Soap Box Moment

I love to listen to gospel talks. There is something about listening to it that allows me to retain a great deal from what I hear. Back in the olden days of tapes, I heard a part of a talk that I have since thought about often. In the past few months I have gotten all my old tapes converted to mp3's so that I can have them on my ipod. This morning as I was listening to one of the old talks, I came across the passage and wanted to remember it.
The speaker was a seminary teacher and had a student from his class bring in the first part of the quote from a magazine article. She then changed it a little to fit with the gospel in the second paragraph.

"I say miraculous but it isn't really, the rules for being healthy are so simple they're kind of embarrassing, even to list. Things like eating well, going to bed early, and exercising more. Exercise is a particularly powerful addition. There's increasing evidence that regular exercise strengthens the functioning of your immune system. And people who do exercise get sick less. The problem with these rules is that they can also sound boring to someone who isn't quite ready to grow up yet."

"I say miraculous but it isn't really, the rules for getting back to our Heavenly Father are so simple, they're kind of embarrassing, even to list. Things like being charitable, keeping the commandments, and prayerfully reading the scriptures. Prayerfully reading the scriptures is a particularly powerful addition. There's increasing evidence that regular prayer and reading the scriptures strengthens the testimony. And people people who prayerfully read the scriptures do get spiritually sick less. The problem with these commandments is that they might sound boring for someone who isn't quite ready to grow up."

The Beautiful Day

Today is the first day of spring, meaning that I survived winter. The sad part is that we still have too much snow and not enough sunshine. I thrive on good ol' Vitamin D and get a little cranky when we go days with nothing but clouds.
Today was a very depressing start to spring but the Lord didn't want me to forget that it will come. I read to Cody and Britnee from the Friend and Pres. Monson quoted a song in his talk called the Beautiful Day.

On a beautiful day that I dream about, in a world I love to see,
Is a beautiful place where the sun comes out, and it shines in the sky for me.
On this beautiful winter's morning, if my wish could come true somehow,
Then the beautiful day that I dream about would be here and now.

We finished reading and I went to put Cody in his bed. As I was closing the blinds I looked out to my front flower garden, (about the only spot of bare ground in the yard) and saw two determined little flowers starting to turn green.
These brave, tough, little flowers will no doubt have a layer or two of more snow on them before winter finally breaks, but they are risking cold and frost bite to get the first glimpse of spring.

Maybe it was just good timing, but I don't think so. The Lord wanted me to remember that warmer days and sunshine are coming, I just have to learn to have more patience. Living in Bear Lake is not for the faint of heart. But if you can brave the winter, there's no better place to be. And when spring and summer finally come, it is a Beautiful Day indeed.

Lunch at Lott's

Two years ago this week, a group of us went to Nauvoo. It was quite a trip. We had all packed for weather that was suppose to be in the 70's and ended up with cloudy, windy 40's. I don't remember much about that though, what I remember most is the fun we had getting to to know each other. Amy, Marci, and I live just a few miles apart so we see each other somewhat regularly. Carolee lives in Kansas City though so we haven't gotten to do much with her since then.
Until today. The four of us made arrangements and went to lunch at Lott's in Montpelier. The hour went by entirely too quickly but we had a great time visiting. Marci and Amy's mom, Jan, even came in and said hi to us.


I love my friends. And I love going to lunch with my friends. And I love it most when I can get to visit with friends that I don't get to see that often. Thanks guys.

Memory Monday-Grandpa's Quilt Hanging

You know, I'm so sentimental about certain things. This is one of them. Several years ago my aunt Donna made these pictures out of my grandpa's old quilt and gave them to each of his kids. When I moved into this house, I asked if I could have my dad's to hang on the wall in my bathroom.

She also wrote a poem on the back-
When Joe Bassett was just a wee small lad,
Bare necessities and love being about all he had-
Someone special, we're not sure who,
Built a beautiful quilt to warm him as he grew.
Stitch after stitch, filling each square.
Depicting a boy and his boyish cares.
Through the years the quilt has faded and the boy is now a man,
Some of the memories are forgotten
but the stitches and the love still stand.

I love this wall hanging. Though we don't know much about it, it's a piece of my families' history. One that I will always cherish.

Cody's Groundhog Prediction

Cody brought home this paper the other day, along with several other finished assignments. I usually just go through them and save one or two good ones for his memory box. This one made me laugh. It says:
February~ I Predict...
It was February 2, Groundhog Day, and Gerald was waiting just inside his hole to make his first appearance of the year. He was to predict the coming of spring. He cleared his throat and poked his nose above the ground. All of a sudden... Finish the Story.
This is Cody's story~
He saw his shadow.
He said spring is coming.
Then it will be warmer.
He went to play.
And the next line is erased but I could still read, "Then he got shot."

Maybe the teacher had something to say about this, or maybe Cody rethought that murderous last line. Either way, I think Cody's Elk hunting trip this fall has had a lasting impression on him. Too funny!!

My Little Bathroom Makeover

Ever since I went to Hawaii last summer, I've decided that I needed to do something "beachy" in my house. The front bathroom seemed like a good place to start. Here are a few "before" photos:

I have really liked the warm garden feeling but was ready for a change.

Over the past few months I've looked at paint colors and thought about what exactly I wanted. Then I went and bought what I thought was the perfect color, and painted. Cody helped. Looking at it as the paint was drying, I began to think that I'd made a mistake.
So last week I went and started shopping for the finishing touches. It was a good thing I was alone, because I spent a great deal of time standing in one place, thinking of how best to save my poor, bright blue bathroom.

I'm still in thought about this part. I'll keep playing with it and hopefully it will come together.
The postcards in the vertical frame and the two framed pictures above the toilet are from Hawaii. I also used some of the coral we found in the ocean.


Now that it's (mostly) finished, I'm pretty happy with it. It does feel bright, but in a good way. Like there's hope for some summer soon.

Cody's Baptism

Yesterday was Cody's Baptism. It was a wonderful day. Cody looked so handsome in his little suit.
He was the only child in the whole stake getting baptized so we got to have our own little baptism and choose our own speakers. He asked Britnee to give the opening prayer, Jaycee to give the talk on baptism and Grandma Jo to give the talk on the Holy Ghost.
His daddy baptized and confirmed him and Uncle Brady and Grandpa Rusty were the witnesses.
We had a small family dinner before the baptism including hamburgers, steak, and salads. One of Cody's favorite meals. It was so fun to have our family come and support us on Cody's special day.

I'm so proud of Cody's decision to be baptized and the fine young man he's growing up to be. I love you buddy!!!

Before My Heart Stops

This weekend I painted our bathroom. (That post will come soon) While I painted, I decided to listen to the audiobook I bought my mom for Christmas. The book is called Before My Heart Stops by Paul Cardall. In case, like me, you don't know much about Paul, here is the description from the Deseret Book website.

"I was born with half a heart. God made up the difference."

This is the remarkable true story of one man's struggle to survive long enough to get a second chance at life.

Award-winning musician and popular speaker Paul Cardall was born, essentially, with half a heart. After living more than three decades with a congenital heart defect and undergoing six major heart surgeries and numberless procedures, Paul was informed that his heart would not beat much longer.

"Paul was a poor candidate for a heart transplant," says Angela T. Yetman, MD. "It would be technically difficult and possibly fatal ... but Paul was determined to beat the odds." And beat them he did.

Along the way, Paul wrote down his thoughts, feelings, and observations in an online blog called "Living for Eden," named for his three-year-old daughter. This book reflects those blog entries and additional intimate insight into a miraculous journey that convincingly shows that God knows us personally and that we are put here on earth for a reason.

Paul says, "I'm a witness that these soul-stretching experiences can offer us, if we let them, joy, wisdom, happiness, and a personal relationship with God."

After reading his story, you might also ponder the question, What do I need to do with my life ... before my heart stops?

I remember little of my painting, but I was deeply impressed with the book and highly recommend it. It made my ponder things that I don't normally take time to think about, and made me so much more grateful for the blessings in my life. I stopped several times to jot down quotes that I want to remember. These are just a few:

"Paul Cardall had end-stage heart failure. We talked about options. There were no easy options. He could choose to live or choose to die. The latter would be easier. He chose life, not passively, but vigorously, with the kind of energy that left me asking what I had been doing with my own life.” -Angela T. Yemtan, M.D., Director Adult Congenital Heart Program Intermountain Region

"God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability." - Neal A. Maxwell

"In a world of turmoil and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to make our families the the center of our lives and the top of our priorities." ~L. Tom Perry

"Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting, that's laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard & slow. That is patience." ~Leo Tolstoy