Sick Day(s)

So, we went from a Snow Day last Wednesday to a sick day this Wednesday.  My message to the school attendance line went something like this:  "Two of my children threw up in the middle of the night and the other two are complaining of stomach aches this morning.  I will be keeping all of them home."

The good thing is that Wednesday was an early release day anyway.  At least, I think that is a good thing.  The kids keep feeling like they are getting a raw deal with having to have other things come on days when they wouldn't have had to be at school all day anyway.

Wednesday evening, Dave came home and said he didn't feel well either.  He didn't eat much of anything and tossed and turned that night.  He stayed home the next day.  

The good news is that the baby never got sick and neither did Jonathan.  I felt fine on Wednesday and even dressed up for cooking in the kitchen.  I was in a very silly mood.  I knew that I couldn't go anywhere or have anyone over with the sickness going around the house, but I was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest so I had Emma take some pictures of me.  I have actually enjoyed cooking a lot more lately.  A good thing, since my growing family eats a lot of food!  I figure I might as well embrace this season of my life!

I figured out a little something this week.  I have been using the oven that was already in the kitchen since we moved in because the nice stainless convection oven I brought with me from Utah won't fit in there until we remodel.  The control panel on the oven looked a little beat up, but I didn't worry about it knowing that one day I would be changing it.  Yesterday, I looked at it a little more closely.  I wondered if I could just take off the plastic that was bubbling up on there.  I picked at it a little and discovered that the thin film of plastic that was bugging me was actually just the protective film that could be removed!  It has been in place for years and years.  I took it all off and voila!, the control panel looks like new!  

This is a reminder to me that even though it can be fun to anticipate change and upgrades (like a new kitchen someday), it is important to not always be waiting.  Often there are little things we can do in the meantime that make us happy and make things better.  I want to be open to more inspiration in the future as to how I can make this little home of mine a better place while anticipating other things like bonuses and raises which will significantly enable change, but which are not currently a reality.  I enjoyed watching a clip on LDS.org about a man who lived beneath his privileges.  I hope to not be that person.  I desire to receive all of the blessings that my Heavenly Father wants me to have here and now.  

I'll end with a few more pictures of our "progress" on the house.  By the way, the vinegar worked really well on the wallpaper that I have removed so far!

Dave worked hard and ripped out the entire ceiling last Saturday.  Haley was a real trooper and helped out the whole time!

There was a nice little sketch under the wallpaper I removed this week.

Sweet Alice fell asleep after sampling her first chocolate chips.

Snow Day!!!

We had a snow day yesterday!!!  I don't know who was more excited, me or the kids.  In Utah, school would not have been cancelled for this much snow, but here in Connecticut, it meant a day off!  Perfect for us since I had already scheduled dentist appointments for the whole family and now didn't have to check anyone out of school!  (The kids did feel a little cheated, though, since their day off was spent in a dental office.  However, they were so amazingly good for some reason, that the staff more than once came up to me and told me how lucky I am to have such great children.  I have to agree, I am lucky!)

Jonathan went back to bed upon hearing the news.  That meant that he didn't have to get to seminary and Dave didn't have to drive him.  I, however, stayed up and exercised!  I know that it seems strange, but I am loving the benefits of exercising every day so much, that I am starting to wake up earlier to do it.  I never thought that I would be this motivated, but I am already noticing a huge difference in how I feel.  I also have gotten so much out of praying every morning and recording my thoughts, that I want to make sure that I have time for that first thing as well.  The thought occurred to me over the course of the last few weeks that both exercise and heartfelt prayer bring blessings to an individual every time they are engaged in.  However, once someone commits to doing those things regularly and consistently, that is when the potency of these activities is unleashed.  That is when we start to transform.  We become new creatures.  I highly recommend both of these activities to everyone.  If it seems too hard to change and incorporate good habits into your life, consider the following quote I came across the other day by Arthur Ashe:

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

I have been using the exercise videos I already have.  I use my computer to record my thoughts.  I wear my grubby clothes while doing both, but I am changing and becoming better.  I love making progress!

Speaking of progress, this is what my front room looks like right now:

We are finally getting started on renovating this room!  We will be putting in recessed lighting, redoing the ceiling and painting the whole room.  I know it doesn't really look like progress right now, but it is.  We just need to see this thing through.  My motto for this type of project is:

 A little at a time.

I am still amazed at the power of small and simple things.  I also am going to finally tackle the removal of the wallpaper backing in the front entryway, up the stairs and down the upstairs hallway.  It will be a big, messy job, but I will do it a little at a time, starting where I am, using what I have (vinegar) and doing what I can.  Soon, I hope my home will be transformed!  Thanks for reading and have a wonderful, wonderful day!

A New Year!

Happy New Year!  I have been so glad to have a new year begin.  It has meant a chance to start fresh and make goals to become better.  My resolutions this year have been pretty simple:  1) Exercise a little every day.  2) Daily record a simple prayer and any thoughts or impressions that may come as I am pondering at that time.  3) Discover thrift shopping in the areas around my home.  4) Be better at budgeting and making my dollars count.

So far, I have been pretty good at the first two and I am still excited about the third.  Connecticut has some great secondhand stores, or so I've been told, but for some reason I haven't taken the time to check them out properly since I've been here.  I have plenty of things that my growing family needs and I think that #3 will help me with #4.  

Overall, I am loving the opportunity I have to move forward and have a renewed desire to "joy in the journey".  I shared a blog entry written by someone else on my Facebook wall called, "Drops of Awesome".  It reminded me that little things matter and brought to mind the following saying sitting on my mantel:

It is so true!  I took the time this last week to do several "small and simple things" and to be happy about the fact that they were accomplished.  One such task was replacing the burnt out light bulb in the dining room chandelier.  A simple task, but one that is easily left undone in the hustle and bustle of life.  It dawned on me that sometimes I am the easiest on myself when I am sick or have several pressing things to accomplish and on those days I am really proud of myself for just making my bed or getting dressed.  I learned that I don't have to be ill to be glad and happy about the fact that I made my bed.  Life is good and I can be happy about the little things, because the real source of my joy and happiness doesn't come from my accomplishments, but my knowledge that there is a Redeemer and that through Him I can be saved.  Such wonderful news!

Speaking of the gospel, the lesson manual for the class of ten year-olds I teach at church suggested an attention activity involving two boxes labeled with the words: "Choose Me".  

I decided to use the idea.  I sent one of the children out of the room and divided the rest of the class in half.  One group was supposed to try to convince the person who left to pick one box and the other children were supposed to encourage him to pick the other one.  When the child in the hall came back, things quickly got crazy.  One of the boxes actually ended up getting tossed into the hall while the kids kept trying their hardest to get the boy who had to do the choosing to pick the box they wanted him to.

Afterwards, we talked about how the boy felt.  He said he felt pressured, a little stressed and confused.  We then started talking about Joseph Smith and how he felt the same way back in 1830.  There was so much religious fervor at the time and people understood certain passages of scripture so differently, that in the end, he decided that the only way to find peace would be would be to do what is stated in James 1:5:  


"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."  


Joseph decided to do something small and simple, to ask of God, and how great are the things that were brought to pass!  Because he did so, I get to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!  I love what it teaches me about my Savior, my life on earth and my potential.  It fills my soul with joy!

I felt the Spirit strongly in our classroom today.  I think it has to do with the simple truths we were talking about.  I am sure that having a special young lady in my class who just decided to get baptized and was confirmed and given the Gift of the Holy Ghost in Sacrament meeting today also helped.  She shared her own story of how she made that momentous decision and how happy she is.  I am looking so forward to talking about the gospel with her and the rest of my class throughout the coming year.  A special bonus is that I get to have Haley in my class, too!  I feel like I have the best calling in the world!

We have been having fun, too.  On New Year's Eve we went sledding.  I thought I would end my post with a few pics from that day.  All in all, life is still good and I can't wait to see what lies ahead.  I hope everyone has an "awesome" week!