A Great Book GIVE AWAY!!

Do your Family Home Evenings need a makeover? Are you looking for some new Family Home Evening ideas? Or do you just need a cute Christmas gift for a friend or family member?

I have just the book for you! Rebecca Irvine’s second book of FHE ideas is now available to order from the publisher. (To visit Becky's blog, click here)

Family Home Evening Adventures comes complete with a Family Home Evening planning guide, a theme for each month of the year, and a complete well thought out lesson for each. Each lesson consists of a lesson, activity, story, song, a list of additional resources and refreshment suggestions.

Although the lessons are geared toward younger children, children of all ages can benefit. As a seminary teacher I appreciate that Becky teaches doctrinal principles in a simple, easy to understand way. I am also glad to see that so many of the scriptures she uses in her lessons are scripture mastery scriptures. What a benefit to introduce your children to the same scriptures in their childhood they will use again in seminary and later on their missions!

Those of you in primary presidencies will love the book as well. Some of the lessons can be adapted for use in 2010 sharing times such as the lesson on the atonement or Faith Bingo.

One of my favorite is the lesson on Fathers. Becky helps us understand the different “father” roles of our founding fathers, mortal fathers, Heavenly Father, bishops and the Savior. Another lesson I really enjoyed was how she used feasting at Thanksgiving to teach about “Feasting on the Word” and everyone will enjoy December’s, “Journey to Bethlehem.”

You can order a copy from Amazon, Borders or the publisher at http://www.cedarfort.com/ . And for a chance to win a free copy, leave me a comment in the comment section or email me at joy4yourjrney@gmail.com before Monday night saying you would like to be entered in the drawing. The winner will be announced on Tuesday!

Merry Christmas!!

Meet Kristen . . . It's Her Birthday!!

This is Kristen, my third child and today is her birthday!! It is hard to believe it was 22 years ago today I was in the hospital giving birth to her. My how times flies!! (oh, and she really doesn't have one arm in a sleeve and the other bare. The arm on the right is mine)

Kristen has always been a joy, although she did make me realize I was not as good of a mother as I thought. Her older brother was sleeping through the night at two and a half weeks of age, which I was sure was due to my superb mothering skills. Then Kristen came along and blew that theory. She didn't sleep through the night until she was two and a half YEARS!!

However, that one fault aside, she is a great girl--Beautiful, strong, smart, witty, creative and independent. She is also a very gifted teacher and has an amazing ability to entertain children of all ages. She likes to draw and write, play the flute, read, hike and is a great cook.

As a little girl she was always up for adventure and felt she could take on anything or anyone. At the grocery store when she was three she wanted to carry the gallon milk containers, because she was, as she told me "A super strong woman". And at four, when the boys were in the back yard playing baseball she got her own bat and while running out the door I heard her yell, "Watch out boys!! I'm gonna hit a home run!!"

She graduated second out of 640 students in her high school class. At BYU she works in the business department and is studying to be an elementary school teacher--something she has wanted to be since third grade. On a date once a young man asked her if being "just an elementary ed. major" she had a hard time communicating with the people in the business department. (Yes, he really asked her that!!) I told her she should have said, "No, as a teacher I am practiced at speaking slowly and explaining things so everyone can understand."

Her other goal is to be a mother. On career day in high school she put on an apron and went to school carrying a doll on her hip. All through her classes she bounced the baby on her knee or would rock it back and forth. Many of her teachers were shocked she would want to be a mother when she was so smart and could do anything. Some even suggested motherhood would be a "waste" of her abilities. But I was so proud of her for standing up to them and holding strong to her values.

She is also our family's best missionary as she is willing to share the gospel with anyone who will listen--just ask her friends, her co-workers from high school or the people she sits by on the airplanes.

We are so blessed to have her in our family and wish her a . . .

VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Flowers Amidst Adversity

My neighbor has been going through a very tough time. Her days have been filled with surgery, tests, medication challenges, more tests, more medication challenges, radiation therapy etc. Yet, just as the challenges were beginning, she planted purple daisies in her vegetable garden, along with her vegetables.

I love purple. And I love the purple daisies.

As I pass from my bedroom to the family room, about a hundred times a day, I always glance out the window at the end of the hall. From that window I can see the daisies.

And each time I see them, they bring joy to my soul.

I have been thinking about that. At a time when my neighbor was struggling, she was also bringing joy to my life. It wasn't intentional, it wasn't planned, it wasn't due to any extra effort on her part. It just happened.

There once was a story in the Ensign about a woman who was working in her yard and singing hymns. She was facing some adversity and chose to sing the hymns as a way to gain strength during her challenges. Unknown to her, her neighbor was also going through some difficult times. As the neighbor walked into her back yard, she heard the singing on the other side of the fence. The melody calmed her soul and the words brought her comfort.

Without even knowing it, the first woman's way of dealing with her trials blessed the life of another.

I think my neighbor is a lot like the lady who sang. During some very dark days she blessed my life by choosing to plant something of great beauty.

The lesson I have learned from her example is this . . . how we deal with the challenges of our life, may have an effect on the lives of others. And even in our darkest days, we can still bring . . . joy to another's journey.

Why I'm Glad I'm Not A Dog

I never really appreciated my life until we got a dog. Now there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think, "I'm so glad I'm not a dog!" After hearing it so often, my husband suggested I make a list of my reasons. So here are my top ten . . .

1. I will never be found sitting under a table during meal time begging for food.

2. I don't have to be put on a leash to go for a walk--and then have someone drag me along when I'm not going fast enough. (Although my walking partner might want to do that:-)

3. When I have to "do my business" no one is standing over me watching and then saying, "Good job!!" afterwards.

4. And speaking of "doing my business" . . . when it is raining outside (like all day today) I can stay inside instead of having to run out in the rain to the grass.

5. I will never be caught smelling people, or other disgusting things.

6. You will never find me drinking out of a toilet.

7. I will never have to be kennelled.

8. No one makes me roll over, sit, beg or jump before I can have a treat.

9. Chewing on shoes/bones will never be my favorite hobby.

10. I can eat chocolate!!

Life is good!!

Learning To Be A Good Gift . . . Receiver????

"Christmas means giving. The Father gave His Son, and the Son gave His life. Without giving there is no true Christmas . . . “ (Gordon B. Hinckley)

I love that quote and believe it. I look forward to giving Christmas gifts each year. But, no matter how much time, thought and effort any of us put into giving, it would be of no value if there were no one to receive the gift.

“For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.” (D&C 88:33)

Just as important as being a good gift giver, I believe, is learning to be a good gift receiver.

A short time ago, my husband and I delivered a birthday present to a friend. I had made cinnamon rolls and we placed them in a box along with individual bottles of juice and chocolate milk, as well as all the paper products, party favors, and decorations needed to have an official family “Birthday Party Breakfast”. When we arrived at our friend’s home and gave him the gift he was extremely gracious. He expressed his delight for the cinnamon rolls, commented on how fun it was to get a gift “with a theme” and showed excitement for everything in the box. The next morning he sent a text telling us how delicious the breakfast was and the following day he once again thanked us for thinking of him and expressed his appreciation. This friend is truly a great gift receiver.

I know many other people who are also great gift receivers. Unfortunately I also know people who struggle receiving gifts, and I myself have on occasion fallen into this category. In thinking about what makes a great gift receiver, I have thought of three main qualities.

1. Humility. I know people who are simply uncomfortable being the center of attention and so resist any display of love or affection by others in the form of gifts. Other times it may be a bit humiliating to realize someone has noted our need and provided something for us we were not able to do for ourselves.

An example of this occurred when my husband and I were newlyweds. The ward was hosting a Christmas party and charging $10.00 per couple. (Back then they could do this.) We did not have the money to purchase the tickets and therefore were not planning to attend. However, the bishop, aware of our need, secured tickets for us and left them in an envelope on our front porch. At first we were embarrassed at our poverty and did not want to go. Then we felt perhaps we should find the money to purchase them ourselves. But in the end we humbled ourselves and put away our feelings of embarrassment, attended the party and thanked the bishop for the blessing.

Being a good gift receiver means putting aside our own feelings of pride and discomfort and being humble enough to focus on the feelings of the giver.

2. Charity. Often the value we place on a gift is determined by the love we have for the giver. If we value the giver, we will most likely value the gift. Learning to be a good gift receiver, therefore, includes developing a gift of love for those who give.

3. Gratitude. I learned an important lesson about gratitude when I was nine. My family drew names for Christmas each year and that year my sister had my name. One day I discovered the Christmas gift she had purchased for me—large hair clips. I was a bit disappointed in getting hair clips for Christmas and expressed my feelings to her. Her response was, “Then I won’t give them to you.” And she didn’t. She didn’t get me anything else either. That Christmas morning when everyone else opened their family gifts, I was wishing very much I had just been grateful for the hair clips and I was ashamed of my selfishness.

I have often heard people say, “But that isn’t what I wanted” or “I don’t want anything so don’t give me anything”. I have learned that it isn’t always about what we want, it is also about what the giver wants to give. Our job is to learn to be grateful for what we are given.

I think it is also important to learn to see beyond the gift and appreciate the time and effort that may have gone into preparing the gift itself. I am reminded of a story of a man who walked many miles to the seashore to get a sea shell. In giving the gift he told the receiver that the long walk was part of the gift. Gratitude entails not only being grateful for the gift itself, but also recognizing the time and effort made to prepare the gift.

I hope this Christmas Season we can all not only be good gift givers, but also good gift receivers. Because the greatest gift ever given was the birth, life and atoning sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And His is a gift that only benefits us if we are willing to receive it. May we always receive His gift with humility, love and appreciation, for receiving the gift of His life into our hearts is what will truly bring . . . joy to our journey.

You Know Basketball Reigns Supreme When . .

My first date with my husband was to a basketball game. In fact, when I was asked out, I was given a choice of three different nights he was available, but the activity for all three would be basketball. His brother was a high school basketball coach at the time and playing in a tournament so that was Wes' activity of choice.

It should have been a warning to me of what the future would bring. But I was so smitten after just one date (I don't remember much about the game, but I do remember our fun conversation afterwards) that I didn't pay attention to the warning signs.

After we were married he ditched me on the night we had planned to decorate our first Christmas tree to go to a college basketball game with some family members. And on another occasion, very early in our marriage, he even stood me up on Valentine's for basketball. (He has since repented--numerous times --for that one.)

Over the years I came to understand that it really wasn't his fault. It was genetic. His three brothers are just the same. All four boys in his family love to play the game, they all love to watch it and two have coached professionally, with one currently being a coach of a college team.

So I guess it shouldn't have been surprising when my niece recently announced she was moving up her wedding date to coincide with her uncle's basketball game. Apparently Ken's college team will be in Phoenix early January to play Grand Canyon University. So Riki thought, "What better day to get married?" The wedding will be in the morning. A luncheon will follow and instead of a wedding reception at night, everyone is invited to attend the basketball game!! Of course! It makes perfect sense, right?

Arizona "Rain" Storm . . . and oh so pretty party decorations.

Here is a picture of our rain storm the other night. Lots of wind and dust, even a rainbow, but only a few drops of rain. Ahhh, life in the desert. :-)


And in other news . . .

Last night was the party at my house I have been working on the past several days. I had a vision of everything in gold but was worried it might look boring. I think it turned out beautifully though!! I got the table cloths from http://www.efavormart.com/ and at first didn't like them, as I thought they looked a bit dull. But then I put them on the table and when the light would shine on them they would glisten!! I loved it!!


My friend Susan helped set everything up and made the beautiful center pieces. They were so simple yet so elegant!

The party was so much fun. The food was delicious (everyone brought something--15 couples) and we played the most simple but fun game--Christmas Carol Pictionary.

We first divided into four teams. Each person was given one of four different song titles and at the same time everyone started singing their song until all members of their team were identified. Then each team was given a dry erase board and a marker. One person from each team was selected as the artist. I gave the four artists the name of a Christmas carol (I wrote them out ahead of time on slips of paper and drew them from a basket). Each person then went back to their team and at the same time all four started drawing. The team that named the carol first, won that round. Each round a different person was selected to draw.

It was so much fun and got very crazy!!

Thanks Jenny and Suzy for all your party planning help and all your hard work to make everything turn out so well!!

And in case anyone was wondering . . . only 16 more days until all my kids are home!!!