My babies! Sigh... They grow up so fast!

Ok, so I started taking some pictures of my kids again and was once again reminded of how fast they grow up.

I feel like the precious years are quickly slipping away. I feel like the daily chores and schedules and just... things are getting in the way of me enjoying my children's childhood.

Everyday, they grow and learn more and it is beautiful to watch and see, and sad to see the fun silly things go away as they become more aware of their ages.

We were looking at some old videos of the girls dancing a few years ago. They were HILARIOUS! They were cracking up at themselves, and I was cracking up. And then Brit said, "Man I was such a dork". It made me so sad! She wasn't a dork! She was adorable. And it made me realize that in 3 weeks she will be 10 and how different she is now. How grown up she is getting. How grown up they are all getting.

I feel like as a mom it is my duty to love them and rear them and cherish them. And I think I need to spend more time doing that, then some of the other selfish things that I do, just for me. So here they are, my babies!

My latest Novel!

Well, I am working hard on my novel and I have 4 chapters so far. I am really excited becuase from one chapter to the next I am not quite sure where to go, but it seems to just come to me and flow out pretty good. I am really happy with it so far. It is a VERY rough draft right now, there is a lot of filler that needs to be added. But I am happy with how it is shaping up.
It is my 5th novel that I have started. And the second one that I have actually gotten past the first chapter on. I have several choldren's books that I have written that I would love to get published. But since 3 of them are all gospel oriented, the market for it is small. But I will figure out a way to do it in the end!
I love to write and have written tons of poetry in my lifetime. I am really enjoying the novels though. Seeing them unfold, come to life out of my own imagination and be soemthing that I wrote. It is almost like giving life to something that wasnt there before. And even if no one else ever reads them, I will read them and be satisfied.

Standing Fast and Immovable in Faith!

I read a couple of quotes yesterday from the January 2009 Ensign. The Visiting Teaching Message. I absolutely loved them!

Cheryl C. Lant, Primary general president: “Our personal conversion comes as we begin to live the way the Lord wants us to live—steadfast and immovable in keeping all of the commandments, not just those that are convenient. This then becomes a process of refinement as we strive to make each day a little better than the last” (“Righteous Traditions,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2008, 14).

I loved that! As we live all of the commandments, not just the ones that are convenient. I think in this world today many of us do what is easy and convenient because that is what everything is geared towards. Convenience. Food, entertainment, activities, everything. But when it comes to being a Christlike person, it isn't about convenience, it is about obedience. I doubt it was convenient for Daniel to continue to pray and get thrown to the lions! I doubt it was convenient for Ester to Walk in and speak to the king! I doubt it was convenient for Noah to build an Ark! But they did it because they stood for what was right and lived the commandments, even when it wasn't convenient!

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “You cannot today remotely imagine what that decision to be unwaveringly obedient to the Lord will allow you to accomplish in life. Your quiet, uncompromising determination to live a righteous life will couple you to inspiration and power beyond your capacity now to understand” (“Making the Right Decisions,” Ensign, May 1991, 34).

I love that too! You cannot imagine what the Lord could do with you in your life if you were obedient and faithful to all of his commandments! What a great thing to wonder! It started to make me wonder what I could be missing out on. What kind of better person i could be if i would listen more and be more obedient! That would be so cool to know. I sure hope that by the end of this year I am at least a little bit closer to finding out!

If you would like to read the whole article here is a link to it!
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=a883515e04f5e110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Focusing on me!

So I have decided that this year I will focus on me. I have to say it is going pretty well. And I feel surprisingly more incontrol of my life. I have been working really hard these last 2 weeks to get myself back into the routine of controling my appetite as as well as start working out! I am doing pretty good! I have been blogging a lot on my feelings and successes and that seems to be helping a lot! Along with the support I have been getting from my online Weight Watchers groups :)
This week has been difficult, but I made it through and feel great!

I'm Puttin it ALL out there!

Ok, so I am now going to put my New Years goals out there for everyone to see! I check in with these on a daily and weekly basis, but I figured if they were out there where anyone can see them, then I would be held more accountable. So here is my list for the year of goals that I want to accomplish:

1. Read the scriptures daily, with both the children and personally.
2. Say prayers daily, morning and night, personally and as a family.
3. Have Family Home Evening once a week.
4. Go to church every week, early or on time.
5. Go to Temple monthly.
6. Do the genealogy for my family.
7. Lose my last 25 lbs and gain a healthier more active lifestyle.
8. Take time every week to write my 4 novels that I have yet to finish.
9. Read the lesson for church ever week before church. For both Sunday School and Relief Society.
10. Learn how to use my camera better and take a photography class.
11. Learn how to do zippers and pockets in sewing pants.
12. Spend time every week for myself. Do something for myself every week.
13. Brush my teeth, my hair, take a shower, get dressed everyday.

Ok! I know some of them sound like simple things but believe me when you're a homeschooling Mama of 4, sometimes those things aren't so easy!
Ok, so that is my list for the year! I guess I should also add that I want to blog every week on there too :)

I have 2 new blogs!

I have 2 new blogs. One of them has nothing on it yet so I will post it later when i have stuff on there. It is for my sewing business. The second is for my new years goals to change who i am and what i do for my body and my health. Feel free to stop by and make a comment. Feel free to voice your encourangement or come feel inspired! Thanx for looking!
http://www.DoItOrDontDoItThereIsNoTry.blogspot.com

It Has been too long! It is all in the perspective!

So, the reason it has been so long since I have blogged is that we have been in transition since May of this year. We were losing our house due to my husband being out of work for over a year. Then he started to build us a new house on our farm land and it seemed that time and time again he was thwarted in his efforts. He almost cut is finger off. Then he pulled 2 vertebrae in his back out. Finally that healed only to have him fall off a ladder and shatter his elbow resulting in his having to have surgery on it and now not have use of it. Because the bone was shattered, they removed it and just used tendons and ligaments to hold the bones in place. He can lift about 2 lbs. with that arm and that is all.
However, we were blessed that the house was finished enough for us to move into! And by finished I mean that there were walls and floors and a roof.
We moved in with no flooring, i.e. only the sub-floor is in. We have no running water as the well filled up and has yet to be finished. The solar panels arrived late and incomplete so the only electricity we have is through a generator that we have on for most of the day, but it runs on gas so that is expensive. We had only 1 toilet when we moved in, now we have 3, but we still have to fill the tanks by hand to flush them.
Water to drink and wash with are carried in by hand, we are blessed enough to have a kind neighbor 3 miles down the road who lets us get water from him.
James got the roofing on a couple of weeks ago because there was a storm coming. We were blessed to not have the storm hit us. However while we were away for Thanksgiving with family it rained hard for a day, and the roof leaked. We came home to large puddles on our floors. And quite a bit of the drywall in the ceilings being ruined.
We were blessed though, the water didn't land on anything important. No beds were wet, and none of our electronics were destroyed. We were truly blessed!
The next day James went out and bought us a wood burning stove. Did i mention we have had no heat? And that it has been getting down to freezing at night. I have been having to bundle up the children as warm as possible. But now we have a wood burning stove and it is keeping us at about 65 degrees in the house.
You know, it is all about perspective! For as much as i feel we are living much like people did 100 years ago, we are truly blessed! I have 4 beautiful children that are healthy and happy. I have a wonderful husband who works himself to death to provide for us. I have a Heavenly Father that has watched over us every step of the way and provided for us even when it has looked like we would have nothing.
Trust me there are moments when i feel like i might just stress out and die, but then i think about how much we have been blessed and i become truly grateful for what we have been given.
This season, my prayer is that you will see all that the Lord has done for you in your life and appreciate His hand in all things. I know that i probably cannot even comprehend all the other things that the Lord has done for me and does for me on a daily basis. However for the things i can see, i am truly grateful!
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!