A new goal for 2015

STRIVE to see my children, my husband & myself as Jesus would see us. Then, ACT accordingly. 

    I have a tendency to just see my own weaknesses & failures & see them mirrored in my children. If I'm able to take on a better perspective, perhaps there will be less frustration (with myself & my girls) & more happiness. This is something I have prayed for/about, on occasion. (W/o taking time to see results.) This year, this will be my personal focus. Maybe if I regularly write about my journey with this goal, that will help me to be more accountable. 

365 days of gratitude: December

December 1-

     Happy 1st of December! It was freezing cold today! I'm grateful Clara could have her friend Eden here to play. It was cute to see them have a good time together. 

December 2- 

     I'm thankful E & M were extra helpful since I was sick. They got their homework & chores finished so they could put the tree up & decorate. They also helped watch E & M so I could get some extra rest after they got home from school. 

December 3-

     Today, my husband was my hero. He took a day off work so I could rest and recuperate from being sick. He got girls off to school & took care of littles. What a blessing he is to me and our girls! 

December 4- 

     Since I was feeling a little better, I was able to take M to school & C to 'pretty school'. :) Also, I'm grateful that the information about Curtis's promotion & our move is final. God is so good to us! 

December 5-

     Today, I'm very thankful that Curtis & I could go out on a date before 9pm! It was really nice to go have dinner & do a little Christmas shopping. :) 

December 6-

     Despite some confusion in making/canceling plans, I'm grateful I had the chance to attend the R2nd ward RS activity at Jenny Castillo's home. The dinner was tasty. Sis. Reynoso made tamales. mmm! It's still hard to attend activities b/c I don't speak Spanish and there is no translation for me. However, I'm still grateful to be there and to feel of the spirit that is shared there. 

December 7-

     Curtis is a super good helper for me on Sundays. He is especially helpful with Nancy. Sadly, we've been fighting lice recently. GR! He took N home and treated her for it. He's a good daddy. I'm NOT thankful for lice, however, I am thankful for friends who can offer advice on how to get rid of it b/c they have been through it. 

December 8-

     We were able to have Elders Magana and Christensen in our home for dinner. I love having the missionaries in our home for dinner. Well, its good to just have missionaries in our home. Curtis went out with them after dinner and I showed the girls the new LDS church video, The Gift. It's an excellent Christmas message. 

December 9-

     In general, Clara likes pretty-school. I'm grateful that she enjoys it. She's such a smart girl. Right now, she knows everything about everything. :) She'll tell me something and I'll ask how she knows that. She reminds me, "I know everything about everything." Cute girl! 

December 10- 

     Happy birthday to my daddy! We sent him a b'day card. I'm sure it'll be late, but at least he'll get it. I'm very grateful for my dad and all that he taught me. My daddy is the best! Side note: I was finally able to have a meeting with Mer's assistant principal for getting a 504 in place for her in the classroom. That will come in handy for when we move. 

December 11-

     Busy day after school. I took Mer to her appt with Dr. Debbie while E watched littles. I am grateful that E is becoming a more responsible kid, at least with her sisters. Later, Curtis met up with me and the littles at E's choir concert at school. It was fun and sweet to hear the 5th and 6th grade kids singing. Jaymen Parker is in choir too! 

December 12-

     Today, I'm grateful 2 of Amanda Hanbergs kids could come play with Clara and Nancy. Clara LOVES to have friends over to play. (I do too!) It was nice to visit with Amanda and have Wendy over for lunch as well. It was a little b'day lunch for her. I also packed for our weekend trip to Edwardsville, IL to go house hunting. I'm VERY grateful that E and Chewy could stay with the Shefchik's and C and M could stay with the Harrington's. What a blessing! Wendy was awesome and took Princess for us. My thanks and prayers be to these families for helping us. 

December 13-

     A very helpful realtor named Linda Mitchell drove us around Glen Carbon and Edwardsville to show us various homes. Nancy has been an excellent travel companion thus far. She travels well in the car and in general is rather agreeable. We believe her lack of screaming and head bashing is due to the fact that she has no sisters to contend with. The area here feels smallish to me. However, a returning thought that comes to mind is that the Lord is aware of us and He knows what we need and where we need to be. 

December 14-

     Today we attended church with the Edwardsville ward and just sacrament meeting in the Glen Carbon ward. Later we were able to go with Linda and see a few more homes. It's been a good day. I'm grateful we've been safe and healthy. Again, Curtis is my hero on a Sunday. He let me get a nap today. What a fantastic husband I have! 

I'm going to take a little space here and share some excellent quotes about gratitude from Dieter F. Uchtdorf. 

   "How much of a life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?" 

"Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I'm suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances--whatever they may be." (April 2014 General Conference) 

December 15-

     Our house hunting in Edwardsville is finished. We found a nice home on Behrens Dr. I'm grateful that God blessed us with success in finding a home in such a short amount of time. We got back to AR in time to get all the girls home and in bed for school. (including lice treatements! ugh!) I'm still grateful to the Harrington and Shefchik families for watching our girls while we were gone. It was also helpful that the Kosters could dog sit Princess for us. (Chewy went with E) 

December 16-

     Happy Birthday to my sister! Sugar Creek had their ward Christmas party that evening. We attended that. It was nice to see some friends and hand out some Christmas cards. Clara and Nancy did a good job sitting with St.Nick. I'm grateful our family could attend this ward activity. 

December 17-

     Mer had a good appt with Dr. Debbie and we attended E's first and last Christmas choir concert at RH Barker. The 5th and 6th grade kids all sang together. It was a big choir and they sang fun songs. I'm glad E likes to sing. :) 

December 18-

     Clara's last day of preschool was today, and HOORAY for book group! It was great! I truly needed it. It was a good night out with friends and having a good book exchange. (see FB post on The Best Book Group) I love book group and will miss it. 

December 19-

     I got a much needed nap! I laid down before E and M got home from school and slept for some time. Ah! It was great! I'm thankful for good sleep. It really can be rather restorative. 

December 20-

     After taking E to art lessons, mailing off Beth's clothes, and getting stuff done around the house, Curtis and I were able to go out for a really nice date! We saw the latest exhibit at Crystal Bridges. I really liked it. It's a collection of 'modern art' from all over the US. It was a rather fun and insightful exhibit. Then we got some papusas from a local taqueria. Curtis gathered some P&G products that he brought home and we brought them to the families that he Home teaches. Overall, it was a good evening. I'm grateful for date night and free exhibits at the art museum. 

December 21-

     The final Sunday before Christmas! We had a lovely musical program in church today. The Bernards family shared their musical talents, as did Jenny Castillo, our small Primary, and the ward choir. It was really nice. The Morales family is out of town so it was just Mia and myself in class today. It was nice to review lessons we've learned. She's a smart girl! (helpful, kind, talented and cute too!) I will miss our ward. It is tricky not knowing very many people b/c I don't speak English, but something about it I'll miss. (Ps, not sure when the sign went up, but it's official. Our home is for sale. There is a sign in the yard, a lock box on the house, and a link to see it all online.)

December 22-

     We had a little crazy adventure this morning. Earlier in the AM, I got a text about our house showing later in the morning. However, I didn't see the text until about an hour until it was time for the house to show. Crazy! We scrambled to get the house ready to show. We got all kids and 2 dogs in the car and Curtis got them all ice cream cones. It was a little hectic, but fine otherwise. I went grocery shopping later and got home in time to be there for Karyn Bennett to bring her dog Duke to us to dog sit. I really like to help people. I wasn't thinking ahead very well when Karyn asked back in November about dog sitting in December, around Christmas time. Hopefully this will not be too much trouble when it comes time to show the house. E gave a nice FHE and we had a treat at Kikiberry! Yummy!

December 23-

     I finished up some last minute Christmas shopping. Happy Christmas Adam! (the day before Christmas eve!)  It seems this Christmas has been tricky for me. Hopefully next Christmas will be better. I think I just stressed too much about the kids being grateful and such. Overall, I really am grateful our family can be together for this special time of year. 

December 24 - 

     Happy Christmas Eve! Mer and Clara are so excited for Christmas! I'm grateful we could have Elders Magana and Christensen here for dinner. We even had tamales from a local hispanic restaurant. They were yummy! 

December 25 - 

     Happy Christmas! The girls had us up around 8:30 to open gifts. In general, I think they all were happy with what they got. C and N each  got a LeapPad2. Curtis got me some Crio Bru. It's another kind of chocolate drink, a variation on Choffy. After opening gifts, Curtis and I went back to bed. It was nice to get a good Christmas nap. :)

December 26-

     Today we got the house ready to show. Curtis took Duke (the Bennetts dog) and Mer out. C, N, E and our 2 dogs came with me. No word yet on how it went. Today was low-key. Curtis has been home from work since Mon and will go back to work on the 5th. It's been helpful having him here at home. He spoils me! I am continually grateful for my Savior. He is the reason we have all that we have and all that we are able to do. I know that I need him every hour. We read Mosiah 4:19. "For behold, are we not all beggars?" (the whole verse is good!)

December 27-

      We packed kids and food into the Durango and went to have Christmas dinner with mom and dad Chandler in Muldrow. Celia was there with her kids, but they had to leave early. Diana lives with them now and she's helping them, so of course she was there. It's always good to see family, no matter how much time we get to spend together. We've been blessed to be close (relatively so) to Curtis' family, especially since my family is spread out now. 

December 28-

     This is the last Sunday in December to attend church. In Primary, none of the kids were here to be in class. I had the chance to play primary songs while waiting for sharing time. It was really great to be able to play. It was much needed and I know that the Lord knows that thats what I needed. Being able to play piano was calming to my troubled soul. What a blessing! (also, I got an amazing nap after church!)

December 29-

     Hooray! We were ready for our home to show today. I saw the request in time and we were able to prep the house accordingly. Curtis is very detail oriented. It's helpful b/c he knows how to help get the house looking extra clean/nice. He's been home from work (vacation) these past two weeks. It's actually been quite nice. Mer did FHE for us. She did a good job. 

December 30-

     Another house showing today. That's 4 showings in 11 days. We really hope our home sells well and in a decent amount of time. This morning, I had an eye appt for contacts and new lenses for my frames. Later in the day, E and I had a chiro appt with Dr. Sands. It was a much needed appt for both of us. Plus, it was just nice to have a little time to be with E.

December 31- 

     New Years Eve! I DID IT! I set out to keep a gratitude journal for 365 days and today is the last day! I've reached my goal! I'm grateful that I was able to maintain and complete this goal! I look forward to doing more writing next year and perhaps doing more with my blog. We shall see what next year brings. Just in case, Happy New Year!

365 days of gratitude: November

November 1-

     Happy first day of November! I worked on de-junking our closet. There's so much more to be done. Curtis & I each had a good day. I took E to her art lessons. Curtis took E then M out for daddy daughter dates. We watched a movie after the girls were in bed. We saw, 'The Book of Life' at the Sugar Creek 10. It was a really different kind of movie. Overall a good show. I'm glad we could have a date night together. :) 

November 2-

     Fast Sunday. Today I'm grateful for the opportunity to fast and to attend church and have the sacrament. I am grateful for sacrament every Sunday. I'm always especially grateful for Elder Magana and the translating he does so I can undersand the testimonies and talks that are being shared. (Because of children, I don't get to hear as much as I'd like...but, this too shall pass.)

November 3-

    Election Day! (Curtis and I voted early!)  Since Thanksgiving is this month, our FHE's will be about gratitude. I shared an old email with my family about gratitude and told them that that's what we'll do this month. The message that I read shares a different perspective on how to be grateful and what to be grateful for. Ex: Thankful for dirty dishes, it means we have food to eat. I'm thankful for the noisy alarm clock, it means I can hear. I'm grateful for dirty clothes, it means we have clothes to wear, etc. For our activity we watched, "The Andy Griffith Show". It's a cute show.

November 4-

     Curtis took Clara to preschool. I went to do Zumba at church, however that didn't last long due to a screaming Nancy. :( Instead, we came home and I worked on decluttering more. After the bigs got home from school I had a much needed and much appreciated chiropractic appt. It was overdue too. I am grateful that E and M can be helpful with their little sisters when needed. Election results: Republicans win! Today was a good day for a ride too! I rode down to Hobbs State Park and back and met a fellow rider over at Pig Trail HD for a little celebration party. I'm also grateful for decent weather so I can go for a motorcycle ride.

November 5-

     De-junking the house really has been great. I'm certain that I'm reading this book at the right time in my life. If I'd tried to read it any sooner, it probably would have been harder for me to let go of all the stuff that I'm letting go of. It turns out that the author of the book, Don Aslett is LDS. He makes plenty of sense when it comes to decluttering/dejunking.

November 6-

     Ha! I knew that there were Parent-Teacher conferences going on at Clara's preschool, but I didn't read the note to see that there was no preschool. Sheesh! Oh well. At least I got the conference out of the way and then Clara was able to have friends here. Jessica Fuhriman brought her girls Annalise and Korinna here to play for a while. It worked out great! The girls played and I was able to get some more dejunking done. Yay for friends and play dates! In the evening, I was able to go to the baby shower for Lela. She recently had a cute boy! Her husband is so excited to have a son. The Ellingsons are a cute family. It was good to be out and visit with friends.

November 7-

     First Friday on the Square. Today's first Friday is also Toyland. The weather was perfect! I took Clara and Nancy to the square to check out all the fun. Then we played at the park for a bit. Clara was in a strange mood and didn't want to play, initially. After we left the park, I stopped at Jackie's for a bit. She is a Jamberry consultant now. She seems to be enjoying it, so far. That's good. After some play time, we got home just before E and M did. When they got home, I took a nap. Then it was time for Girls Night Out at Tavola Tratorria for the Mardee Party! I'd never eaten there. It was good food and good company. There was a good group of ladies there. (Mardee, of course, Tara F., Jill Smallwood, Jessica Fuhriman, Aj C., Carissa Smallwood (Jill's sil), Wendy, me, Kelcy W., and Cynthia T.) Good times!

November 8-

     A busy and good day. I took E to her art lessons and unloaded some stuff at the Samaritan store. (local thrift store) Curtis picked E up from lessons. Curtis made chili for our neighborhood Fall Festival. And, he won the chili cook-off. :) The weather was very accomodating for the fall festival. I think we all had a good time. When we got home, Curtis took a nap. (He had gone for a motorcycle ride previously in the day) Elders Magana and McKenzie came over for dinner later. They had gone to the temple. I really do enjoy having the Elders here for dinner. They are good guys. B/c it's a small ward, we are able to feed them more often than if it were a bigger ward.

November 9 -

     Honestly, I'm feeling kind of rough today. I know that our (mine and Curtis) 'love tanks' are low. Because of that, I'm feeling frustrated with myself mostly and a little with my children. Overall, I'm grateful for my husband and all that he does to try and support me and lift me up. He really is good with our girls too. I know too that Curtis and I balance each other. There are times when I've thought, 'what would he do without me?'. Prob more often than not, the thought is, 'what would I do without him?' I'm thankful for Heavenly Father and his plan for us. I need to remember to continue to trust Him and know that ALL we are able to do and ALL we have is from Him. My eternal thanks be to an ever loving God.

November 10 -

     Thankful I was able to take E to her foot appt on the motorcycle. I'm also thankful that E is ok with going to the Dr.

November 11-

    Despite my frustration with my children and myself (especially M), I am grateful for each of them. I really hope and pray I can be the kind of mother they need. At this phase of life, it's so hard to know.

November 12-

     It is nice when there are days and times when E and M can help with C and N. I'm thankful for those times. :)

November 13-

     Kind of a busy day. Mer had an appt with Dr. Debbie after school and I went to the Vold Vision event in Fayetteville. I'm so thankful for how helpful Dr. Debbie has been for me, E and M. FYI, the Vold vision event was to see if I could win free lasek eye surgery. I did get to watch someone else have lasek surgery. That was crazy. (btw, I didn't win. oh well.)

November 14-

    Gaby and I went to visit a sister who just had a baby. Her name is Sis Vazquez. So basically, everything was in Spanish. A different experience for me. Despite my inability to understand much of what was being said, I could feel the spirit and that was very helpful and much needed. Clara was able to have a play date with Camilla later in the day. She had a good time. :)  

November 15-

     Curtis is so good to me. He took all 4 girls to a matinee. They saw Big Hero 6. I was able to get a bunch of files in the trash or recycled. I'm thankful that I'm able to get so much stuff out of the house before we move.

November 16-

     I'm grateful the kids did so well in the Primary program. We had Elders Magana and McKenzie here for dinner after church. McKenzie is being transferred all ready. (bummer!) I'm thankful to have known him. I hope he'll continue to do well in his mission. I'm grateful we can have the missionaries here for dinner so frequently.

November 17-

     I finally got our Malibu into the dealership for recall repairs. Fortunately and thankfully, they were able to provide a shuttle ride for me home from the dealership and back again to get the car once it was repaired. Curtis also provided a good FHE that evening.

November 18-

     Ruth Straube is expecting a baby girl next month. Kate Charlesworth and a few other friends had a baby shower for her. I car-pooled with Wendy to the party. It was nice to see sisters I don't get to see very often.

November 19-

     It was a sunny day and Gaby and I were able to go visit teach Courtney. We had a nice visit. I'm thankful for VT-ing. I'm also thankful for the excellent friend that Julia B is. After sending her an e-mail, she gave me a phone call. It was so good to talk with her. :)

November 20 -

     Today, I'm thankful for the opportunity to take dinner to the Clive family. Mardee and Spencer are in Little Rock with their new baby Calvin. Mardee's mom is at home with the other kids. It's fun to make dinner for other friends and families b/c I know they will appreciate it. :) [on a side note, we hope to know something about Curtis' job by next week. Chicago or St. Louis?] Ps, Today history was made. Not only did I buy Jamberry nails, I also had Jackie help me do a manicure! I honestly can not remember the last time my finger nails were done.

November 21- 

     Curtis took E to get a gift for a birthday party, then took her to the party. I'm thankful he can be such a helpful daddy!

November 22-

    Curtis and I went for an afternoon date and had lunch at Chuy's. It was tasty. That evening, Rogers 2nd ward had a Thanksgiving activity. It was rather fun. There was good food, horchata (yummy!) and Sis. Clark put together props for a photo booth. She's fun! Despite not understanding my hispanic brothers and sisters , I have come to love them. They are kind and happy people. :) On a side note, we had Tabitha Koster with us. As we were parking at the church, Clara was telling Tabitha that we were attending, 'my church. They have brown skin and talk different. They aren't like us.' It was so cute the way she said that! I'm just grateful that she's 4, and it's ok for her to say things like that.  

November 23-

     Today, I'm thankful for the opportunity to play for sacrament meeting and to sing with the choir. After church I got to Skype with mom and dad. We had a good chat. It was almost good motorcycle riding weather, but it rained, hard! It's ok. We need the rain too. 

November 24-

     The girls are out of school and they are getting haircuts. Some may say, 'that's brave', but truly it was out of determination. They needed haircuts and I'm glad it went better than anticipated. Though, Clara's hair and Nancy's hair is prob very uneven, at least they got haircuts. Then M and C were able to go play with friends in Bella Vista.  

November 25-

     Today, I took the girls to Fun City. We were supposed to go in the AM, but some stuff came up, and we went around 2. The girls seemed to have a good time. I'm grateful we had that time to have a little fun there together. :)  Btw, Curtis told me he accepted the job offer in Edwardsville. Finally! This job deciding thing has been a long time coming.

November 26-

     Happy day before Thanksgiving! I was able to get some baking taken care of. E and M have been helplful with C and N. Curtis brought home some bbq from Dickies for dinner! yummy! Earlier, M had an appt with Dr. Debbie. She has been really helpful for me and my girls in the time that we have been seeing her. We started seeing her just before I was prego with Nancy. I'm thankful for Dr. Debbie Smithyman. I hope to be able to find as good a therapist (if not better) when we move. Curtis bought a Roku 3 for us. It  came yesterday. I must admit, it's pretty cool.

November 27-

    Happy Thanksgiving! This will be our last Thanksgiving in this home. Earlier this week Curtis accepted the job offer in Edwardsville, IL. (It's NE of St.Louis) We'll be moving there in January. No firm date yet. It'll be a bittersweet move. I'm not necessarily looking forward to leaving, but it'll be neat to be somewhere else for a time. This job is only an 18mo - 2yr role. Curtis says we could be there for up to 3 yrs. Either way, we'll just take it a day at a time. Mom and dad were planning to follow us there, but the short time span isn't beneficial to them. They'll stay in their FS home after their mission. I am grateful for my parents. They have been truly helpful to us. :)

    This evening we'll have Thanksgiving dinner here with Elder Magana and his new companion, Elder Christensen. Elder McKenzie was transferred last week. I love these missionaries!

November 28- 

     We did not do any Christmas shopping in the madness of Black Friday. However, we did get some things taken care of around the house. I worked with M to dejunk her room. It went better than expected. After the girls were in bed, we went out to a movie. We watched, 'The Mazerunner' (Not knowing anything about the book/storyline made it rather confusing.) Basically, it was a good day & I'm thankful for it. 

November 29- 

     This will be our first & last time to host a Chandler Family Thanksgiving in our home in Bentonville. It was so great having a good portion of Curtis's family here. The weather was fantastic too! It turned out great! We had plenty of good food, plates, cups, silverware, etc. Good times with the Chandler & Petersen clans. (Jaren & Jordan came.) 

November 30- 

     The last Sunday of November. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve in primary as a teacher and as music leader. It has been tricky at times, but I am grateful. I'm also grateful/thankful for the chance to do a small group special musical number with some sisters in B'ville 1st ward. Wendy asked me to play piano for them. Wendy, Ruth, Erin & Lela will sing. They are singing, 'Do you hear what I hear?' It's a nice arrangement. :) 

    

365 days of Gratitude: October

October 1-

     Happy first day of October! September really flew by. Today I'm grateful for this time of year. The weather can get rough, but the fall colors are so beautiful! 

October 2-

     Stormy day & dinner with Elders Magana & McKenzie. I made pumpkin soup. (Yummy!) Mer was going to be in the 4th grade musical but due to bad weather it has been postponed. <---That was actually rather convenient. Bummer for Mer but good for us. :) I'm grateful for opportunities to feed the missionaries. 

October 3-

     Late night movie date with Curtis. We saw 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.  <---That was a fun & funny movie! Surprise for Lea & Beverly. Jenny flew home today. To be helpful, I provided a meal for them when Nathan came to get the girls. It's been good having them here. :) 

October 4-

     Sat session of General Conf. 

 It is truly inspired & I'm grateful for it! 

October 5-

     General Conference & a beautiful day. We slept in too long & missed the first hour of conference. (Oops!) However, we did enjoy the parts we did watch & listen to. (Plus Andy Morales baptism)

October 6- 

     Bread making day! We were out of bread! (Crazy) Was going to do it over the weekend but didn't bc of Conf. Today was a pretty good & productive day. (Got some stuff done on the 'to do' list.) Hooray for getting stuff done! (High-five!) 

October 7- 

     Clara went to preschool & was able to have Layla here to play when we got home. I'm grateful Clara & Layla play so well together. They are cute friends. 

October 8-

     Mer had an OT eval in the afternoon. I took littles with me. Mer thought the evaluation was play time. She'll start OT (maybe) once we get results from the eval. While we were there,(@ the Children's Therapy place)   I had the chance to see different kids coming & going there. It made me even more grateful that we have relatively healthy children. None of our girls really suffer from any major illnesses/syndromes or any other handicaps. On the other hand, bless the moms who do have children with special needs. They are special moms for sure! :) 

October 9-

     Clara went to preschool today. This afternoon became rather busy. I got Clara from preschool & we went and visited with Courtney Gorden. (She's on my new VT route.) Then I had to rush to get Mer from school bc she had a 3:15 appt with Dr. Cadle. (Re: ADHD med) It was busy but I'm grateful in general that all went well. 

October 10-

     Mer FINALLY got to go to the fall carnival at RE Baker. She dressed up as Hermione Granger. Fortunately, she was able to go to the carnival with her friend Hannah. Today was not too busy of a day. And that's ok. Around 9, we went to Braums bc the Dragovich's were in town. It was good to go out & be with friends. It was good to see them as well. 

October 11-

     What a busy but good day! There was a stake music meeting that I thought about not attending, but am very grateful I went after all. It was enlightening & uplifting. Afterwards I was able to have my hair colored again! Fun colors! (See pictures) After that, Jami Bernards invited me to Kikiberry for VT. Froyo was her treat. Yummy! She's a neat lady. Fast forward to after the girls are in bed, Curtis & I went to see 'Meet the Mormons'. It was an excellent movie! There was plenty to be grateful for today. 

October 12-

     Today I'm thankful for the help Sis. Clark gave me during singing time in Primary today. It is so great to work with such great sisters. I'm also thankful for my wonderful husband & all that he does to help me be happy. I'm forever in love with that guy! 

October 13-

     Grocery shopping, dinner for the missionaries, and Elizabeth's first choir concert. Busy but good day. I picked up Papa Murphy's pizza for Elders Magana and McKenzie, b/c I was going to be with E at her first choir concert. It was a large crowd and a rainy night. Overall, I was happy to be there with her. :)

October 14-

     Clara went to preschool and I took N with me to Zumba. Hillary Sperry teaches a zumba class on Tuesdays at church. It was fun! Of course later, muscles I forgot existed were hurting, but that's a good thing right? E and M went to activity days with Rogers 2nd in the evening. Curtis took them. I'm glad they enjoy going to those activities.

October 15-

     Hooray for clean carpets! Nick Petersen came over and cleaned our carpets. Curtis and I moved furniture the night before so the living room could be really clean. Curtis is doing what he can to have our house ready to sell. We still don't have a date, but that's ok. We have other things to focus on in the meanwhile. (Ex: callings, kids, etc)

     FYI: Earlier this month, Curtis got 2 job offers. One in Chicago and one in Cinci. He really likes the job in Chicago and after some prayer and pondering, I told him I'll support him no matter what. So, we are currently waiting for more details about a job there. For me, it's mostly wating for a date. When will we move? This may have been mentioned elsewhere, but in order for other comments to be understood, it seemed important to mention here. Now we return to the gratitude portion of this journal/blog.

October 16-

    Clara went to preschool. Carly Pendleton was so kind as to keep N for me so I could go to a dental appt while Clara was at preschool. I'm grateful for friends who are willing to help and serve!  Bookgroup was at Jill's. It was a nice night, so I walked to her house. We talked about "The Screwtape Letters" by CS Lewis. I read it years ago, but it was good to hear the discussion about it. I'm thankful for bookgroup!

October 17-

     E and M are out of school today. That means I get to go to yoga! I'd missed some yoga this month and so going today felt like it had been a long time! Clara had a Dr appt in the afternoon. Cynthia invited me to a moms night out with her MOPS group. (MOPS = Mothers of Preschoolers) We painted pottery/ceramics at Imagine Studios. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. :) We all went to Kikiberry afterwards. yummy! Cynthia is a good friend. She's so smart, fun and talented. She has many admirable qualities.

October 18-

     This morning I took E to her art lessons. I stayed in the car and finished listening to, "Northanger Abby" by Jane Austen. It was a good story. It made me want to watch "Pride and Prejudice" but I couldn't find it. So I watched, "Princess Bride" instead. That movie is so great! E watched it with me. I think she liked it. Curtis was busy painting today. He painted the clubhouse and the posts on the back porch. Curtis and I went out for a late date after the girls were in bed. We had dinner at Cracker Barrel and then hung out for a bit at the Buckey ball outside Crystal Bridges. It was a chilly night for a motorcycle ride, but fun!

October 19-

     Today at church, it was my turn to play for sacrament meeting. I was so focused on following the beat for the sacrament hymn that I almost played another verse. (after all ready playing 4) oops! I'm VERY grateful for Aly Clark and her daughter Ashley. They have been ultra helpful with visual aids for songs in Primary. What a lifesaver for me! whew! Jenny McBride played piano for us in Primary today. That too was ultra helpful. She is serving in the Stake Primary as Primary music director. We've been able to chat some and she has been helpful to me in this calling. Jenny is not only fulfilling this calling, but she is magnifying it as well. She's doing a superb job. I feel the standard for my calling is set high. That's not a bad thing. It makes it hard, but still doable. Focusing on the Primary program will help some in taking my mind off waiting to know more news about Curtis' job offer. (ps, I had a good chat on the phone with my parents)

October 20-

     Clara came down with a fever yesterday after church. She didn't sleep well last night and so we didn't sleep well either. Poor girl! However, bc M is out for the next 2 weeks, only E and C will go to school. (each to their own schedule) This morning, around 10 am, I made 2 batches of stove-top cookies. I put them on plates and we will go 'boo' some families. That will be FHE. Since Clara hasn't been feeling well, this causes me to take time to be grateful for modern medicine.

October 21-

     Pretty sure I didn't take C to preschool bc she still wasn't feeling very well. I am grateful for the time I have to be home with my children. Being a mom/parent is hard. Anyone who says otherwise is mistaken. But, I do love my family & am grateful for them. <3

October 22-

     Confession: I don't keep track of events very well, like I used to do. According to my calendar, nothing happened on Wed. But something must've happened, I just don't remember what. Hmmm. Instead of being grateful for what happened this day, I'll choose to be grateful for something that I, of course, am grateful for, but may not always take the time to recognize. Elizabeth is really turning into a rather decent human being. :) She is & can be, quite helpful. She causes me much less stress than she used to. (Sadly it seems M is carrying the 'stress' torch these days.) E can be quite pleasant at times. It's fun that she gets my sense of humor. 

October 23-

     Clara felt better today, so I took her to preschool. Her class was supposed to make a little trek to the pumpkin patch next door, but it was rainy & too wet. So a lady from the pumpkin patch brought pumpkins to them. It was really cute. Clara had a good time decorating her pumpkin. I'm grateful M can be helpful with her little sisters while she's on break from school. 

October 24-

     Curtis came home from work early bc he came down with strep throat. :( However, I am grateful he decided on his own to go to the Dr. Earlier in the AM, I did get to go to yoga! My body was telling on me for not going more. As a favor to Jen Harrington, we'll have her girls at our house during the day, while Nathan is at work. (Bev & Lea were at our house early this AM.) After yoga, I took the girls to playgroup. It was a good day for it.  Jen went to NY again bc her mother will pass away soon. :( While its a sad occasion for her, I am grateful we can be helpful to them in this time of need.     Beth came to our house around 6. She wanted help making her Halloween costume. Jill Smallwood let me borrow her sewing machine. Beth is going to be the Gatekeeper, from Ghostbusters. She'll be with Adam & Michele & that's the theme they are doing. We had a good time together. It was good to see her. 

October 25-

     Today was a beautiful day! The weather was perfect, especially perfect for a motorcycle ride! :) After I was packed & ready to go for my trip, I took Jackie for a quick ride around town. The trees are beautiful too! The fall colors in NWA are just so lovely. I'm grateful for the chance to go for a bike ride & to come to UT to see Julia B. & Loren & Michelle. Hooray for little vacations! 

     It seemed like a rather long flight from ATL to SLC, but well worth it by the time I got there. I LOVE JULIA! It was SO superb to see her. She was pleasantly surprised to see me at the airport. :) Hooray for surprises! 

October 26-

     Attending church with the Bernards family in UT was splendid. Their ward put on their Primary Program. It was spectacular. They did more songs than were in the actual program AND the pianist was wonderful. I've never seen such a program. Perhaps in UT this is normal? It certainly is different from any Primary Program I've ever seen. I really enjoyed it and am grateful to  the chance to see and hear it. The spirit was strong as well. After church, Julia and I took a lovely hike up Rock Canyon. The mountains really are quite beautiful there. I definitely enjoy her company. She is so uplifting. Her friendship is a blessing to me. (ps, see FB posts and pics for details) (PPS Curtis texted the changes in  Stake. There is now a Bentonville Stake, and B'ville 1st and 2nd are in that Stake. Sugar Creek is still in the Rogers Stake. Among other wards. The growth in NWA is amazing!)

October 27-

    Julia was and is an excellent hostess. She allowed me to be a tourist around Provo and BYU campus. Seeing as I've never lived there or attended school there, there are plenty of places people mention and I'm clueless as to what they are referring to. We visited the Museum of Art. That was lovely. We had yummy lunch at Cafe Rio! Tasty! Then it was time to meet Michelle Chandler, my sil. She took me rappelling. That was fun! I'm highly grateful for all that I do during my brief visit to UT. It was really good to see Loren, Michelle, Emily and Ethan. They are good kids. :)

October 28-

    Time to go home. But not without a quick motorcycle ride and a brief visit to Bridal Veil falls. It was kind of Loren to take me for a ride before taking me to the airport. Fortunately, the flights home were decent. There were no troubles. It was nice to be gone and nice to home again. I'm definitely grateful all flights were safe. Curtis took Beth to the airport earlier in the AM and her flights were safe as well. :)

October 29-

     Back to life. Time to go grocery shopping. Mer is still on break from school and so took N grocery shopping with me. C stayed home with M. That was helpful. Jenny Harrington is in NY again. This time for her mother's funeral. Lea and Bev are staying here with us in the day while Nathan goes to work. It really works out bc M and C both have a friend to play with. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be of service to their family in their time of need.

October 30- 

     Clara got to go to preschool. Curtis forgot to take her on Tuesday. oops! Her class had a Halloween party and Clara got wear her Hello Kitty costume. While she was at preschool, I made some granola. (yummy) After getting her from preschool, I made bread. Curtis had some meetings to attend after work. Nathan, Lea and Bev had dinner with us. It was a nice evening.

October 31-

     Happy Halloween!  Yesterday the weather was great! Today is freezing. It's going to be a chilly night to go trick or treating. I'm grateful for all the conveniences of clothes and a home that keeps us comfortable in all kinds of weather. :) This AM I went to yoga. There was some mental debate bc I did want to sleep more. I'm glad yoga won. 

    (Side note: Mom suggested a book called, Clutters Last stand. So far, so good. The urge to purge is strong with me. I just hope to have plenty done before we move. Yes, the possibility of moving is growing.) 

365 days of gratitude: September

Reader alert: my Prozac (aka, my 'happy pill' quit on me recently. Hopefully my gratitude will not be too affected by this.) 

September 1- 

     Happy Labor Day! We were able to spend the day with Curtis parents & Celia & her family in Muldrow. It was a good day!

September 2- 

     Clara's first day of preschool at Explore & Discover. Curtis took her to school. :) N played with Jill's twins while I went to yoga. Ah yoga! :) It stormed the previous night & was rainy at first during the day. Overall, it was a good day. 

September 3- 

     Happy 2nd birthday to our sweet Nancy! We kept it low key. I made cupcakes for her bday. Earlier I took C & N to play at the splash park. Those girls love the water! 

September 4- 

     Clara's 2nd day of preschool. At first she didn't want to go, but she was fine after I left. Nancy & I had a good time doing some shopping for Gramma & Grampa Parent. When E & M got home from school, I took a much needed nap. :) 

September 5-

     No yoga today. But that's ok. There were other things to do to prep for the surprise trip to Branson for Mardee. I certainly feel blessed to know & be friends with such great group of ladies! We all had a good time. :) [Tara Flemming, Jill Smallwood, Mardee Clive, Karyn Bennett, Kori Hatch, Sarah Bredensteiner, Melissa Christensen & myself]

September 6-

     Shopping & eating in Branson! The day was a little overcast but nice. (Oh yeah. I forgot my purse. :( Jill was very kind to lend me some $$ for the trip.) <---Thank you Jill! It was another good day being with such kind & sweet friends. It's nice too at times to take time to listen & observe. :) 

September 7- 

     Fast Sunday. I'm continually grateful for my husband. He really is so good to me & our girls. Between being tired from the trip & my anxiety being out of whack, I went back to sleep before church & went late. Curtis took the girls to church, early/on time. I am very blessed to have him! 

September 8- 

     Autumn is coming. I like this tiime of year. It's soup weather and I really like soup. And, I'm grateful for modern medicine. I have a Dr. appt with Dr. Johnson next Tuesday.

September 9- 

     Yoga! Joane took care of N today so I could go to yoga! Thanks to Joane! C, thus far, still likes preschool. We're having the Spanish missionaries here for dinner tonight. I'm grateful for the chance to make a meal for them. ( I also mowed the lawn. I really enjoy doing that.)

September 10-

     Today I took some time to prepare my primary lesson and music for the program. I am thankful for this opportunity to serve in this calling.

September 11-

     Today is the 13 year anniversary of 9/11/01. The day the US was attacked by terrorists. I'm not grateful that we were attacked, but I'm grateful to be a part of this nation that celebrates freedoms that other countries don't believe in. I do still believe that God protects and blesses this nation. He knows our needs as individuals and as a nation.

September 12- 

     Yesterday, my anxiety was kicking my butt. Curtis had to talk me into going for a motorcycle ride. (that's how bad it is) I'm glad he got me to go and I'm glad I went. It was helpful. The weather was cool and it was good for me to be out. I was also considering not going to yoga. Fortunately he talked me into going to that. I am still grateful for yoga and this 'give and receive' program that Yoga Story offers. What a blessing!

     Curtis took E & M to the Daddy-daughter dinner and derby activity at the church. I think the girls had a good time getting their cars ready. M won some races and E won for most stylish! :)

September 13-

     Curtis went to the temple with R2nd ward. I took E to art lessons and ran some errands. I'm grateful that E is able to take art lessons and that she enjoys them. After a nap, I worked some more on getting music ready for the Primary kids. E & M really are helpful to me. I appreciate their help.

September 14-

     At church, the sisters who play organ/piano will rotate playing on Sundays for sacrament mtg. I had the opportunity to play. It was terrible! But, I'm still glad I had the chance to do it. Hopefully, I'll be able to be better prepared when its my turn again. 

September 15- 

     Grocery shopping & dinner with the missionaries. Elder McKenzie is Elder Magana's new companion. Elder M is a good guy & good missionary. I'm grateful that God blessed me with the necessary energy to accomplish grocery shopping & the ability to have dinner ready on time. :) It helps that Curtis is too good to me as well! 

September 16- 

     Yoga, getting C from preschool & helping the Harrington family. Poor Jenny. Her mom is very ill so Jenny had to take a sudden trip to NY. It just so happens that Nathan has a business trip to MO. We are having Lea & Bev stay here until Nathan gets home on Fri. Again, I'm grateful we have this opportunity to help friends in need. :)  [Ps. Dr. Johnson gave me a new med. I'll know if it works in about a week or so. Thank heavens for modern medicine!]

September 17-

     Today, I'm thankful that my girls, in general, are getting better about being ready for school on time. It really makes early mornings less stressful, and that is great! 

September 18-

     We had book group at my house. It was a small group, but a good one. We discussed 'The Lion, the Witch, & the wardrobe' by CS Lewis. I read it as a kid & this was the first time I read it as an adult. It was really good! (Prob better as an adult) I'm grateful for the help that Curtis gave in having kids ready for bed, so we could have book group here. I'm also grateful for book group. 

September 19- 

     It was 'Pirate day' at Krispy Kreme. You dress like a pirate and they give you a dozen donuts free. E, M, & C all dressed like pirates so we got 3 dozen donuts, free! The girls really enjoyed that. (We went after school) I'm grateful for times like that so we can have a good time together. 

September 20- 

     Clara went to her friend Camilla's bday party in the afternoon. Around 4-ish  we went to Prairie Grove so Janet could do our family pics. It was fun! After family pics we had dinner at Briar Rose. (So yummy!) Janet invited us to play a game at Tim & Sarah's. We all had a good time. (I think)  :)  ps, I love Janet! 

September 21-

     Today, I'm grateful Curtis & I could attend the 'special meeting' in BV this AM. A new branch was created. A portion of SC & of BV were taken to create the Metfield branch. The growth of the church here is amazing!

September 22-

     Wendy invited some friends to her place for a little lunch & a Mary Kay party. Good food, good company & good times. 

September 23-

     Curtis took M & C to school. I went to yoga. I appreciate Jill watching N so I can go to yoga. Curtis had to go 'out of town' this week for a business trip. He's staying in the Embassy Suites in Rogers, AR! So silly! 

September 24-

     Bikes, Blues, & BBQ started today! It's so fun to see all the bikes out! LOVE IT!! After school E & M had activity girls with R2nd & SC. Bc of when they were meeting, they were able to go to both. I think it worked out. (Happy bday to Ben!)

September 25-

     Curtis is out of town until Fri. Jackie was supposed to volunteer with me in Fayetteville @ BBB, but she got sick. :( I went. The lot I was in was away from the action, but I checked out Dickson when my shift was done. SO MANY BIKES & PEOPLE!!! It was great! (Beth invited me rather last minute to go to AZ with her so our family could be there together to celebrate Adam & Michele's 10 yr anniversary. Thanks Beth! :)  ) 

September 26-

     No yoga today. But that's ok. After I took M to school, I was able to get stuff ready to go to AZ with Beth. Curtis made it home in time for us to say, 'hi' & 'bye'. Then we headed out to Tulsa. There are still plenty of bikes out. Our flight was safe. (That's always good!) We are staying with Beth's friend, Martin. Nice guy. We got to stop & see the new Gilbert temple. It's so beautiful! I'm grateful for all of this. 

September 27-

     Adam & Michele celebrated their 10 yr anniversary with a cookout at a ranch in Sedona. It was fun to surprise them. Nobody knew I was going. Of course, I didn't know until Beth invited me. :) It was cooler & wetter than expected, but it was still a good time. We took plenty of pictures & made good memories. Hooray for Parent family time! 

September 28-

     Time to go home. Beth & I stayed with her friend Martin. The 3 of us had breakfast at US Egg before they took me to the airport. Fortunately my flights were on time. It was good to get home. Though, Curtis came to the airport on the bike. He put my jacket & helmet on the back of the bike for me. When he got to the airport, both were gone. He gave me his jacket & helmet & we looked for my stuff on the way home. We found the jacket & after searching in the dark for 10-20 min, Curtis found my  very busted up helmet. I was able to give Curtis' helmet & jacket back & wore my jacket & busted helmet home. I'm grateful we were kept safe. 

September 29- 

     Grocery shopping day & FHE. Since I was gone Sat, I didn't get to watch Women's Conf with E & M. We watched some LDS videos & a highlight from the conference. After that M & Curtis went for a bicycle ride. E helped me stuff sock monkeys. :) 

September 30-

     I'm continually grateful Jill is able & willing to watch N so I can go to yoga. She's so great! It's also great that Curtis gets the girls up & off to school on Tues & Fri. Clara likes going to 'pretty school' on Tues & Thurs. :)  I'm also thankful that I was able to go out for a night time bike ride. I really prefer day time rides, but as there's no one here to watch the littles, I have to wait until later. I appreciate some 'road yoga' time. :)