Happy!

See this? It is me! I am happy!

All went so well today with the Primary presentation! The children did a wonderful job singing, speaking and being reverent! I am so grateful for things that make us stretch and grow and especially that help us feel our Savior's love. What blessings He bestows upon us when we try our best! Ahhh... a sigh of relief for a job well done by all!

The look of determination

Tonight the kids and Paul carved pumpkins. I love how the pictures capture the look of determination on their faces- determined to get all the goop out of the pumpkin, to carve the pumpkin with small little knives and most of all determined to create a jack-o-lantern that best represents themselves. See if you can guess whose is whose?

A tidbit o' knowledge on the jack-o-lanterns origin:

The story of the Jack 0' lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as

"Jack of the Lantern."

20 Mule team what???

Today I had the opportunity to find out what 20 Mule Team Borax is. I had heard of Borax before but never used it. The cause for this opportunity?? Well believe me clothes, the dryer and a MAGENTA CRAYON do not mix well! I was happily making progress on my painting when I went to check the clothes in the dryer and lo and behold I found this magenta goop flowing over the side. "Hmmm I wonder what this is?" Then it dawned on me CRAYON! UGH! I threw away what was old and didn't matter anymore, but some of the clothes are relatively new or favorites. Thankfully I didn't wash Alyssa's brand new shirt from Justice that she got for her birthday!

Amazingly enough I have had a good attitude about this! Pretty uncommon for me! I was speaking with my neighbor (asking her if she had Borax) and was telling her that it was a good thing the kids weren't home because I would have probably been crabby and assigned blame. Then she asked,

"Who do you think is to blame?

The one who had the crayon in the pocket

or the one who didn't check the pockets?!"

GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!!!

I am forever forgetting to check the pockets. I have washed Paul's San Disk (digital picture thingy) more times than I can count. As a matter of fact I just brought him a freshly washed one on Monday!

So as I write I have the clothes in the washer again...with a mixture of

2 cap fuls detergent

3/4 cup Borax 20 Mule Team

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup shout

Oh by the way Tilex cleans off all of the smeared crayon on the dryer. Although it is not much fun sticking your head all the way into the dryer drum with Tilex fumes galore, but it does work wonders!

Here are the pictures of the clothes. Stay tuned for the results. Let's see if the trip to Walmart was worth it. Or if the 20 Mule Team Borax passes the test!

Happy 3 for me so far...

1. Filling my tank for $50 bucks!

2. candy bars

3. a good disposition

The beginning of the end...

I did it.
I didn't want to do it!
I caved.
I held out as long as I could.
It was a hard decision.
I just couldn't take it anymore!
It means to me the beginning of the end...
the end of beautiful days, warm sunshine on my face and lounge chair lunches on my deck.
I turned the HEAT on last night!

Angels among us

I have slowly but surely been catching up on my conference talks from the beginning of October. This past week I was listening to one that really struck me. I loved Elder Holland's talk and can testify with surety that angels, both living and not, have helped me through difficult times in my life. I have felt my father's presence many times since he has been gone and I am so grateful that he has been able to still be a part of our lives. Below are a few excerpts from Elder Holland's talk.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

The Ministry of Angels

From the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children...
Usually such beings are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private. Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn. But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times...
I ask everyone to take heart, be filled with faith, and remember the Lord has said He “would fight our battles, our children’s battles, and the battles of our children’s children.” And what do we do to merit such a defense? We are to “search diligently, pray always, and be believing. Then all things shall work together for our good, if we walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith we have covenanted.”
My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. “Nor will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man or woman or child upon the face thereof to be saved.” On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

How to party Chihuahua style!

Get 20 of your closest Amigos

y Amigas

Allow 2 Papasito's y 6 Mamasita's to come.

(Hey someones gotta pay for the perro snacks!)

Venture off to the movies to celebrate Alyssa y Alejandro's 8th Feliz cumpleanos.

Laugh, watch the movie, eat and laugh some more!

Baptism

One of the reasons why 8 is particularly great in our church is that this is the age children can be baptized.

Alyssa and Alexander were baptized on October 11th by their Uncle David and it was a very special day. I am so proud of them for the good choices that they make, the kindness that they show to others, the love that they have for their friends and family and most of all choosing to follow their Heavenly Father's plan.

The children, as well as the person who is baptizing, wear white. They are baptized by immersion (going all the way under the water) and later change back into their regular clothes when they are confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Alyssa, "I am glad that my sins got washed away and Grandma Sandy gave me scriptures with my name on them!"
Alexander, "It was fun to get soaking wet! It was pretty cool to get my scriptures too."
Afterwards we celebrated with family and friends with a small lunch and a delicious birthday cake!