God is the Gardener

This is that talk that Doug found that is amazing. I have listened to it and it is very good. It has an amazing message. Go to this link and listen from about 17 mins on. The name of the talk is God is the Gardener by Hugh B. Brown

http://odeo.com/audio/81467/view

Other miscellaneous pics to share

I have a couple more pics to share. I have some of Tag and Logan on my camera but I loaned my download cord and it got lost. So Tag & Logan will have to wait until I get another.

I

Isaac & Erin's Visit

We loved having Isaac & Erin visit us. We celebrated his birthday (2 weeks early) and had fun just hanging. Isaac has continued the fascination that the grandbabies have with Jennie - they all connect on some otherworldly connection. They LOVE HER!!!!!

We welcome any and all grandbabies anytime (and will put up with anyone else who deems to show up with them).

Hatch Patch Creations

So, I know that Brad and Elaine can't really use this but I thought it would be cool for Erin and Andi to see it.

This website has FHE packets that are adorable. They have a subject for everything! You can order them colored or you can color them yourselves. Then you cut them out and laminate them so that they stay nice. Logan loves it when I use these packets for FHE. Some of the stuff is a little too advanced for him, like the games, but I tell him the story using the cutouts. When he is older we will be able to do the games! They really are adorable and they help me cause sometimes I don't know what I can teach a 2 year old! I even let him play with them after we are done with FHE. He will sit and try to re-tell the story I just told him about being nice, or being honest, or whatever it is. I put tape on the back of them and I let Logan stick them to the wall while I tell him the story. He loves it!

Anyway, here is the website for them. If we order them as a group we get a discount. Happy Looking!!

http://www.hatchpatchcreations.com/

Pebble Beach

I know to most of us this would not be a spiritual experience but to Brad....well what can I say. Although that picture of the 18th green at sunset is pretty spiritual. So I decided we will let it speak for itself. Don't be too jeolous boys. Love Mom

My Experience with the BoM

I have finally finished the BoM this last week! I am soooooo excited that I actually did it. I cannot tell you all how many times I have tried to read theBoM but could never get through it. I think that I have only gotten through it one other time and I was 12. The only thing that I remember about theBoM from that time was that Nephi was born of goodly parents. :~).

So, let me tell you how reading this and enjoying it all came about. My wonderful Mother-in-law sent me an email about the Hinckley Challenge soon after President Hinckley died. When I first read through the email I thought that that would be fun to do. I didn't look at it again for another 3 or 4 days. During those 3 or 4 days every time I walked into my bedroom or office my BoM would be staring me in the face. I started to feel a little guilty so I decided to give it a try. 

I haven't had much luck in the past with reading the BoM cover to cover so I was pretty sure that this would be the same thing. I usually get half way through 1st Nephi and then get distracted or can't understand what or who they are talking about. So, this time through the BoM I decided to pray even before I started to read. I asked Heavenly Father that I might be able to understand, enjoy, and learn things as I read the BoM. I asked that he would help me to finish it this time and that i might know for myself that this is the only true church. 

Well, as you can see, prays are answered. I have never enjoyed another book as much as the BoM. It was so cool to read it and understand who they were talking about and what was going on! While I was reading it I was amazed at the trials and tribulations that the people went through! I sometimes think that life is so hard and that I have it pretty bad, but as I read this, I was so grateful to those men and women for their sacrifice. Most lost husbands and children. They went without food and dealt with ragging wars. There was famine and disease in the land. They had to hunt for their food........... I am blessed. I have my family here with me. I have food on my table and shelter over my head. I have the wonderful ability to go to the store and get my meat already cut and ready for me to cook. I have the blessings of modern medicine. I have it very easy in comparison.

The thing that I am most grateful for is the peace that reading the BoM has brought into my life. My family has been through some trying times these last few months and I have felt great despair at times. It has been so nice to know that I can turn to the scriptures and to my Heavenly Father to find peace and comfort as well as direction. 

I know that by reading the scriptures and asking of God that he will answer your prayers. I know that this church is true and that our prophets have been guided by the hand of God. I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us and will answer our prayers if we will just ask. I want all of you to know that I love each of you and I feel blessed to have you all in my life! 

I Finished!

Yes I finished the Book of Mormon (3 days early). So I guess that is 94 days instead of 97. But I had a marvelous spiritual experience doing it and so I will embark again. Since I have developed this good habit (one the Prophets have told us to do) I will continue. Probably not quite as fast (I would really like to study some of the passages and use some of the lesson materials available like in MeridianMagazine.com and LDSliving.com) but will continue on this great journey to continue to learn more about myself and about God. Anyone want to join me? We can have gospel discussions on the blog~cool. Love Mom

Let's Start From NOW

Here is the first entry to our Sharing Page. I hope that this will provide a place to let us share our special thoughts and feelings - about God - about family - and the impressions we have to improve our lives. Also we can use this to share with each other our blessings and challenges. It is a place to feel love and compassion for each other. We can use it to detail family activites that we want to share with each other (maybe duplicate what you do on your own blogs so that the family can keep current as well as your friends) and pictures of the kids. I am sure it will take some time to figure out exactly how we want this to be used and how we can keep it updated, but I think it will become a great journal-writing tool for our family. Love Mom