It's the Little Things

It's the little things in life that make me smile. After several months of non functioning electrical outlets in all three of our bathrooms, I am happy to report that they all work!!!!!!

This makes me SO happy. It all started when I asked Dan to change out the downstairs bathroom plug cover (I'm sure that's not the correct term) from cream to white. He switched it to the white one and then the outlets in all the bathrooms never worked again.

Again, in the grand scheme of things I shouldn't have been bothered about tripping over extension chords each time I had to blow dry my hair, flat iron my hair, or iron. (We iron in our bathroom). I was grateful that I had electrical current in my house and it shouldn't have mattered that it didn't come out of my bathrooms, right? Right.

Last night I came home from a scout meeting and Dan told me very matter-of-factly that he fixed the outlets. What!!!!??!! I was so happy. Again, it's the little things that make me smile.

School holds surprise 'Gay' Day for kindergartners

Please click on the title.

Vote YES on 8!!!

Picture Tag Four You

My sister Edna did this on her blog (she got the idea from her sister-in-law): You post the 4th picture in your 4th folder in your Picture Folder.

So as I was talking to her I opened up my file and we started laughing because my file in my 4th folder only has 3 pictures!

So what's the 4th picture in your 4th folder??

Great Prop 8 Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI-GjWY-WlA

Calgon, Take Me Away!

Thanks to my sister, Dan and I were able to have a few days to ourselves this past week. It was so fun!!

My sisters and I decided we would take turns and take each other's children throughout the year so that we could spend a few days with our husbands. I spent a few days earlier this year in Yuma watching Ericka's children while she and Paul went to Hawaii so Ericka came this week and stayed with our boys. THANKS!!!!!

We stayed in Orange County for 3 days!! Do you know how nice it was to not have any deadlines?!? Do you know how nice it was to sleep in and not have to wake up to an alarm clock?!! Do you know how nice it was to go to a restaurant and actually sit and not just "drive thru"? Let me tell you....it was sooooo nice!

I went to Southcoast Plaza and felt completely out of place but, nonetheless, bought a fabulous purse. (Thanks to a gift certificate Dan's company had given me in FEBRUARY!) I got a pedicure and a facial and it was just so nice to relax.

We also got tickets to go see Wicked. Dan hadn't seen it so I'm glad we got to go. We also did the "Behind the Emerald Curtain" tour and was really neat to get some backstage info. After the show, we waited outside and the performers signed my Playbill. (I gave it to Ericka as a sign of my gratitution :). Again, it was an amazing performance and an amazing evening.

We dined at Flemings and El Torito Grill (not to be confused with El Torito.) My absolute favorite was the desert at El Torito Grill.....a creme brulee cheesecake! It was really good.

But what we enjoyed the most was going to the San Diego Temple. Dan and I were married there 12 years ago. We did an endowment session and then sealed several families from my mom's side. Then after we finished the sealings we went and sat in the room where we got married and sealed. Let me just say that I'm so grateful for the blessings of the temple and for the knowledge that families are eternal.

We had a great time but we were missing our boys. Brandon had his first overnight Scout trip while we were gone and I kept calling my sister to make sure he had made it OK. It was hard not to be there. (It didn't help that it was a Shooting Campout!!) But we made it home in time to pick him up and he had a safe time.

So, hopefully my sisters will still want to trade babysitting so we can do this more often. We had a great time but it is so nice to be back at home and back into our routine of normal family life.

The Lesson I Learned

The other day was Brandon's turn to help in the kitchen. Brandon, as I have posted before, is such a polite and sweet boy. He is always aware of what's going on and he steps in like a big brother to make things right.

So on Monday, he and I were getting dinner ready when he innocently said to me, "Mom, do you still need my help or do you think you can take it from here?" I said, "Excuse me?". He then repeated himself.

I walked over to him and I picked him up and sat him up on the island. (He's eleven so I stopped doing this a long time ago.) He kept looking at me wondering what he was doing on the island. I then put my arms around him and smiled and said very clearly (think Bill Cosby), "Brandon, let me tell you something. I can always take it from here. In fact, I can do this by myself and having you boys in the kitchen sometimes slows things down. But the reason why you are in the kitchen is so that you will learn how to cook so that when you are an adult you will be responsible. So remember, when you boys are in the kitchen, I'm actually helping you. " He smiled and I told him how much I loved him and he jumped off the island and went back to work.

When Dan came home I told him what happened and we laughed at my "clever" response. I thought I did good. Then the more I thought about it the more I realized that my son had actually taught me a lesson.

I came to the realization that Heavenly Father must say the same thing. In fact, 2 Nephi 27:20 says, ".....I am able to do mine own work."

I'm sure there are times when He looks at me and thinks, "I can always take it from here. The reason why I have allowed my children to be sent to you is so that you will learn to be like me. Sometimes you slow things down. Remember, I'm actually helping you."

I have thought about this all week and I've realized that I need to be more humble and understand that these experiences are for my growth and progression. I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father who has sent me these sweet children to teach me this lesson.