CELEBRATION!

Looks like we are going to be friends with these guys for the next few years...

               This is where Kurtis will be getting his MBA

And this is who will be helping us pay for it.

We feel extremely blessed and relieved to finally have a decision about our future. Bring on those Minnesota winters for a few more years!

Ramblings

I had some weird dreams last night, one of which that has left me thinking all day. Kurtis and I were at a game show of sorts.. kind of like 'Let's Make a Deal' where prizes were given out. The audience was so large that we sat in the balcony section way in the back. The host was going around giving away prizes and money and he came back to our section asking for someone who wanted money. He picked me and asked if I was happy. Evidences of my happiness flashed through my mind-my family, a good job, health, friends, etc. and I felt confident in my answer. The host then asked, 'Well, why do you want money then? I thought you were happy.' And I was speechless..I was happy..wasn't I? I mean, we could use money to fix up the house, pay for school, get a better car, go on a vacation, or for other frivolous things but we didn't need it. Did we? Would we really be happier? He kept pestering me on my state of happiness, almost mocking me while other audience members jeered and tried to get picked themselves.

I guess I woke up questioning if I was truly happy. I feel so extremely blessed that if I didn't say I was happy I would be most ungrateful. But we have been talking a lot about money lately.. due to Kurtis starting school this fall for his MBA and the saga of 'will IBM pay for it?' looming over us. We also have some bathroom issues that need attendion. We have a car that is on it's last legs and a baby coming this December. I feel like I have the faith that everything will work out.. and it will.. but just not how I may want it to. Maybe I'm getting a frying pan to the head from the Lord with this because I heard the song 'I thank God for unanswered prayers' on the radio this morning. Then I recommended Psalms 3:5-6 to a friend who's taking on new challenges in her life. Maybe I needed it for myself as well. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path."

Another quote that struck me I just wanted to share.. maybe for personal journaling reasons..but I felt like it's a perfect fit to today's troubled world and others could benefit. From the prophet Ezra Taft Benson:
"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take the people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people and then they take themselves out of the slums. The would would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature."

Thanks for listening to my dream interpretations and ramblings! Love and miss you all!

Yellow ribbons

Yellow ribbons have a special meaning again as my brother Mark left for Afghanistan this week. He and my other brother have deployed previously. Mark will be gone for a year and we'll miss him. I also wanted to share my new precious niece, Sophia Grace! We love you guys and will see you in a year Mark. I'm proud to have you as my brother.

This is my life

Is this your life?

Where your floors are perpetually covered in various foods and other unknown sticky substances?

Where your child is covered head to toe with food and everything is stained? (But at least they enjoyed that mango seed)

Where they're always climbing around on the furniture and eventually getting themselves stuck and/or injured?

Where everything is a toy?

Where no cupboards are safe from exploring little minds?

Where every room the house looks like this? And gets quickly picked up (sometimes) before Daddy gets home so it looks like you have things under control?

Where your child refuses to climb down the stairs, even if she knows how and sits at the top sobbing because you left her up there all alone?

But also where they are so sweet in slumber and you find yourself looking in on them while they sleep just because?

And you love seeing them with their Daddy.. even when he takes them on walks and lets them eat rocks.

This is my life.. and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The prophet said to plant a garden

The prophet Spencer W. Kimball said, “We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees-plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard...Make your garden … neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1976)

Check. Didn't happen last year because..we had Sarah..but I got it going this year. Complete with roma and cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, zuccinni, pumpkin, watermelon, cucumber, lettuce, green beans, some herbs and green peppers. The tomatoes are finally coming around and I'm so excited to make spaghetti sauce! My basil is going nuts and the squash, zuccinni, pumpkin and my 1 cucumber plant are taking over. I'm already planning on next year. I didn't like the lettuce variety.. maybe because I let it grow too much. We also have an abundance of earwigs this year and it's gross to pick up a lettuce and have 15 earwigs crawling around in it.

 

Sarah is not the best helper.. and gets very upset when I'm inside the garden behind the chicken wire.. she also doesn't like grass so much and will walk on anything else before she goes on the grass.

Our first green bean crop! So delicious. We've gotten lots of squash, zuccinni, some tomatoes so far, cucumbers, I gave lettuce away.. and green peppers so far. I'm not thinking the watermelon is going to produce and the pumpkins are starting to grow.

I'd love to have fruit trees.. but we did get some rasberry plants from a friend that will hopefully produce next year. My garden is definately not neat and attractive.. as my plants are sprawling all over the place but at least I did it. There's nothing better than eating something that you grew and tastes so fresh!