MARISA'S SPA DAY

Marisa has a day at the SPA!!! Who would have thunk it? You can have a SPA DAY right at home in your very own kitchen. With her oatmeal scrub and cucumber eye mask Marisa is planning on having the smoothest freshest face in town!!! I remember doing oatmeal masks and egg white mask when I was a girl! The things we come up with for just a little bit of a beauty!

BREAD

Uh ohh, not good for low carb. diets!! A friend gave us this awesome recipe for this Artisan Bread! We liked it so much we bought the cook book! I can't believe it even looks like the picture in the book. This bread is so easy and it only has four ingredients, water, flour, salt and yeast!!! It is delicious!!!!

SEWING CAMP

Hannah had this awesome opportunity to attend "I'm Sew Happy" Summer Sewing Camp this week! A lady in a neighboring ward was putting it on. They made 16 projects in three days! She has been itching to use her sewing machine again this summer and time was running out! So thank goodness for the camp! At the camp they made pajama bottoms, a sewing caddie, rice bag, pillow case, slippers, apron, book bag, crayon caddie, book covers, hot pads, pin cushions and decorated t-shirts, and flip flopps. I am sure I missed something! It was an great experience!!! I am so grateful for people who share their talents!!

COOKING CAMP

Get the red and white cook book! You could always trust the Better Homes and Garden red and white cook book! Last night we got "The NEW Better Homes and Garden JUNIOR Cook Book." Jeff and the kids got busy today in the kitchen making a delicious dessert. They made "Gimme Smore" smores! I can't wait to taste them they have to chill a couple of hours!

JULY 3rd 16 YEARS & COUNTING

"Time flies when you are having fun!" I can't believe we have been married for 16 years! Where does the time go? Marriage is like a good wine (so they say) it only gets better with age! I don't think I knew how blessed I was the day I met and then married Jeff! I am so grateful to have him in my life! He is MY Rock!

You are my Rock

This gift is more that a box of rocks

Each one was earned through talks and walks

We built a foundation of our own

Rock by rock and stone by Stone.

It all started in Geology,

Who would have known you'd marry me.

Rock by rock stone by stone

Oh, look how our love has grown.

Some rocks can withstand all tests of time

Just like the love that's yours and mine

Rock by rock and stone by stone

I am so glad that your my own.

JUNE 28th MARISA IS SIX

Computering? Really?

I have had to take a step back and reevaluate my techno geek side. For Mother’s Day the Primary children filled out little questionnaire's about their moms. I found out that I love chocolate cake, like pickles, don’t like corn bread, my favorite song is #2 in the Hymn book, and I am happy when I am dancing. I was also hit with a new revelation that I like to “computer” in my spare time. This computer thing hit me where I live!!! With e-mail, blogging and social networking, attending to house hold duties, and church responsibilities I probably spent more than my fair share of time using the computer.

I recently attended a Relief Society lesson taken from a talk given at the April 2009 Priesthood Session by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down.” In this talk President Uchtdorf tells of an airplane that crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing over 100 people. During the final approach, the crew noticed that one green light that indicates whether or not the nose landing gear has extended successfully. The pilots discontinued the approach, set the aircraft into a circling holding pattern over the pitch-black Everglades, and turned their attention toward investigating the problem. They became so preoccupied with their search that they failed to realize the plane was gradually descending closer and closer toward the dark swamp below. By the time someone noticed what was happening, it was too late to avoid the disaster. After the accident, investigators tried to determine the cause. The landing gear had indeed lowered properly. The plane was in perfect mechanical condition. Everything was working properly all except one thing: a single burned-out light bulb. That tiny light bulb that probably cost $.20.

Of course the malfunctioning light bulb didn’t cause the accident it happened because the crew placed its focus on something that seemed to matter at the moment while losing sight of what mattered most.

President Uchtdorf counseled “Set Your Heart on Things That Matter Most. . . Don’t let yourself become distracted from our sacred duties. We cannot and we must not lose focus on the things that matter most.” I asked myself the question “What matters most?” In contemplation of my answer of what matters most I decided I didn’t want to be remembered for my “computering.” He continues on to say, “Sometimes the things that distract us are not bad in and of themselves; often they even make us feel good. It is possible to take even good things to excess.” It is with these words I felt I need to “put away childish things” reevaluate my hobbies and reprioritize and define my motivation behind them. I am grateful for the living Prophets and the counsel they give us to live in the world today!