I've Got a Gun...And I'm Gonna Use IT!

There is nothing funnier than a man dressed in business casual with a loaded 22 (and a sight), trying to shoot a woodpecker! Patrick cracks me up! Didn't Elmer Fudd or some other cartoon character chase a woodpecker around?

The Club

No one wants to be a member of the club that I belong to. It's exclusive. There aren't many that carry a membership card. In fact if you do have one, you'd rather give it away or burn it. Left in your pocket, you think about it all the time. Sometimes, it burns a hole through your pants. Other times, you just know it's there. People don't like to talk about this club very often. It's very painful and sad. Until someone you know gains membership. Then it screams like hell at you to pick it up and wave it around. Knowing that someone else has to be a member of this club can drop you to your knees in mere seconds. You begin to remember your own initiation into "The Club." My heart mourns with the Jensen family as they are about to lose a husband, father, brother, friend, and son to cancer. Hopefully my membership in this club will help this small family through the hurdles that they are about to face. My thoughts and prayers go out to this young family with 3 little kids who are about to lose their Dad. Friends, pray for this family tonight. Hug each other a little tighter and remember that this life is short and we will all be together again someday...

The Beatitudes...Emily's interpretation

I have had a couple of requests for my talk I gave a few weeks ago in church. I hope you enjoy...(sorry for all the punctuation mistakes...I am not the technical writer or editor in the family)

Blessed…are They...

I pondered this Talk for weeks. I am not a doctrinal speaker. In fact I was explaining to my husband that I am like a Thomas S Monson when it comes to talks…all about the story and the emotion and Patrick is more about the doctrine like Dalin Oaks, but both of us relish in the Big Picture. I tried for weeks to figure out how to narrow it down. I had 3 or 4 ideas that just couldn't come together. Until I stumbled upon the words…blessed are they…and what they really mean.

For me the Big Picture that I need to talk about is the fact that we really are blessed. The Greek translation of Blessed is more purely defined as a state of Divine Happiness. Who here would not love to be divinely happy? We are blessed…
…even if our outward appearances or our inward turmoil prove otherwise. How is it that these afflictions that the world may see can make us Blessed?
So let us explore those people that are not blessed:

What are you if you are not poor in Spirit and coming unto Christ? Are you filled with spiritual gifts and see no need to bring yourself to Christ? This screams of Pride. What happens to the Prideful? They fall. God will have a humble people. I see no blessing in Being Prideful. Humility on the other hand gives us the promised blessing of the Kingdom of Heaven. The world would give you no reward for humility. They exalt the confident and the independent and the “famous".

What are you if you are not Mourning? Never lost and grieved? The soul that has felt the pang of heartache and suffering becomes a little more like Christ everytime he sheds a tear. I am convinced that those who do not suffer loss never know the true value of the people around them. How can something be a treasure to you, if you do not know the value of it? One who has lost a child cherishes the little things children do. One who has lost a spouse, treasures companionship more. One who has mourned for sin committed, values the atonement a little bit more…it boils down to experience…no joy without sorrow, no light without darkness…we have nothing to judge our blessings against if we know no affliction. The world cannot heal your broken heart. It cannot justify the anguish or give a reward for a affliction well handled. We do not receive a check for our suffering or badge to wear. If anything, most people have a hard time consoling the mourning individual. But God rewards. He can comfort. He does comfort.

What are you if you are not Meek? Arrogant and Abrupt. Does force and anger really bring us any lasting happiness? Who can lead the multitude? Not the arrogant. Our Bishop in our last ward was the epitome of Meekness. He lead with love. He always looked into your eyes when he greeted you and really wanted to know how you were. He came over one night to our home. My brother, who is not currently active, was having a difficult time. He came over and spoke to my brother for 3 hours about how much “Father loved him” He was kind and gentle and because of this meek spirit, my brother went to church the very next Sunday. The direction of his life choices he is now making, I am convinced, were a direct result of him seeing the Lords love through our bishops eyes. The world does not reward the gentle. The ones that hide behind the sidelines, the gentle and meek are not filling are TV programs. God Rewards. The meek shall inherit the earth. Rulers over the earth. Leaders.

What are you if you are not Hungry and Thirsty? Satisfied. Never be satisfied. You can have too much chocolate…it’s hard but it can be done. You can have too much steak…it is possible, but when you have had your fill of righteousness then you better get down on your knees and repent. I know of no one that is truly righteous enough that can say there is not something they could do better. If our ultimate goal is to gain perfection even as our Father in Heaven is Perfect then we always have something to work on. Brothers and Sisters, sometimes we go on diets. We limit how much righteousness we really can handle. We are satisfied with 1200 calories and watch ourselves turn into spiritual waifs. We must be spiritual giants. If Micheal Phelps ate 1200 calories a day, he would not have won 8 gold medals. I think they said he ate something like 10000 calories a day. What are you doing to hunger and thirst after righteousness? Are you barely maintaining or are you building spiritual muscle. You must stuff yourself to gain that muscle. Then exercise that righteousness. Get deeper, do more, go farther, push your limit. Start somewhere . The world doesn’t make you a millionaire or give you a medal for reading your scriptures or saying family prayer or keeping the Sabbath day holy. God Rewards. You will be filled with the Holy Ghost. The comforter. The Truth will flow through you.

What are you if you are not Merciful? Just. I am a rule keeper. My husband will attest. I am one to keep all laws, obey signs, it is my very nature. But even I mess up. We all mess up. We all offend, sin, make stupid mistakes. Do we not deserve mercy? If we cannot give it to those who have wronged us, then how do we expect to deserve it ourselves? Are we better than anyone else? The world says we are a fool. Get justice. I am reminded of the Amish community who rallied around the widow of the man who killed this community's children. Instead of harboring hate they gave him mercy. The world wants justice and punishment. God rewards. He gives us mercy in return. He overlooks our messes and sees the child full of remorse.

What are you if you are not Pure in Heart? Always having an agenda. Do you do good to get brownie points. Are you hankering to be Bishop? Do you do a good deed with the intent that they will owe you? The joy gets sucked out along with all the blessings if you do something for the wrong reason. The world rewards those who have a what’s in it for me mentality. They go farther in the world's eyes. They make the grade, get the job, amass the fortune. But those that do it for the right reason, aren’t given the windowed office. But God rewards. The pure in Heart shall see God!

What are you if you are not Peacemakers? Always stirring up the pot. Enjoying your gain at the loss of others. The ability to compromise can save almost any relationship. I do not profess to be a peacemaker myself. They're are many people in my life that I want to take a large stick to….but I have also learned that there is always another way to look at it. We must remember that we do not walk in anyone shoes but our own. If Christ can bless those that spit upon him and plead for forgiveness for them, am I any better than he? Peacemakers are seen as weak in this world. Always turning the other cheek. God rewards. Peacemakers shall be the children of God and with that…heirs to his Kingdom.

What are you if you are not Persecuted for my names sake and Reviled? Judas comes to mind. Can you not stand up for what you believe? Do you hold your head in shame for the company you keep? Do you hide behind a bushel? I have never been in prison for being a Mormon or been shot at or stoned but I have had people who persecute my beliefs in my own family. I have had to let my voice be heard. I have felt the anger swell within me when someone makes fun of something I treasure. I remember last Christmas when my fathers good friend made some dumb remark about how I didn’t have to populate the earth on my own or something to that effect. Man, no one messes with my kids. Momma bear came out! I gave him a piece of my mind. Was it the right thing to do…no but I would take it everyday if I had to because I understand God and his will for me. I later would learn that this very man has never had children and instead of feeling angry at his insensitivity, I felt very sorry for his loss. He would never know the joy that comes from having children underfoot. I have a little more mercy for him now. The world does little for those who are persecuted. They are laughed at and mocked, the butt of jokes, teased. God rewards. The persecuted receive the Kingdom of Heaven. You will be in company with the prophets and apostles and saints and even Christ himself.


To Be Blessed…to be divinely happy requires something more than what the world can offer as a reward. We must look like a sorry lot to them. We struggle up this mountain filled with cracks and pitfalls and heartache with no earthly reward. But God will reward our worldly sacrifices. I have been blessed to experience many of these afflictions and characteristics myself. But I testify to you that I have received great rewards and blessings for my afflictions. My sacrifices have not been in vain. Not only will I attain the promised blessings God will give me in the world to come, but blessings in the here and now. I am richly blessed now.

I testify to you that God lives. He loves us individually. He watches over us and has a plan for each one of us to return to his presence and receive our reward. I love him and his guiding hand in my life. He has lifted me up when my strength waned and given me more than I could have ever even dreamed of having. Of this I am truly in debt to him.

In order for us to be blessed…we must, We must, sacrifice the worlds rewards for the higher law…the spiritual rewards that God has promised us. May we all seek to be divinely happy it is my prayer in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Calling all closet novelists

So November is national novel writing month...Afton has probably done this before, but there is a site where you are supposed to write a novel in a month. It has to be 50,000 words(175 pages). It's designed to get the creativity going. nanowrimo.org is the website that explains all the rules and regulations. My kids are doing this at school too...anybody want to jump on the bandwagon with me? I've got a few great ideas and I am sure you do to...come on, everyone, who's with me on this one?

More Blogs

Patrick has jumped on the bandwagon and created his own blog...check it out on the side...I also have created one with dinner ideas that I am loving. Thanks for being such great friends and family!

Not of the World

As I sat in Young Women's in Church today, I realized just how different we really are from the world in General. We have an exchange student from Russia who attends regularly. She is 16 and very worldly. As we were discussing the lesson of Marriage Standards and Dating Decisions, she so eloquently asked"What if we don't want to get married or have kids? I am happy just the way I am and plan on staying that way." Luckily, I wasn't teaching the lesson. In my own little world I sometimes forget that we really are different. Marriage and family are not the ultimate goal for many people. Here are these young women facing the world head on and a large majority of their peers, think they are crazy. Crazy for their values, morals, goals that they choose to attain and maintain. Then we talked about guys and how society sometimes views women as objects instead of people. Well, that is another blog in itself. It's up to us ladies to show these girls that Motherhood and Marriage are good things and that Society would crumble without strong capable women to nurture and maintain society as we know it. No offense to Men, but most men I know would be nothing if not for the woman at their side. I for one, have two daughters to raise. I want them to be respected and cherished for the confident women they will become. I want them to know that Motherhood, meaning the nurturing of any child, is hard and challenging, but rewarding and fulfilling. May we all take the time to love our daughters, nieces, friends, mothers, aunts, and ourselves just a little bit more. We are so precious.

Therapy

My garden supplies all the therapy I need...
The grapes are really sweet! And I get at least this much every 3 days! Don't you love the earth?

Politics and Helaman

My new goal for the year is coming along swimmingly. Reading my scriptures everyday used to be easy..I have read them several times straight thru. Then I get bored, and remember all the stories and names and my scriptures are marked. Then I turn to Hugh Nibley or some other extra resource to help me delve a little deeper. Now, I hate to admit, that I can't remember everything anymore. Roman tore apart my beloved white set of scriptures. So now it is me with a colored pencil and an unmarked book. Helaman sounded like a good starting point (My family is currently on one of the last chapters of 2nd Nephi). It struck me today as I was reading that Helaman 7 sounds alot like the current state of affairs. I think I said DUH! about 20 times while I was reading it. I know most of you probably aren't reading my blog for current affairs or to discuss politics, but talk about a type and shadow of things to come. Does anyone out there feel like our country is in the crapper or is it just little old me? By the way...I think both presidential hopefuls are worthless...just my opinion, but hey, it's my blog right? Anyone care to comment? Or am I the only political junkie out there?

We are in Major Trouble!

Madeline is growing up! To say that I am nervous is an understatement. I was definitely not this pretty at 10 1/2. Granted, she is the most responsible and smart child I know, but still, boys will be boys! Well if you know Madeline, she is not a girly girl. She prefers t-shirts and jeans and doesn't give a hoot about what she looks like. That all changed about 6 months ago. She started brushing her hair and matching her clothes. Well she asked me to cut her hair 2 weeks ago, and I finally did it today. The result is shocking. My baby is gone and a Tween has replaced her! Remember how I said that I didn't feel old, well that all changed today.!

Ode to Birthday Cake

Beaverton Bakery is an icon of Portland area. It's old building has graced the downtown of Beaverton for many years. My mouth is salivating just thinking about the moist airy cake underneath the light whipped cream "frosting". My beloved husband knows of my obsession with Beaverton Bakery. After we moved from Oregon to Utah, he surprised me with a Beaverton Bakery Banana Cake for my Birthday. Now he really couldn't ship a cake there, bless his take charge attitude about everything, so he called Beaverton Bakery and got the recipe! How ingenious right?
Well this year I got the real deal! It didn't mean as much as his homemade version, but it tasted awesome. I can almost taste the cake melting in my mouth (oh yeah...I just ate some for lunch..LOL!) There are a very few "sweet" things that bring such fond memories as this Banana cake. If my memory serves me, I had it for my 28th birthday, Our wedding cake, my 32nd birthday and now my 35th. It is still as special to me now as the first time I ate it...

Cake is great!

Today is my birthday!

Happy Birthday to Me!
I'm not 33!
or 34...but 35!

So I fear that I am not "old" yet. I still have no desire to get anything lifted, sucked, botoxed, massaged, enlarged, or enhanced. My husband, actually prefers me natural, no make up...thanks to my parents for giving me fabulous skin. I don't have wrinkles yet, so maybe aging really hasn't set in. Pregnancy is the only thing that makes me feel like an old woman and we all know that I am not doin' that again. The "womb" is closed.

So for this year I am trying to work on organization. Learning how to stick a 6 bedroom house into a 3 bedroom house requires skills that, so far, I have yet to master. I have this cool label maker that I have become obsessed with. I am going to try to be better about reading my scriptures alone...we have the family one down...but yeah well...I will give it my best effort.

Reflecting on the last year...I have learned so many things. Haven't you all figured out that trials make us grow so much more than ease. I have. Learning to put full faith and trust in my husband...scares the pants off of me...but I didn't kill him or leave him and I lived through it. Getting back to the basics...I refined my gardening skills, my animal tending skills, my canning and preserving skills. I learned about the important things like family closeness (living in a hotel for 7 weeks sure does that to a person). I also learned that I could give a crap (not a bad word in my house) about the "Jone's" and keeping up with them is a waste of time and money. The grass that looks greener; it's spray painted! Not real at all! I learned that I would rather eat dinner at the same time every night at our table, than eat in the car waiting for someone to get out of dance or soccer or whatever...what I cook is always 10 times better than McDonalds. I learned that nature is a gift and it has healing properties that can restore the soul. God can dwell there.

Have a happy day everyone.

The Human Spirit

Warning! Serious post!

Phemonenon. See this movie again. Every husband should. If just for the one line near the end...All women need men to "buy their chairs." This is one of the last lines the Doc makes in this movie. Go watch this movie again, I repeat. It is such a moving tale of how intelligence is not as important as the Human Spirit. The apple scene...moving. Think about it. If you need a good uplift and a good cry...just rent it. The music is great. Trust my ladies...remember the smell of your husband's skin and the feel of his hair through your fingers. You'll miss them if he leaves too soon...I am not trying to make you all cry...just make everyday count.

The House...in Utah

Well girls, we have a buyer for our house in Utah. They are negotiating with the bank as we speak. After having it on the market for a year and a half...a horrible real estate market...we could possibly have it gone in weeks. I am waxing nostalgic today. This house was not my dream house but I really did make it my own. It looks sparse in the pictures, but that is what a "staged" home is supposed to look like. Those gorgeous cabinets on either side of the fireplace...I designed. You can't tell but the wood is hand distressed and the glass is bubbled. It is a thing to behold in person. The rock wall...my demand. Brighten's bright room...hand linen finish, custom cabinets and wainscoting. Madeline's chandelier. The stove, oh I miss that stove. I miss how well it cooked. We had a 200 person reception in that house if memory serves me right. The fireplace I made them put in my master...the bathtub...I have no bathtub...cruel and unusual punishment. Stacey, I'm comin' over this week to take a bath! I don't care if its 85 degrees. That sink vanity in Gayle's apartment. It was such a find and I think it looks lovely with a sink in it. I'm kinda sad...but maybe you can all remember it with me...

When you only have One at Home!

I've been up since 6:00am. Took the garbage out. Made 3 lunches. Made waffles. Drove the kids to the bus stop. Took the recycling out. Checked email. Checked news. Bathed youngest boy after a horrible blowout. Cut hair of two boys. Found belt for Anderson. Fed him 4 times before 10:30 ...he's too skinny. Took him to bus stop at 11:00. Fed Evan twice. Met with Visiting Teachers for an hour. Did 3 loads of laundry. Posted a blog. This is a picture of what a child looks like when mom is busy sweeping the floor and folding laundry. Not only did he have a gross blow out this morning, but while VT's were here, he drank my homemade Blackberry syrup and got it all over himself and the floor, which I cleaned up and not and hour later...white board marker. I just put him down for a nap. This is the life of the last born...

Haircuts

My boys couldn't be more different. One is skinny and straight and the other is stocky and curly. Mommy, in her quest for frugality decided to cut the hair herself. Don't look too close...and yes, I did cut Evan's hair just a bit. He has more layers now. I will not, I repeat, will not cut off the curls. He can have long hair until he dies, as far as I am concerned.

Anderson's First Day of Kindergarten!

"We just sat alot and didn't get to play that much" and "you have to wash your hands and be quiet while your friends go to the bathroom." This was the extent of the first day for him. I just had to laugh at his hair this morning. He is such a wacky kid! He had a lackluster day. I, on the other hand, had to deal with the "Transportation Department" telling me they can't pick up my kid. Well according to Hillsboro School District he qualifies for the bus but "that bus" can't come up there. Whatever! Well I gave them a piece of my mind. I am not wasting gas to get my kid because of their error. 5 years ago I would have taken it but not anymore. Yet another lovely side effect of being a single parent for a time and getting great therapy and of course an awesome "red" husband. Now he is switched into afternoon Kindergarten, which was too full, again, not my problem. And his bus will arrive 3 minutes after the drop off bus...what the HELL! (not a swear word in my house) What if I really couldn't afford the gas, or I had no car? Humm? Just because they think that I can afford it, or that I live in a nice area? The secretary asked why I couldn't just pick him up...OK I lied and said that I only had one car. I didn't want to fight, but I wanted fairness damn it! (Not a swear word in my house either!) I got my way. Anderson wants to ride the bus and I want to stay at home and not pollute the air and drag my two year old around for 30 minutes of wasted time. Enough ranting...I'm done now.

The Circle of Life...

Most of you out there know that I am a certified tree hugger. My husband is quickly learning the ropes of my environmental indoctrination. Well, sometimes the best laid plans are destroyed by the harsh reality of nature. Picture in your mind the exciting chase that ensues between the hunter and the hunted. Mutual of Omaha...Sunday wildlife special....prey and predator...you get the picture? Well our wonderful puppy Roman has already killed a rooster...shear luck for us. Roman is not even a year and is already quite the hunter. Well today, while my husband is away on extended trip to Utah, our humane trap had an inhabitant. A furry grey ground squirrel was lured in by the peanut butter. Now, I have gotten over their "cuteness" when I step into one of their lovely holes in the ground. So I was glad to capture the little bugger. Christian, being the very good cub scout, loaded it into our jeep, with the intent of letting it go in a field up above our house. The dogs come barreling up the hill behind us (their favorite form of exercise) and I didn't think anything of it. Christian grabbed the cage and put it near the edge of the field and let it go. Now that squirrel was pretty happy to leave its cramped quarters. Until, the lion, Wilson "pursued" the freed prisoner. Wilson is not the quickest dog. Roman, on the other hand, is a stealth bomber. The squirrel took off up north and that is when the Mutual of Omaha scene began. The prey and the predator in the fight for your life dance, with the audience of squealing kids and grossed out mom. He shook that squirrel to death in his jaws. I booked it out of there. I bet you money the kids will have nightmares. I will dream of the lion chasing the zebra in a Sunday special about the ugly truth of nature. Sometimes the best laid plans fall apart before your very eyes...maybe I should contact PETA and fill them in on the fact that us Humans are not the only barbarians in the animal kingdom...go figure.