And another one....

Today I'm thankful for books. OH NO!!! you say, you've already used that one. Nope. That was the ability to read back on Monday. Today I'm thankful for the things that I do read. I love the smell of books, bookstores and libraries. Mike thinks I'm just a tad off but he doesn't get it. Think about it, in a book you can learn fascinating facts, learn about a person or put yourself into a novel. This kind of ties in with what I'm doing this weekend-going to see the movie Twilight. BFF Crystal (the fellow ESAL) told me I don't know how long ago-I've got these books that you need to read, you'll love them. As I love all things vampirish, I decided to give it a whirl and loved them. BFF Crystal, DF Connie, Kiersten and I stood in line in August to get the 4th book in the series and tonight I'm going to go see the movie of the 1st book.

What do I read you ask? Everything! I love the smell of a new book, the feel of the pages and the sound of the spine bending (I'm terrible, I tend to break the spines of my books so that they will lay flat) and the fact that I tend to come away from reading a book with blackened fingers from the ink. I will walk into a bookstore or library, especially a used book store and just stand in the doorway and smell the loveliness that is the smell of old books. Mike says it smells like dust and maybe mold but what does he know?

So, that's it for today. To all of you going to see Twilight this weekend, good luck and hope you enjoy the movie. To all the rest of you, you might want to pick up a book and see where it takes you.

Connie, I mentioned your name, do I get a prize?

Peace and love y'all!

Here we go for today....

I'm thankful today for a drama free life. You know how some people and families are constantly surrounded by some crisis or drama? Not me thank the heavens. Mike and I were discussing this fact a few weeks ago and we both came to the conclusion that our steady, somewhat boring lives were better than crazy ones. I had an acquaintance once that seemed to attract drama. Her family was crazy, her kids were always in trouble, there was always something going on in her life that would classify as "drama". I thought she must be so tired having to keep up with all of that craziness. Now, I'm not saying that sometimes we don't have a little bit of drama, but usually it's not bad and we move quickly back into our normal pattern.

So, that's the thankful post for today. I'm knocking on wood as I'm writing it that it won't come up and bite me in the butt later.

Peace and love y'all!

Today's Thankful Post

Today I am thankful for food. I LOVE food! One of the best eating holidays is coming up next week and I cannot WAIT! I love turkey and dressing, deviled eggs, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans...the list of Thanksgiving food sure to induce a coma goes on and on and on.

What brought this to my mind was an article I read yesterday about people in Haiti having no food and the world food shortage. I read about mothers having to decide which child to feed knowing that a child may not live because of hunger. It also brought out the fact that the USA eats more meat than any other country, and because other countries are starting to follow our example it's causing a problem because those cows eat a lot of grain or whatever which doesn't get made into bread. I'm probably oversimplifying the problem but I can't find the article so I can't cut and paste. But anyway...

The Word of Wisdom in D & C Section 89 states:

10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—
11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

Interesting huh? I'm thinking that the whole sparingly thing is the point. I'm not looking to get into a deep doctrinal discussion about vegetarianism and whatnot, I like a good burger or steak as much as anybody, but He tells us to eat meat sparingly.

That being said, I'm off to eat lunch and dream of sweet potatoes like my granny makes and mac and cheese made by my cousin (YUMMY!)

Peace and love y'all!

I am Thankful for....Part 2

Let's see, what am I thankful for today?

1. The deer that Mike ambushed and shot last night. You deer season widows will understand. I feel sorry for Bambi's daddy, but happy that Mike finally got a deer. That means he'll be home a good bit more (woohoo!).

2. Agency (as in freedom to make our choices). One of the great parts of our Heavenly Father's plan is our ability to choose our own way-good, bad or ugly. We make bad choices and have to deal with the consequences of our actions. We make good choices and receive blessings. It's simple, but very important.

3. The Church. Who would have thought that a boy prophet that everyone thought was loony would establish a church that would grow to however millions of members in all different parts of the world? This is my testimony, to be added to millions of others, I know it's true, I'm blessed by its teachings.

4. Kiersten. I'm thankful for the baby girl, she'll ever know how much. She brought light into my life at a time of overwhelming darkness and although we sometimes bicker, she's a wonderful child. She's talented and funny and smart and wise beyond her years. She's had to grow up in a different way than most of her friends, but she adapted well. I just look at her sometimes and feel this overwhelming sense of love for this precious angel.

5. Jared. He is the most helpful child I've ever been around. He is so funny, I laugh constantly. He's also my hugger, he gives the very best hugs and seems to know exactly when to say "mom, do you need a hug?". He loves to build things and learn stuff (just not in school). He is more outgoing than his sister, he never met a stranger and people just love him. He's also really good with younger kids. He's his dad in miniature.

6. Grass. Not to get too serious here, but fluffy green grass in the springtime that you can walk barefoot in without hurting yourself. I long for fluffy grass, but alas, I have regular everyday grass that turns into spikes if it gets dry.

7. Friends. I have great friends all over the place. It's funny that some of the friends that I thought would always be around have fallen by the wayside, but others have come in to take their places and my life is made richer by knowing them.

8. Mike. I can't leave my best friend out. He will never know how much I love him. I've loved him forever and will continue to love him through eternity. He puts up with my moods (they are many and varied) and my silliness. I feel somewhat incomplete without him. I'm moving into cheese territory so I'll move on.

I think that brings me up to date. Today is the 18th, so I'm on track. Today was a tad more serious than I thought it would be, but some days are just like that.

Peace and love y'all!

I am Thankful for...

I've finally gathered my thoughts (as much as they can be gathered) and realized that everything floating around in my head was an expression of thankfulness. So, what I thought I would do was do one post a day about something I am thankful for. It may be just one line or an entire book, but that's what I'm thinking. So, since I have 17 days to catch up on, here are a few things I'm thankful for in no particular order.

1. Primary programs. We had ours yesterday and it fills me with joy to watch the children sing their songs and do their parts.

2. Hunter B. I am thankful for Hunter B. because he reminded me yesterday of the joy of a 3 year old boy and brought just a bit of that joy to the congregation.

3. Feet. This morning I drove in and I was thinking about the pioneers (we're listening to a Trek CD) and how they had to walk and walk and walk. I don't think I could have done that without some serious complaining. I would be the one saying "are we there yet?".

4. Music. Last night, there was an EQ singing thing at the church and it was GREAT!!! All of the performers were terrific. Billy Brittain played a guitar and harmonica AT THE SAME TIME and sang too! As someone that really has a problem walking and chewing gum at the same time, that's an amazing feat.

5. Sally the wonder puppy. She has brought so much laughter into our home, and after setting some rules out (no peeing or pooping on the floor, no pulling empty milk cartons into the middle of the living room), we're doing really well.

6. Work. At this time of high unemployment, I'm getting a lot of phone calls from people who have been out of work for a while and they're really in dire situations. I'm grateful that I have a steady job that pays okay and I enjoy.

7. Parents. My parents are great! I was reminded yesterday when Jimmy P. told his dad thank you for making the decision to be baptized. I realized that I would not have what I do if my parents had not made the same decision. I wouldn't have my DH, or my kids or even a complete family. So, thanks mom and dad for making the decision to be baptized .

8. Fingers. I do a lot of typing in my job and I'm pretty sure I couldn't even do my job without my fingers. If you've ever hurt one of your fingers bad enough to have it taken out of commission, you feel handicapped.

9. A car. Now, I diss the cruiser sometimes because it's not really MY car. But, I'm grateful to have it to get us where we need to go.

10. The ability to read. I LOVE to read. I'll read anything I can get my hands on, except for true crime, went through a bunch of those a few years ago and ended up freaking myself out and never wanting to go outside. I love the magic of a person's imagination, and how they put words together to make ideas. I think it's really cool when authors have these complex worlds and characters in their heads.

So there's a few, I'll catch up eventually.

Peace and love y'all!

Writers Block

I am afflicted with writers block in some sort of funky way. I can think of things to write about but then forget them fairly quickly or they're rolling around in my head and I can't put the thoughts down the way I want them to read. It's frustrating. Just wanted to let you all know "I'm not dead yet" (love the Monty Python reference), just can't write.

Love and peace y'all.

I voted, did you?

Today is Election Day, the end of the longest campaign season known to man and the beginning of a new era no matter who you voted for. This is truly a historical election, we will either have the first African American President or the first woman Vice President.

As I was standing in line this morning, I was thinking about the people all over this country who are going to the polls today. We are of all different backgrounds and places in our lives, but we have the power and the privilege to elect our leaders. All in all, the line wasn't horrible, only waited for about an hour and a half, but I think it's well worth my time. I remember when I turned 18, my parents told me that the first thing I had to do was register to vote so that's what I did. Every major election, you can find me standing in line somewhere waiting to vote. I told Mike this morning that I love to vote and I really do, I love that I have a voice in our political process. Granted, my candidate may not win, but I did my part.

So, tomorrow we'll have a new President, let's pray for him (whoever he is) that he will lead our country in the way it should go.

Peace and love y'all!