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art by Robert Duncan "Let us make our homes sanctuaries of righteousness, places of prayer, and abodes of love that we might merit the blessings that can come only from our Heavenly Father. We need His guidance in our daily lives." -Thomas S. Monson

Dave Ramsey Quote of the Day--None of Us Deserve Squat

"You’ve got to break this cycle in your head that you deserve stuff. None of us deserve squat."

-Dave Ramsey

We Just Figured Out Blue's Clues--Cuz We're Really Smart!

Little Boy loves to watch Blue's Clues. It's the first thing he wants to do when we visit Grandma's house. Blue's Clues is one of the few TV shows that he'll watch all the way through, totally transfixed.

So when I turned on Blue's Clues last week, and he grabbed a story book and ran upstairs, I was surprised. I mean, come on...it's Blue! And Steve! And Tickety Tock! 

I followed him upstairs, where I found him like this. It took me a moment to figure out what he was doing:

He was pretending to be Steve. In his Thinking Chair. With his Handy-Dandy Notebook.

Now I just need to find him a green-striped polo shirt.

Perfectly Imperfect

Photo Source

I've had an idea brewing in the back of my head for awhile. It's a little bit personal, but I'm sharing it because I think it's something that many of us struggle with.

For as long as I can remember, this is the way I've seen the world and seen myself:

Perfect = Good
Imperfect = Not as good
Me = Imperfect
 ~therefore~
Me = Almost good, but never quite good enough

This equation is wrong. What I've come to realize is that those of us who think this way are hurting ourselves and holding ourselves back. Jesus Christ atoned for us so that this equation would never be true.

This is the right equation:

Perfect = Good
Imperfect = Also good
Me = Imperfect
 ~therefore~
Me = Good

I don't have to wait until I'm perfect to be good. I'm good now. God loves me now. And He loves you now.

So let's go forward and be good and lovable just by being ourselves.

You

Photo via Flickr


"Everyone is needed for just what he can do. You're the only person who ever can be you."


-"Every Star is Different," Children's Songbook #142

Middle School High School Musical: The Musical!

My baby sister's play was last week. I wrote about it a few weeks ago--and about how...excited...I was to see it. It mostly lived up to my expectations. Mostly, that is, except for my sister. She was goooood [not that I didn't expect her to be good. I just didn't know she'd be that good.]. I'm proud of her. My pictures of the show are atrocious. My camera is...inexpensive. But I'm posting the photos anyway. BWAHAHAHA!

She played Sharpay.

She was very sparkly and mean.

I also took some video with my "inexpensive" camera. Again, terrible quality. But I did as well as I could. Anyway, here she is, performing "What I've Been Looking For":

30-Second Book Review: Fablehaven

I read the first book in the Fablehaven series a year ago, after I bought it for my twelve-year-old sister--and I'm pretty sure I liked it more than she did. Funny, since she's closer to the target demographic.

 The books are written for kids, so they're a quick read. They're not on the same level as Harry Potter or Eragon, but the stories are still fun and engaging. One thing I like about these books is that they don't take themselves too seriously. A couple of quotes from the fourth book, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary:

"Grandma held a crossbow."
 -and-
  "Seth regretted having shown the troll that every Yahtzee deserved a victory dance."

Seriously, you can't go wrong with trolls and Yahtzee.

Mother's Day Flowers

So He Gave Us Mothers

Art by J. Kirk Richards "Mother, who willingly made that personal journey into the valley of the shadow of death to give us birth, deserves our undying gratitude. One writer summed up our love for mother when he declared, 'God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.'" -Thomas S. Monson

I Live in a Strange Place.

My parents have this big trampoline that Little Boy loves. We went out there the other day, and...wait, what is that all over the trampoline?

It's moss. Or maybe lichen? I don't really know the difference. It's been there for a long time.

Now, granted, this trampoline doesn't get much use anymore. But really, stuff like this doesn't faze me--or anyone else who lives here. Moss grows on everything. It's just part of living in a wet climate. Weird, huh? But my guess is that there's something strange about wherever you live, too.

Tulips, Tulips Everywhere

 Last weekend, we visited the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.


 It's a spring tradition in my family, but I haven't been in a few years. I've missed it.


 Little Boy wasn't sure what the big deal was.


 These purple & yellow ones were my favorite. I wish I could remember what variety they were.


 "Yellow Cheerfulness." How perfect is that?


 We'll definitely be back next year.

The Book of Mormon

"I express my solemn witness that the Book of Mormon is true. It is a book that has brought about a mighty change in my life. I know that God lives. Jesus is the Christ. His gospel has been restored to the earth. President Thomas S. Monson is His prophet and living oracle at this time. The Spirit I feel as I daily read, ponder, and pray about the Book of Mormon strengthens my understanding and testimony of these things and reaffirms to me that they are true." -Craig C. Christensen