Family Home Evening Monday

As I sat and listened to General Conference,  I made a mental list of goals for myself. One of those goals was to be sure we are having a weekly Family Home Evening. We are 2 for 2! Last week we had a lesson about the Creation. I found some great, simple, resources for teaching my young children on the internet. We used this lesson and matching game. And the Children's Songbook here. The kids had a great time and I admit, I enjoyed doing it as well.

This week was much more challenging. We had spent most of the day out of town for the holiday and when we returned I tossed dinner together then realized as I was cleaning up that I hadn't prepared anything for Family Home Evening. Not wanting to scrap it for the evening and try to make up for it later in the week I pulled out a really great resource that I'd discovered about a week ago from The Idea Door. They have tons of great helps for everything from clip art to help with food storage. For our Family Home Evening I am using 53 Family Home Evening Lessons based on the Primary Manuals. Tonights lesson was The Plan of Salvation. I used visuals from this site because I liked all the bright colors. I had Zak quickly cut them out and laminate them so I could finish cleaning up from dinner. The kids were a bit crazy tonight...Camden cried during most of the lesson because he wanted his own set of pictures. Lesson learned...make two of everything. 

I have to admit that I went into this short lesson feeling a bit frazzled but came out of it feeling closer to my family. So, despite the three-ring-circus Family Home Evening will be a fixture for this family.

Want to learn more about Family Home Evening and why we feel it's important? Click here.

Food Storage

I have a cousin who was asking me the other day about how to do a food storage. Being the poor students that we are I had to sheepishly admit that we have very little (I have recently acquired a large bucket of wheat thanks to my mom-in-law...yay! We've gotten started!).  So, I've been searching the internet for some more info about getting started. Because of the dietary changes I've made in my little life I'm trying to learn ways to alter the standard food storage lists I've come across in order to suite our family's needs. Of course I referred my cousin to www.providentliving.org to get started but since I spoke to her I've come across a terrific blog that not only has some fabulous foodstorage recipes and how-tos...it has some equally amazing links where you can find even more help!!!

While browsing those links I came across a free class offered by the University of Georgia called Home Canning and Preservation. This is a full-on online college course that includes tests and quizzes following each section. If you pass the course (at least 70%) they will even send you a certificate of completion..How cool is that!! Beware, there is a time limit in which you must complete the course...luckily it's a whopping 6 MONTHS!!! Now, who couldn't learn a bit more about Home Canning and Preservation?  

Well then, just click here for more information!

Gone...but not forgotten.

Special Broadcast to California Church Members

Daddy's Little Girl

Belen has always loved her daddy and found ways to show him just how much. Lately she as been exhibiting some real signs of separation anxiety with daddy that has become difficult for the whole family.

At night when it is time for bed, only daddy can put Belen to bed without some pretty incredible tantrums. We have adapted and now make sure we always take Belen to bed as a family with prayer, hugs and kisses, and waves bye-bye.  Zak has even taken to special daddy-daughter relaxing time every evening before night-night time.

Last night nothing seemed to work.  Sunday's are difficult for Belen anyway.  We have church at 1 p.m. which just happens to be right in the middle of her nap time.  We try to get her to take a nap a bit earlier so she at least gets an hour (as opposed to the 2-3 hrs. she normally requires) before we have to leave. Yesterday was no exception however, when we got home Belen refused to take a nap immediately after church (which she normally goes down for easily).  Instead we ate together as a family then daddy and Belen sat together on a chair and after 20 minutes they were both snoozing away.  Belen ended up sleeping for nearly 2 hours not waking up until after 7 p.m. as she sat snuggled up to daddy. We got her ready for bed, made sure she wasn't hungry, and went through our normal night-night routine. Belen happily waved bye-bye as we left her room albeit a bit later than normal due to her late nap otherwise, nothing was out of the ordinary. 

Unlike normal, 20 minutes after leaving Belen in her bed she'd found her way to her bedroom door, slid a hand underneath the door and proceeded to holler, "DA-DEE".

3 more attempts at night-night brought us to 11p.m. and a hysterical toddler. Finally, daddy thought we might try laying her on the couch until we turned out our light (our bed is set up in the dining room adjacent to the living room...long story) but we'd also decided that it wasn't safe to let her sleep all night on the couch because we have to keep our sliding glass door open (it's the only 'window' in the room) for ventilation.  We were afraid she may wake up in the middle of the night and wander outside. But, when the time came she was so tired she didn't protest being placed in her bed.

Bright and early as Zak is getting ready for work Belen began screaming hysterically as she woke up.  All sorts of things went through our minds as we tried to figure out how to help her.  What it came down to was that she didn't want daddy to go to work. She was fine when he was around but when he told her he had to leave she was inconsolable though several minutes after he'd left she was quiet and ended up sleeping until 11 a.m. 

When Zak came home for lunch we went through the same scenario.  Now that I think of it, this has been building for some time. Saturday Zak spent 5 hrs knocking doors for the Yes on 8 campaign here in California, when he got home he wanted to get the car cleaned up for Sunday and was in and out of the apartment for another couple hours doing so. Each time he was in and out Belen took it really hard. Poor girl. I've started telling her that he will be back because he loves her very much.  I hope we are handling this okay. This is our first real encounter with any type of separation anxiety. Belen as always been very laid back in this area.  She still seems to be doing well when we take her to the Nursery at church it's just at night and early in the morning as I'd described.  

If anyone has any ideas or experiences themselves with separation anxiety please let me know what you've done to combat it or at least lessen it's severity. Or, is this just something we will have to wade through?

Church History Sites

So, about 2 weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit some beautiful church history sites in Missouri.  We first went to Far West where there is little more than the site itself. The town of Far West doesn't exist any more but what you will find is a pond in an open field, an RLDS church a few houses which are few and far between, and the site set aside for the Far West Temple in which only the cornerstones have been laid, a fence erected, and a monument. I don't know what the plans look like, if any, for the Far West Temple but in regards to today's standards, it would have been quite small. Perhaps it was meant to be similar to the Kirtland Temple in design, I do not know.  It was a very quiet, serene place, it feels almost as though you are actually inside a temple to stand within the fenced area that encloses the cornerstones. We heard only the birds chirping in the abundant trees that line the temple site and one could not help but wonder if the angels singing sounded anything like the chorus of birds chirping all around us, it was beautiful.

Next we drove to Adam-ondi-ahman. This site is currently used by way of church farming. Despite the areas history we though it a very beautiful place still. Green grass, lots of trees, what more could a Washington-bred girl want? Perhaps a bit less humidity....

Belen and Daddy

We took with us our scriptures and a packed dinner and sat and enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the area.

A lone tractor.

Belen  (16 months).

Time to go....

Mother's Day

Now that I'm a mommy I find Mother's Day has become extremely important to me.  I get teary at church when all the primary kiddos sing to their mom's...of course there is always the little boy in the front who is making silly faces at his brother/sister but most of them are so sweet and you can tell that they are so happy to have a little something to "give" to their mommies..they are the ones with the big smile who is up there waving at mom.

Then there are usually a couple of talks given by a young person or two in the ward. They say the sweetest things to their mommies and pretend it's "like no big deal" but they too love their mommies and I can tell so the tears well up again.

Then a husband may also give a talk. The husband will say wonderful things about his wife's patience, nurturing capacities, and the pure love exhibited by his wife and how he'd be lost without her. All of which combine against my own ability to control my emotions and I try to inconspicuously wipe a tear or two from my eyes.

This Mother's Day also happened to be my 30th birthday. Yup, I'm the big three-OH!  This is a big one...and while my heart does skip a beat when I say it out loud, 30 years of life has brought me wonderful experiences, a life-time (so far) of learning, faith, family, amazing and enduring friendships that have helped me through a few tumultuous times of my own, a generous and loving husband who is my very best friend, and a beautiful daughter. So, to 30 years of living I say, "Bring it ON, and I'll take another 30 while I'm at it!"

Welcome to Kansas City, Missouri!

We began our journey eastward on Wednesday, April 23rd stopping in Clearfield, Utah Wednesday night.  Thursday we drove down to Provo and had a wonderful lunch with Josh.  It was so great to see him and eat some super yummy food I might add!  Leaving Provo, we continued on toward Colorado Springs, CO where we were able to rest up a bit staying two nights with Malo and Yvonne! But lo, the sad truth was that we had not completed our journey so on to the Missouri we went taking only those items of utmost importance that could be wedged into our car or carried on our backs.  Through mountains and tundra, this way and that way, dodging the tumbling tumble weed to the rolling plains of eastern Kansas and finally...Kansas City, Missouri was in our sights.  Our home for the next 4 months. But, what is this? That spring -time has already arrived in the Missouri, our hearts soared, our eyes shone in sheer delight for what did we see? ...yes, trees and flowers in bloom, oh my!

Sunday, our first day at church in this far off land...was great!  We are in a ward that just split from another ward so the new ward is small, and warm and very friendly.  It reminds me very much of the Mt. Norway and Parker's Landing wards in Washougal.  So much so, that attending church here was almost like being home. After church we found out that Liberty, MO is only about 15 minutes from our apartment in Kansas City so we loaded Belen up in the car and embarked on a little family adventure to Liberty Jail, where Joseph Smith was falsely incarcerated for just over four months during the winter of 1838 

(November 20, 1838-April 9, 1839). 

I know this picture is dark and difficult to see but it gives you an idea of what it was like for Joseph Smith 

(seated on the left at a desk with a small candle for light writing a letter), 

Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, 

Caleb Baldwin, and Sidney Rigdon were also with him in Liberty Jail.

It was really interesting to learn a few additional facts about the Jail, like the walls were four feet thick and even the guard on the main floor of the jail (over head from where the prisoners were kept) was locked into the jail, he did not hold a key just in case the prisoners were able to lift the 45 lb. slab of wood that covered the entrance to the keep.  Also, for several years after the jail was no longer used as a jail it was used as an ice house.  Ice was taken from the Missouri River in the winter and stored in the keep (the cellar where Joseph Smith and four others were held). It was so cold in the cellar that the ice was kept through the majority of the summer before it finally melted. Liberty Jail was very much referred to as "Temple Jail" by Joseph Smith, as we learned on our tour, because of the revelations that Joseph Smith received while there namely Doctrine and Covenants Sections 121-123.