Thank You is an Expression of Gratitude

To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.

President Thomas S. Monson

Today I plan to make one of these for my own daily thoughts and thank yous...  

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and this gratitude tree for the thoughts of our guests...

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as a centerpiece for our Thanksgiving Day feast.

I have so much to be thankful for.  I don't need to bore you with my list but I do believe that, for me, this has been a year to notice.  I think that I have actually been a little bit overwhelmed by all of the blessings we have received as a family.  We are grateful and now aware of our responsibilities.  What an exciting way to grow.

Today I am grateful for the snow and for it's blessing of making us slow down and be together.  I am so lucky to have a warm home with electricity to warm up our toes after being in that snow.  I am thankful for amazing friends who answer my prayers almost daily and for a husband who will stand by me even if he dislikes the task. 

There are so many things to be thankful for.  After today I'll have another place to record it and to remember it when I'm most unaware.  I have kept a gratitude journal in the past and loved waking up each day knowing that there were blessings right in front of me and that I am being taken care of. You notice heaven's hand in things when you want to look for it.  That's gotta  help even the most difficult of days?

What are some of your traditions you participate in at Thanksgiving that help you remember how blessed you are?

 

And the winner is...

herbsRgreat  who said...

I love to read your blog. It is one way to keep in touch with what goes on in your lives. I am inspired by what inspires each of you. It is also fun to get new ideas to try. I am looking forward to more free time after the first of the year so that I can accomplish some of the fun projects I have been waiting to work on. Keep up the good work.

 Send us an email at lovelypraiseworthy@gmail.com with your name and address and I'll get you these fun scraps right away.

You were all so sweet to comment and share your thoughts.  I wish I could send you all something.  Hearing those encouraging words makes this all the more worth it. 

It's late and I should have posted today...instead I'm going to go to bed.  I am beat from playing in the snow, scrubbing floors and painting my son's room. 

Our theme this week is "thank you" so come  back.  I'll be sure to get mine up first thing in the morning. 

I love you all!

 

Five Women, One Topic, 365-ish Days

Five women, one topic each week, all wrapped up in the phrase "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." That was the middle-of-the-night idea behind Praiseworthy. And I was immediately sold on it. What would each of us come up with; how would our posts be different; how would they be similar? Was I up to the challenge?

Over the past year, sometimes the answer to that last one has been "yes" and sometimes it's been "uhm ..." It's been a hard year. A life-changing year. And sometimes I've been so tired. But writing here every week - even when I'm late! - helps. It helps to have something to think about; it helps to feel surrounded by my best friends even though we don't live around the corner from each other anymore; and it helps to know that we're doing just what we set out to do - putting a little more lovely in the world, maybe inspiring somebody along the way.

Last year around this time, I was dreading the holidays. I was overwhelmed by impossible expectations of myself. I felt like I had to do everything all at once - I'm sure you know the feeling - and I knew it was ridiculous, but I didn't understand why I couldn't just be as talented as so-and-so, or as tidy and organized as what's-her-name, or as playful and patient with my kids as that-other-mom, or ... whatever ... the list went on and on. And then I realized that I was being unfair. To myself, yes. But also to those other women I was comparing myself to. I mean, really, why did I feel like I had to be the star of the show anyway? When we all have strengths and are willing to share, we're all blessed. And that's one thing I've learned here. Five women, five different women; one topic. Think of how boring it would be if we all came up with the same post - it wouldn't matter how fabulous it was, it would still be boring. Writing for and reading Praiseworthy, I've learned to honor others' talents rather than just want them all for myself.

This year, my house is still cluttered and untidy, my brain is still scattered and my lists are endless, my dishes are still not done, my laundry is still sitting there folded (at least it's folded!) on the sofa, but my heart is in the right place. And that, to me, is definitely a blessing worth seeking after.

Praiseworthy Needs

Whenever I have something to do where I'm not quite sure how to do it, or even where to start, I usually think of my mom or one of my girlfriends and ask myself "What would she do?"

Women need other women. It's really just that simple. We need good examples. We need good friends. We need someone who will listen, understand, and care.

That is what Praiseworthy has become to me. At first it was a want--I wanted to do the fun, cool, enviable blog that had thousands of followers and got hundreds of comments on each post. I wanted to join in the popular social network of talented bloggers who seemed to be able to do everything. I wanted to show my creativity and talents, to show that I could be a part of that world too.

Now, thinking about what has developed on Praiseworthy during the past year, I realize that what I wanted and what I really needed were not the same. And thankfully, with the help of my friends, I got what I needed and not what I wanted. Praiseworthy is exactly what I needed.

I needed a commitment to write. I needed people to listen. I needed encouragement to push myself further. I needed people to share my talents with. I needed a place to connect with other women. A place where I had some control, but where responsibility did not rest solely on me. A place where I was uplifted, where I could expand my perspective and appreciate realistic expectations.

Before writing today, I sat and read through some of our old posts. I couldn't believe how recent some of the oldest posts felt. And then there were some I had forgotten about--and was so glad to be reminded. Reading my own words, I began to realize that maybe I should listen to myself more often. And reading what each of my friends has shared made me so grateful to be doing this with them. They are what I need the most.

One thing I have not done yet, in a year of blogging, is a give-away...until now! Last week I posted about an apron I wanted to make myself--that is the one at the beginning of this post. I also promised an apron to share with one of our lucky readers...and it was so fun making it! I love sewing more and more with each new project, and this was no exception. I love picking out the fabrics, I love the process of seeing the pieces come together, I love learning new skills, I love the time thinking about the person I am making it for, I love the satisfaction of a job well done when I'm holding...and in this case wearing!...the finished product. And here it is... :)

Yes, it is just one apron with two fabulous sides. Do you like it? Do you love it? Do you need it? I promise it is a worthy need. :)

Leave a comment and let me know what you like about Praiseworthy and you will be entered into the drawing to win this apron. Leave another comment with something you would like us to write about or an idea for us to improve during our second year, and you'll be entered twice! Leave a third comment...and say something nice...and you can be entered a THIRD time! :) I've never done this before, am I getting carried away? Leave comments until next Thursday...Thanksgiving Day!...and I will announce the winner next Friday.

Love from me to you,

Holiday Planning....it's here!

 photo by Bee Paperie

Each month I write for Steady Mom, on something related to the topic of organization (yes, really, I write about organization!) and yesterday's post is most fitting for anyone planning for the holidays. Thanks to the friends and family who contributed ideas and advise for this one...I hope everyone enjoys it!

Fear

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A year ago when I was asked to write on this blog,the first thing that came to my mind was "huh? You have seen how I write, so you have got to know that it is bad." Then I said yes before I could think myself out of it. It was the cool thing to do. I was not going to let down some of my best friends because of my selfish fear.

It is a good thing to be afraid of something and then to do it. I have grown a ton. My writing, I am not so sure about, but with in me I feel I have grown. There are still things I want to do that I have posted about but I am still afraid to try, like the quilt squares I have sitting around waiting for me to piece together. Yeah, that is from almost a year ago. But hey, sometimes you really just have to go with the flow and give in sometimes. As long as you know only good will come from it even if it scares you senseless.

Now I am not saying go and stick you hand in a bowl full of snakes while eating a live spider. That is just gross, creepy and not going to get you anywhere, but we all have rational fears that are holding us back. We all are continually growing and learning. Sometimes we just need that peer pressure and extra push to do something we would normally not do. Sometimes we need that peer pressure to inspire us to become better and to grow. So that quilt I am scared to finish, I promise, I will finish it by Christmas. I will then take a picture of it and put it up here.

Now this is where I invite you for your input here. What are you afraid of? What is holding you back? Is there something you want to do but are scared to do it? A project you have started but never finished? Leave me a comment, or send us an e-mail with pictures. I will post your ideas here, if you want of coarse. Then you can have some positive peer pressure to go for it! Then you can know that you are not alone. We can all work on our fears together and grow. That has been this last year for me. Thanks Cortney, for inspiring me and helping me grow.

Notebook Therapy

I can hardly believe we're celebrating one year on this little ol' blog of ours. Not only am I celebrating for us girls, but my own wedding anniversary is coming up this Monday. Eight years ago right now I was getting ready to make the biggest change in my life to that point. I was 29 years old when I got married, old enough to have completed college, traveled all over, and established my career. I knew I was making the right choice to marry my best friend, knowing my life would change dramatically but not knowing just how much.

That first year was a wake-up call in so many ways. Here I was a mature, independent and capable woman who, as it turned out, was very immature when it came to dependence on someone else, and lacking in communication skills. We grew up together and grew closer together *quickly* that first year, through funny experiences and some tears too.

Why share this with all of you? I've always been a devoted journal-writer, until a couple of years ago. I fell out of the habit of writing regularly, justifying my complacency with our family blog being a "journal" of sorts, and later this blog being a kind of journal. But I know I need somewhere to write for me and only me.

This is one I revisit regularly, bursting with stapled-in newspaper articles, funeral programs, thoughtful notes, movie stubs, to-do lists, and other stuff.

While I seem to look forward most of the time to plan and prepare for what's next or what needs to get done, or where we need to be, I forget to look back and see where I came from...me, just me. This past summer when we hiked here and, as fatigue started setting in, I focused so much on the steep, rocky path ahead that I almost forgot to take time to stop and look how far we'd come.

The older I get, it seems I become more desperate, for lack of a better word, to not forget who I was pre-college, pre-marriage, pre-kids, or whatever. How am I to know where to go if I don't know where I've come from? I'm thankful that I know where I can look back, remember who I was and am, and figure it out.

So, in honor of our blogiversary, my wedding anniversary, and to thank YOU for coming back here and taking a peek into our lives, I'm making one of these to give away:

I'll even make it in your favorite colors, and maybe you can use it to record a little bit of you, for you, to you. Just leave a comment, and let me know a little something you learned about yourself this past year, or two, or eight! :-)

I'll choose a winner next Wednesday, November 24th.

One Year

One year of something new can change your world.  That's all it takes to change a person completely... I'm sure of it.   That's all it takes to develop a love for something and want to share it.  One year is all it took to make my tiny doable pile of scraps turn into this heap of loveliness!

I love this basket!  This is my look-at-it-and-remember-everything-I-actually-finished-this-year basket.  There is something really great about creating something.  We spend most of our days doing tasks that will never be complete...never be finished.  I will always and forever have laundry to do.  I will always get to pick up stuff off the floor.  Dinner will always need to be made and family will always need to be taken care of.  Although these things are extremely important and fulfilling at times these things are never really finished.  A quilt, on the other hand, when completed, is finished, useful and will always be beautiful to look at..unlike my kitchen floor. Sometimes it just feels good to do something and know that it will become a finished work. 

Can you believe it has been a year since we started sharing our lives and ideas on this blog?  It feels like just a week or so ago we were all sitting around my dining room table at 2 in the morning thinking of fun topics to write about and where we wanted this blog to go.  We hoped it would uplift and inspire our readers.  We also hoped it would help us discover new things that are praiseworthy.  For a year now we have sought after those things and it has changed me! 

I am the most unbalanced person on earth.  I always will be.  I try to do it all and I literally feel like I have to.  I put way to much on my plate and I say yes to everything I'm asked to do plus I add on more only to find myself  tired and overwhelmed.  I catch myself grumbling and throwing a pity party the day of the task but the truth is I love everything I do and I should be grateful for all of these experiences.  I don't have to go to work and hate 8 hours of my day.  I take it all on because I know I'll grow and I know that there are hoped upon blessings waiting around the corner for my family. 

Busy schedules push out time for self and for serving others.   I can tell you that this blog has kept me centered on the things that are most important regardless of my workload.  I have made time for sewing, for cooking, for writing and for pondering.  I know myself better.  I know my limits now and I know how to use my time for things that matter.  I have made time for baby quilts on blessing days, time for added holidays traditions and memories, and experienced fun new ways to brighten my home and strengthen my testimony.  Today as I think back on our year, I am happy with what I've learned and so excited to keep seeking after these things that are praiseworthy. 

I wanted some tangible way to share this with you.  So... leave a comment with your name letting us know what keeps you coming back to our little world and one of you will get the scraps from my past - fabric pieces from the things I have made this blog year. Big and small pieces that I love and that I look at often, from our quilt along, tree ornament tutorial, stuffed chickens, skirts for weddings, aprons for newly married sisters, Sadie's baby clothing memory quilt, bibs, a work in progress for a special little girl of mine who needs a quilt for her big girl bed, and blessing quilts 1,2 and 3 soon to 4 and 5.  This way you can make something awesome and pass on the feelings I get when I create.

So leave a comment.  Don't be shy. You know you want to.  I'll pick the random winner next Monday (Nov. 22nd).  You'll also want to keep coming back every day this week.  There will be more!

 

It's Turkey Time for Me...and a little surprise for you!

This is going to be my first year cooking a turkey! WaHOOOOOOOO!

photo found here

Until now, I have been completely content letting other people do the dirty work and bake me a turkey for Thanksgiving. To my mom, grandma, and mother-in-law: thanks for all the years of delicious, juicy, holiday birds. But not this year. Nope! I am totally geared up and ready to cook that bird myself!

Will it look like this beauty above? Hmmmm...most likely, no. But will it taste amazing? Yes! Will the meat fall off the bones and melt in my mouth. Yes again!  I am cooking for my in-laws and I am determined to make them the best turkey dinner they have ever had!

So...here is what I've been told: put one stick of butter and an apple inside the turkey and cook it for 12 hours at 250 degrees. Anyone done this before? My friend Trisha says it's the best way to do it. I'm tempted to try the Martha Stewart recipe, which is a brined turkey and requires cheese cloth, but I am also thinking that maybe I should keep it simple for my first attempt. And I am without a doubt going to make Jenni's stuffing recipe!

Amy suggestions from those experienced in the field of turkey roasting?

But, regardless of how the turkey turns out, I plan to look dang cute while I'm cookin' it... in my new Emmeline Apron. :)

Isn't that cute? I've been wanting to make myself an apron for a while, so I'll be sure to take a picture of mine when it's all finished. I might add some ruffles... and heck, maybe I'll make two aprons...

...and give one away next week for our  

ONE YEAR BLOGGIVERSARY! 

Can you believe it? We've been doing Praiseworthy for a whole year now.

Be sure to join us next week for the fun occasion! Oh, and let us know how we're doing...we love to hear from you!

Simplify

Growing up, I was always the pie maker in the house. I LOVED that job. I loved making the pie. We would always use a store bought crust.

There are a few Thanksgiving's I will never forget though, like the one when I was 12 or so. I got to help my dad make the whole dinner. My mom was flying home from visiting either my dying uncle or grandpa. It was a blast. Even though the turkey was cold, slippery, and gross I was still determined to make it my own. We had so much fun.

There was also the time a few years back when we were visiting my mom and dad. The grand kids, parents and grandparents were going to go see a movie, Madagascar 2, and I forced my mom to go. My son was only a few months old, and my mom was not in the best of health, so I told her I would take care of it. I got to do almost everything as well as delegate to my siblings. It was so fun because everyone pitched in and I had a great time with my older brother for an hour or so waiting for the family to come home. There is something about making a big dinner for people you love. OK, so I know this is similar to Rachel's post, but it is so fun to include everyone in making dinner. My nieces and nephews helped roll up the rolls into crescent shapes. Some were pretty deformed, but who cares. We had a blast.

So even if you are using the Libby's pumpkin pie recipe, as well as a store bought pie crust, who cares. It does not always have to be original and labor intensive. If you can cut a few steps here and there, it can be very worth it. So amidst the craziness of thanksgiving, share the responsibilities, go easy on yourself. It is way more fun that way! I am sure you can find something for the smallest to the largest person to do.

Cheers!

Warm Inside and Out

Have you been seeing this lately?

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Or even this?

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I hope you find a little time for yourself to relax here:

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Or curl up in your favorite spot with one of these:



Enjoying your favorite one of these:

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With a steaming mug of this:

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Here's our family recipe for extra creamy hot cocoa mix:

1-32 oz. box instant cocoa mix (like Nestle or Hershey's)

11 cups dry powdered milk (approximately the amount in the box that makes 8 quarts of milk)

1 pound powdered sugar

1-11 oz. jar powedered coffee creamer (like Coffeemate or Creamora)

Mix together well in a large bowl. Store in cannister or jars. To make one serving, mix 1/3 cup mix with 8 ounces hot water.


Have a warm Wednesday.

Move Over Turkey!

It's Thanksgiving time again, and turkey is on everyone's mind. Oh, for the love of stuffing, what's a vegetarian family to do?

Well, for the first year of our marriage, we tried to keep it somewhat traditional and had tofurky with all the usual trimmings on the side. How was it, you ask? Um ... I think it's enough to say that we didn't do it again the next year. We were still eating some fish very rarely then, so for the next few years we made a special occasion of it with some small pieces of salmon. And then ...

(Dal with homemade cheese (paneer) and peas; homemade naan, apple salad, and the potatoes-with-gravy that I'd choose over the mashed kind any day)

... and then! One fateful year my husband decided to try cooking Indian food. It was an instant success, and that's what we've done every year since then. It's so much fun to cook, and it fills the house with the yummiest smells, and the kids roll up their sleeves and pitch in too - which means no one person is stuck in the kitchen all by his or her lonesome - and I love this tradition so much that even if the world turns upside-down and we go back to eating meat, I think we'd still make Indian food on Thanksgiving.

(Making the Naan, Thanksgiving 2008)

And so. For your reference and inspiration, here are some of our favorite books to get ideas and recipes from:

Truly, if you're going to try cooking a different cuisine - besides Mexican or Italian - Indian is the most fun and the easiest, I think, by far. I dare you to give it a try!

And for dessert, as long as we're being non-traditional, we've also abandoned pumpkin pie for this:


Which is my bunt-pan take on this cake, which I blogged on just about a year ago, right here.

The Best Brown Stuff on Earth

Thanksgiving dinner is special and highly anticipated by my husband.  In fact the food network seems to be on every night beginning Nov. 1st and the talk of turkey and "your mom's" stuffing is the topic of our conversation for weeks.  When I think about thanksgiving and autumn and coziness I tend to fall back into love with cooking.  It's the one season I seem anxious to try new recipes and make some of the old favorites.  So...as my gift to you all and so that you can plan accordingly I give you the best dish you will serve Thanksgiving day.....MY MOM'S not soggy or nasty Amazing Stuffing in all it's buttery glory.

First you will need to make...

My Gammie's Sour Dough French Bread

Dissolve 2 T. yeast in:

5 1/2 cups very warm water

1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 cup Vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

Let yeast proof for 10 minutes then add:

2 T. salt

12-14 cups flour

1 cup sour dough start

Knead for 10 minutes.  Let rise in bowl until double in size.  Punch down.  Let dough rest 5 minutes.  Divide into six portions.  Flatten each into a rectangle then roll into loaves.  Place 3 on each cookie sheet.  Slice top diagonally with a sharp knife.  Cover with cloth.  let rise until double in size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

* I know this seems labor intensive but it's soooooooo worth it.  Make the bread early in the week and then you won't have to stress over it Thanksgiving day.  This truly makes all the difference.

Then...

Mom's Homemade Bread Stuffing

 

Cut 3 loaves of homemade Sour Dough French Bread into cubes.  Dry out in 200 degree oven.

1 pound ground Italian sausage

1 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup finely minced celery

1 cup butter

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. poultry seasoning

2 tsp. ground sage

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1-2 cups chicken broth (enough for the correct- non-soggy-still-has-some-great-crunch-to-it-just-right consistency.

Brown sausage.  Cook onion and celery in butter. Combine with seasonings and bread.  Toss with enough liquid to moisten (I can't believe I just typed up that word in a recipe I love...more on my word discomfort later).  Test for seasoning (which means keeps sneaking a taste).  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serves 10 or more.

Make this and I promise you will love it.  If you hate stuffing then you have to try this.  If you Love stuffing more then anything...you still should try this.  You'll use this recipe every year I promise!  Your husband will talk about it for weeks and you'll always have people who want to be at your table on Thanksgiving day.  I love that my holiday dinner is full of tradition and even though my sweet family legacy may not be in my kitchen helping me this year it'll feel like they are and I love that.  Be sure to let me know what you think.  If you are still skeptical...come over Thanksgiving evening and take home some of my leftovers (if there is any). 

Bunk Beds--for the Love!

image found here

I wish I had a photograph of my first bunk bed. There are so many parts of our childhoods that get photographed and video taped "so that we can remember..." but I will always remember certain events surrounding my bunk beds, photo or no photo.

My first bunk bed was built by my dad. It was made of sturdy wood and had the first half of the alphabet on it--only half because, well, that's just how many letters fit. :) It was painted white, with red, blue and green making the letter design. I slept on the top and the bottom, but mostly I remember the top because I am the oldest, and naturally the oldest gets the top bunk, right?

Untill...

We upgraded to a store-bought, metal bunk bed. This was much more sophisticated for us older more sophisticated girls, and the bottom bunk was a queen-size mattress. Now who gets to sleep where? Well, we traded back and forth, and for good reason--a lot can happen when you are sleeping underneath someone else bed!

Like the night that my little sister threatened to drop a HUGE loogie on my face because I was pushing up on her mattress with my feet. Leaning over the edge of her more narrow twin size mattress down to my queen (on which I slept at the very edge, due to a paranoia that her mattress was going to fall on me), she had a clear shot. And she was a good shot! I wonder if my mom and dad remember that night... :)

Rewind to the alphabet-bed years when I remember standing on the top bunk in my "Princess Bride" dress, my friend Lauren beside me--the prince, both of us hollering down to our lowly subjects below (our younger siblings, of course). During those princess years I remember lining the edge of the bed beside my window with all my stuffed animals to hide me from anyone trying to look in my window while I slept. I remember waking up from a nap, staring at the striped sunlight coming in through the blinds onto the ceiling and tracing them with my foot--well, almost.

Fast forward again to the second bunk bed, still in my old room on the night before my wedding. I slept on the bottom bunk with my cousin Lindsay that night, two giddy and excited girls unable to sleep with anticipation. The next day I took a few minutes to sit on the edge of that bunk one last time, and write in my journal. What I wrote had nothing to do with that bunk bed, but the memory of that day seems somehow enhanced by the moments I spent reflecting there.

Alligators!

Mercer Mayer has got to be one of my favorite classic children's books authors/illustrators. I can not get the title of one of his books out of my head this week. "There's and Alligator Under My Bed."It is automatically what I went too. Is it sad that I automatically think of children's book titles over adult books? I hope it is not saying something for my intelligence. I am just drawn to them I guess.

While researching for this post a little about Mercer Mayer, I now think he is even cooler. His website is awesome for kids, and he reads for kids on YouTube! How cool is that. Seriously, my sister-in-law told me a story about him that made me really admire him a while ago, and now this! My kids are going to love it. So if you need some bedtime stories, check this out! If you need some kids coloring pages or come kid friendly tech time, check out his website. It is awesome!

Here is the link to his YouTube Channel. Enjoy!

Man I love this guy! What are your favorite bedtime stories?

On any given morning...

...this is what I find under my son's bed:

I lucked out to find a husband that likes to make beds. No, he needs to make beds. He's a very routine-driven person, and this is part of his daily schedule. Have you ever seen a bed made in phases? He first strips all the top sheets and blankets and smooths out the fitted sheet so there is not one bump or wrinkle. See what I mean?

Then he leaves for awhile to do something else so the linens can get the "sleep stink" out. He'll come back later and place each layer of top sheets and blankets with as much precision as the one before. Since my son's bed is up against the wall, he scoots himself underneath to pull the covers down on the back side, and that's where the kids come in. They like to "help", but there's sure a lot of giggling going on down there for any help to be going on. I love it!

For me, the house may be a mess, but I always feel better knowing the beds are made. Thanks, honey, for making this seemingly-small-but-so-important task part of your day and for giving me a perfectly smooth and comforting place to lay my head every night.

The Blessing of Not Having

There is nothing under my bed. Not one box or lost shoe or item of seasonal interest; not even one little dust bunny. And I don't ever vacuum under there. How can it be possible, you ask? It's simple. I don't have an under to my bed - no bed frame, just the box-spring right there on the floor with a tidy little bed-skirt to cover up the truth. And I love it.

Sure, sometimes I feel like something's missing. Like I ought to have a bed frame, that perhaps that's exactly the thing that will suddenly make me a real adult. (And then I read Jenni's post, realize for the millionth time that I take myself far too seriously, and run like mad for my tutu.)

Mostly, though, it's a reminder of all the things in life that I think I want, but don't really need. And that not having them can actually be a blessing. Like how having no bed frame means I never lose things under the bed and I never have to vacuum. Seriously, I do stop sometimes and look at my bed without its frame and think about how lucky I am to 1) have a bed to sleep in, and 2) never have to crawl under it to look for ... anything. And then I start thinking about how lucky I am in so many simple ways.

Recently, I think of President Monson's words in General Conference:

"Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings.

"This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways."

I love the peace I have in my heart when I will simply choose to see the blessings in my life. It's amazing what a little gratitude can do.

Maybe someday I'll find the perfect bed frame, the one that makes vacuuming under it a joy. But for now, for the way that not having one makes me count my blessings, it's worth putting it off indefinitely.

Tutus, Glitter and Hide n' Go Seek

Last night...this was me!

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This of course was not actually me but I felt just like this little girl.  I had been magically transformed the minute I put on my pretty pink tutu.  I hadn't planned for this to happen.  It just did!  There was purple glitter in my hair and on my face (there still is) and silly stripey socks that went to my knees.  I had on a silver crown, jewelry and a pink wand that somehow made me feel like I was actually some sort of fairy.  I caught myself skipping around the house, sliding across our wood floors in my super slippery pink socks and feeling this overwhelming desire to run around and be extra loud.  I would answer the door with a cheesiness that even made me laugh and I was so giddy I couldn't stop.  Last night was my night to loosen up and be little again.  It felt so good to forget about all my cares and worries.  This is ME we are talking about!!!  The girl who worries about EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY.  Who knew that a tutu could fix my obsessions.  I needed that!  Is there such thing as tutu therapy?  Anyway...

My house was filled to the brim with little boys and girls in costumes.  Tinkerbells and ballerinas, fairy princesses and story book favorites.  They were all feeling  pretty and imaginary and for one crazy fun night I got to be one of them. 

While the "grow ups" talked about their kids and their hectic lives we played circle games, read stories, I put silly spells on each one of them with my wand and my awful ability to rhyme, we told secrets under the kitchen table and played hide and go seek.  I was in girl heaven!

(Just to paint the picture correctly there were about 25 or 30 kids there and almost all of them were cute little girls under the age of 6).  

As half of us (my team) snuggled closely together under our big fluffy white bed, giggling and whispering as we were anticipating the other halves ability to find us, I had one of those MOMENTS.  A moment that I'll never forget where I suddenly wished to I could be 4 again.  I really wanted that.  Not only so that I could fit my entire food loving body under the bed but mostly because I would get to live it all over again.  Live it all over again with the same amazing childhood that I had only this time I would never remove my tutu.

Those cute, simple and innocent girls taught me an important lesson last night.  Who says you have to stop being a kid when you turn 18?  Who told you to take your tutu off and grow up?    I say put on your pink shoes and your glittery headbands and be a grown up but don't be a boring grown up who forgets what it's like to be fun and to have a silly time. I think I'm going to focus more on what makes me really happy and less about what other pople think of me.  I want to make a best friend just by asking them if they want to be my BFF and quit worrying about the things that don't really matter.  More importantly...I want to try and make somebody else's day by showing them how fun life is and how great it is to be a kid at heart!  Come on...I know you miss it!  I already do and I have only had my tutu off for like 24 hours.  If I sleep in it will I have fun dreams?  Hmmm.....I like that idea.  Any others?