Sweet Dreams are Made of These

An Escape from our Uninvited Guest

2012-02-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

we have had an uninvited guest imposing on us for nearly 6 weeks...
not the kind that comes with luggage and needs towels, we like that kind!
but the sort of imposition that you just didn't see coming and you're not quite sure when its leaving
the sort of unexpected, heavy burden that keeps you up at night.
one day when it leaves i'll be able to tattle on it.

well we needed a break from it
and where better to leave reality
than Disneyland

snacks and passes in hand
we loaded up the kids
and headed to 'Mimi's House {Felicity's name for Mickey}

i think everyone else in the state needed a break from reality too
cuz it was packed
nevertheless we had a great day filled with just the sort of diversion we needed

{I absent-mindedly gave her snacks, including chocolate covered pretzels, as we left one ride. Found her covered in chocolate at the next. Was laughing so hard! Way to go Mom:) }

D-land is Mike's personal El Guapo
extremely long lines without places to sit, rides to throw his already unbalanced equilibrium more out of whack, lots and lots of walking, for most parts of the year - the heat, all a reminder of his limitations

but because he is THE MAN that he is
and knows the joy that it brings his children to be there
he goes and tries his very best to be able to do what all the other Dads do
and he takes joy in watching his children's elation
in hearing them talk about this and that awesome ride
in spending time with them at their favorite place on Earth

it is difficult for me to watch his face as he grimaces with each step
his grip on the stroller handle that he uses for balance and leverage
but oh how i can not take this away from him
i can't take away his desire to be there for his children
despite his apologies to me and the kids
although it tears at my heart knowing that this day will effect how he feels for days,
it only makes me love him more

Mr. Bowlerman & Miss Charleston - an applique tutorial

2012-02-17T00:49:00.000-08:00

as per our Valentine's Day tradition, I created these appliquéd t-shirts loaded with character and humor, just like the little people wearing them. tell me what little boy doesn't want a shirt with his very own mustache built right in?! i will tell you that hearts are out...my boys informed me of that after last year's t-shirt design.

my inspiration for these images came from a quirky mobile i fell in love with which i had found hung in a refreshingly darling nursery on Shine Design. this mobile is the secret fiancé of a Miss Charleston as seen on Flensted Mobiles

having my monthly sewing class is great motivation to get moving on projects i have been wanting to do. this month i taught a basic t-shirt appliqué class. i am grateful to Elizabeth at Sew, Mama, Sew! for an easy to follow and thorough tutorial on machine appliqué as well as to Shelly and Karen from Figgy's Patterns who contributed to Sew, Mama, Sew! with a post on knit appliqué. I am sure you will recognize these patterns floating around Pinterest. oh so adore!!

lets begin with your supplies!

here is what i recommended for my class attendees to bring:

*t-shirt{s}

*fabric for appliqués - {I recommend cotton or wool felt - use scraps of fabric, or at the most, 1/4 yd}

I used a black cotton/poly for the hats and mustaches and an old red cotton sheet for the lips

*thread to match appliqué fabric

*fusible webbing - brands: Wonder Under, Heat N Bond LITE, Steam-A-Seam, or Steam-A-Seam 2

{you will need the same amount of webbing as you use fabric}

*iron on paper stabilizer or fusible backing {same quantity as your webbing and fabric}

I wish I could have found the tear-away kind, but I ended up just trimming instead

*iron

*ironing board

*pressing cloth {I use a tea/dish towel}

*scissors for fabric

*scissors for paper {optional but recommended}

*tape measure

*straight pins

*jersey/knit needle {optional but recommended}

on to the nitty gritty:

1. Print out your desired template - Mr. Bowlerman and/or Miss Charleston. They're not pretty but they'll do the trick:) If you are doing different sized t-shirts like I did, you can print your template out at varying percentages. For my 3 boys I printed at 100%, 110%, and 125%.

Click here to download Mr Bowlerman template

Click here to download Miss Charleston template

2. Put your fusible webbing over top of your template with the shiny {glue side} down and trace your template onto the paper using a pencil. Trim around your tracing leaving a small border.

3. Iron your fabric. I always like to start out with an ironed piece of fabric before I do anything else to it. Place your fusible webbing tracing with the shiny {glue side} down to the WRONG side of your appliqué fabric. Iron it directly onto the fabric following the heat settings recommended by your webbing brand. Cut out your appliqué, preferably not with your good sewing scissors.

{we knew as kids that the only thing that touched the shiny scissors that mom placed in its special box, was fabric - not paper, not fruit snack wrappers, not sticks}

4. Arrange your appliqués on your t-shirt in the desired final location. To ensure center placement, measure from edges of appliqué to side and bottom seams. Place straight pins around the perimeter, making sure to only puncture the front layer of the t-shirt. This is serving as a general guide for placement of your fusible backing/stabilizer on the inside of your t-shirt.

Great tip from Elizabeth:

"Keep in mind that the area where you place the appliqué will no longer stretch. (In other words: It’s best to avoid placing appliqués in the bust area of women’s t-shirts.)"

5. Remove the appliqués. Use them as a guide to cut out pieces of backing/stabilizer for the inside of the t-shirt. Carefully flip your t-shirt inside out and place your backing/stabilizer, shiny side down, inside the pinned guidelines. Iron on the backing/stabilizer following the heat instructions on the packaging. This step was not my favorite and I am open to suggestions of how else to do this. I ended up getting pin head markings in my shirt. I guess using completely narrow straight pins would have been fine. I proceeded by ironing carefully as to avoid pressing any of the pin heads {he he pinheads:)} into the t-shirt.

6. Remove the paper backing from your appliqué and place the appliqué sticky side down onto your t-shirt where you want it to be, measuring edges to seams to ensure center placement. You can also refer back to the original printed template to determine distance of mustache or lips from hat. Placing a pressing cloth or fresh piece of fabric over your appliqués, iron them in place using heat setting recommendations for webbing.

7. Determine what sort of stitch you would like to use. For knits you want to make sure you choose a stitch that will stretch with the material. You can use either an even zig zag stitch or a straight stitch. Practice on a scrap piece of knit until you feel confident to sew on the real thing. Make sure the stitch you choose does not cause the material to stretch out and warp in waves.

I prefer a straight stitch, and like to set mine at 3.0.

Change your needle to a new jersey/knit needle if you have one.

Start stitching, back stitching a few stitches. Make sure to lift your presser foot and turn as you go around curves and points. If you have a 'needle down' option on your sewing machine, that makes life so much easier for those curves and pivots. If not, just turn the wheel to ensure that the needle is down before you lift your presser foot up and turn the fabric.

Elizabeth gives some great advice if you choose a zig zag stitch:

"If using a zig zag stitich: Starting on the right side of your appliqué, begin sewing, encasing the raw edge of your appliqué in stitches and raising your presser foot to pivot the fabric as necessary. Your needle should always be in the down position before you pivot your fabric. When sewing around a concave curve or angle (as in upper right photo) your needle should be down in the left-hand position, or through the appliqué. When sewing around a convex curve or angle (as in lower left photo) your needle should be down in the right-hand position, or just outside the appliqué."

8. After sewing around the entire appliqué, do a few backstitches to finish. Remove your shirt from your machine and pull your cut threads to the inside of your shirt. Trim them as well as any excess backing/stabilizer. Or if you were lucky enough to find the tear away kind...tear away!

Turn it inside out! And voile! Mr. Bowlerman and Miss Charleston appliquéd t-shirts, sure to please any little mister or miss in your life.

My Valentine Bowlermen and Miss Charleston

2012-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day from

My Bowlermen and Miss Charleston

our little Valentine's tradition was started here in 2007 with my two oldest receiving matching shirts.

my mother had always given us gifts for Valentine's, so I wanted to carry on a similar tradition.

with the addition of Miss Felicity and growing boys in different departments, finding matching shirts became a challenge.

last year i decided that i was going to make shirts instead.

i love how their Love Rocks shirts turned out

so of course, i needed to come up with something different and zany for this year's shirts.

i have to say that i am completely in love with how they turned out.

My Bowlermen

and Miss Charleston

towards the end of our little photo shoot, grandma and grandpa dropped by after a long road trip visiting Abigail, Jesse, Jani, and Liz

Grandma proceeded to teach the boys how to do the Charlie Chaplin walk in honor of their bowler hats and mustaches. I loved their attempts... shuffling pointed out feet and twirling hand.

a viewing of The Circus and The Gold Rush are definitely in order

as well as maybe a little Buster Keaton and Laurel & Hardy

but my favorite man of the cinema in a bowler hat has to be Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes;)

now we need grandma to come back and teach them the Charleston... i know she knows it!

i would love to do a tutorial on the making of these shirts so stay tuned...

In the Arms of Your Daddy

2012-02-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

in the arms of your daddy

that is where you want to be

feeling safe and protected

feeling warmth and strength

i can not fathom how dearly Jesse wishes that for Abigail.

with every embrace he wants her to feel that.

how he wishes he could do more

but oh how i know he is doing so much.

doing just that

and more

above those arms are the shoulders which carry oh so many burdens

my Jesse is a man, a man who is a man in every noble and true sense of the word.

how this sister is so proud of him

this last photo is such a stark contrast to the videos of a bouncing and lively Abigail i have seen over the past few months.

yes baby Abigail is back in the hospital today.

another procedure, i believe her fourth surgery since her birth in July.

thankfully she is already out and recovering in the arms of her stalwart father.

the procedure was suspected to take four hours and they were completed in a hour and a half with rave reviews. i do not have the exact results yet as to what they were able to accomplish or discover from the procedure, but my mother emailed me this morning with the details regarding the purpose for the procedure:

"she is undergoing a procedure to enlarge her pulmonary artery to allow greater oxygen flow. Her anatomy has been modified to allow blood to flow via gravity from her brain through the superior vena cava directly to her pulmonary artery bypassing her heart altogether to obtain oxygen in her lungs. The doctors are concerned that her pulmonary artery has narrowed preventing sufficient blood to be oxygenated. This is why she is needing this procedure. There are 3 possible things that they will do: 1. check the pulmonary artery to see if it has narrowed & check to make sure that oxygenated and deoxygenated blood are not mixing together and causing her saturation levels to decrease 2. they will probably need to use a balloon to enlarge the pulmonary 3. they may need in addition to the balloon to insert a stint to keep it open. Hope that makes sense!"

both my mother and father are there with Jesse, Jani, and little Abigail today. My mother expressed gratitude for being able to come up prior to the surgery so that she could spend time with Abigail, to become reacquainted and play!!

"She's a sweet baby girl and is so active. It makes me happy to see her so normal!!"

our family has been overwhelmed by the love you have expressed for this champion of a baby, even Abigail. we would love your continued prayers and thoughts as she moves into recovery and observation.

**UPDATED 5:15 pm**

after speaking with my mom, i have more details to share and great news!
the doctors ordered this procedure because they had believed that Abigail's pulmonary artery was narrowing. they intended to insert a balloon into it, but after doing their initial measurements and look via wires and probe placed through a tube inserted in a vein in her neck, they discovered that the artery had not narrowed after all. what they had believed to have seen on pre-surgical tests as her pulmonary artery, was in fact an additional small branch that is connected off of her pulmonary artery which is aiding in the flow of blood to the lungs. from what i understand, everyone has this particular branch, but it is in a different location within the normal anatomy of the heart.

the doctors were very pleased with how everything looked and was flowing. they believe that she will not require another surgery until she is 3! her oxygen saturation levels are currently acceptable though still low. she will continue to be allowed to be entirely off oxygen, a fete that is only been a week or so in the making. the procedure lasted only an hour and a half and she was then back in the arms of her daddy and mommy. although she was a little irritable, she recuperated quickly and is now at home!!!

my mother told me that when she had arrived the day before the surgery, Jesse had made a remark to advise her that Abigail was not a snuggler but was in constant motion. and boy was that the truth, she twisted and turned, always wanting to be put down and on the move.
today after the surgery Abigail just laid in Jesse's arms. Jesse voiced concerns that she must not be feeling alright, but my mother simply told him, just enjoy holding her Jesse, just enjoy it!

Christmas in February

2012-02-10T19:54:00.001-08:00

Christmas in February you say?
Yes! I promised my very patient mother-in-law that I would post Christmas photos and I never have! Life over here at the Johnson household is ever eventful and 2012 is proving to not veer from the standard roller coaster ride we are accustomed to.
So I'll be throwing up some Christmas posts, just in case you were missing the holidays already.

Mike's Spontaneous Christmas Games

Christmas Eve Captures

Christmas Eve: A day of traditions - Polar Express, Devotional, and Family Feud Game Night

**Added Today** Christmas Day - family and worship

Christmas Day - family and worship

2012-02-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

the house is warm with color, lights, and gifts

gifts given by many hands, making our Christmas possible

Christmas morning on the Sabbath

a wonderful reminder of the purpose of the celebration, our Savior Jesus Christ

i loved watching happy hands unwrapping each gift with anticipation...jubilation...followed by exclamation

and in Tate's case..."Yes! I've always wanted this."

i loved that Felicity adored her baby doll Santa had brought her...and the baby crib bedding a busy elf had made her. of course she noticed that the baby had an 'ow' in her hair {what she calls a hair clip}

i loved that the boys delighted in simple gifts such as Eyan's harmonica

i loved that my boys' favorite presents were books - never enough in our house -

and of course the scooters and pogo stick

enriched by uplifting music and word rejoicing over the birth of our Savior was the perfect embodiment of the Christmas Spirit.

it was a wonderful transition from a morning of gifts, to bring our focus back to the Gift of Gifts

after our meeting we returned home and i asked my sister Liz to grab a few photos of Felicity and I still in our Sunday best. the boys were tired out from photos on Christmas Eve.

i delighted in having a sweet moment of connection with my baby girl.

{you can catch a glimpse of my new red hair color in these}

change of clothes and over to grandpa and grandma's we returned

grandpa had made us breakfast in true grandpa fashion - combining foods the way only he can

presenting the saus-cake - a marriage of two breakfast loves - sausage and pancake

after all the family had returned to the house, the unwrapping of the presents from grandpa and grandma, cousins, and siblings began

a magic show kit from grandpa and a flannel robe to Owen from grandma- perfect

a ping pong table to grandpa from all of us - bring on the tournament!

the last fete of the day was to get a photo with all the cousins in their pjs

out of the bigillions of shots, these were the best two.

poor little Tate is sad in the last one because he doesn't have a baby cousin to hold.

next year Tate you can hold Abigail:)

Christmas Eve: A day of traditions- Polar Express, Devotional, and Family Feud Game Night

2012-02-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

The First Gift of Christmas...

matching pjs for the grandkids from grandma and grandpa.

they look forward to them each and every year.

our family traditions on Christmas Eve begin with their unwrapping and a scramble to get them on everyone.

to grandma's stairs they all go...

waiting...

for that sound...

the sound of a train whistle...

the Polar Express has arrived.

adorned in Christmas pjs, topped with warm jackets and hats

they anxiously race outside for their turn for their magical ticket and

admittance on the train from the conductor.

hot chocolate in special mugs and

yummy Christmas cookies fill their tummies once aboard.

in years past we have had a special trailer attached to this bright Christmas red truck...

but Santa needed it for something else this year, so into the back they went.

the Polar Express adorned with candy cane stripped ribbon, Christmas garlands, and sparkling smiles off we rode into the night air {cautiously of course}

these 10 jubilant faces beaming with Christmas cheer.

{1 little face was missing...our little Abigail}

wrapped in blankets and snuggled up tight amidst cousins, aunts, and uncles, and grandma.

the magic of the ride surged with the sounds of train whistle announcing departure and children singing, "When Christmas Comes to Town"

we stopped at the North Pole Express Station conveniently located in our neighborhood.

Santa was there to greet us with a jolly "Ho Ho Ho"

with his special helper presenting Christmas bells and candy canes.

at the conclusion of our Polar Express trip

Aunt Kelli presented us all with a very special devotional about the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ

busy little bodies sat still just long enough to soak in the true Spirit of that night.

baby Jesus lay quietly in his cozy bed made soft through straw compiled through gifts of service done according to our family tradition, "the Last Straw"

off to bed the little ones were taken

leaving the adults to gear up for our next Christmas Eve tradition, game night.

this year, with many of your help, i compiled a Holiday Edition Family Feud game.

men vs women were selected as the teams.

serious mayhem and laughter ensued as the top answers were put on the board and revealed.

as it always comes, fierce competition arrived with an occasional, 'this is a sham' or 'this game is rigged' comment thrown out.

i never laugh so hard as when i am with my family.

you know the kind that produces tears, bellyaching, and stops you from breathing.

the best kind.

i am one blessed gal to be surrounded by such amazing people right here within my own family.
{Jesse and Jani, we missed you terribly!}

i am truly grateful to my Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father for giving me such exemplary examples of love, service, and faith.

hope your Christmas was just as blessed!

Christmas Eve Captures

2012-02-05T23:02:00.000-08:00

just before heading over to grandpa and grandma's house on Christmas Eve, i was lucky enough to corral the kids for a few shots. although i wasn't able to get one shot in which they were all smiling and looking at me at the same time, i was able to capture some genuine expressions which i cherish about each one of them.

i love this sweet shot of Owen and Felicity. if only i could've gotten Tate to wear shoes to hide his Scooby-Doo bandaids, this may have had a chance of becoming wall-bound. i love it all the same.

i love my boys. each one of them with their own personality, yet the best of buddies. i'm loving that Eyan will let me put bow ties on him right now:)

over at grandma's for the start of the festivities...

Mike's Spontaneous Christmas Games

2012-02-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

its mid-afternoon 3 days before Christmas.

i receive a phone call from my husband saying he has a fun idea for games to play with the kids tonight and he needs me to run to the store to grab some items: balloons, crepe paper {oh course he didn't call it that but i knew what he meant}, candy canes, and any other tree decorating items.

who is this...?

maybe having your husband spontaneously check out Family Fun Magazine Online to get ideas of games to play with your kids that night is a common thing for you, but not for me.

i have to say that i was so thrilled that he would take initiative that i overlooked the audible voice in my head that screamed: 'are you crazy?... you want me to take 4 kids by myself to the store 3 days before Christmas to grab a few random items for a game night you are throwing together last minute?'

i am grateful that i hushed that voice, even though the trip to the store did prove eventful. we nearly managed to leave the store unscathed until Tate threw a tantrum in the checkout line because we were not purchasing goldfish.

as i was escorting him out of Target with my other 3 in tow, a woman yelled out, "ahhhh knock it off". nothing like spreading a little holiday cheer! i was rather taken aback but decided to cut her some slack since she was alone, dressed in way too much leather fringe, and was unplugging the motorized wheelchair probably to use for herself.

mike came home from work later on, geared up for the games:

1. Pin the Present on the Sled-

i have to say that it was challenging to force myself to keep these games simple. i didn't have time to design cute little presents and a sled to use. it had to be construction paper and permanent marker. it killed me at first that they weren't appealing to my eyes, but i let go and just had fun. i learned that i could enjoy 'spontaneous' moments just as much as the 'thoroughly themed and planned', and ohhh it is ever so less work:)

the boys loved being spun around. and dad did a great job because not a single one of us got even close to the sled...well maybe Felicity.

2. Stuff the Santa -

i think this was the kids' favorite one...seeing how many balloons they could shove in Grandpa's jacket and Dad's favorite flannel pants. i think the record was 16. Mike's expanding size incited lots of giggles.

Prizes -

Mike had purchased prizes for all of the kids. each perfect to their interests - O: sketching, T: launching, E: coloring, and Baby girl: accessorizing

3. Family Tree

oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches.

round and round they went.

adding candy canes, glittery branches, and a star on 'top'.

their favorite part, of course, was undecorating the tree....'Timber!!'

i think Mike's favorite part was his impromptu game of "Props" with his glittery appendages...

in a valley girl voice, "do you like totally like my new hair do?"

passing the Olympic torch,

a pig's tail,

Statue of Liberty,

...and many others that will remain veiled.

thank you honey for taking the lead and bringing us all a night of laughs!

unleash that spontaneity anytime:)

Return of my sewing classes: basic appliqué tshirt and therapeutic hot/cold rice bag

2012-01-28T01:06:00.000-08:00

i am excited to resume teaching my monthly sewing classes beginning next month!

i have taken quite the break, after recovering from the fabulous Craft Explosion, moving and cleaning a new home, as well as jumping the new hurdles in our life.

we are back on track staring on Wednesday, February 8th.

as always, its free, and anyone is invited to join us as long as you let us know you're coming:)

this month i will be teaching a basic appliqué t-shirt class!

the inspiration for this month's class comes from the valentine's day tradition i have for my kids. since my boys were little i gave them matching shirts for valentine's day. now as their sizes range in different departments and with a baby girl thrown in the mix, it takes a little more creativity to achieve this tradition. last year i attempted my first appliqués on t-shirts. i adored how these "love rocks" tees turned out. you can see more photos of this darling crew here. this year i will be conjuring up a new design and thought you might want to learn how to appliqué as well.

all the supplies and details you need to know are listed on my sewing blog:

Learn 2 Love 2 Sew

i am also pleased to have my friend heather move back and teaching with me again. she will be teaching a class on making a therapeutic hot/cold rice bag to soothe our aches and erase our burdens...well close enough:)

would love to have you join us!

a mother's plea

2012-01-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

{'cloud light' photo by atelierDU}

The mad morning rush is over and I'm noticeably affected.
As I walk through the door, I quickly turn on my favorite soothing music, the soundtrack to "Pride and Prejudice"
such moving, yet grounded music, even a touch of melancholy to allow for my mood to slowly sink in, permitting time for thoughts to process, then dissipate with the fleeting notes.

Dropping to my knees the tears come.

I, as I'm sure all mothers do at one point in their lives, have a particular child whose well-being produces tears that wet the pillow often. One I pray I have sufficient strength, patience, love, and ability to receive inspiration in order to parent. And not just parent, but help foster those characteristics and God-given abilities that he was born with on the earth to fulfill that mission he was meant to do and become. To help him overcome those weaknesses that will bind him to consequences that I so desperately want him to be able to avoid. Some of those weaknesses that I see in myself, but for some particularly reason have been magnified within him. Oh I pray that my own weaknesses may not stand in the way!

As tender mercies do come to those who diligently seek, I have had several of them in the past while to aid in my anxious desire to know how to help him.
One came in the form of a friend who came forth with some expertise on some of the issues that beset him and gave up her time to help provide me with some vital tools.
Another, a conversation from a concerned teacher who supports him at school in the efforts I am doing at home.
An amazingly attentive husband who fills in tremendously during those moments where I lack the patience and love required.

Another came this morning as I knelt down in prayer, overwhelmed from the confrontational events of this morning. An idea that I can put into action right away, something practical for him and for I. Something to draw both of our thoughts toward the good. I may share it with you once I am done.

I am so grateful for a God, a loving and merciful Heavenly Father, who is ever aware of us and our needs. Who sent his children down to us, and entrusted us with their care and development. Such an immense task left to this imperfect woman. But this woman knows that she has not been left alone in the effort and can draw upon His strength and inspiration hour after hour, minute after minute, as she puts forth her hands to shape lives.

Its All About Your Heart: Celebrating my 14th Wedding Anniversary

2012-01-09T23:03:00.000-08:00

Today marks my 14th wedding anniversary. Somehow 14 sounds so much more than 13!

Recently I was at a friend's birthday luncheon, mostly amongst ladies I was meeting for the first time. The entire group began remarking and joking about how getting their husbands to write them a love letter would basically be akin to them consenting for a root canal without anesthesia. How their men would never take the initiative to write one. I, not wanting to be a human dart board or come across as that 'rub it in your face' girl, kept quiet.
Well, bring on the darts and the envy...

My husband writes encouraging, inspiring, and romantic handwritten love notes, emails, and texts to me all the time, without being prompted. He has since we began dating...which definitely lent itself favorably to wooing me.
Often they come when I most need them and out of the blue...
when i've started in on a new goal
when i'm frustrated, inadequate, or overwhelmed
when i'm feeling frumpy and unattractive
when he knows I've had it up to here with the whining and fighting from the kids
mostly to tell me how wonderful he thinks i am and what a great job i am doing as a wife and mother.

We as mothers, wives, well women in general, are quite aware on our own of all the millions of weaknesses we possess and exhibit on a daily basis...over and over. Heavenly Father knew that I needed a man that would never point them out to me, someone who would only build me up.
That is what I have in Mike.
I am eternally grateful for his optimism, his humor, his compassion, his tenderness, his work ethic, his righteousness, and especially
HIS LOVE.

Thank you Michael for loving me the mostest.

I am grateful for the covenants we have made to each other and to God, that will enable us to be husband and wife throughout eternity. Imagine how many notes I will have gotten by then:)

I have had so much fun sifting through our photos from our life together. It was difficult to narrow my favorites down, so here is just a sampling of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, 14...going on 15.

Just this past week Mike introduced me to a new music artist Mindy Gledhill and I immediately loved one of her songs, "All About Your Heart". As I heard the words of the chorus I began to cry:

Oh, I’ve loved you from the start
In every single way
And more each passing day
You are brighter than the stars
Believe me when I say
It’s not about your scars
It’s all about your heart

As I have battled with the adjustment of Multiple Sclerosis also being apart of our marriage and the toll that it has taken upon my soul companion, I am grateful that my love for him has surpassed the impact of those 'innumerable' scars and is all about his heart, the unconditional outpouring of love that he gives me each and every day.

Oh, I've loved you from the start
In every single way
And more each passing day

It's not about your scars

It's all about your heart

I LOVE YOU MICHAEL!!!!!

The Reluctant Pedaler

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

this is the story of the reluctant pedaler.

a photo story mainly...

eyan, my six year old has never had the interest of parting with his training wheels.

the image of crashing and burning has prevented him from wanting to.

i haven't pushed him about it, just asked every so often

but i found a little bike jump for the boys for Christmas and i thought this could be the perfect push.

so a few days before Christmas, we took to the street.

he was definitely resistant.

before the launch we practiced stopping and getting off the bike

once he got on his bike and started to pedal, i barely had to hold on at all.

he did it!

the very first try.

{yes i was the pusher and the photographer...phew, difficult task:) }

a few rides around the cul-de-sac and he was done.

satisfied with his accomplishment but not pressing his luck on that crash and burn.

i love how no matter how he puts on his helmet,

it always ends up tilted to one side.

lots of enthusiastic on-lookers

cheering him on.

mom, can i have my training wheels back?

Piano and the Wolf

2011-12-29T20:33:00.000-08:00

owen and eyan began taking piano lessons this past summer.

they loved it right from the start.

it was something they could see the results of their work right away.

dots on paper, matching keys on a piano, turning into a recognizable tune.

i can't lie, it has been a lot of work, for all of us...

an extreme exercise in patience and persistence,

but i have to say that the fruits of it have been delicious.

confidence, concentration, perseverance,

to hear music played in our home is gratifying...even if its 'twinkle, twinkle little star'.

they performed in their first recital this past week at the home of their ever-so patient and accommodating teacher Janine Williams.

it was a delightful occasion, hearing so many young children demonstrate their love of music through their piano pieces.

eyan played "up on the rooftop" as a duet with his teacher

owen..."you're a mean one, mr. grinch" {one of grandpa's favorites}

neither of them glanced up at their music

both of them expressed being nervous, but played calmly

i was a proud mother

i pray music will continue to take a starring role in our home as my boys get older

and not just from our dance parties.

music played a significant role in my childhood: with piano lessons starting in elementary school {not that you would know now}, a mother who played Vivaldi, Beethoven, Rachmaninov often, and our own family dance parties.

tonight i turned off all the lights and gathered my boys in the family room. i had found the narrated version of 'Peter and the Wolf' on Spotify, narrated by what must be the same accent bearing englishman that i can remember as a little girl.

there was a short period of 'moooommm, can't they talk more?' but as they began to become involved in the story, dancing and giggles commenced, especially when mom skipped around the room. hearing the familiar dance of the strings depicting Peter and the ominous horns of the approaching wolf quickly whisked me back in time.

i soaked up every moment, every note, every giggle, and particularly the wide-eyed glare from Tate when the wolf 'appeared'. {he's a little cautious of coyotes and the like as of late - read his Tate-ism in the sidebar}. i even caught Owen singing the tune later on this evening.

love it, just love it.

Unintentional Twinsies

2011-12-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

after a wonderful Christmas weekend, i received a wonderfully welcome late Christmas gift this morning...

Mike let me sleep in while he got up with the kids, put together every single toy: the baby stroller, scooters, bike ramp..., and cleaned up the packaging.

i slept in til 9:10am!!!

after functioning on nights of 2-4 hours of sleep this past week, my body thankfully remembered how to really sleep in.

i woke up, relished in the quietness and solitude, then lazily made my way downstairs to a scene of childish glee as silly string had been dispensed, batteries inserted into various noise makers, and baby dolls were being transported.

i was reminded by a text from my lil sis that we were meeting together for a little shopping. i got Felicity dressed in her darling boots and purple flannel shirt, then left her in the care of her amazing, sleep-awarding father and proceeded to get ready myself.

shower.

standing in closet in front of clothes wondering what to wear. what can i fit in...

decided.

altered initial decision.

went downstairs to get ready to leave.

entered Mike's office to see Felicity and died laughing.

i had chosen the near exact outfit for myself that i had chosen for Felicity.

i couldn't believe it.

anyone who knows me, knows that i can not do 'twinsies', never have been.

yet, i find myself dressing similar to Felicity often.

i remember doing this with my boys as well - similar colors, etc.

but since they are too old for mom to select their clothes,

{trying desperately to teach them style and how things 'go' together}

its just Felicity.

i guess i wake up in certain color/style moods and they play out in how i dress her as much as when i choose clothes for myself.

Mike didn't get the fuss or the comedy in it,

so I waited to show my mom, someone who could appreciate this incident.

of course, shortly after this photo, i proceeded to change Felicity into another shirt:)

isn't she adorable in her boots and bow scarf? a definite show stopper.

{these are the Twigglet boots i got on Black Friday from my friend's shop}

she was happy to take a little break from shopping to take a turn on this carousel horse.

she was such a good girl, wanting to walk from store to store in pursuit of finding Mommy some brown riding boots {no luck with the boots, but found some darling shoes i am in love with instead-thanks Liz}

it was an enjoyable girl day.

i love that she wants to be with her mom.

i pray that may always be the case!

ok, i guess if she initiates wanting to be 'twinsies', i couldn't turn her down:)

Survey Said... Answers to my Holiday Family Feud Game are In

2011-12-20T21:18:00.000-08:00

"Good answer! good answer!" everyone.

Thank you for your responses. Varied as lifestyles are, but a thread of commonality found in them all.

"Top answers are on the board"

***Find them all written on my original post here or just scroll down 2 more posts.***

"Survey said..." "Its Time for the Feud"

so gather your family round and ignite some heated game playing, tear jerking laughter, and hearts coming together through a little Holiday Family Feud!

Merry Christmas to all!

"My Very Own" Nativity Tutorial: A holy clothespin family

2011-12-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the intended life you hope your design takes on actually happens...

I knew it had happened when I saw this photo:

...taken by my wonderfully giving and fantabulous photographer friend Melanie {I am so lucky to be surrounded by amazing photographer friends}

she entered the room upon hearing the following conversation:

Robert {her husband}: "Landon, how come Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus are with all your guys?"
Landon: "That's because everybody was invited!"
Me: "Invited to do what"
Landon: "Everybody is invited to play:)"

Seeing and reading this made my heart so happy!!

Love Landon's busy little fingers off to the side.

Love Mary and Joseph's bright marker drawn faces.

Love baby Jesus at the foot of a masked action figure.

Love that in his mind, everyone belongs together.

It was my assignment as a leader over the children in our church's congregation to create a craft for our annual Primary {what we call the organization for the children} Christmas Party. I wanted to design a Nativity set which was easy for the littlest of children to make, a Nativity set of their very own.

One made by their own hands.

One they could hold and play with without Mommy's supervision.

Their very own Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Presenting a tutorial for the little hands in your life:

Supplies:

*3 baby flat clothespins 2 1/2" long

*3 - 3" x 3" felt squares - 1 white, 1 blue, 1 yellow

- on the blue square, cut a small 1/2" slit centered 1" down from one side of the square

{for large quantities, I cut a felt rectangle 9" x 12" - in half to create a 9" x 6" piece, in half again to create a 9" x 3" piece, and then in thirds to create 12 - 3" x 3" squares}

*2 - 5 1/2" pieces of string

*recommend felt glue {I tried both Elmer's and Tacky glue, both with unsatisfactory but doable results}

*fine tip permanent marker

*red crayon

*scissors

These are the instructions for each member of the Holy Family:

{*if the glue is not cooperating for you, you can rely on the ties to hold the felt on the pins - adding one onto baby Jesus if needed}

{sorry, the glue was NOT cooperating for Mary to get the photo for Step 3. this step you fold the corners down on each side of the pin - one boy told me it was like making a paper airplane:) }

{correction for Step 1, its the top 1/3, not 1/4. after Step 6, I turned the pin over before tying on the belt and drawing on his face}

Sweet children ages 3 - 11 busily made these, some requiring more help than others, but all enjoying being able to make them themselves.

Here are some of the children's Very Own Nativities.

Love all the happy faces:)

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. May the tiny hands in your life enjoy having a Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to join their toys. And may we all find opportunities to bring our thoughts to this Holy Family. After all, as Landon said, "Everyone is invited."

Here are a few beautiful videos depicting the Nativity for you to enjoy with your family:

The Life of Jesus Bible Videos

Holiday Family Feud Game: Who'd you like to be caught under the mistletoe with?

2011-12-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

Each Christmas we have something special planned just for the adults of our family. As parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents we are thrilled at the joy that we help provide for the kidlings in our family to celebrate Christmas, our favorite being our magical annual Polar Express Christmas Eve followed by a special devotional including the reading of the Birth of Christ to remind us all of the true reason for the season and provide another opportunity for us as adults to testify of that to them. But as adults we also look forward to a time to be kids ourselves-by ourselves, usually in the form of a game compiled by myself. In the past the basis for the games have been derived from our favorite movies, our unique Dix family vernacular, or we have been the subjects ourselves. This is of course accompanied by tear-jerking laughter and intense competition, some images and moments I will never forget! {Dad, ta-dah! and Luke trying to shake his non-existent buzzer}

This year I thought it would be fun to revamp an old classic and do a Holiday Family Feud Game.

Of course this is where you come in...
As you know each answer on the show is proceeded by the words, "Survey Says..."
And the survey was of course asked to 100 people with the top answers on the board.
So would you be 1 of those 100 people and please answer the following 10 questions/inquiries...?
Pretty please...
Once I reach a 100 I will post the top answers so that anyone who wishes to use this little game may enjoy it with their own wonderful family this Christmas season.

Please make a comment with your answers labeled 1, 2, 3... you get the idea:)
Thank you so much for your assistance in compiling my little game.

***UPDATED with ANSWERS ***
***Thank you to everyone who helped me compile these results!! I had so much fun reading everyone's responses:) The top answers from 100 people surveyed listed below each inquiry. I will let each of you determine what to do them. Some answers could be combined, but I'll leave that up to you. Click here for a link to the basic rules for playing Family Feud. We usually play men vs women - a little dangerous but loads of heated fun. I hope this will bring lots of laughter and energy to your holiday celebrations.***

1. Jewelry 41

2. Clothes 11

3. Diamonds 8

4. Spa treatments 6

5. Vacation/day off 6

6. Shoes 5

7. Perfume 5

8. Money 3

9. Appliance 2

10. Slippers 2

1. Christmas lights 36

2. Cousin Eddy 7

3. Electrocuted cat 6

4. Squirrel 6

5. Christmas tree 6

6. RV 6

7. Family 5

8. Mele Kalikimaka pool scene 5

honorable mentions - greasing up the sled, extraordinarily dry turkey, turtleneck dicky

I found that far too many people have not seen this movie! Its a definite must, if you like to laugh that is:) Some of you don't even know who Chevy Chase is! Come on people, embarrassing;)

1. New star 35

2. Manger 28

3. 3 Wisemen 10

4. Mary 4

5. Stable 3

6. Angels 3

7. Shepherds 3

8. The inn 2

9. Salvation 2

1. Silent Night 22

2. Jingle Bells 20

3. Joy to the World 10

4. O Holy Night 8

5. Deck the Halls 5

6. The First Noel 4

7. Little Drummer Boy 3

8. We Wish You a Merry Christmas 3

9. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 3

1. Decorating/Putting up the Christmas Tree 33

2. Baking goodies 13

3. Caroling 12

4. Going to get the Christmas Tree 5

5. Driving around to see Christmas lights 5

6. Decorating the house 5

7. Drinking Eggnog 4

8. Listening to Christmas music 3

9. Exchanging gifts 3

honorable mentions - mistletoe, boat parade, reenacting the story of Jesus' Birth, Christmas Eve service, and testimony meeting before opening gifts

Loved reading about all of your wonderful holiday traditions. Thought it was funny adding these up, that the majority of people who answer 'caroling' were men. Never would have guessed.

1. The mall 34

2. Shopping 15

3. Stores 6

4. Crowds 6

5. Scale 5

6. Black Friday 4

7. Traffic 4

honorable mentions - sick people, bah humbugs, people ringing bells outside stores, Christmas carolers, work holiday parties, my grandma's cooking

1. Cookies 18

2. Ham 16

3. Fudge 11

4. Eggnog 8

5. Hot Chocolate 6

6. Tamales 5

7. Pie 5

8. Turkey 5

9. Prime Rib 4

1. Bike 17

2. Doll 9

3. Nintendo/Video Games 8

4. Cabbage Patch Doll 7

5. Dollhouse/Barbie's Dream House 6

6. Action Figure 5

7. Horse 5

8. Barbie 5

9. Rollerskates 4

10. Puppy 3

11. Battery-Powered Ride-on Vehicle 3

honorable mentions - Snoopy Snow Cone Maker, music box, Song Walkman, revolving bookcase that would lead to a secret hideout, to ride with Santa across the sky, bow and arrow, Big Wheel

This one was difficult to tally up. I left it as is and figured you could combine answers if you wish.

1. Candy 31

2. Orange 13

3. Candy Cane 11

4. Toiletries 10

5. Socks 8

6. Chocolate 4

7. Underwear 3

8. Pez dispenser 3

9. DVD movie 3

honorable mentions - book of Lifesavers, yo-yo, silly putty, jacks, stationary, coal

FEMALE RESPONSES {asked a total of 84 women}

1. Ryan Gosling 7

2. Matthew McConaughey 5

3. Hugh Jackson 5

4. George Clooney 5

5. Matt Damon 4

6. Johnny Depp 4

7. Patrick Dempsey 4

8. Christian Bale 3

9. Robert Pattinson 3

10. Ryan Reynolds 3

honorable mentions - Matthew Bomer {my mistletoe date}, Jude Law, Wentworth Miller, Bradley Cooper, Josh Duhamel, Jonathan Rhymes Myers

MALE RESPONSES {asked a total of 55 men}

1. Jennifer Aniston 5

2. Angelina Jolie 3

3. Anne Hatheway 3

4. Sandra Bullock 3

5. Megan Fox 2

6. Salma Hayek 2

7. Mila Kunis 2

8. Betty White 2

honorable mentions - Audrey Hepburn, Maggie Lawson, Keri Russell, Zooey Deschanel, Jennifer Gardner

This question produced a wide range of answers. Was fun to read everyone's crushes;). Since I was not able to question 100 men or 100 women for these questions, if you'd like to continue my quest, I can email you all the responses so you can continuing tallying til you reach 100.

Wishing you lots of "survey said" and "good answer! good answer!" this holiday season.

****

oh and for #10 I would love to be able to do separate questions for answers from both men and women, so ask the men in your life and you can label it 10 b. and no jealousy allowed. i already know that Mike's answer would be Kate Beckinsale and I'm ok with it:)

leave your answers below by clicking on the 'comments' link below

Mom, can we stop and kick the leaves?

2011-11-29T12:43:00.001-08:00

Sometimes all you need is a crisp pile of leaves...

Thank you to my sweet little boy who simply asked on our jog...

"Mom, can we stop and kick the leaves?"

I hadn't even seen them there...over in the corner of the street.

It was such a quintessential fall moment watching the jubilation of my two youngest as they launched handfuls of leaves into the air.

I was grateful to Tate in inviting me to take a moment to slow down.

It reminded me of this video that I shared in a previous post, "Moments that Matter Most"

It makes me teary-eyed each time... seeing the Mom in the rain with her kids, the college son running home to the outstretched arms of his mother, the expression on the doctor's face...

I can watch it over and over.

I pray I will remember its message as I begin this hectic holiday season.

The message can be summed up by these 3 quotes from the video:

moments are the molecules that make up eternity.

Elder Neal A Maxwell

its not so much the major events, as the small day to day decisions that map the course of our living.

Pres. Gordon B Hinckley

we would do well to slow down a little, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes and truly see the things that matter most. strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. it comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most. diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the World

Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Becoming a redhead...ish: my first hair coloring experience

2011-11-27T13:52:00.001-08:00

So it was time...
Time to finally do it...
Time to hide those greys away.
Pulling them out one by one at night before bed just wasn't going to cut it anymore.
They were aging me and I felt it.

No big deal you say, its just coloring your hair.
Well this 33 year old has never, not once, colored her hair. Not even wanted to. Never was one of those teenagers who wanted to use her hair as an accessory.

The truth of the matter is...I like my hair. Its one thing I've always liked about me.
The other side of the story is...I'm lazy when it comes to me.
My speed:
30 second hair style and some hastily thrown on make-up whilst hurriedly driving off somewhere
{I'm a professional girls. Don't try this at home. Learned from the best, Thanks mom!}
The thought of my hair not looking like me and the realization that I would have to keep it up once I started really prolonged the time before I gave in to coloring my hair.

Then I decided that if I couldn't look like me, why not choose someone better to look like, such as:
Amanda Seyfried or Scarlett Johansson

Well, come to find out, it takes a lot to look like these ladies:) Surprise!

Nevertheless seeing these 2 ladies inspired me to try something I've always wanted, to be a red head.

Nothing quite so dramatic yet, but I can feel it coming...

'Cause as it turns out, its not so scary afterall...

And I may have caught a little...'ooo,this could even be fun' bug too.

As Mike asked me to document my experience, I thought I'd share a little of my first hair coloring experience.

Before and After...

Well, frustratingly I have been unsuccessful in getting a photo in which the red in my hair actually shows. Believe me, in the sun, its red, well maybe a touch on the violet-red side, but red nonetheless.

Ok, so for most of you the following series of photos will seem mundane, a familiar scene you see on a 6-8 week basis, but try and look at them through new eyes, through mine.

Waiting...

{side note: bought these boots from my fashionista friend Erica's shoe company Twigg...everything is 25% off today for Cyber Monday!!! getting Felicity these!}

color of choice...a dark red- no copper, no violet, true red

igora royal...the color of imagination...ooo

Element Salon...Jaclyn...stylist extraordinaire

lots of red goop...felt as if my hair was somehow transforming into the molded plastic do of a Ken doll

hair dryer...hot hot hot, thankfully remembered to bring my earbuds - listened to Fictionist and Andrew Belle, read a great article from Elle Magazine actually {isn't that what you are supposed to do wearing a shower cap under a hair dryer?} called "Control Freak-out by Rachael Combe about willpower, actually thinking about buying the magazine just to read the rest

so many things wrong with this picture...thinking a little too Jersey...not to mention that I'm not an animal print gal

as I was sitting there I kept having this weird, creeping sensation that at any moment a band of hairstylists would encircle me, enthusiastically clapping and singing some sort of celebratory song commemorating my first hair coloring. thankfully it didn't happen.

as i sat down, i expected to look in the mirror and be shocked at my reflection. fortunately and unfortunately i did not. i don't know what i would have done seeing my hair bold red, yet i felt like i went through all those steps i should have some sort of dramatic unveiling and result.

all in all i think Jaclyn was very wise to steer me toward a slight change my first time around. however, i've already been thinking about what color i want next. stayed tuned for our next episode.

Here are a few attempts post-salon in capturing the color with my I-phone quite unsuccessfully:

{Yes, I'm a horrible squinter, and yes, I'll admit it, one of my eyes squints more than the other...annoying!}

Home, not Hospital, for Thanksgiving

2011-11-20T20:38:00.001-08:00

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about how different my life is this Thanksgiving season than last year. Last Thanksgiving our family ate our meal in the basement cafeteria of a hospital.

Vending machines, visitor passes, cafeteria meals, recycling bins, wall-mounted hand sanitizer, and the absence of Daddy, all marked a stark contrast to our normal comfy Thanksgiving Feast.
Attempts were made by friends and family members who sent homemade rolls, muffins, pies, floral arrangements, and even tablecloths and candles, to aid in making it feel a little more homey. The cousins still played and we all helped them create a Thanksgiving Tree to bring up to Daddy's room later that day. They each traced their little hands, creating handprints as leaves and wrote things they were thankful for in the centers.

We came together...mother, sons, daughters, in-laws, uncles, aunts, grandmother, grandchildren, cousins...to buoy each other up in the face of the dire state of my poor Daddy...in pain, unable to think properly, feeling helpless, wondering, waiting to see if he would improve enough from his cancer to be able to come home soon.

25 days he was in the hospital. An absolute test of faith. Moments of utter fear, moments of anguish, moments of tenderness, moments of miracles. It has been a long journey for my father this year and he has quietly lived it, drawing little attention to himself. But his is a story of triumph and deep faith, one I pray that he will fully share with us one day. One that deserves great recognition and emulation.

This past week I received a text from him letting me know that the protein level of IGM, the cancer in his blood which crowd out his healthy cells, has decreased to 2060 from 2316 last month. This is such amazing news to hear that it is continuing to drop after reaching its height while he was in the hospital at 9000+. A healthy person's level is around 200.

What a miracle is has been that this medicine has been helping! Such a miracle in fact, that he was able to travel to Europe last month to bring my sister Elizabeth home from her mission for our church in Switzerland and France, something he had been looking forward to for months. Yes, you see, my sister had been serving the Lord away from home the past 18 months. It had been difficult having her gone during such a trying time, but we received strength from her service in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, the very message we were striving to live, faith in His plan, faith in His love, the power of His Atonement.

As you look at these photos, you can see the joy in my father's eyes. The gratitude for His life. The depth of His faith. It lightens my soul to see my Daddy's smile.

What can be better than that?...the sound of his laugh. Anyone in our family would tell you the same. There's nothing like listening and watching my Daddy laugh. From the sound, to his squinty eyes, to a full body tremor, to the way his skin goes completely red. Truly infectious.

So this Thanksgiving season I am thankful for...{just to name a few}:

*the return of my Daddy's laugh

*not needing a Visitor Pass to see him

*a home cooked Thanksgiving Feast, of all our favorites, in my parents' home with my family {miss you Bub, Jani & Abigail}

*the safe arrival of my baby Sis

*a declining IGM level

*the unconditional love of my husband

*four charming children who love playing outside and dance parties

*living next door to my parents and close to most of my family {come on Bub, everybody's doing it}

*continued prayers from friends and family

*parents who are still deeply in love

*friends who invest their lives in mine

*a testimony that God loves me and that whatever we have experienced this year, "God meant it unto good" {Genesis 50:20}

{to read more about My Daddy click here or on the label in the right-hand column}

Destined to play a little footie

2011-11-17T14:10:00.001-08:00

It really was inevitable.

With a husband who was willing to stay up with the baby at 3 am to watch World Cup Soccer and who can understand Jane Austin movies without subtitles because he watches so much English Premier League 'footie', {and i guess you could factor in that he played on a soccer team clear through the early years of our marriage}, our boys were destined to play soccer.

Owen first tried his hand at it when he was four...which was very entertaining to watch.
And then...
A looooong break.
I have to say that I really struggled with wanting to hand over my family time to sports. I, for one, would have considered myself an athlete in high school and to this day love sports and see great benefits from participating in them. {I even met my future in-laws for the first time at a BYU Football game with my face painted blue and white. Great first impression by the way!} I was just scared to what it would do to our family time. I knew it was inevitable, I just wanted to hold out for as long as I could...enjoying watching my boys with their backyard football games, cardboard clubhouses, bike rides, and living room forts that so often accompanied our late afternoons.

Owen did flag football a couple of years back and it was intense. He really enjoyed it and was an incredible exercise in patience for everyone involved. We did not continue on with football for my reasoning listed above...time. Football for 9 year olds involves Tuesday through Friday practice with a game on Saturday. No thank you! I realize that a lot of people commit to that, but for a family of four little kids, it just would have been too much.

This year both Owen and Eyan wanted to play soccer. They really wanted to play. After discussing it with Mike, he completely left it up to me, knowing I would be the one taking 4 kids back and forth practice after practice, game after game. Not to mention the gear...water bottles, chair, cooler, umbrella, blanket, coloring book, crayons, and endless amounts of snacks.

One of the aspects of MS that I continually forget is the temperature sensitivity. I always forget that temperature is a factor in the sort of activities that Mike can be around for or participate in. His body can only function properly if it is within certain ideal temperatures, think San Diego weather, no extreme or even moderately hot or cold temperatures. The heat factored in with long walking times to and from the field, make for a bad combination of elements for him. This has been difficult. Not to be able to see his sons play the game that he loves to his core. I was grateful for the 1 game and the 1 practice that he was able to attend.

A short time after Mike was diagnosed with MS...{Mike stop reading}... he tried to give away his cleats, shin guards, and soccer socks. It absolutely broke my heart to see them tossed in a box beside other 'unwanted' or 'unneeded' items. I knew it had been difficult for him to realize that he could not play anymore, that as much as his mind told his legs to run, his nerves would not correctly communicate that series of motions to his muscles. It pained me to see him try...and often fall. Those legs that I once watched out-sprint any opponent, now faltered, stammered, gave way. Despite these realizations, I could not let him give away his prized, worn soccer things. I still have them hidden in my closet.

{ok Mike you can read again}

Over the season as I found myself locked into practices with the kids, being at parks instead of at home with chores, a computer, and other various distractions, I recognized that I was truly enjoying the time that I had just to be with my other children distraction free. Time seemed to slow down for a bit instead of speed up as I thought it would. Yes, there were plenty of crazy moments, moments of sheer shrieking and racing out the door. And yes, our usual unstructured family time was consumed. Any yes, I look forward to its return. Yet, I am grateful for the snuggly of my boys on my lap under a blanket, listening to the giggles of a baby sister being pulled around on a blanket by her brothers, watching little feet scampering to kick a ball to their brother, as well as the confidence booster it has been for my older two boys from caring coaches in addition to an opportunity for them to share in the love for a game that their father prizes so much.

I have enjoyed seeing Mike get outside a little more lately to kick a little footie around with the boys. Despite his struggles, he hasn't let that get in the way of putting a few goals past them.

{to read more about our journey with MS click here or click on the label in the right hand column}

Backyard Date Night Corsage: a little tutorial

2011-11-14T12:08:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time, as you may recall, I had a floral business called, A Rose is A Rose. Now in a different stage of life, I cling onto any opportunity to use my floral brain. I adore cut flowers. They change my mood instantly. I am a richly spoiled woman who receives bouquets of fresh flowers from her husband weekly because, well...he loves me and he knows how much I love arranging them.

I was honored to be asked to create some corsages for a dreamy 'backyard movie' birthday bash for my dear friend Leslie, mother extraordinaire and blogger of 'my happily ever after' amongst a million other things. I was so giddy using my floral brain again that I decided to create my first ever tutorial over here at Sweet Dreams are Made of These. So bare with me as I get my feet wet in this richly saturated tutorial blogging world.

I present to you the...

perfect for that dreamy event in which corsages for your guests would be a surprising treat. A little touch of femininity. What girl doesn't want to wear a corsage with her hunky man escorting her!

Supplies to have on hand:

1. and 2. Spray or sweetheart roses in an array of colors
3. Large mass flowers for a single dramatic impact {shown - a dahlia, one of my favorites}
4. Filler flowers and/or greenery, including good size leaves to mask the wristlet {shown - green coffee bean}
5. Burlap {shown - on a large roll bought in garden dept at Home Depot, but you can use any kind}
6. Lace {shown - 1/2" wide}
7. Ribbon {shown - fibrous ribbon 1 1/2" wide cut into 3 fiber wide strips}
8. Wristlet {also used the fun slap bracelet kind - you know we loved those!}
9. My new frenemy, floral adhesive {what is not pictured is my awesomely gooey hands}

Additional supplies:
scissors or knife to cut flowers and ribbon
paper or cellophane to place on countertop for easy clean up
iron to press ribbon
corsage bags for storage

Preparation for corsage assembly:
*Cut fibrous ribbon into 4 1/2" piece. Cut ribbon into strips of 3 strands each. {as shown above}
*Cut 2 pieces of lace - one 4" and the other 18"
*Fold 18" piece of lace into 3 3" folds and iron in fan formation {as shown below in step }
*Cut burlap into 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" piece {I cut along the finished edge of the burlap for more durability}

Say farewell to clean hands!!

Get your floral adhesive ready.

It will become a love/hate relationship I promise you. Anyone with any tips on how to use floral adhesive, would love to hear them!!

Tips for using adhesive: From what I learned, hold the item you wish to adhere down for a quite a few seconds. If it seeps through, try using your non-gooey finger to hold it down while you lift up your gooey finger. Wow, super technical advice. I also periodically peeled the glue off my fingers in the sink as it began to drive me crazy having all those layers of glue on. Despite these drawbacks, using adhesive instead of wiring everything seems to give more creative license in your corsage.

Corsage assembly:

1. Apply adhesive to metal portion of the wristlet. {Watch out the adhesive comes out fast, so apply just a small amount.} Press 3 leaves onto the adhesive...can I just call it glue?..ok..glue in a fan-like formation. Make sure to place glue in between each leaf to hold them together. Make sure none of the metal is showing.

{Note: If you are using the slap bracelet wristlets, for the beginning stages, remove the bracelet from the plastic portion. You can reattach it once the foundation of the corsage is made.}

2. Glue your burlap piece at an angle across your leaf foundation. {Feeling your fingers getting stickier?}

3. Glue your pressed ribbon fan onto the center of the burlap. It is rather tricky getting it in this shape on the corsage and then trying to get it to not lift up with your finger {see glue tip listed above}, but you'll get it.

By this stage you are covered in glue. For this reason I apologize that I did not take the next few steps in a series of photos. Trying to photograph whilst protecting your camera from an abyss of glue is quite difficult.

I found it was helpful to put on my corsage for the final steps.

4. Cut a sprig of your filler flower and glue it on top of your fanned ribbon, taking care to glue down any other leaves connected to the sprig as well.

5. Choose three roses varying in sizes. Cut your rose stems very close to the flower head. Determine where you would like to place each one. Glue them down in a circular pattern to cover your filler flower, making sure that the lowest flower head is toward the right diagonal of the corsage.

6. Group 4-5 strands of your ribbon together in your hand, varying their lengths on each side. Determine your center and pinch the strands together. Glue down the center just below the lowest flower head with the curving shape of ribbon toward your roses.

7. Glue the center of the 4" piece of lace on top of the determined center of your ribbon grouping.

8. Glue a single leaf at angle towards the right, overtop the center of your ribbons and lace.

9. Glue a small sprig of your filler flower overtop your last leaf.

And voile!!! your very own backyard date night corsage. Now off on your hot date with you. Oh, you should probably peel the glue off your hands first:)

Other corsages that I made using these very same steps:

For the birthday girl who loves white!

On their way to the dreamy party for all the lovely ladies...

Coupled with Eternal Glory - For my Gramps. Love, Sweet Bri

2011-11-12T23:21:00.000-08:00

As part of unpacking our home this time, on our 13th move, I promised myself that I would go through all of my boxes. Every single one of them. Most benefiting from this decision will be those boxes which have collected items over the past 13 years of marriage and even before then. Mike prides himself on the fact that when we moved into our newlywed apartment he brought his things in 2 apple boxes only. I, on the other hand, had multiple boxes collected from my short, yet memory rich, 19 year old life, all with sweet notes written on them such as... "HEAVY. Careful Honey. I love you!"

As I was sorting through some letters and cards I came across one in particular that immediately brought tears to my eyes. A real treasure. A small square card given to me on my 30th birthday by my grandpa, my Gramps. I did not need to open it to know who it was from. The two word inscription was all I needed,

Sweet Bri

Ever since I could remember I was my grandpa's Sweet Bri. He related to me several times throughout my life that it was a nickname given to me because I was so sweet. {It was a deviation from the name of the character Swee'Pea from the 1930s cartoon Popeye the Sailor.} I always knew that my grandpa loved me. His whole face would light up every time he saw me and I could hear it in his voice on the telephone, "Its my Sweet Bri." His Spirit left this Earthly life in January of last year, 2010. At a special memorial presentation following his funeral, it became apparent that I was not the only one who felt grandpa's love. Each of his grandchildren remarked on how grandpa had always made them feel special, loved, and as if they were his 'favorite'.

As a young girl I was privileged in having a special relationship with my grandparents as each summer I would go visit them in their spectacular home in Park City, Utah. A home that felt as comfortable to me as my own. {It was there in my teenage years that I set my record for most consecutive hours of sleep, 14!} Oftentimes we would go camping, hiking, and venture out into nature as my grandmother is as close to Mother Nature personified as anyone on Earth. One of my most vivid memories of my grandfather is when we went on a camping trip to Yellowstone National Park when I was 10 and he was teaching me how to fish. Two snapshots below depict the ill fate of my fishing line. There with a huge grin was Gramps wading out in a freezing cold stream, rescuing my line from the stubborn rocks. I can close my eyes and still see his jubilant smile and hear his resounding chuckle.

This past Memorial Day my mother invited us to join her and my Daddy in visiting his grave. It was a reverent and pleasant experience for all of us. The boys made paper airplanes to place at G-Gramps' grave {Great-Grandpa} as he was an av8r, a marine and a commercial pilot. The most difficult part was watching my mother by his grave, visibly reminiscing and missing her Daddy. After she had her moment, she took the time to sit down with her grandchildren and talk about grandpa and his exceptional qualities. I was grateful to have my own Daddy with me and thoroughly enjoyed watching him with Felicity.

Oh how grateful I am that I know that our souls are eternal, that there is a life beyond this mortal existence. Those we have loved here on Earth who have moved on to the next step in His Great Plan of Salvation, the Great Plan of Happiness, have not been separated from us for good. How could it be a plan of happiness without being able to continue those same relationships that give us joy on Earth?

And that same ^asociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with ^beternal glory... {Doctrine and Covenants 103:2}

Although my heart ached a little today as I saw a man that resembled my grandpa in the grocery store, I know that the joy of our reunion will surpass any feelings of sorrow I may have experienced from our temporary separation... for it will be coupled with eternal glory. What could be better than that??!!

Like an Explosion

2011-11-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

that was like an explosion!

thought it'd be appropriate to lead out with a line from one of my family's favorite movies, 'the man who knew too little' - yea, i know, you either love it or you hate it:) {see our top 10 list here}

after 2 months of preparation, craft explosion finally came and went. i have to say that it was a blast!;) {sorry, couldn't resist.}

and quite a success thanks to my fabulously dependable and creative instructors. thank you heather a, heather w, erin, danielle, and ashley!! without you none of this could have been possible.

thank you to my fellow decor visionary leslie and her trusty sidekick nick - thank you for turning my blank walls into a burst of light and color.

thank you to my husband who loves me so much as to support me in my craziness. {i'm still needing that t-shirt that says, 'crazy is the new cool}

and of course thank you to the willing women who trusted me with your money and were ready to spend their evening with me and my crazy vision.

over 2 days i managed to squeeze over 30 of these women into my home disguised as a chatty crafters guild.

we painted, we stamped, we cut, we stained, we snipped, we twisted, we clipped, we punched, we measured, we sprayed, we glued...

we ate, we laughed, we befriended...ate some more

and some of us may have even bled or screamed.

press on for an explosion of photos...

i've already been asked,

'when's the next one?' ha.

so glad you would want to do another one. :)

as it takes so much time to prepare, and a small army of instructors,

i would be happy to look at this spring for our next installment of craft explosion.

if you'd like to volunteer to be an instructor or just want to keep informed about future events and/or my sewing group, make sure to follow my blog www.learn2love2sew.blogspot.com

happy crafting.

{to see craft explosion's class line-up as well as the original tutorials we followed, visit here.}

Period of Adjustment

2011-10-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first night that Abigail, Jesse, and Jani were back in their own home as a family unit. They had stayed at Jani's family's house the previous one. Jani's family has been a great support to them over these past months. Such a blessing!

I was able to Skype with Jesse and Abigail yesterday and it was a joy to see her smiling face with that adorable tuft of red hair. Jesse had expressed concerns regarding Abigail adopting new characteristics and preferences since this last hospital experience. In some ways the baby they have now is very different from the one that went into the hospital. I think it will be a period of adjustment for all of them as they try to settle back in to some sort of schedule as well as understand Abigail's new needs and behaviors.

Thankfully last night was much better than her first night out of the hospital. Abigail, and consequently Jesse and Jani, had a really good night. Today Abigail has seemed very happy. So happy to see her in such a typical infant setting: surrounded by toys, fingers in mouth, and in a cozy environment - her own home.

Talking All Morning

2011-10-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

Abigail is doing great today. She has had a few pain crying spells, but overall has been happy. She's been talking up a storm. The nurses told Jani that she was talking all morning. I am sure that was such a relief for Jani and Jesse to see their happy baby return. Jani heard a rumor that Abigail might get to go home tomorrow. I will be anxiously awaiting that news!

Jani just sent me this photo of the sleeping angel snoozing peacefully. She said that they are getting ready to move her out of the ICU! I hope she gets her own window again:)

***UPDATE Oct 29 10:31 am from my phone***
Fantastic news...Abigail will be going home today!!! This has to be my most favorite photo of Abigail. It brings me such joy to see her glowing with such life. Her little eyes sparkling, her flush cheeks, and engaging smile. What a site this must be for Jani and Jesse. Jani said that Abigail won't stop talking.
....
Just got a text while I was typing this...
Abigail is free! She has been released from the hospital!!!!

Immediate Call for Prayers

2011-10-26T13:24:00.001-07:00

It is never a good thing to hear a long pause after you ask someone how they are doing. I just received an emotional phone call from my mother. Abigail is in desperate need of prayers right now. The past two days have been very hard on her and consequently on my brother and my sister-in-law. Despite her intermittent smiles during the day on Monday, Abigail continued to cry out in pain. They thought it may have been gas pain and continued to give her Tylenol. Yesterday and today the pain increased as Abigail continued to cry out in pain.

Today as a result of the morning routine X-ray, the doctors discovered that there is something wrong with Abigail's pulmonary artery. It is either swollen which will require additional waiting to see if it goes down or it is too small and unable to handle the flow of blood which would require the doctors to once again do surgery. Hopefully in six hours they will be able to do an echo-cardiogram to determine the exact problem. Abigail will have to be sedated as they will also be doing an endoscopy down her throat.

The doctors are estimating that this problem with her artery has been causing great pressure and pain to poor Abigail's head, amongst other problems.

As you can imagine this is devastating news for our family. We ask for your immediate prayers in aiding the facilitation of another miracle in the life of Abigail. We thank you for your love and investment in the life of this sweet little baby.

***UPDATE Oct 26 9:28pm from my phone***
From the echo-cardiogram they discovered that there is a vein bringing deoxygenated blood back into the right atrium, which in Abigail's heart pumps out oxygenated blood. This could be an explanation as to why her oxygen saturation levels have been low.

Tomorrow they will be doing another surgery. From what I understand of the surgery and its purposes, they will be going through her femoral artery to close off this vein to see if this will raise her oxygen saturation levels. They will also be checking pressure levels in different chambers of her heart to assess if an additional surgery may be needed soon. As I am uneducated in all the intricacies of the heart and its functions, I am a little unclear as to what all of this means. What I do know is that Abigail will be undergoing another surgery tomorrow and continues to need our prayers. Thank you dear friends and family!

***UPDATE Oct 27 3:23 pm from my phone***

After several delays Abigail finally left for surgery. She was originally scheduled for surgery around 10 this morning. Poor Abigail has to fast six hours prior to her surgery. Since they have postponed it several times today, Abigail has had to be without food all day long.

I spoke with Jani this morning and she sounded great!...very positive and calm. She said that they have been trying to make things seem a little more like home with toys, playmats, and going on walks in her little wagon. The nurses adore Abigail and enjoy coming in to play with her.

Jani also explained a little more about Abigail's surgery and sent me a little diagram trying to show the problem that the surgeons are trying to fix. This vein, called a ligament of Marshall, normally does not have a blood flow. For some reason it has started to bring deoxygenated blood from the superior vena cava into the left atrium mixing both oxygenated and deoxygenated blood causing Abigail's oxygen saturation levels to be low. The surgeons are hoping that by putting a coil on the vein they will prevent further blood flow and this will raise her oxygen saturation levels. Hopefully this is the only problem and the pulmonary artery is only swollen and not too small to handle the blood flow.

Jani told me that they normally check the pressures of the heart chambers during the surgery Abigail just had, but because they didn't want to be so invasive they decided not to do it then. They will be doing it this time. Instead of entering through the femoral artery, they will be going through arteries in her neck and side.

Her surgery will last a couple of hours. Hopefully they will know right away if it was successful. Thank you all once again for your continued prayers and support.

***UPDATE Oct 27 10:34 pm***

Forgive me for the lateness of this update.

At 5:30 pm Abigail came out of her procedure, a declared success by her oxygen saturation statistics which immediately improved. The surgeons were able to stop the blood flow in the vein, the ligament of Marshall. The pulmonary artery seemed to be a non-factor in the surgery. Kathy, Jani's mother, did confess that it was "pretty frightening to see her afterwards. She seemed to be gasping for breath but they assured us that it was her Laryngeal Malaysia problem in her throat and not her breathing." Kathy explained this term to me, which I was completely unfamiliar with. It is her damaged larynx that collapses and causes her to breath and snore very loudly. "Apparently we all have that vein. We must use it in utero but it is supposed to close off shortly after birth. Hers, on the other hand, opened up more and more because of the pressure from the Glenn." The Glenn Procedure is the name given to the surgery Abigail had last week. This gasping has caused quite the scares for Jani and Jesse and especially little Abigail, whose eyes are wide with panic when she can not catch her breath.

After the surgery Abigail was brought back to the CICU. Kathy, Jani, and Jesse had to wait an hour to see her because they kicked them out for staff rotation. Seems so unfair.

After 15 hours, Abigail was finally allowed to eat. Poor little angel! Kathy reported that "they just kept pushing back the time for the procedure. It was really frustrating and soo tough on Abigail. She is so incredibly sweet and patient."

I pray that she will now be able to heal and that this may be the close of this chapter of her surgeries until the next one, projected at age 3-5. I look forward to seeing her smiley, wiggly self very soon. Thank you all again for your prayers in behalf of Abigail and our entire family. Jani told me today that she feels like the prayers of everyone in her baby's behalf has been the reason Abigail has done so well in recovering. Thank you to all!

Love Her Mother

2011-10-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

One last photo to end the day. One I have to say that is a favorite of mine. To see my strong brother gingerly hold his angel baby girl. To see him stare down at her longing to be able to protect her from all that she is going through. If you know Jesse, you know that he is a protector. We as sisters have benefited from that trait many times. He watches. Oh boy, does he watch. And when he senses danger, he is there...quickly. He has never been afraid to step in and do all he can to steer us from any potential harm. I know that this instinct is crying out in his mind and yanking at his heart, that he can not take this pain from Abigail. That he could not have prevented it. But what he can do, he has done...be there by her side. Hold her. Love her. And love her mother.

If you were able to participate in listening to the General Conference of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you were able to hear a powerful address given by Elaine S. Dalton entitled, "Love Her Mother". She begins,

No words describe the sacred occasion when a new father holds a baby daughter in his arms for the first time. This year three of our sons have become new fathers of baby girls. As I watched our rugged, strong, rugby-playing son, Jon, hold his first baby daughter in his arms, he looked at her with a reverent tenderness, and then he looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, “How do I raise a girl?”...

The answer has been taught by the Lord’s prophets. It is a simple answer, and it is true—“The most important thing a father can do for his [daughter] is to love [her] mother.”¹ By the way you love her mother, you will teach your daughter about tenderness, loyalty, respect, compassion, and devotion. She will learn from your example what to expect from young men and what qualities to seek in a future spouse. You can show your daughter by the way you love and honor your wife that she should never settle for less. Your example will teach your daughter to value womanhood. You are showing her that she is a daughter of our Heavenly Father, who loves her.

Such truth! This Jesse can do, does, and will continue to do. I know that to be true.

As Jesse and Jani have labored through this trial together, I know that their love for each other has grown. What a blessing to Abigail to have parents who are united in their faith and their love. As a child, this unity in your parent's marriage is something almost tangible. A type of security blanket. I was blessed with this wonderful covering as a child. I pray my children feel this in our own home. For Abigail, it will provide a comfort and a safe haven for her as she continues to heal and perhaps becomes discouraged regarding her limitations. She will see the love of her Heavenly Father for her manifested in the love within her own home.

***UPDATE Oct 23 9:09 pm ***

I received photos from Jani and my mother today as well as a darling little video of a happy, active baby Abigail. {I can't seem to get the video to load, so I'll try again later.} Jani reported this morning that they were concerned that she may have an infection so they were running some labs.

My mom writes:

"She's feeling better today as you can happily see!! Her stats have fluctuated quite a bit today which the nurse couldn't figure out why. But they're thinking that with her activity that the monitor on her little foot and hand cannot measure accurately. But when she's sleeping or resting its in the lower 80s which is good for her!! So we're happy to see her smiling and kicking!!"

I will try to get that video up on here so you can view it. Seeing her busy little body is an instant spirit lifter!

***UPDATE Oct 24 5:34 pm from my phone***
More and more smiles from our little miracle baby! I'm teasing you all by telling you that my mom sent me an even cuter video of Abigail today:). {Would love some help from all you tech geniuses on how to get videos from my IPhone to Aperture to Blogger. Believe it or not, nothing on YouTube}. She is sitting up in her bed smiling and kicking away! Such a sight!! The nurse told Jani that she was doing so well that if she didn't have a little cold they might have released her tomorrow. Such a miracle after only a week! Here's your Abigail fix for the day:

Don't Let Me Go

2011-10-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

This morning I received a despairing text from Jani. She informed me that they decided to keep Abigail in ICU one more day. They would be removing two of the chest tubes but leaving one in. "She has been waking up in a panic. She has a hard time coughing due to the pain. She then begins to close her airways which causes her to panic more. Her poor eyes plead for help. It breaks my heart. All we can do is put our arm under her head and rub her face. When she does all of this all of her stats go down. Today they tried suctioning her throat and her nose to see if that would help. Suctioning her nose gave her a bloody nose. Our poor baby! She is a true fighter and has such a strong spirit."

Jani did tell me that besides her panic attacks, she is healing well. Jani said that all the doctors have called Abigail a superstar. "There are some families here that have children with similar diagnosis as Abigail and have had the same surgeries that have been in the hospital for months. Abigail truly is a miracle."

Later on today I received this photo from my mother. The chest tubes were removed so Jani was finally able to hold her!!! Abigail's firm little grip on Jani's finger seems to be communicating, "Don't let me go." Jani's face is focused but you can read the weight of concern and pain she feels for her child. I have no doubt she is wishing that the pain was on her and not Abigail. I pray she may continue to feel the optimism of these doctors as they cheer Abigail on despite the emotionally draining effects of Abigail's panic attacks.

And as she sees these little tear filled eyes, she may know that this is just a moment and will feel the outstretched arms of her own Heavenly parent wishing to comfort her in this, a great refining moment in her journey of faith. Jesse and Jani, your example of unwavering faith will stand as a witness for your children for generations to come.

***UPDATE Oct 22 2:53pm***

Today the remainder of Abigail's tubes were removed. Jani's mother sent me a photo after they took them out and I have to say that I could barely glance at it, with her exposed incision and stitches. Forgive me for not posting it. It was too much for me to handle right now. I am sure that I should see it as an outward sign of a miracle, but it is just so difficult to see this baby's beautiful skin interrupted by such a horrific looking flaw. It seems harshly out of place.

On a more positive and grateful note, Abigail was just released from ICU and now has a new room on a regular floor. The look of this room has a completely different feel, with her own window and far fewer monitors...a far less intense feeling. A feeling of healing.

Even Stronger

2011-10-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

Imagine being in a deep sleep, only to awake to a foreign place... not a comfortable, familiar room, but one full of beeping machines and cords restricting your movement. Poor little Abigail woke up very confused, upset, and hungry. Seeing the familiar face and feeling the familiar touch of her mother soon calmed her down. Such a trial for Jesse and Jani not to be able to hold and comfort her. They were not even allowed to sleep in the room with her last night because she is in the CICU. Restraints had to be placed on Abigail because she pulled out her breathing tube. It kind of makes me chuckle that she has that much fight and energy in her already.

The nurse told Jani this morning that Abigail was doing so well, and at this rate she may be out of the CICU tomorrow and into a regular room!!! That is fantastic news. I have received reports throughout the day that she continues to do well. Such a blessing.

Her little eyes in this photo seem to pierce your heart, a look of pleading for relief of her restraints, a longing to be held. It just makes me want to pick her up and hold her close.

It is difficult to see her with all of these cords and the bandage over her fragile little chest. I am grateful to my sweet friend Desire who reminded me that each one of these wires and tubes are helping Abigail get even stronger. Even stronger. I love that. Abigail is strong! A champion, a fighter, strong-willed, and full of life, just like her Mommy and Daddy. Even stronger. These wires and tubes are helping her along, to assist her body in becoming fully functioning with all its new repairs. What a miracle that is!

***UPDATE Oct 20 7:58 pm***

As the day continued, little Abigail had a more difficult time. My mother said it was one of the hardest things she has ever witnessed. Although Abigail was able to rest, when she awoke she cried out in pain and protested to be held for long stretches of time. She would look to her parents longingly with her sad eyes. You can imagine the heartache those cries and stares caused both Jesse and Jani today, hearing your baby cry out to you and stare into her eyes not being able to fulfill her need. These crying fits raised her blood pressure, caused her to have shortness of breath, and lowered her oxygen saturation which were of great stress to her newly repaired heart and body. You can see in her coloring in the photo below how red she became from these episodes. She has been on a low dose of morphine for the pain, but it is not helping enough. Tonight they will sedate her so that she can rest uninterrupted. The nurse reported that she believes that the pain is due to Abigail's chest tubes which drain the fluid around her heart as well as a severe headache caused by the surgery.

The good news is that she will probably be released from the ICU tomorrow to a regular room. The nurse told my brother today that in her recollection this is the shortest time any baby who has had this surgery has been in the ICU. The other blessing will be that these chest tubes will be removed tomorrow which will allow Jani to be able to hold her! Oh arms never wanted to hold so deeply!

Please pray with me that Abigail will be able to be calm and feel comforted so that there will be no added trauma to her healing body. Please pray for strength and peace of mind for Jesse and Jani as they stand by Abigail's side.

Safe in My Arms

2011-10-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Your baby blues
So full of wonder
Your curly cues
Your contageous smile
And as I watch
You start to grow up
All I can do is hold you tight

Knowing clouds will rage in
And storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

As I saw these loving photos of Abigail wrapped in snuggly blankets and encircled in the arms of her adoring parents, it reminded of a powerfully beautiful song called "In My Arms" by Plumb. {You can listen to it by selecting it in my playlist in the right hand column}

Although nothing makes you feel that your child is as safe as when they are in your arms, as your children grow up life necessitates that you let them go, whether to school, a neighbor's home, a party, a mission, or in the hands of a trusted surgeon. We must remember what the Lord has promised us,

"I will encircle thee in the arms of my love." Doctrine & Covenants 6:20

And has demonstrated that He

"encircles them in the arms of safety" Alma 34:16

It is 8:20 am and Abigail has just been taken in to surgery. We all trust in the Lord to encircle our sweet Abigail in his arms of love and safety.

***UPDATE Oct. 19 11:15 am***

I received a text from my brother Luke who was able to travel to Utah with my mom and sister to be there for the surgery. He said that the surgeon told them that surgery could take up to 6 hours. The nurse just came out and told them that the surgery was going well but that they were just starting the repairs to Abigail's heart. Continue those prayers! Thank you.

***UPDATE Oct. 19 2:26pm***

I am still waiting to hear if Abigail has come out of surgery. My mother texted me about two hours ago that Abigail had been stable during the entire surgery so far and probably only had an hour to go...one hour later...no update...2 hours later...still no update. Anxiously awaiting word!

***Update Oct 19 3:15 pm from my phone***
Abigail is out of surgery and in the CICU. We are so grateful that it was successful although it is difficult to see her in this state. Kathy, Jani's mom, sent me this photo. She said it feels like starting all over and how her heart is breaking! I felt a rush of gratitude but also a crushing of my heart seeing her surrounded by all that equipment.
She will possibly need to be in the hospital for 2 more weeks. They are currently working on getting her blood pressure down. Please continue to pray for her little body. Thank you dear friends and family members. I know your strength has been felt today.

***UPDATE Oct 19 4:55 pm***

Abigail is beginning to move around a little bit. I can only imagine that it will become increasingly difficult to keep all these cords and tubes intact once she is back to her energetic self. Here is an incredible photo that Kathy sent to me, the 11 monitors {8 in front, 3 in back} regulating all of the medicines for Abigail, each one attached to a syringe. Poor little thing.

An Invitation for Fasting: Mending All that is Broken

2011-10-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

Knowing that this day would arrive for Abigail has not lessened the impact of its reality for Jesse and Jani. As their love has increased and as they have watched their sweet daughter's personality emerge, the coming day seems even more difficult. A firm trust in the will of our Heavenly Father is what calms their own hearts.

Today Abigail is in the hospital in preparation for her second heart surgery tomorrow. At 3 months of age, her oxygen levels have decreased to levels the doctors did not expect until she was 5 to 6 months old. Today she is undergoing a X-ray and a few labs in order that her blood will be ready for her when she goes on bypass tomorrow. Jani and Jesse will also be meeting with the surgeon and the doctors. It is anticipated that Abigail will be coming home tonight and then admitted into the hospital tomorrow morning for her 7 am surgery.

Friends and family members, we come to you again to feel of your strength, love, and faith during this tremendous trial of faith. We would invite any of you who feel inclined, to participate in a special day of fasting and prayer tomorrow as Abigail is in the hands of these fine surgeons and in the Hands of the Supreme Surgeon. {read more about the purpose of fasting here and here} We as a family have experienced many miracles over the past few years, and know that another one can be expected through the great mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ.

In order that I gain a better understanding of Abigail's heart defects and the procedure which Abigail will be undergoing tomorrow, Jani graciously took time to type up a summary of them for me:

"Abigail has many heart defects. Here are the main ones.

L Transposition- heart is backwards

Hypoplastic Left Ventricle- left ventricle is underdeveloped

Tricuspid Atresia- No or underdeveloped tricuspid valve

Pulmonary Atresia-No or underdeveloped pulmonary valve

Dextercardia-the heart is on the wrong side of the body

So the surgery that Abigail is undergoing is the 2^nd step to a three surgery process. I am going to write down all three surgeries since that is how it is talked about in the book. Everything is going to be a little different for Abigail since her heart is not only on the wrong side, but is backwards. This explanation listed below isn’t EXACTLY what they are doing, but close to it.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome occurs in about 1% of all Congenital Heart Disease.

The left ventricle (LV) is hypoplastic, meaning it is underdeveloped or not functioning. Essentially, the LV is not functional because the valves leading into and out of the LV, the mitral and aortic valves are severely stenosed (tight), or atretic, meaning impassable or not allowing any blood flow. In addition, the main route out of the ventricle, the aorta, is hypoplastic (THE AORTA FOR ABIGAIL IS FINE DUE TO HER’S COMING OUT OF HER RIGHT VENTRICLE, A TRUE MIRACLE).

Within days or hours after a definitive diagnosis is formed, the baby will go for the first surgery, called a Norwood procedure (THIS WAS DONE WHEN ABIGAIL WAS 4 DAYS OLD). The pulmonary artery is separated from the heart and connected to the small aorta. This enlarges the aorta and allows boh oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to get to the body via the open pulmonary vavle. Additionally, a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt is placed. This Gore-Tex tube is placed between the subclavian artery, the artery that runs under the collar bone, and the pulmonary artery to allow blood flow from the baby’s upper body directly to the lungs, bypassing the heart altogether. From the lungs, blood flows to the heart to be pumped out to the body, carrying oxygen. This allows the baby to grow out of infancy with more oxygenated blood reaching the body. The blood flow through the pulmonary circulation allows the pulmonary arteries to grow better, in preparation for the next surgery, which will be at five to eight months of age (FOR ABIGAIL, 3 MONTHS OF AGE).

At this time, the Glenn procedure is performed. The Glenn procedure connects the superior vena cava (SVC) to the pulmonary artery, after the BT shunt is separated. This allows even more blood flow through the pulmonary arteries to the lungs. It also serves as a basis for the final surgery, the Fontan procedure. The Fontan procedure takes the blood through the inferior vena cava (IVC), directly to the pulmonary arteries with the SVC blood. All the blood then goes to the lungs for oxygenation before going to the heart for pumping to the body.

This paragraph was taken from a book called “It’s My Heart.” It was given to us at the Hospital."

As I read this paragraph and think about all of the repairs and reroutes that are required to fix little Abigail's heart and body, I am again in awe of the miracle of this body that you and I have, a gift from a loving and omnipotent God. The intricacies of its functions and the marvel that so many of us are born healthy is incredible. I also know that every one of us are not whole in so many regards and that the power of the Healer of our hearts and souls can mend all that is broken. The greatest miracle of all.

To read more about Abigail's journey click here or on the 'Abigail' label in the right hand column.
To see the video "Hands" of Abigail's first days click here.

Black and white and smiles all over: Cousins Captured

2011-10-10T00:43:00.000-07:00

What a joy to have cousins! And aren't these the cutest bunch of cousins you have ever seen. I am sure you can imagine the amount of photos that were taken to find one in which the majority of the kids were looking simultaneously. What you cannot even begin to imagine is the amount of yodeling, yelling, Lukabic {my brother Luke's own intense language}, drum rolling, dancing, and arm flailing that went on behind the scenes from parents and grandparents to capture the attention of these mostly willing subjects. Perhaps you can relate.

The lightning quick hands of mothers reapplying headbands, taking hands off of faces, tucking hair out of eyes, and in our case, retrieving escapees and returning them back to their assigned black square. This floor is stunning, especially adorned with such darling accessories. And yes, this is my mother's exquisite home. And yes, she has a white sofa even with eleven grandchildren.

Each child {besides the sleeping babes} is on the step representing their age

{well, at least that was how they started:)} ...0,1,3,4,5,6,9

Look at all these adorable faces...

and toes.

Felicity was delighted to see Mommy way up high taking her picture. If only everyone noticed me up here with the camera. Yoo-hoo kids, look up here. Up here!!

The occasion for such a celebratory session...

the meeting of dear sweet cousin Abigail.

It was a touching experience having all of the cousins be together and meet little Abigail, a baby they have been praying for at every prayer throughout each and every day. They had grown to love her before they had ever met her. Such genuine love! A love fit for the best of cousins.

Our family has been greatly blessed with the arrival of two beautiful girls:

Abigail Elizabeth

and Charlotte Mae

As a family we will be once again asking for your prayers in behalf of Abigail Elizabeth. She will be undergoing her second surgery sooner than expected, on October 19th. I will of course follow up with more details as they arrive. Please keep Jesse, Jani, and Abigail in your hearts and prayers as they prepare for another jolting experience in their fresh life together as a little family.

***UPDATE Oct. 10 10:25 am***

Your heart belongs to us all, Abigail!!

Today Abigail will be intubated for her eight hour MRI in preparation for her second heart surgery scheduled for October 19th. Jani is praying that all will go well today so that Abigail will not have to stay overnight in the hospital. She sent me a text message this morning with this darling little photo and the subject line, "looking cute for the drs." How could these doctors' own hearts not just melt when they see this package of cuteness looking up at them. Truly Abigail, your heart belongs to us all.

***UPDATE Oct 16 7:56 pm***

Jani said that Abigail was a champ for her MRI and was able to come home that night! The color in her skin has become more blue due to her oxygen levels becoming lower and lower. These decreasing levels are the reason that the surgery is needed a lot sooner than expected. This coming Tuesday she will go to the hospital once again for some final tests and labs before her surgery on Wednesday. We would so appreciate your prayers and thoughts on her behalf once again. Thank you.

Beyond My Golden Ticket

2011-09-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

images from my "dreaming" board on Pinterest

I have been consumed with a seemingly reasonable desire, one that most enjoy. Due to the absence of achieving this desire or seeing a time in the near future in which it can be realized, I have thrown everything else off in my life. Our home has not been the place of joy that it could be if only I would snap out of this state of unhappy haze. I can not seem to shake it. My heart has not even been in the right place to truly desire for God's help in overcoming my tunnel vision and hard heart because after all it is a reasonable desire!

As is often the case, His help was given, despite that I was unworthy and almost not ready to receive it. But it came and luckily I recognized it and embraced it. I found myself at the right place and the right time, grateful that He was speaking to me through the voice of one of His servants, His apostles, a special witness of Jesus Christ on the Earth today.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, the second counselor in the First Presidency, which is the highest governing body of the Church, gave a powerful address to the women of our church last night. He suggested 5 things that we should "forget not" to do. The entire sermon was incredible, one I will refer to again and again for inspiration in my life. The 3rd suggestion was the one that I needed to hear right then:
"Forget Not to Be Happy Now"

He proceeded to give an analogy of the Golden Ticket, drawn from the children's story "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". A story I became very familiar with as a child. I found myself easily relating to his words and knowing they must have been just for me.

"In this classic children's story...people all over the world desperately yearn to find a golden ticket. Some feel like their entire happiness and future depends on whether or not a golden ticket falls into their hands. In their anxiousness people begin to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket. So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket. The ticket they feel contains the key to the happiness they've always dreamed about."

"There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings....The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event, our golden ticket to appear...

"This is not to say that we should abandon hope or temper our goals. Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart but don't close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day's ordinary moments that make up a rich and well-lived life. The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket, they are those that while in pursue of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the every day moments. They are the ones that thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy."

{this segment is found at minute 7:35 through 13:25}

This is what I have been missing; my threads of gratitude and wonder are tangled and forgotten off in a box somewhere. I must make a conscious effort to find them, gently unravel them, and keep them at the forefront of my thoughts. I have been passing up and even corrupting the potentially beautiful and sweet moments of each ordinary day by focusing all my mental energy on my lack of this 'reasonable desire'. I pray and I plead that He will "help thou my unbelief" in raising me above these thoughts. That I will find joy despite the seemingly unattainable. That I will be humbled. That I will find gratitude and wonder in "each day's ordinary moments" and become one of those "who are truly happy".

Marquee Love

2011-09-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

It has been a much needed distraction from cleaning and unpacking to meet with the
Craft Explosion
Instructors and do a run-through of each of the projects. Let me just say that we have some fabulous crafting choices for you. We have learned a lot by doing these beforehand, all for your benefit! {and it doesn't hurt that now I have completed projects ready to adorn my blank canvas of a home}.

Here is my new love, the Marquee Letter.

My boys are enthralled with it as well. Not wanting to turn off the 'J' at bedtime. It really does give a nice glow. It will remain here in their freshly painted new room until I decide where its permanent home will be. It looks pretty comfortable there atop their dresser I do have to say. Really it is just a matter of if the 'J' will be comfortable toppled over on the ground. Just a matter of time really. Today during 'nap time', the globe suffered a mishap. Perhaps in protecting its new dresser-top-mate. Only Tate knows the whole story.

Danielle and I worked from this brilliant tutorial shown on Design Sponge here.

This project will definitely consume the entire Wednesday session. Oh so worth it!
Come on over here to sign up to create your own Marquee Letter and share in the love.

upper room paint - crystal aqua
lower room paint - Monterey Bay teal
globe - thrifting find
dresser - Jerome's

Button, Button, Come Grab a Button

2011-09-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

I had pinned this to my 'Blog How-to" board on Pinterest some time ago, not knowing when I would need to add a button and button code box to my blog:

It comes from one of my new favorite blogs :

That I found from my long time friend's blog:

The Blog Guidebook has all sorts of fabulous tutorials and tips on having and dressing up your blog, with posts written in an easy to follow manner. Check them out.
From their post

How To Add Button Code & Code Box To Your Blog

I was able to create his fun button and code box for our

Craft Explosion

</center></center><a href="http://learn2love2sew.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii181/polkadotsquare/CraftExplosionButton3.png" /></a>

So come grab a button for your blog to help me spread the word about this explosive event:)

Craft Explosion Ignites

2011-09-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since we last saw each other, so sorry to disappear.

I've been working hard on feeling at home in our new house.

Its going to take some time, so bear with me.

In the meantime I am filling my not-so-free time with something diverting and engaging,

CRAFT EXPLOSION

Confetti photo by Inspired by This

A little event I have devised in which you can craft til your heart's content for two whole evenings!!!

October 11th and 12th

7 Classes to choose from, taught by some amazing ladies.

Promise you're going to feel compelled to do at least one of them.

Check them all out on my sewing blog:

Learn 2 Love 2 Sew

13 in 13 - Moving again

2011-08-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

photo from lookbook at Ruche

Oh how I wish moving looked this cute. Yes, we are moving again. But this is a record amongst our now 13 moves in 13 years of marriages. We have lived in this house for almost 3 years, the longest we have ever lived in one place. This house has become home to me and tears have already arrived in thinking of leaving this home with its beautiful kitchen, spacious backyard, upstairs laundry room, fingerprint smudged walls and doors, and most notable, my incredible neighbors! Lucky for us though we are moving within the same neighborhood and to another beautiful home. It also just happens to be next door to my parents:) I am overly anxious to start making this next home feel more permanent- the kind of settled feeling that ignites planning of parties, friends over for dinner and games, and a plan to completely decorate the entire house. Ooo I can feel the excitement.

I have such an eclectic style that I have been overwhelmed by my ~~indecisiveness~~ varying tastes. I love color, oh I love color, but what colors to choose. I always seem to be drawn to the same cool blue colors, but then I am in love the classic combination of black and white, and then there's the thrill I feel when I see bold red. What to do? What to do?

brought to you by Pinterest

These are the colors I 'live' in. Cool, refreshing blues. Aahhh I can feel myself relaxing already.

But then there's waking up to these chairs that greet you with such an energy to help you start your new day:

Another Pinterest find

I could go on and on with inspirational photos. And please if you have a favorite website you visit with home decor ideas, please pass it along!

One thing is for sure, I will be having this print! Because if you don't dance, well you're no friends of mine!

Lovin' this from Etsy Shop The Color Bee

Leaving Apple

2011-08-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Apple has felt the loss of two great men this week...Steve Jobs and my husband Mike. It has been a bittersweet thing for Mike to know that he needed a different job.

Bitter- to realize that this on-your-feet all day, retail-hour job, which happens to be at one of the top companies in the world and happens to sell the coolest products ever- just wasn't a good fit for someone suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. {read more posts about Mike's journey here.} His doctor thought he was crazy and rather remarkable for being able to do it for as long as he did. Truly its a miracle that he could.

Sweet- to hope and pray for a new job that would allow him to not be completely knocked out from exhaustion and pain each and every day, a job that would allow his skills and abilities to be unrestrained in their reach-yes, he's got skills!, a job that would be more conducive to the schedule of a growing, young family.

Bitter+sweet = Today ... You can take the boy out of Apple, but you can never take the Apple out of the boy.

~~Bitter~~+sweet = Tomorrow ... Our future is bright with Mike's new job. We are so excited to see where this takes our family. We feel beyond grateful to our Heavenly Father who continues to provide blessings after blessings to our little family. We have struggled. We continue to struggle. But oh are we blessed! Our 'morrow' has arrived!

I thought it would be fitting to finally post photos of Father's Day this year. Mike had been wanting a MacBook Air and so we thought that Father's Day would be a fitting occasion. If you walked by the Apple Store and saw this front window display, then you will understand the kids' presentation. Each of our 4 children traced {ok I may have helped} their cute little hand onto a balloon. They in turn walked into the room holding their balloon. Eyan also brought him one of our favorite green smoothies. Owen came last, carrying the balloon attached to his MacBook Air that he had made for his Dad. Of course to get the pleasant employee discount Mike had to purchase the actual notebook himself, but it still counts.

Tate-isms

2011-08-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

I am grateful that some of my children inherited the quick wit of their father. I am always the one that knows exactly what she would have said in a conversation a mere hour or two after it actually occurred. I do have to say that after 13 years of marriage to the most hilarious man, a few funny comments slip out every once in awhile, to which I am always surprised and quite proud. {I'm that girl that laughs at her own jokes:) only because I'm just as caught off guard to hear them as anyone else, just ask my siblings}.

Well our four year old Tate definitely was born a character, just look at that grin above and at those sideways glancing eyes in this photo from my "Back to School" photo shoot. He continually surprises me with the funny remarks that fly out of his mouth on a regular basis. He is quite happy to be a 'funny man'!

If you have noticed I began a note in my sidebar entitled, "Tate-isms". It mainly serves as insurance that I will write down some of those moments that I don't want to forget.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Today in the car as the boys were enthusiastically talking about a show {think high decibel levels!}, “I love that part! It makes me laugh my tears out.” -Tate

August 2, 2011

Tate giving his answer to our family spotlight we are doing this week in devotionals.
Question: What makes you mad? Why?
Answer: Closing the door when I am in the garage and turning off the light, like when Eyan shut the door on us and Owen was really, really mad... I think he was going to pull his skin off. Mom, why are you doing that ...Why are you pulling up and down your shoulders? {I was trying so hard not to laugh out loud but I guess he still saw my shoulders shaking as I was doing all I could to control my laughter}

August 7, 2011

Yesterday on our way to preschool Tate asked, "Mom, how does that nest balance on the small branches?" I was puzzled as to where this was coming from so I looked out our window to see this:

the logo for our community on a flag. That he would ask that question, that his little 4 year old brain would wonder about balance really blew me away. I have to say that I didn't quite know how to respond so I replied, "I don't know." - Good one:) To which he promptly replied, "I'll ask one bird if he knows."

I love having Tate in my life. He keeps me laughing and in a day full of running around like mad from one thing to the next, he sometimes is my best medicine.

Desire

2011-08-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

With the beginning of school comes an opportunity for renewal, renewal of habits lost with the unstructured nature of summer. I have been thinking a lot of why that is, why do I suffer from such an ebb and flow of discipline in the things which should be placed at high priority no matter the season. {didn't I just post on this? here and here} I've determined that one of the reasons that I struggle to be disciplined is that I let being tired get in the way of getting things done.

Being tired, boy that's lame. I let being tired overrun my time I have to do what could literally energize me - exercise, spiritual study, hobbies, etc. I am searching and praying for that increased desire to take a step in faith: to set that alarm, to actually get up out of bed, to turn off that computer or phone that I often go to zone out, and to get off that couch after a very, very long day of going from one child's needs to the next so that I can receive that energy I so desperately need to fulfill those priorities.

It really comes down to desire. Desire. What do I desire most? I need to reevaluate. Filling my mind with good reading has definitely lent to some good thinking. These quotes have been going around in my mind.

"Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Desire

"God bless you with the will and desire to be an example to the world and to live the balanced, righteous life He expects His children to live during their mortal probation."

Elder L. Tom Perry, The Tradition of a Balanced, Righteous Life

"[T] oo often our actions suggest that we live far beneath [our] potential...and settle for experiences far below our privileges."

Pres. Dieter F. Uchtforf, Your Potential, Your Privilege - {as I've related to motherhood}

Such truth! So many things to think about, questions to ask myself, changes that need to be made.

Are the desires I am pursuing the kind of things that will help me to become the person I want to be?

God expects us to live a balanced life here on the Earth, so he must provide a way to achieve it. What kind of tools has he blessed me with to achieve it?

What potential does God see in me? Do I see it as well or am I settling? If the privileges are available, what must I do to qualify for them?

Such work to be done on little ole me. I pray that I may do what the Lord has personally admonished me, to "work tirelessly". If you see me, remind me that I'm not tired, that I'm working tirelessly with the right desires in my heart towards my potential. See what I say:) I'm curious.

On the Morrow

2011-08-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

In the midst of our deepest yearning to be freed from a heavy burden, a perpetual trial, or a unyielding veil of darkness that won't seem to dissipate, we plead with the Lord to hear our prayers and grant us his mercy and demonstrate his power in our lives. We know that he can. We know that he will. Yet oftentimes we wait and wait and do not see His divine help. We continue to pray and plead but that affliction remains. Our faith shakes, our doubt creeps in. Days turn to months and even months to years. Yet we are not forgotten nor forsaken, not one minute, not one second.

The Lord calls out to us in His loving and inviting way, "Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you..." {Mosiah 24:16}

On the morrow. When is my morrow, you may ask? When will your tomorrow come that will set you free from whatever it is that weighs on you?

Waiting is the hardest part for me, but that is my testing ground. How will I wait? Will I be so preoccupied with the fact that I want the solution now and I know how it should go, that I waste the time given to me to really seek out the solution and will of God? Will I become resentful, angry, bitter, and doubtful that I am really even on the Lord's radar? Will I separate myself from any form of the love of God so as not to be reminded that I must trust, that He sees me as capable of such a burden?

I have fallen into every one of these traps. Sometimes just for moments at a time and unfortunately sometimes days and weeks. There have even been times in my life when even longer.

Immediately proceeding this promise of "On the Morrow", God instructs us how we are to wait. This scripture was read to me at the most difficult trial of my life up to that point, a time when I knew what the will of the Lord was to be, I was going to obey, but I sure wasn't going to be happy about it.

Here is how we are to wait for our 'morrow':
"submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." {Mosiah 24:15}

This is our challenge friends, maybe not the burden or trial itself, but what we do while we wait to be free from it. I pray with all my heart that I "submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

I have seen many 'morrows': miracles, deliverances, and answers to prayers. Lately our family has been blessed with tremendous blessings all at once. Answers that have come from waiting months and some even years for answers to our prayers. We have been provided with a new place to live since this home we are renting has been sold. It just so happens to be next door to my parents! Mike has been offered a new job, one which will lend him a better opportunity for a healthy lifestyle and optimal use of his talents and skills. He has also been given a new opportunity to serve in our church that will increase his capacity to influence and help others with his tremendous example of faith and work. Such blessings and others unnamed have become our 'morrow'. We have truly been delivered by the plan of an omniscient Father in Heaven and by the redeeming power of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Craft Explosion for the Sewing Group

2011-08-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

Coming in October I have BIG PLANS for my Sewing Group. Although I want to keep the group sewing driven, I thought a once a year craft class would be a blast, so CRAFT EXPLOSION was ignited. My goal is to offer 2 different sessions with 3 classes each, so each person can complete 2 separate projects, including instructors.

Instructors!!! That is what I need. 5 of them to be exact. Instructors will be able to choose which project they would like to teach from my list of suggested projects. I will be doing a run-through of the project with each of them before the class so there will be no fear involved and you will be guaranteed a completed project! Each instructor will also only teach once so they will have the other session to choose an additional project to complete of your choosing.

Check out my sewing blog Learn 2 Love 2 Sew for the complete details on my goals, class projects, and needs for your feedback!

Here are a few of the proposed projects:

Plasti-Dip Fun

http://fellowcreatives.com/2010/09/16/plasti-dip/

Oh I really want someone to choose this one. You can transform any little trinket to a chic new piece of decor.

Faux Metallic Letter

http://kfddesigns.blogspot.com/2011/01/faux-metallic-letter-tutorial.html

Silhouette Embroidery Hoops

http://arieleldridge.blogspot.com/2010/04/embroidery-hoop-silhoutte.html

I will be teaching this silhouette class!

Chicken Wire Display Frame

http://search4serendipity.blogspot.com/2011/07/tutorial-chicken-wire-display-frame.html

Crystal Necklace

http://www.joyfolieblog.com/2011/08/diy-wednesday-crystal-necklace.html

Head on over to my sewing blog Learn 2 Love 2 Sew for the complete list and to leave me some valuable feedback!!! Hope to see your name volunteering to be an instructor so we'll have some classes to offer:)

Back to School Photo Shoot

2011-08-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Where did the Summer go? Seriously. We had such an eventful summer filled to the brim with activities, lessons, and family fun, interspersed with some great lazy and torturously crazy days. Hopefully soon I will catch up on my posting of our fabulous summer {here's to dreaming!}.

On the boys' last day of summer I decided to take some "Back to School" photos. We went out of our neighborhood a stone's throw to a dirt road and parked along the side of a shady bend. To our right was the boys' fantasy come true, the remains of an old home just fit to climb on and explore. They entitled it, 'the Secret Stairs'. I bribed the boys with passage to these 'Secret Stairs' as soon as our photo shoot was complete. They took the bait and really did a great job of cooperating. I think they may have had a little fun too:)

I really am unworthy to have such an amazing camera {a Christmas present from my thoughtful husband}. My goal this school year is to learn how to shoot on manual. I just heard some of you cringe. Yes I don't know how to use my camera. I'm learning though! little by little. Despite my ignorance I feel like the photos turned out much to my delight! Having beautiful children gives me such an advantage. {Fiddling around with Aperature does too:)}

There are so many that I love. Make way for a train of photos:

Painted Toenails

2011-08-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

Pink bows. Pink ruffles. Pink headband....and Painted Toenails. Abigail is all dolled up and growing up. I was so happy to see Jani share these photos of my little niece. The feeding tube almost goes unnoticed amongst her feminine clothes, porcelain skin, and ruby lips. Such joy to see her glowing as she develops as an infant. Our family is praying, crossing our fingers, and holding our breath that Abigail will get the approval from her doctor to travel down here with Jani and Jesse this weekend for some celebrations. To hold her will be the fulfillment of such a long awaited moment. I have followed her little life so closely that I feel such a bond with her. I pray when I eventually get to hold her, that she may feel it too.
{you can view the details on Abigail's journey by clicking here, on the "We are Family" label in the right sidebar, or viewing my "Popular Posts" in the sidebar as well}

Her life flight t-shirt the pilot gave her.

***UPDATE***

Just found out that these painted toenails are heading my way this weekend!!!! Can't wait:)