Day 30.

Heaven knows I love my girls…

But I am thankful for bedtime tonight!

They are crazy/hyper/fun/silly/emotional/demanding little girls from the moment they wake up.  Add that, multiply it by three, and mix in a typical busy day, and you’ll have one tired mom at the end of it all.

I am thankful for the usual ease in our bedtime routine, to end our day with family prayer, tuck-ins, and kisses all around.  Family prayer is something that we happen to be good at.  It draws us closer, reminds us of the love we have in our home, even after a crazy day.

I am also thankful for the quiet (and sometimes uninterrupted) time I have with Merrill after they are all in their own beds (or sharing with big sis).  Dinner time, is not the time for Merrill and I to attempt to have a conversation.  There are too many people excited to talk to him then, fill him in on the happenings of their individual days.  No, we need the “us” time to catch up on all that we want to.

(But I do enjoy snuggles from little people in my bed too.)

I am thankful for the satisfaction I feel when I lay down after a full day.  I sleep so much better!  I feel tired and I look forward to the rest.  I also look forward to seeing how much more I can get accomplished in the next day.

I just heard someone get up for fourths on the “bedtime drink”.  Better go put the smack down..

;)

Day 29.

Tonight was the first FHE for this Christmas season.  We sang Ashley’s favorite Christmas song from primary (she requests it every time she is in charge of the song though), discussed some things we’d like to do as a family, both fun and service oriented, and we talked about what Christmas means.  To finish off our evening, we watched, “Mr. Kruger’s Christmas”.  It has been a favorite since we were kids, and we are so thankful that the church has out it out on DVD.  We’ll probably watch it 100 more times this season, and I will cry more times than that just thinking about it..

I am so thankful for this time of the year, for the lessons I re-learn every year.  I am thankful for those gentle reminders of what life is all about.  I am thankful to be reminded of how personal my relationship is with my Savior.  That is what this movie does for me. 

While he is praying, imagining that he is right there that sacred night, Mr. Kruger says some very heartfelt things.  He begins by introducing himself, but then adds quickly, “You already know that.”  He talks about how Christ has always been there for him, during the darkest times, the loneliest, he hasn’t been alone.  He acknowledges that the Savior has walked with him many times. Even when he didn’t like himself too much, he realized that the Savior loves him, and that is enough.

My favorite is when he says, “You are my closest, my finest friend…”

This all hits me, every time.

He knows me personally.  He has always been there for me, even when I wasn’t doing everything perfectly.  He has been there, walking with me during the hardest of times.  His arms are around me when I feel the loneliest.

I need to know this every day, because not every day is easy.  They aren’t all ever easy for all of us, we all have our rough spots.  Those days when it just seems too tough, when we don’t think we can make it through, we need to realize that He is right there beside us, helping us along.  We need to remember, when we feel that all have abandoned us, that He loves us.  When we feel those feelings of abandonment, when thoughts arise that there is no other friend left, He is our friend.

I am making it a goal, to have Him be “my closest, my finest friend”.

This world is a cold harsh place a lot of the time.  We have friends that we think are our world.  Those friends come and go, but He is a constant.  I want to nurture that relationship.  What better gift could I ever give myself?

November 29th..

The start of some old traditions…

I {heart} faces: B&W Scenic.

We should all know how much I love B&W photographs..
We should also all know how much I love Lake Powell, the beauty there.
So it’s only fitting, that this pic be my submission for I {heart} faces this week.
Take a look what other submissions are there.

I am thankful for this…

Collin Kartchner is mostly known for his sarcasm and wit around here, but today, he made me cry.  Speaking so beautifully of feelings, truth, knowledge, and emotions with which I am well acquainted, he managed to hit the jackpot on my tear ducts today.

Need a good cry?

Want to see what life is all about?

Need a little comfort?

Grab some Kleenex, go here.

It also helps if you have a toddler on your lap, watching it with you.  Just when I thought the tears wouldn’t stop, Peyton farted on me.  Nice little distraction.  It reminded me of the three sweet ones I do have here.

Fun new products..

I love seeing what fun new stuff the designers come up with at Jessica Sprague..
Just a couple of things new to the store tomorrow:

Okay, so part of this one isn’t new, but it’s newish.
Splendid Fiins put out a “Splendid Tutorial” on how to make Silhouettes, from beginning to end, and making them into your own brush!  Pretty incredible, I know.
Tomorrow, new to the store, will be these alternate borders.  You can color them, but I am just boring and left them black.
I made mine into ornaments, and if you click on it, you can see the name and age of the little girl whose silhouette is on there..
I just printed off the finished product, cut it out, rounded the corners, and glittered the edges of some chipboard before I stuck down my silhouette with craft dots.  Add a little rick-rack and you have a cute little ornament!  I would have liked to have diamond glazed it, but ran out of time.
My mind is just racing with all the possibilities with this one!
Queen of Quirk (I love all things quirky..) has “Reindeer Games” coming out tomorrow.  I wanted to use all of the elements and papers on one page, but that wouldn’t have looked too great.  It is all so fun though!

Papers.
Elements.
I also used her template.
Stitching, Splendid Fiins.
Fonts, Marcelle Script and Caviar Dreams.
Don’t forget, the great holiday sale is going on there, and prices are slashed by 20%!!  With any purchase over $20 you get a free comp kit, that is pretty fun too..  need to find more time to play with that one…
Oh, and the FREE class starts TOMORROW!

November 28th..