Mormon Bloggers

I’ve been teasing you with a promised post on Christmas ornaments for a few weeks, and I promise I did start writing it today.  But then I got an email about a job opening that would be so PERFECT for my husband and I got completely carried away and Christmas ornaments just don’t sound that interesting anymore. What’s the job, you’re asking?  Well, I’m not going to tell you everything because he hasn’t even filled out the application, but recently he told me what he really wanted to be doing was working in the great outdoors.  He’s always loved biking, hiking, skiing, and is crazy adventurous.  This job would allow him to do all of those things plus a whole lot more…for a living. What would the job mean for me?  He’d be gone A LOT.  It’d mean a summer of me and 4 kids figuring things out on our own.  It could mean giving up our house and bumming couches from friends and family all summer instead... Read the rest of this entry »

I ran a mile today.  I’ve only done that one other time in my life.  It was 17 years ago and I HATED it way back then.  I’ll stop short of saying I hated it as much when I did it today, but I am confident telling you it was not the most fun thing I’ve done lately. Why did I decide to do something so unenjoyable on a cold rainy day?  A little while back I agreed to run a 5K with my sisters and then they actually decided it was something we should motivate each other to do.  I’m not sure I expected that, but I definitely don’t want to show up there being the slowest one.  So, my “training” starts today. The truth is I was unbelievably nervous to strike out today.  First, I didn’t want my husband to laugh at me.  Of course he wouldn’t, but he’s run several marathons and has distance running legs and lungs and I could definitely never keep up with him.  And second, I honestly didn’t... Read the rest of this entry »

“Everyone has an official wish list of things they think are “reasonable”. What about the unofficial wish list? The one that common sense tells you to ignore? The list that exists deep in your mind, the list that keeps you up at night, that makes your toes wiggle when you think of it? Why not choose that list for a change? How long have you dreamed of being, having, and doing what you really want? Think big, as when it comes to your goals, the size of your ambition does matter.” -First Rule of Success:  Be Decisive, Gary Ryan Blair  Read More →

I’m going on record today to declare I’m voting Ann Romney for next First Lady!  I don’t know how that’s going to work since I’m not yet enamoured with her husband, who would obviously have to be elected in order for my vote to make a difference, but every time I hear her speak my heart is stirred and I find myself longing for genuine compassion and transparent values in the White House. I do not necessarily have a bone to pick with Michelle Obama.  I believe she’s a great mom and she has championed worthy causes during her time of influence, but she does not inspire me.  I won’t go into the reasons why-I’m not sure I’ve investigated them all within myself.  What I am aware of is an emotional yearning to be encouraged and led by someone like me. Now, Ann Romney and I obviously are not the same people in innumerable ways.  Our upbringing and backgrounds are caverns apart.  Our husbands have chosen vastly... Read the rest of this entry »

I have always wanted to be one of those women that does all her shopping with re-usable bags.  Over time I’ve gathered a few boring store brand ones, but I NEVER remember to use them.  Even if they’re in the empty seat beside me as I pull into the grocery store parking lot, I will grab my purse and not give a thought to grabbing them as well. My community does not offer any kind of curbside recycling, so it’s not a habit I’ve ever gotten in to.  In my house plastic bags go straight into the garbage.  I have absolutely no use for them (well, lining the bathroom trashcan, maybe).  I know stores have collection bins, but if I can’t remember a bag I paid for when I go in the store, there’s no way I’m going to remember a wad of dirty plastic ones.  If I’m quick enough at the checkout stand, I do usually get paper bags so I can cut them up and use for crafting with my kids.  I’ve been noticing, though,... Read the rest of this entry »

If you were hanging out with me a year ago, you might remember that I was walking around with a pretty dismal view of the New Year.  In the end, however, 2011 turned out to be a pretty great year.  I had the privilege of teaching some extremely powerful Relief Society lessons where the class taught me more than I possibly could have given to them.    I got to go on a shopping spree.    I traveled with my family to the Grand Canyon, San Diego, all over New Mexico, and a gigantic swap meet in the Midwest.  And I finally found a way to love my hair.  Going into 2012 I have a thousand reasons to be happy and  grateful. As I think about what I want to accomplish in the coming year, the word that keeps coming to mind is “responsibility.”  Nearly every area of my life could be marked with bright red “LAZY” stamp across the top of it.  In cultivating that laziness, I’ve neglected a lot of people and a lot of... Read the rest of this entry »

What are you planning for the New Year?  Read More →

“You can have anything you want if you want it desperately enough.  You must want it with an inner exuberance that erupts through the skin and joins the energy that created the world.” -Sheilah Graham  Read More →

My parents moved to Alabama.  Two months ago my dad volunteered for a one-week missionary & construction trip serving an area devastated by last spring’s overactive tornado season.  By the time he returned home, the Lord had spoken to his heart and he knew he was being called to dedicate more time to the work and the people in the hills of Alabama.  Everything else just fell into place… Within weeks the finances to cover obligations at home had wondrously appeared, as well as the beginnings of what they would need to move from Iowa to Alabama and modestly survive while they are there.  Circumstances at my mother’s job had been building towards an opportunity for long-term leave for quite awhile and made sense completely as soon as this opportunity was presented to her.  And another family member seeking a new beginning in her own life was right there to take over the day-to-day responsibilities my parent’s would be leaving behind for... Read the rest of this entry »

There are times when I go to bed feeling as if the weight of the world is on my shoulders. Money, work, family, and the disintegration all around me can weigh heavy. But there is always tomorrow… Have you ever… Woken up the next morning with an entirely different outlook on life? A new dawn? A new day? Have you ever… Been filed with new solutions to old problems? Brimming with hope and excitement to right the wrongs around you? Have you ever.. Been filled with so much energy and so much motivation that you can’t possibly stay in bed for one more minute? No?   Me neither. .  Read More →

I went to a free concert last Friday with my family to see a band called Moosebutter.  Self-billed as a comedy acapella group, I had never seen them in person, but was promised a night of hilarity.  Not necessarily because the band is good or funny, but because my in-laws are notorious for making fun of something until you’re laughing so hard they start laughing at you. Moosebutter on Friday night consisted of four middle-aged guys (I say middle-aged hesitantly because one of them went to school with my husband and that would mean I’ve now labelled myself with that heavy moniker) jumping around and shouting out melodic song parodies.  I think sometimes they have only two guys and maybe sometimes they have five or six.  This night there was a beat-boxer, a phenomenal falsetto, and two other guys.  About every 10 minutes I found them genuinely entertaining, and then I morphed back into complete boredom and confusion.  The show went on for nearly... Read the rest of this entry »

No, this article is not about how to insert your biggest dream here. The title is my attempt at being witty and clever. You’ll figure it out. Many of us get big ideas. I get them almost daily it seems. Very few of us act on our big ideas. Even fewer carry out the ideas to completion. We get excited and start working feverishly on our new project. There is a rush. We get a burst of energy and go to work. This excitement fades quickly sometimes and other times we can sustain the motivation for a while. In almost any case the motivation fades. Successful people are those who can overcome this process and stay dedicated. We all (anyone reading this blog) want to be awesome. If you don’t that’s okay but you might as well leave now because I mostly want to talk about how to be awesome. My Bad Example: Do As I Say, Not As I Do Last October I had a great idea for a website. It was going to be amazing. It is called CraftBattles.com The idea started from wanting... Read the rest of this entry »