Home Again!

What a wonderful trip and a wonderful time to have most of our family together, for our daughter Lauren's college graduation, this past weekend. It was a fun, but full week and I have to admit I am pretty beat. So will have to lay low for a few days to recover ( well, after work today that is ). I have to admit as a Mom, I love seeing my kids together...I love watching how much fun they have being together, they truly are best friends! That is something that I prayed for my whole life.
I got home late last night because my flight was delayed twice. But even though I was pretty tired, I still was able to make 6 new friends! :) Two of them were sisters, who were waiting to catch a flight out to see their older sister and be with her when she had her baby...they were so excited to be there with her. Then their flight got delayed too, and so they headed off to another airlines, hoping that even though their sister was in labor...that they would make it on time.
Then I met a older couple who were flying to Seattle with me, they were coming to stay with their daughter and her family. Their daughter ( the Mom ) had been diagnosed with a rare brain disease and had to have surgery this next week, they were very scared and worried. There have been all different types of out comes with this type of surgery, it is very dangerous. I watched and listened to the Mother and almost could feel how heavy her heart was with worry and concern. I noticed too that she had to take care of her husband, who was not in the best of health. At the baggage claim, I went over and gave her a hug and told them that I would keep them in my prayers.
 Another lady I sat next too was going to stay with her son, daughter in law and two grandchildren. You could feel how much she loved all of them by the way she talked about them. This was the heart of a Grandmother, who can hardly wait to get to her grandchildren. I totally know how that feels. Being able to talk to her and hear about her life, sure made the plane ride so much more enjoyable, she was a great lady. Then the last lady I met was heading to California but told me that she and her family were from back East, and have been really thinking about moving from there to Seattle to raise their family. Their 2 kids were young and she told me. "All we do is work, and come home just have enough time to feed the kids and then put them to bed". She said that she and her husband were taking a good look at why they are doing what they are doing and what the ramifications are going to be in the future..if they don't stop, or at least slow down and enjoy their kids instead of things! What a wise woman she was at such a young age. I think the world pushes us to do and have more, when in reality all that we could ever want... is in the walls of our own home, but many times we are too busy, too pressured or too tired to even see that. I hope she and her husband get to follow their heart, and have the courage to make the changes that they know they need in their family.
So even though it was a long 3 1/2 hours in the airport...I felt blessed to have made 6 new friends. As I listened to their stories, I realized that everyone has their own battles to fight. I was reminded again ...how many wonderful people there are out there in the world. It made me feel grateful and blessed that I had the opportunity to be a part of just a few minutes of their lives. What a great day it was, but I am really tired!

Heartbreak

Every day new information comes in about the terrible Mudslide that happened in Oso, Washington. It breaks my heart to hear all the stories of the families that have been effected. I thought about that today when I was out doing some errands in the beautiful weather. I remember when I had cancer, it seemed like the whole world was going on while my life was falling apart.
So today when I was driving around and knowing that I am feeling better...I realized how grateful I am for the things that are good in my life. My heart goes out to all those who are not as blessed right now.
I try hard to remember that life can change in just a moment and to be thank for every day and every moment that I get to enjoy health and joy. I also pray hard for those who are suffering and I hope some how they can feel some peace, comfort and hope. I am grateful for all those volunteers. We need to keep them in the prayers.
Good night dear friends!

 

Washington Mudslide

Heavy equipment moves debris on the western edge of the mudslide where it covers Highway 530 Wednesday morning, March 26, 2014, east of Oso, Wash. Washington authorities on Wednesday reduced to 90 the number of people missing from the community wiped out by the mudslide. (AP Photo/The Herald, Mark Mulligan)

 

 Found the articles Here:

Happy New Year!

Well, here is the New Year’s Eve and we are sitting at my families home, playing games and just hanging out together. How grateful I am for the past year, lots of things have transpired and many lessons have been learned. Thank you so much for the part you have played in my life. I hope you are enjoying the holidays!

Recipe for a Happy New !

    Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time.

    Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing— don’t do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.  ~ Anonymous

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.  ~ Oprah Winfrey

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”  ~ Benjamin Franklin

“Here’s to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here’s to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.”

Families and Friends

Well ,today started out a bit tough because we had to say good bye to Lauren as we headed back to Utah. Brad and Krystal decided to come with us for a day, and so we had everyone ( other than Angie and John back home ) leaving with us except Lauren. Of course I cried, even though I realize we will see each other in 4 months, but still I really miss her. She is doing well and is very happy there and we couldn't have been prouder but still...I miss her.

Then I ended my day with a visit from a new best friend of mine.  She and I met a year and half ago. She was working at a craft show and I was there shopping. I really felt impressed that I needed to talk to her, and after a 1/2 hour conversation, we were best friends and we have been in touch ever since. I am always amazed at how many incredible people there are in the world. My nephew asked me tonight " How many best friends do you have Aunt Lynn" I could proudly say..." Too many to count". Yes, I am a very rich women and tonight I am extremely thankful for Families and Friends

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses."  ~Joyce Brothers

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family."  ~Anthony Brandt

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."   ~Anais Nin

Children...priceless!

When my kids were little and we were all out at the store, sometimes a woman would come up to me and ask me what the name of my Day Care was? I was confused? Then they would go on talking about how they would like to put their kids in a Day Care, where the people would take their kids out on field trips ...like I was doing. I then told them that all these ( 4 ) children were mine...their eyes about popped out of their heads and then they just walked away, or might have said how cute they thought the kids were. Now obviously this was on one of those days ...where everyone was being nice and happy, not all of them were like that (shocker). I just smiled because no one could believe that we actually wanted four kids, they just thought we didn't know how to stop having them. How I wish I would have had this article, on the Price of Children to give to them...now that would have been priceless!

The Price of Children

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice, The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

· $8,896.66 a year,
· $741.3 month, or * $171.08 a  week.
· That's a mere $24.24 a day!
· Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140?

• Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
• Glimpses of God every day.
• Giggles under the covers every night.
• More love than your heart can hold.
• Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
• Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
• A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
• A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
• Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:

• finger-paint,
• carve pumpkins,
• play hide-and-seek,
• catch lightning bugs, and
• never stop believing in Santa Claus. You have an excuse to:
• keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
• watching Saturday morning cartoons,
• going to Disney movies, and
• wishing on stars.
• You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

• retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
• taking the training wheels off a bike,
• removing a splinter,
• filling a wading pool,
• coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:

· first step,
· first word,
· first bra,
· first date, and
· first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits.

So . . one day they will like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!http://www.rogerknapp.com/inspire/pricechildren.htm

Moral of this is...to love and enjoy your children and grandchildren

"Kids go where there is excitement. They stay where there is love."  ~ Zig Ziglar

"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today."   ~Stacia Tauscher

What are my priorities?

Tonight a friend and I went to a church meeting for all the women ( it is called Relief Society ), we have it once a month, and the topic this month was about ORGANIZATION. I know...something I need! It was a good class and even at my ripe old age of 51(just kidding), I realized a few things that I could do to simplify my life. Here are some of the notes that I took and things that meant a lot to me.**********************************************************************************************************************************

"I have said lately that women are like lionesses at the gate of the home. Whatever happens in that home and family happens because she cares about it and it matters to her. She guards that gate, and things matter to that family if they matter to her. For example, if the lioness at the gate believes in the law of tithing, tithing will be paid in that family. If that family has a humble little portion of ten pesos coming in, that lioness will safeguard the one peso if tithing is important to her. If that lioness at the gate knows about renewing her baptismal covenants with God, she will be in sacrament meeting on Sunday, and she will prepare her children to be there. They will be washed, cleaned, combed, and taught about that meeting and what happens there. It isn’t a casual event, but it is serious to her, and it will be serious to them.

Sisters, you are each like the lioness at the gate. This means that there has to be some prioritizing. I was taught years ago that when our priorities are out of order, we lose power. If we need power and influence to carry out our mission, then our priorities have to be straight.

Years ago I began using a system that works for me, and maybe it will work for you. There was a time when I needed to prioritize, and in one of those sacred meetings between me and the Lord, He gave me three categories that I have worked from, and they have been a guide in my life. The categories are the essential things, the necessary things, and the nice-to-do things. I started writing those things down. I asked, “What has to go in the category of essential?”

We have talked about being the lioness at the gate and how important it is to safeguard that home, that family, to have that kind of power. We discussed that nothing really powerful happens in a home or a family if the lioness doesn’t care about it or invest in it. To move the Lord’s work forward, we have to have a powerful faith, a strong faith. We need stronger families and homes and we are to seek out and help those who are in need.

We know that when our priorities are out of order, we lose power. It takes personal revelation every day to help us prioritize and re-prioritize and keep at bay the influences of the world that would draw us from what we are to do."

The teacher's lesson came from a talk by Julie B. Beck in April 29, 2010

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Flds.org%2Flibrary%2Fdisplay%2F0%2C4945%2C9118-1-5187-1%2C00.html&h=cf2a7tRZ1n10UWJqyez499CTcmg

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  It was a great meeting, I think the part that I loved the most is ...how powerful our faith and prayers can be, in raising and teaching our families. I personally know that when I put the Lord first, that everything else in my home and life seem to fall in place. There is a better spirit in our home.
I have always thought our homes need to be protected... there are many things out there in the world trying to dissolve the family. It is vital that we stay close to our Heavenly Father and know what is essential, necessary and nice-to-do in our lives. If you ever mixed up about your priorities, then just ask your sweet little children or grandchildren (they have such a clearer view), and they will quickly set us on the right path! I am grateful for this class and everyone that participated in it. Yes, life is all about learning, and no matter what age you are...there is still a lot to learn out there! 

"Success is only another form of failure, if we forget what our priorities should be."  ~ Harry Lloyd

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."  ~ Keri Russell

"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work."  ~ H. L. Hunt

 

 

It must be in the Genes!

I always wondered when my kids had kids, what they would look like and what they would act like?  You know the age old saying which goes like this on a bad day..."I hope you have a kid, just like you someday!"  Well, I have to say that I have been quite shocked to see that Amy's kids turn out like Lauren, instead of Amy!  Now Angie, looks like Amy except for the red hair, but her personality is so much like Lauren's ( her Aunt ). Then came along another cute red head, and she acts a lot like Lauren too. There have been many days that Amy has said..."how in the world did I get two kids that are just like Lauren, when I was a very calm and obedient little girl?" I guess it is in the genes, because all 3 of these girls that  you see in the photo ...walk to the beat of a different drum! Now, the only thing more unfair would be, if Lauren gets kids like Amy...nice, calm, and never has fits! Oh well, I guess that is how life goes! :)
No matter what, we wouldn't give any of them back...they are the best and they make life so much FUN!

"Family faces are magic mirrors looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future." 
~ Gail Lumet Buckley

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together."  ~ Erma Bombeck

A Mother's mission!

I heard this quote the other day..."Every Mother has the same mission...to protect her family!" I thought to myself, how TRUE! It seems like to me, that there are many things around us in the world now that are threatening the family. It is a full time job to be able to do all that it takes to watch over, teach and protect your family. I feel as a Mom, that some of the hardest trials I have had to go through, are the ones in which my children are involved. It is hard to see a child hurt or suffer, as their Mother, I would do anything to help ease their pain. As they get bigger and become teenagers, young adults and then adults...that is much harder to do.    When they were young, you could pick them up and heal their bruises, kiss away their hurts or protect them from others to some degree, but not so as they grow older.
They have to go out into the world some time, and the world can be a cold, hard place at times. You hope that they have what it takes to go out into the world to socialize, work and live. Each time they trip up, or life knocks them down, I believe it is natural to wonder what you did wrong as a parent. Did we forget to teach them this or that? Oh I am sure that is partly true and false. No parent is perfect, it is hard to raise a family and at the same time, be figuring out your own life and working on your marriage too. You just have to do the best you can, give them all the love, faith and security you can, and from there on...you watch and pray. Yes, you will always be there for an encouraging word, a hug and anything else they need but, they are growing up and sometimes growing up is hard. Motherhood...it's definitely tougher than it looks!

"The bravest battle that ever was fought; Shall I tell you where and when? On the maps of the world you will find it not; it was fought by the Mothers of men" 

You [mothers] are the real builders of the nation wherever you live, for you have created homes of strength and peace and security. These become the very sinew of any nation.” Gordon B. Hinckley,

“During my professional career as a doctor of medicine, I was occasionally asked why I chose to do that difficult work. I responded with my opinion that the highest and noblest work in this life is that of a mother. Since that option was not available to me, I thought that caring for the sick might come close. I tried to care for my patients as compassionately and competently as Mother cared for me.

Because mothers are essential to God’s great plan of happiness, their sacred work is opposed by Satan, who would destroy the family and demean the worth of women.”  ~ Russell M. Nelson, May 1999

We are all different and ...that's ok!

I heard this quote the other day that went like this..."Freedom comes the moment truth is revealed" I believe that is true, and one truth that was revealed this past week is that I am not organized, I am a saver ( of just about everything ). I make messes easily and that I work best in the middle of a mess! Ok, the truth is out there, I said it out loud! The other truth I learned this past week, is that my daughter Amy is very organized, very orderly and does her best when everything is in it's place. ( I actually have known all of this for quite some time! ) This week I asked Amy to come over and help me go through some of my stuff, so that I might be more organized. I can't even tell you how many times, she would hand me a box of my treasures and say " Mom, what is this?" Just because I couldn't explain at that very moment what these treasures were, and why I needed them, she wanted me to throw them away or put them in the give away pile.

We have always said that she was O.C.D. and I was A.D.D. and together we just get MAD! You may be smiling, but we certainly weren't smiling too much when we were working together this week.
So we are different and ....that's ok, right? I am always amazed at how much differently her brain works than mine. What I think is rational and logical, she thinks is not real rational and ...well you get the point. All joking aside, I am always amazed how a child of mine, can be like me in some ways and so different in others?  All four of our kids are different, and yet have some of the same similarities, how can that be, when we raised them all the same? It happens, what one person sees so clearly, the other can't see at all, what about the one that hears exactly what you said and the other who didn't hear a thing? Or the child that would say something one way and the other wouldn't even think of saying anything like that at all. Families, you have got to love them? :)

I am so thankful for the diversity of our fun family. If we were all alike, think how boring it would be? Plus, I would never get my house in order! :) I also like the quote that goes like this... "You can't break away from a pattern unless you solve the problem"  I realize that I save too many things, and that I need to let go of some of it, (especially the stuff I haven't used in years ) and I am trying to set new patterns for myself. Old habits are hard to break but... I am learning!

" Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day." 

"Variety is the spice of life"   ~ American Proverb

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."  ~Jane Howard

 

 

Memorial Day

Well even though today was a day off work and we did get to relax and have a BBQ with family and friends but I didn't my post to be about that. I wanted to take time out to remember the men and women who have served in our military through out the years. How grateful I am for their sacrifice and service. Freedom doesn't come free!

I was looking on the news and found this story and photo of one such military family.

Nearly a year ago, as Staff Sgt. Brett Bennethum was preparing to leave the country for Iraq with his Army unit, his family gave him a tearful goodbye. One member of the family—four-year-old Paige—didn’t want him to leave, however. She was so attached to her father that she held his hand until he boarded the plane, even as he stood in formation with his fellow troops. Paige’s mother, Abby, captured a photo of the powerful moment, and within the space of days, it had been broadcast all over the world. The touching image showed the pain of the sacrifices that soldiers and their families must make every day, and resonated with millions who’d faced similar challenges.

http://gimundo.com/news/article/soldiers-daughter-paige-bennethum-welcomes-father-home-from-iraq-for-good/

So thank you from our family, for all you do and have done.

 

"The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage."  ~ Thucydides

"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americas have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission."   ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Genealogy

In the last few days the kids and I have been working on a photo book to have printed for Jeff's Father's Day. So we have frantically been looking up old photos and having each person write a letter to him and tell some of their favorite things about him also. As I have read the letters from the kids, I realized what a great genealogy gift this will be to our grand-kids some day. I love the memories and funny things the kids had to say. I love looking at the photos and how everyone has grown. We laughed at the style of clothing the kids used to have, or Jeff and I used to have. I laughed at some of the funny things the kids remembered about Jeff. Each photo seemed to trigger a favorite memory, so we are excited to give this SECRET gift to him soon!

My grandmother was big into genealogy and Jeff has done quite a bit with his family but I really haven't done much of it ( at least traditionally speaking ) yet. I always tease Jeff if he stays at the computer too long doing genealogy and we haven't had much time with him that day,  "Jeff, remember you need to spend time with the LIVE ONES too!" These photo books are amazing and so much easier and faster than the old traditional scrapbooks ( I am not knocking those, I have many of those I have done too!).  I did one for Jeff and I's 25th wedding anniversary. Then the kids and Jeff did one for me, for my 50 birthday last year. What a treasure that is. As we were going through the photos we realized that we need to do a photo memory book for each family member. We have ordered ours from Shutterfly, there are other companies out there, but that is the only one we have used so far and we have been more than impressed with them. It is all done through the computer (thanks to Amy) and then printed into a hard bound book, they really are quite a keepsake.

So tonight I realized there are many ways to do genealogy but the important thing is that we do it, because we all have a legacy to preserve. Remember you are never to  young to start searching and studying about your family tree!

"Genealogy  is the study of one's family, the study of our ancestors -their birth, their childhood, their dreams, their marriages, their occupations, their children, their deaths, and because these things in the past all have an impact on the present, in a very real sense, genealogy is a study of ones self."

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."     ~Jane Howard

"Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future."          ~ Gail Lumet Buckley

fear/monsters

When I was a little girl I had some pretty big fears. I just couldn't seem to get control over them. Now having counseled with many abuse victims over the past 25 years, I know that I wasn't the only one. Even those of you, who had normal, happy and safe childhoods, might have had some fears now and then. One thing that has probably been one of the biggest thing many people fear... is Cancer. Now if you think we as adults are the only ones to get scared, we are wrong. When I first got diagnosed with Cancer many years ago, my kids were young and the fear that I felt, transferred over to them. That is exactly why we came up with the word RECNAC instead of CANCER. RECNAC as many of you know is Cancer spelled backwards. Isn't that silly ? You beat it is, but it sure sounds a whole lot better when you have to talk about that scary disease so often. We all could handle seeing MOM'S RECNAC APPOINTMENT AT 9:00 am with Dr. Johnson on the calendar. Also the kids found out quickly if they told any of their friends that I had cancer, then the friends ( well meaning ) would promptly tell them about their Aunt or Grandpa that died of Cancer. To this day ( I am proud to say ) we don't know of any one that has died from RECNAC. :)

Now don't get me wrong. My kids understood the facts about Cancer... but we simply needed to find a way to take the power back from the C word. Recnac (cancer) is a family disease, I don't mean by genes, but because of the effects it has on every person in the family. It was vital for me as a mom to keep a close eye on each child to see how they were holding up, I spoke to counselors, teachers and family members for help and support. Yes, RECNAC ( cancer was a family disease ). It doesn't matter how old your children are either, everyone gets scared!

Since my second bout with Cancer, I have started developing gifts for cancer patients that I hoped would help and make a difference in their healing. As I dreaded going to radiation every day, I wondered how in the world a mom would feel, if it was her child that had the cancer and had to go to radiation each day? Many people say that the  treatments are worse than the disease. So with that in mind I have ( along with a dear friend of mine ) developed some RECNAC GIFTS. Each one is designed to help and comfort the patient in some way . I just want to try and reach as many patients as I can and help them have some hope and comfort during their journey with cancer.

With that in mind, I have designed ( always with the help of my dear friend and family ) yet another RECNAC GIFT. We have developed the ONCE UPON A TIME MONSTERS, each monster comes with a name and the poem below. We are still working on coming up with a  different one for Cancer patients or cancer patient's children. 

Once upon a time there was a monster under my bed.
So I shivered and screamed and pulled the covers over my head.
All of a sudden, that monster came out--and do you know what he said?
"can I be your friend and sleep with you instead?"
Congratulations! You've just adopted a ONCE UPON A TIME MONSTER!
Now you'll always have a friend to help you be brave and you'll never be alone again!

Here is a photo of my granddaughter Angie playing with some of the monsters. She doesn't quite understand why she can't have every monster that Nana creates!  I will let you know when we get them on line and are up for adoption.  What better way to keep those fears away ...than your own personal monsters?  Monsters aren't scared of anything!

Until then, I am going to go get me a monster... and go to bed!

"EACH TIME WE FACE OUR FEAR, WE GAIN STRENGTH, COURAGE, AND CONFIDENCE IN THE DOING" ~ Unknown

TIME TO PRAY 
A pastor asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night.
'Yes, sir.' the boy replied.
'And, do you always say them in the morning, too?' the pastor asked.
'No sir,' the boy replied. 'I ain't scared in the daytime.'