Mother Day Gifts

Our Mothers Day call from Elder Cooley in Louisiana 

Mothers Day Gifts

Wild flower bouquets, styling clothes & sandals, love notes in ceramic dishes and hug & kisses...

all evidence that I am loved. 

A day to honor the mothers and women in our life, left me a little sad. 

Oh not because I was forgotten- 

my husband and children do a wonderful job in spoiling me and making me feel so special.

Nah, I blame "time" it's like a thief that I wrestle with trying to make it stand still just for a moment so I can take it all in. 

We got to Skype with Shane- what a blessing technology is for missionary moms! 

And this is where "time" is a thief- the minutes just weren't long enough. (is it weird that my TV screen has kisses on it?- not really) He also sent me a mothers day package full of Louisiana foods and letter that contained this poem: (if  you follow his mission blog he writes parables too)

"A mother is kind, a mother is great, for me she is one of the most important to celebrate. 

How to be a gentleman and how to be kind, these teachings come from my mother in which there is none greater than mine. The kingdom of God lies beneath the mother's feet, she raised me from the beginning and taught me how to use my feet. Now mother I am running and on a path that is true, don't worry about me mother because your example has taught me what to do. I fear no darkness because you have taught me light. I fear no failure because you raised me right. 

My mother is the greatest-yes to me, yes mother I will always love you, 1-2 & 3."

 -Shane River Cooley

I do have to say that being a Mother is the Greatest Gift Ever!

What Am I Here To Do?

What Am I Here To Do?
I am here to learn.
I am here to gain a testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ.
To be His disciple, to follow Him. To make His great cause- Mine too.
I am here to learn to Love.
To see the good in others, to speak kind words, show loving actions and be like The Savior.
I am here to learn how to be a virtuous women- a wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt.
To create a Loving, safe and welcoming home and heart where 'all' belong
I am here to create an Eternal Family with Erik. To be one.
To nurture and care for our family
To grow together in the light and then to let them go. Knowing we "Go Forever"
I am here to learn to care for my body, mind and spirit.
Remembering I am a Goddess in the making.
To obey God's commandments, have faith and have righteous values that I live- always.
I am here to help others along the way.
To serve.
To forgive and accept.
To have a change of heart and to learn Charity.
I am here to develop my God given talents and to give them freely.
I an here to be tested, tried and proven.
I am to here to learn to listen
to the still small voice
To ponder, pray and then Go & Do!
I am here to have JOY!
I Love Being Here.

who is that?

When I close a window on my home computer – the wallpaper picture of a younger Erik and I stare at me. We are newly married and standing in a field in Yellowstone park. We are smiling and so happy. (And we both have hair!) I sometimes wonder who those people are- not recognizing it as us. I feel the journey has been long- our heart and smile are now so much more fuller. We didn’t know at that time 8 of our favorite people to someday come into our lives- that would turn our world upside down and inside out with crazy love for them as well as adventures and experiences. I said we didn’t know them yet but that is a lie- we were just in a state of forgetfulness, because you see we were family before this earth life and will be forever after!  We just had to get to know each other again. Mother Eve said it well, “she… heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.”

Those young naive faces still smile at me from the computer screen as a reminder… Enjoy the Journey! There is more to come… more favorite people to be added and moments that will turn our world upside down and inside out with crazy love.

"Aspen song" my first collage painting! It is a series of 6 painting that hang vertical- telling a story of the birds in an aspen grove. Made with handmade paper aspens and "Backpacker" magazine birds along with watercolor and chalk.  It was like child's play creating this for my friend Mary Burnett for a Destination model home. Picasso said, "All children are Artist, the problem is how to remain an Artist once he grows up."  so I took a recess from Adulthood with the child in me- The Artist. And, now that I have had a taste of how fun it is to create mixed medium art- I have great ideas a brewing in my head and plans for some future play dates with my inner Artist.

The Nest Builder- a lesson from a finch named Sherlock

As all good lessons have a beginning... This one begins with a Christmas gift given with Love.
My children blessed me with 8 finches for Christmas. I asked myself the same question, why? Was it that I had groaned so much at now having an "empty nest?" Or did I seem bored and needed something to nurture and clean up after so many years of parenting? I donated 4 of them to bird world and decided to keep 4 for company and noise in my art studio.
The lesson comes from the little male I named Sherlock after witnessing his intelligence. He had been pulling up pieces of the paper towel from the bottom of the cage and was building a nest. So I added a handful of shredded paper and within minutes he had it all gathered up and inside one of the finch nest I had placed in the cage. There are two nests inside the cage. Now part of the duty of having "couples" finches is watching for the eggs so I don't end up with even more finches. It's like managing a finch abortion clinic. So I have gathered 5 eggs so far out of one of the nests. This morning I noticed that Sherlock moved the paper nest he built into the other nest in the cage which is further away from the cage door, and the dangers of me! I think in hopes that I can't gather the eggs from the new nest and he and Irene can hatch a little finch one day.

The lesson: Instinively this little bird built the nest to provide and protect the egg- his family.

My children sometimes feel I worry too much or give advice when not wanted, some have even said I can be controlling. I wonder though if like Sherlock my little finch I am Instinively protecting the nest and my little ones from what I think is danger. In the world of finches and motherhood- the nest and the eggs well- being and happiness take work and finesse (or finch-ness)

50 Things to do while I'm 50!

50 Things to do while I'm 50!

...#6. Hike Lone Peak

so you see there's this list I made on my 49th Birthday... that started off '50 things to do before I turn 50' and then turned into '50 things to do while I'm 50
'... well so far I've only accomplished 30 of the 50! 

“Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”

"We are adding another pumpkin to our patch!"
arriving March 2015

Is the heart big enough?
It is something every mother wonders when she is expecting another baby.
It's like jello on thanksgiving...
There's always room for more!
That is something every grandmother knows!
The heart goes for Forever
It has infinite room for "pumpkins"