Good news!  It snowed today!  So, this afternoon I went outside with my two younger kids and built a snowman doing a head stand.  Here are the results:

The kids were a little confused at first.  Then, after I explained, they were excited.  It wasn't the best packing snow, because it was too wet.  But, we did it!  When I came in our older kids were thinking we put the boots on the head and they were very confused!  I had to show them the picture, then they thought it was darling.

Unfortunately, I'm a little behind on the scrapbooks.  I have not been able to find all of my pictures from 2010.  I am missing the end of November and all of December's pictures.  I am still trying to find them.  I was missing a lot more, but found the rest of them.  Hopefully I won't have this problem any more, as I think I have a better system for saving my pics now.  I am still planning on having 5 done before school starts again in the fall.

"Difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were—better than we were." —President Thomas S. Monson

 

Some major rebuilding is happening in our family right now.  Between moving, losing their grandmother and the daily stresses of life, some of our children are struggling right now.  One in particular.  As a mother, I feel so helpless when my children are struggling in ways that I don't know how to help them.  Yesterday was a very long and extremely emotional day.  By the end of the day we were doing better, but it is going to be a process to get where we want to be.  (I am not including details so that my child won't get upset over it.)  I am so grateful for healthcare providers.  I realized today after an appointment that it seems that most mental health providers might possibly have mental health problems themselves, which is what led them to that profession. 

 

I have a good friend who just graduated with her BS in social work and is preparing to start on her masters and become a LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).  This friend (G), came to the hospital yesterday and sat with us for over an hour.  I am extremely grateful for her friendship and knowledge. 

 

When we met, it was one of those 'small world' moments.  We grew up in the same stake, went to the same Jr. High and High School and never met each other.  She was one year older than I and I knew several of her cousins, but it wasn't until we both moved into the same ward as adults that we became friends.  G has had her share of difficulties and rebuilding that I can't imagine going through.  Isn't that the way it usually works?  Our trials are awful, but when we hear about someone else's trials, we wouldn't want to trade them places!

 

I know that we will all come out of this better people and stronger in our faith, it's just a matter of hanging on until we get through it.

 

 

No new snow yet!  But, we are going sledding tomorrow.  You're probably wondering how there can be enough snow to go sledding if there isn't enough snow to build a snowman.  Well, we are going out to the farm that my husband (C) manages.  It is full of hills and has more snow than we have here in the city.  C's sister and her husband and daughter are coming as well as my sister (M) and her three boys.  The kids are so excited.  A great way to spend a day off of school!

I have another goal!  I participate in  Family Search Indexing.  And I love it!  I have a lot of family history information, that is very unorganized (that's a goal for when my kids are older).  I also have a desire to participate in family history in some way.  Family Search Indexing is how I've been able to fulfill that desire.  Millions upon millions of records are out there waiting to be found.  Birth certificates, marriage license, obituaries, etc.  You can choose from a list of projects, each project is different.  They even have a system to help insure accuracy.  Two separate people index the records, then a third person compares the two and decides what is right if the first two don't agree.  You simply take the names, dates, etc. on the image and type them into the appropriate fields.  If you are interested in helping others, and maybe even yourself, find their ancestors, I highly recommend you try indexing.

Well, I'm sorry to report that we did not get to make an upside down snowman. :(   On Friday the weather warmed up and much of our snow melted.  On top of that it rained a little that night, so there was not enough snow to make a snowman.  We'll have to wait for another good storm.  Unfortunately the weather men are saying that it's gonna be a while before we get another storm.

I got a phone call this morning from a friend/acquaintance.  We have both participated in our local Relay for Life for several years.  She called to ask if I would be on the committee again this year.  I couldn't turn her down.  She is such a sweet lady, and really just wants to get our Relay back to the basics and back to fun!  She asked if I would be in charge of Survivorship or Team Captain Recruitment.  I hate making phone calls, especially to ask people to do things, so I told her I would do Survivorship.  I am excited to participate again.

The American Cancer Society's (ACS) Relay for Life (RFL) is an event that is dear to me.  I got involved at least 8 years ago (I don't remember exactly when).  My kids love to participate and got upset with me the one year I didn't.  I believe that there will be a cure for cancer.  Not a 'one size fits all' kind of cure, but advances are being made that are making the difference for certain types of cancers.  RFL gives us a chance to remember my dad, grandparents, aunt and now my mother-in-law, who have all passed away from cancer or the effects of cancer treatments.  The money raised stays here locally to fight back and continue research.  We start each Relay with a dinner and program to celebrate  all of our local cancer survivors. (A person is considered a survivor from the moment they are diagnosed!)  This is what I will be over seeing this year.  For more information, go to this link: 
ACS Relay for Life

 

In the last couple of years I have decided that I love snow!  I've lived in the same state my whole life, and have always enjoyed all four seasons.  I have heard so many people say that they hate the snow and just want winter to be over.  Not me.  Not yet at least.  On facebook today I saw a contest entry where you were asked to comment on your favorite snow memory.  It was easy for me to think of my favorite snow memory. 

I was probably about 12.  My Dad helped me build a huge snow turtle!  It was awesome!  We even colored water green with food coloring and spray 'painted' the turtle.  I would guess that it was probably about 3 feet high in the middle, about 4 feet wide and 5 feet long.  I remember carving the lines into the shell with my fingers and finding two good size rocks for eyes.  I knew without a doubt that day, that my Dad loved me, because he took the time to not only play in the snow with me, but it was his idea to build the snow turtle.

We got snow yesterday, are getting more today and it's supposed to keep snowing for the next 2-3 days.  I've seen the picture below before, but just saw it again and decided that on Saturday, I'm going to make one like this with my kids!  Hopefully they know without a doubt that I love them!

“It is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I've noticed when my kids are getting along worse than usual, it usually means that I need to take some time to do things with them or 'slow down a little'.  If I'm struggling, I need to study the scriptures more and 'focus on the essentials'.  Adverse conditions come at us all, I hope I can 'steady the course'.

Today is one of those days that I have tried to focus on the essentials.  It's my babies birthday.  Even though technically the term baby is not valid anymore, as all mom's can attest, the term will always be used for the youngest child.  I always try to make a special cake for each of my kids birthdays.  So, I went to work this morning, and I must say, it turned out great!  I am not a professional cake decorator, by any means, but I do enjoy making fun cakes for my kids.  One more birthday tradition: I never let the birthday child see the cake until that night when we light the candles and sing happy birthday before serving it up.

But, I think my favorite birthday tradition is the birthday sign.  My Dad started this when I was a kid.  He was also a better artist than I am, but I do my best.  We have a dry erase board, about 2.5 by 3.5 feet.  The night before their birthday, after the kids are all in bed, I get it out and make a birthday sign just for them.  It of course says 'happy birthday', and I put their name and the age they are turning.  Then, as best I can, I draw something that they are interested in at that point in time.

This is definitely something I need to work on.  Everyone has stress.  Everyone's stress is different.  Many of our daily activities can cause stress.  Although we don't love the house we're currently renting, I have come to realize that it is a true blessing for us to be here. 

This house in and of itself has caused us stress.  It had sat empty for a while before we moved in and the landlord had just purchased it before that.  The first morning in our new home the basement flooded from the inside!  Everything left in the outgoing pipes had hardened and was clogging the drain lines.  This not only stunk because it was 'used' water, but because the previous owner apparently had a 'herd' of cats living in the house.  The water on the cement brought out the smell of the cats.  Yuck!  That got taken care of and we thought that we were good to go.  Until Christmas Eve.  To make a long story short, the plumber found that part of the pipe has completely corroded and dirt has collapsed around it. 

In all of this we have found that we are truly blessed to have a great landlord!  Not only does he take care of any problems right away, but his dear wife calls to check on us too.  A few days after we moved in she brought over a loaf of bread from the Old Grist Mill and homemade freezer jam.  Then, for Christmas they brought us a good size ham and more of the same jam.

We are also blessed to be in this ward.  We are loving it and enjoying our new callings as co-primary teachers.  Our kids have made new friends, and although they miss their friends from Corinne, they are enjoying this ward too.  It's true what they say:  The Church is true wherever you live!

So, as I said, my goal is to get some family scrapbooks done.  So, how am I going to do this?  I need a plan.  First, I have already started working on the 2010 book, so it makes sense to finish it.  My plan:  finish the 2010 book by the end of January.  Then I want to work my way towards the present, then go back from 2010.  So, after I'm done with the 2010 book I will start on the 2011 book.  If I have that done in 1.5 months, then the 2012 book done 1.5 months after that...it will then be May 1st and I'll have 3 books done.  So, if I keep up at that rate I can have 5 done before school starts.  I am also going to start working on a book for a family member.  I'm not going to tell you anything else about it for now, when it's time I'll tell you more.  Have a great weekend!

On the radio this morning I heard this statistic:  only 8% of us fulfill our New Year's Resolutions.  Wow!  Only 8%?! Then the DJ said that he started working on his goal last week, so it's not a new year's resolution.  I read an article last night by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf  (The Best Time To Plant a Tree) that made me stop and think.  What is the difference between resolutions and goals?  According to the Oxford English Dictionary on my kindle: resolution : (n.) a firm decision to do or not to do something; goal: (n.) the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.

So, according to those definitions only 8% of us make firm decisions to do or not to do something.  On the other hand, I really like the definition of a goal.  I may not have any resolutions, but I do have a goal.  I want to finish at least 5 yearly scrapbooks before the kids begin the next school year in the fall.  That seems really strange to say, since they just started back to school today.  Anyhow, I am way behind (like most people I know).  I have some 'publishing points' expiring this Sunday, so I'm trying to get one done by then, so as not to waste them.  As I looked at my total 'publishing points' I have enough to get me a long ways towards this goal, if not all the way there.  I'm glad I digitally scrapbook, it gets to be a mess with paper, glue, stickers, etc.  Now, if only I could remember everything I want to so that I can put them together in order.  Wish me luck!

Here is my thoughts about New Year's resolutions:  Why worry about what I didn't accomplish last year and why set myself up for what could be failure?  I really liked this video.

Today is the beginning of a new year.  To me, it's just another day to try to be a better me.  To get one step closer to becoming the person that the Lord knows I can become.