Paint brushes, rollers, tarps, overalls, and yes, paint. Can you guess what I am doing? I have waited for four years to paint my house and I am tired of waiting for the hubby to have time to help so I am doing it alone It's not as hard as I thought. Just time consuming. I am doing my kitchen right now. I love having color. I am doing it in a light sage. Bry doesn't like it but I do and I gave him plenty of opportunity to come with me to pick it out.

I love color and I have been living in a pure white house for a long time. We are putting down baseboards because the house didn't come with them. I hope it will look good after it's all done.

I was thinking how "they" say that your home should be a bit a heaven, like the temple. Well, one reason the temple is so peaceful and conducive to the spirit is because it is clean and beautiful. So I am working on making my home more beautiful. like a piece of heaven.

I am affected by my surroundings. When my house is a mess, I feel ornery. When my house is clean, I feel refreshed and happy. I walk into my living room now and just having a coffee and end tables makes such a difference. It looks complete. It stays neater. The kids even try harder to keep it nice. Well, everyone but Heidi. She still likes all her stuffed animals to take naps on the couches under the arm cover things.

I wish I could show you a picture but I left my camera at my sister's on Thanksgiving. Anyway, I'll show it to you all when I get it back! Happy Holidays!

Thank heaven for little girls

There is something so sweet and beautiful I feel when Bry brings Heidi in in the morning to snuggle in bed with me. She is the only child upstairs with us and he gets up so early. He peeks in at her and half the time she is sitting up with those big black eyes blink blink blinking at him! So he carries our little fairy in and puts her to bed with me.

We snuggle and she caresses my face and tells me she's the princess and that I am the queen. She says she loves me over and over and wants me to sing "rock a by baby". That is her favorite song. She is so skinny that I could wrap my arms around her twice. I cannot explain what I feel for her.

She is my only daughter and our relationship is a little different than the ones I have with my boys. She is so girly and feminine and I love it. I wish she could stay 4 a little longer.

Sugar and spice and everything nice. That is what she is. Little girls are so special and I know God wants us all to be safely taken care of by loving parents.

I read in an LDS book once that the reason men are given the priesthood and not women is to make them equal to us. We have such a greatness that men cannot even begin to obtain on their own. This makes a lot of sense to me. Not in an arrogant way, but on my mission, I noticed how most of the branches and wards were made up of women and children. Women have a natural tendency (usually) to be spiritual. Men need that extra push is seems in so many cases. The priesthood gives that that extra push and desire to serve and to love God. Thank heavens for that.

May god bless all women and mothers who really are the losers in the wars and abuses that go on in this world. I pray it will all be made right soon.

Happy Sunday! What a good day it has been. Chrurch was really good even though I had a terrible headache clear through, my kids were naughty and noisy clear through sacrament meeting and as usual, S, will not participate in primary. He sits there sulking and I just don't know what to do with him! He has had such a hard time lately. I just don't know how to help him.

I've been sitting here looking for land in So. Dakota. We have relatives that beg us to move there . I don't particularly want to move right now but land is cheap right now. I found 3700 acres for sale for 55,000. We could at least have hunting grounds for Bry. I am going to check it out. It may just be located in no mans land!

I have my friend's dog over here trying to make babies with cookie. I found out that she's a limited registration, meaning, she can be registered with the AKC but none of her litters can so I am not going to worry about finding a pure bred Shi Tzus. Rocky, the male, is a Yorkie mix. They are going for at least $700 right now! WOW! Anyway, Cookie and Rocky will make the cutest babies.

Cookie is so adorable. Still. I think she is probably potty trained by now but I haven't given her a chance to really mess up. She is so sweet.

Our relief Society is going to a dinner/play in December. I just love this presidency. They plan so many fun activities. Yes, they cost, but I am willing to pay for girl time with my friends. Plus, it's only 7 dollars. I think it is important to hang with the gals. I love my ward. Wonderful women. Well, I hope you Sunday is good too. See ya!

Happy Holidays!

Ah, the Christmas season. I just love it! Even when it does start a little early. I think America is the only country that starts it's Christmas season as late as it does because of Thanksgiving. Well, When I was a child, the season started the day after Thanksgiving.

This year, I turned on the radio the day after Halloween and Christmas music was playing! It irritated me but my kids loved it! I thought to myself, "why be so unbendable?" Now, every time we are all in the car, we listen to holiday music. It is growing on me! I am actually putting up my tree this weekend.

I have a love/hate relationship with this tree. It is fake but beautiful. It is a 7 1/2 foot noble. I love that I don't have to remember to water it, if it is too dry, or if a fire will start in it! I don't like that it is not real, that it doesn't smell like heaven and that we don't get that fun night out to pick it out.

We could just have two trees but then I would have to worry if it was too dry ect...! I want this season to last a long time. I hate the feeling that I put up my tree and take it down so fast. This year I am only starting a week early so I don't feel to weird about it.

I so hope that your Christmas season is as wonderful as I am planning on mine being! Have a happy day!

blessings in strange ways

It is such a pretty morning. The snow was softly falling and when it was still dark out, It looked so serene. I love that. I love being tucked in a warm house when it is cold outside.

Cookie is still beloved by all. She has wormed her way into my heart. She has been so easy and is potty training so well.

I had always heard that dogs or cats are so theraputic and that they help relax you and bring peace. I thought that was a load of crap for a very long time. My big, hairy golden retrievers were not relaxing to me. They shed like crazy, Jenny tries to eat off the table and is sneaky and is a submissive pee-er. She drives me nuts. I swear she has got to be the stupidest dog I have ever had. Duke is wonderful but hairy, and usually dirty from playing outside and started to pee in my basement after we babysat the neighbors dog when she went potty down there. We couldn't break him of the habit so he became an outside dog and so is Jenny. I feel nothing but stress most of the time with them. And guilt for not playing as much as I should with them. Although I do take them running with me. Which is hard because I am still training Jenny to heal.

Anyway, the point is, Cookie is very soothing to me. I feel realxed and at peace when I stroke her and watch tv. I love it. She is so sweet and quiet and gentle and loves the kids even when they won't leave her alone. She is sitting on my lap right now as I type this. It's so cute. I love this dog and I really love that she doesn't shed, eat off the table, pee when she sees me, or cause me stress.

I truely believe she is an answer to my prayers. I had been praying for some kind of help to bring more cheerfulness into our house. I felt like we needed a little more happiness but I didn't know how to go about it. Cookie is not what I was planning on for an answer but here she is and there is so much less contention. Amazing. I feel very blessed.