Secret Combinations

As I nestled the phone back onto the receiver after making a call this morning, I took note that it was eerily quiet for a house occupied by five young children. Immediately the red flag of suspicion was raised. I walked quietly through the house so as not to alert them (I find immense pleasure in catching them in the act). As I rounded the corner into the hallway, a trail of silver, leading from my open bedroom door to the boy's closed bedroom door, caught my eye.


The light bulb above my head suddenly shone bright.

I tiptoed the rest of the length of the hallway and then threw the door wide open. Three, startled, chocolate-covered faces looked up at me. The massive bag of Hershey kisses (stolen from atop the dresser in mommy's room) lay empty on the floor in front of them, silver wrappers scattered all about.


I collected what little candy had been spared and shuffled the kids off to their rooms while explaining that, because they had chosen to gorge themselves on stolen chocolate, they had forfeited snacks for the duration of the day. Once they were all within the confines of their own rooms, and I within mine, I burst into fits of laughter and laughed until the tears rolled down my cheeks.

The looks on their chocolate-covered faces had been priceless! And I could suddenly recall many a mischievous conquest in my own childhood. And the tears. . .well, I am sure I shed a few at the thought of what these three might be capable of as teenagers!

Ken's Demise

With so many boys in the house, it didn't really come as a surprise to find this in the hallway yesterday:


Imagine my shock, however, when I learned that, it was not one of my boys who had done the deed, but my daughter, Maren.

Apparently she and Ken were not seeing eye to eye on a particular issue (his fashion sense) and so she quite literally ripped his head off.

My husband will be happy to know that, he will not need to pull out his guns for cleaning when the boys come to call. Instead, we will just provide this wonderful visual of what she does to those who cross her.

Fabulous Five- Snowflakes and Cherry Blossoms

1. Bird watching in our pajamas. We have two bird feeders on our back porch and we love to watch and identify the birds. This morning we sat and watched many of our little friends come and go. Among them were cardinals, mourning doves, robins, crows and house sparrows. The kids are very good at identifying the birds and, long after they had flown away, we all sat on the dining room floor looking through our bird books and talking about all of the different birds.

2. Spending some quiet time reading with Joshua. He is really starting to enjoy books and being read to. Today I found him in the playroom alone, looking through the pages of one of his favorite books. After watching him for a moment, I sat down beside him and he climbed into my lap and together we read his book. I cherish those moments.

3. Catching big, cold, fluffy snowflakes on our tongues. . .in April. Although I long for the warmer days of Spring, it was fascinating to see snowflakes resting on the cherry blossoms.

4. Enjoying free cookies from the bakery at Sam's Club with my children.

5. See post below.

The Joys of Boys

Lukas: "Hi Mommy."

Me: "Hi Lukas."

Lukas: "I peed on your toilet seat."

Me: "That's nice."

I love little boys.

Words to Live By- What will you CREATE?

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

You might say, “I’m not the creative type."

If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination.

You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next.

Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."



(For a full transcript of "Happiness, Your Heritage" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, click here.)