The Ultimate Career

I found this quote on a blog entitled My Lady which I stumbled upon. It has caused me to wake up from a worldly stupor:

"The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only-- and that is to support this ultimate career."

-C.S. Lewis

I have been struggling. Satan has tried to make me feel I am missing out because I have chosen to be a homemaker for these many years instead of pursuing a career outside of the home. This quote has reminded me that I have no reason to feel bad about my choices. I have the ultimate career!
What a blessing it is to have the title of Mom and Homemaker! Now it's time for me to stop taking this marvelous opportunity for granted and to rise to the great responsibility!

A Post Dedicated to Grandma Moore, Mom, and Ashley

"I sometimes wish every girl had access to a sewing machine and training in how to use it. She could then make her own attractive clothing." (President Gordon B. Hinckley)


Ashley went to Prom on April 25 with Bronson Whitmore. She had a great time! It was fun to watch from the side lines as a mom. However, my most favorite part of it all was being able to help Ashley sew her dress.

She decided several months ago that she wanted to make her own prom dress as one of her Young Women Value Projects. I was secretly worried because I hadn't done much sewing since my wonderful grandmother, and dear mom gave up on teaching me many years ago. But Ashley was determined. She bought a pattern while on a shopping excursion with Vaughn and then persistently reminded me that prom was getting closer.

Unable to procrastinate any longer, but afraid to actually begin I helped her make a trial run out of an old orange flowered sheet. Once I could see that we actually could make a dress that fit, I mustered up the courage to begin on the real thing: purple taffeta.

Ashley did most of the pinning, cutting, and sewing. I read the pattern and showed her what to do and how to do it. I am happy to say all of my grandma's and mom's efforts to teach me to sew weren't in vain! It felt great to be able to pass this skill I learned from them on to my daughter.

Now, I think we may have caught the sewing bug! The sewing machine hasn't been packed away yet like it usually is. Ashley and I each have a few projects in mind, Cami has been sewing together all of the jean squares she cut out last summer, and Noelle has been begging to create something, too.

Family Home Evenings

Family Home Evenings have been very good at our house lately. Not because Vaughn and I have done anything spectacular, but because our kids have.

Josh taught a couple of great lessons, on service and gratitude, complete with scriptures to look up and read, and his testimony. Ashley prepared and presented a touching Easter message.
And Noelle spent the Sunday afternoon before her lesson on the Word of Wisdom, preparing visual aides while everyone else in our household over 8 napped.

Living the Word of Wisdom helps you to be healthy and happy.


Breaking the Word of Wisdom will make us unhealthy and unhappy.

(See Doctrine and Covenants 89)

A Wise Principle For Dealing With Difficult People

A friend of mine on Facebook posted a link today that I found to be quite useful:
How to Stop Difficult People from Zapping Your Energy and Happiness . Fortunately, I do not have to deal with too many difficult people in my life but for those times when I do run across a porcupine I will now be prepared! Well, at least in theory! (There is the minor detail of actually applying this new info.)

I recommend you read the original post but in a nutshell, this is what I learned from Brian Vaszily:

What zaps our energy and happiness more powerfully and rapidly than anything else is our reaction to difficult people. Difficult people are not responsible for zapping our energy and happiness. We are in control of ourselves. We have a choice in how we respond.

He recommends that we make a list of the difficult people in our lives and then think, of all things: What about this person is worth emulating?!

Vaszily goes on to say: "It is our reactionary egos that are prone to completely trash those who seem to have a negative influence in some way on us. Our egos are primitive; if somebody strokes them, that somebody is good, and if somebody kicks them, that somebody is bad.

This lingering reaction creates the notion of “dislike,” or hate, which blocks our eyes, mind and heart from focusing on anything but the negative. But by focusing on the negative in anyone – “I really don’t like that person” -- we are doing by far the most damage to ourselves.

Honing in on what we don’t like in people (or in situations for that matter) won’t change them, but it does make our lives considerably less peaceful and sucks away our energy and happiness. It becomes a habit that perpetuates the self-damage. Plus it makes us considerably less attractive to others."

So there you have it. Now we know what to do, lets just do it!

I overdosed on caffeine a few hours ago and now I can't sleep! I haven't done this since my high school days when I worked at a restaurant and I could drink all the diet coke I wanted for free. Rather than wasting my time in bed I decided to make use of this jittery energy and do something? Anything? to save my blog!?!

The perfectionist in me has been stressed out by all of life that I didn't chronicle last year; the overwhelmed me realizes there is no way I will ever adequately "catch up"; the aspiring blogger in me does not want to abandon ship; and so I'm doing the only thing I can do. I'm letting bygones be bygones and moving forward.

I'll just say that 2008 was a year of many afflictions that culminated in the great blessing of receiving sweet little Faith. Would I do it again? Whole heartedly I say YES!!! But I am grateful, very grateful that I don't have to.

Sweet Little Faith when she was 1 month old.

2009 has so far been a little kinder and yet... Heavenly Father has not seen fit to lift all of the heavy burdens. I am trying now to more fully"Come unto Christ" for I truly need His rest!

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matt: 11:28-30

Time to Catch Up!

Christmas 2008

Santa Came!



The stockings weren't exactly hung by the
chimney but Santa filled them anyways!

Ashley always takes good care of Enoch.
Bekah wants to help too!

What did Santa bring Josh?

Hurry Noelle!

It's a barbie!

Noelle gave Rachel the coveted golden ball!
Rachel also gave one to Noelle. How tricky!

Santa knew Cami likes to exercise!

A Rubiks Cube was on Xiaoyi's list!

Enoch got a new outfit!

Bekah enjoying Christmas!

The only thing that would have made our Christmas better would have been to have sweet little Faith at home with us. She was having difficulties breathing and so she had to stay in the hospital for one more day. I went back to the hospital Christmas afternoon to be with her. Cami came with me to keep me company.

When I first started this blog I was so excited and had high hopes of keeping an online family journal and I was doing quite well but then the sickness that accompanies my pregnancies hit and I fell into a black hole.

When Faith arrived I emerged from the black hole!! And it has been such a joy to have her as part of our family! But it has taken me awhile to figure out how to add one more person's needs into my already busy life and stay balanced. I still don't have it figured out?! I am beginning to think that I will never figure it out!

So even though life is chaotic and at times I feel like I don't even have time to breathe I am going to start blogging again! Soon...