symptoms and Recent Happenings

Brothers

Eat More Greens!

Bye McKayla! and Draper temple trip

Overcoming Sugar Addiction

Craziness

A New Post! Its a miracle!

Things that Make me Cry

Little Shrimps

All Truth to One Great Whole

Thoughts on Yoga

General Conference

A Thought on Gratitude and Growth

Family Pics

2012

DLTK's Bible Activities for Kids
Easter Story Cookies