It's so much fun to read everyone's post. There are times when I wish I could reach out and touch some of you. Give you hugs and resure you that even though times are hard there is also so many wonderful blessing we can gain from these hard times. As I reflect on my life I realize that I have been blessed beyond what I deserve but I am so grateful for these blessings. Here are some thoughts I have gathered that I would like to share. The knowledge that Heavenly Father loves us and that we are His Children should give us added strength, comfort, and hope to live this mortal life. We all need to recognize our worth to the Lord. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves.” Finding out who you are is one of life’s greatest quests. President Faust explained, “You will be happier if you know who you are and feel good about yourself. Who you think you are and who you really are can be two different versions of yourself. From an eternal perspective, these two version need to come together. God knows you and what you can become because He has known you from the beginning when you were His spirit sons and daughters. What you become will depend in large measure upon how you follow righteous principles and do good works.” President Faust of the Seventy, offer five ideas that might help us learn to like our self. 1. Change Bad Behavior Reframe from repeatedly thinking or saying negative words about yourself—there is a clear difference between humility and humiliation. Only the voice of Satan will cause you to feel of no value and try to make you believe you can not change. 2. Forgive ourselves and others Often we may forgive others but we can’t seem to forgive ourselves. If we offer forgiveness to others, but not ourselves, we are in a sense turning our back on that precious gift of the atonement. To forgive yourself and others, you must trust the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Our Father in Heaven is saddened when we limit the power of His son’s atoning sacrifice. 3. Gain confidence by making good choices We grow and develop by making good choices. Confidence comes as we decide to pray daily, attend sacrament meetings, keep the word of Wisdom, obey our priesthood leaders, read the scriptures and control our bodily appetites. Gordon B. Hinckley: “There is a mighty strength that comes of the knowledge that you and I are sons and daughters of God. Within us is something of divinity. One who has this knowledge and permits it to influence his life will not stoop to do a mean or cheap or tawdry thing. 4. Give Service When you are busy helping others, you will have less capacity to agonize over your own shortcomings. 5. Choose Happiness Optimism is a virtue that allows us to see God’s loving hand in the details of our life. Only you can decide how you are going to feel. Change the way you look at things!

I have been tagged!! A little about me... What are the last 3 things you purchased? * Food- milk & bread & lettuce (what we live on) * Mike's birthday present(His birthday is Wednesday) * Gas (as always) What are the last 3 songs you downloaded? *I don't even know how to download a song! Oh wait, maybe a Sally DeFord song. What were the last 3 places you visited? (do you want places I go all the time or places I have traveled to?) Billings, Sheridan, Thermopolis * Japan as a teacher to learn about their culture and schooling * Utah to see my niece married * Idaho (visiting Shawnee) What are your 3 favorite movies? It's hard to name only three * Scarlet Pimpernel * The Magic of Ordinary Days * Charly What are your 3 favorite possessions? Since my family are not possessions I can't list them but they mean the most to me!! * My home * My testimony of the Savior * My scriptures What are your 3 wishes? * I wish my husband had good health * I wish I could understand what Kirk is thinking and trying to say * I wish everyone would stop complaining and be grateful for what they have (including me!) What are 3 things you haven't done yet? * Go back East * Applied for a principal job * Sing with the tabernacle choir What are your 3 favorite dishes? * Chicken Alfredo Just about anything that is made with chicken * Navajo tacos * Tuna Cheese swirls What are 3 things that freak you out? * I'm not easily freaked but I don't like heights * Being late for anything * ? Name 3 things you are good at? * Teaching children * Leading the music at church * Being calm (most of the time) Name 3 things you are currently coveting I don't covet (alright maybe my new bathroom and bedroom) 3 bloggers I tag Chelsey Kristen Mandi

I have a toilet!!! You can't imagine how much you miss something until you no longer have it. Kevin painted the rooms and Mike put down the flooring (and the toilet) and Erik worked on the wiring. It is all coming together. I will order my carpet tomorrow. Yeah!! There is still lots to do but as Mike said, "We've got more done in three days than we did in two months." It was the first day of school for the kids today. I worked in the office because there was a funeral that several of the workers were at. It was fun to see the teachers bring in the little ones. I heard a tail on my granddaughter. Her and a friend whose grandma's also works at the school were out wondering around when they should have been in class. Very independent!! Cute but watch out!

Twinkle Twinkle

You know that time of evening when the first stars start to appear and you see the first one, do you have the saying, "I wish I may, I wish I might have my wish tonight?" run through your head. Well when I see the stars I think of my son Kirk who learned how to play Twinkle, Twinkle on the piano many years ago and he played for me this weekend. Fun! Hope you enjoy as much as me. If we could capture his learning ability to the verbal language it would be a miracle. He is starting to use more words. The other day he was telling the staff at school he wanted to go home. He kept saying, "Home!" When the staff member ignored him, Kirk went up to her and said, "Speak to me in words!" Do you think he may have heard that before. She just laughed and told him for the hundredth time he was going home on Friday. Thank goodness for great helpers.

My how time flies. I have been busy mudding the front bedroom. Hopefully by the end of next week I can paint the room and them Mike can get started on the tile work. It is starting to look like a bedroom once again. My niece Leslie (Pauline's daughter) called and said she had a little boy on the 25th. With all the fires around the area the sun sets have been beautiful. The sky is filled with oranges and reds. The air is thick of smoke. Well not much else has been happening in my life, So I will sign off for now.

Yourself

What a nice weekend it was. I went to the movie the Emma Smith Story last night with Nicole, her mom, Whitney, and Shawnee. There was a part in the movie that rang true for me. When Lucy was talking to Joseph after one of their children had died and he was watching Emma out the window mourning her loss. Joseph said, "She is a strong women!" Then Lucy in return said, "Being a strong person is often lonely." Or close to those words. How many of us appear to be strong yet we are so lonely? I had to give a talk today about who we are. I hope what I said helped those who listened. I know I came away with a greater sense of who I am. I remember all those times when mom or dad would say, "Remember who you are." as we were leaving the house. Good words to ponder on. I loved the praise from the 'Princess Diaries' "Pray to see yourself as He sees you." On that note, I pray you will all see yourself as He sees you.

Kids playing red light green light. This is the dough for the scones! Yummy!

What a fun evening! The other night I had Navajo tacos and invited several family and friends. I made four batches of scones to help feed everyone. The kids all had a great time. Ivy and her family were in town so they were able come and enjoy the evening also. Even my brother Lloyd came. What nice surprise. He is not much for social gatherings. We had quite a few little kids there and missed the ones that couldn't come because they were out of town. It's fun to see the next generation playing and enjoying each other.