Fresh Water Pearls

I love pearls!  There is something about their simple beauty and sophistication that I find so attractive.  Years ago my sweet husband gave me my first pair of pearl earrings and I fell in love.  They are one of my favorite things to wear!

When Jennifer At My Fresh Water Pearls asked me if I wanted to review a pair of their pearl earrings, I couldn't resist the offer.

I was quickly, and I mean super fast, shipped a pair of pink pearl earrings.  I love how pearls come in a huge array of colors including green, amber, blue, pink, bronze, peach, purple, red, rose, yellow and of course the classic white.  The pink pearls that I received are beyond beautiful!  I know that these will be something that I will wear for years! 

One great thing about My Fresh Water Pearls is that they are very inexpensive.  They are great quality but very friendly to the budget.  And something that truly made my heart happy while I browsed the website is that they offer children's jewelry.  Every little girl needs a set of pearls!

My Life Focuses

For several years now I have felt that if I have 3 minutes left in my day then it is plenty of time to do one more project or be involved in one more activity.  I love feeling productive and at the end of the day have a sense of accomplishment.  After a VERY difficult pregnancy and severe postpartum depression I knew that I needed to simplify.  My husband would tell me that there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything.  In the back of my mind I would think that soon enough I would be back to my old self and dabble in a little of everything.  Isn't that what it means to be a well-rounded person?

As things continued to fall apart in my life I knew that something had to change.  It quickly came to point of me doing nothing simply because I couldn't handle doing anything.  A year has passed from this point and things have changed for the good in my life.  I have finally been able to over come the postpartum (Lucy is now 2 1/2) and feel that I can do things again.

I don't want to do a little of everything again.  I realize now how thin I was stretched and how little time I gave the truly important things.  I decided to evaluate myself and decide what things truly bring me happiness and pleasure and make those my focus.  I want to be really good at a few things than experience a little of everything and never 'master' anything.

So My Life Focus:

1- Teach My Children
2- Gardening
3- Family History
4- Healthy Lifestyle (not something I really enjoy but something that I need to learn to do)
5- Organized and Maintained House.

I have set an ultimate goal for each one and then smaller goals on how I think I may accomplish this.  This is not something that I will achieve in one year but hopefully over a life time.  Naturally my love for somethings may change but hopefully I've been able to have a level of success that can be shared with others.

A Special Birthday Wish

A very special birthday wish to Olivia.  Happy 5th Birthday!!

Wearing a special dress that her bisabuela (great-grandma) in Venezuela made for her!

Beginning Writing

Olivia is starting to show a greater interest in writing.  It rather exciting to see my 4 1/2 year old try to sound out words and write them.  Here is an example from this morning.  Olivia was organizing some cutouts I made (to use with telling stories) into different bags.  I didn't ask her to do this task, but she took it upon herself to put them into various gallon sized bags and write what each was.  One bag says pelpl (people) and the other Indinins (Indians).

I just ordered All About Spelling and looking forward to trying it out.  I think Olivia is at a perfect spot to begin this!

How to Sharpen Loppers and Hand-Pruners

Today I took into practice something that I had learned at my Master Gardener Class.  How to sharpen my pruners.  This is actually a VERY easy thing to do on your own!  All you need is some WD-40 (if needed) and a fine file.

These are my favorite pair of bypass hand pruners.  They were left out this pass summer and rusted.  This is NOT something you want to do.  Because of the rust, the blades were sticking together making pruning very difficult to do.  And since it is pruning season (fruit trees and roses), it makes my job that much harder.

First thing you want to do is give it a good spray with WD-40.  This will lubricate them and you will not have any more sticking.

On bypass blades (the top sharp blade will pass the bottom blade) there is a sharp beveled edge on one side.

On the backside you can see that there is not the beveled edge.

Take a fine file and work in ONE DIRECTION-- from the base of the blade to the top in smooth strokes.  Keep the file parallel with the beveled edge.  Do this multiple times.

Then on the backside where there is not the beveled edge, run your file over it ONCE to give it a smooth surface, taking off any some filings.

Now you have sharp pruners!  

A Dinosaur Named Sue

Olivia infront of Sue

So we are on an impromptu trip to Idaho Falls, Idaho.  Ed was asked to go and help out with work for the week and we decided to tag along at the last minute.

This was cool!  You put your arm in the contraption and you can move the range that a T. Rex had with their tiny front arms.  

They had actual real dinosaur bones that people were able to touch.  Olivia is exploring the Allosaurus bone and tooth.   

Today's adventure took us to the Idaho Museum where we got to see Sue.  Sue is the largest, most complete (90%) and best preserved T. Rex in the world.  They have a traveling display that is at the Idaho Museum right now.  It was very fascinating!  

Because I LOVE old houses!

Centerville, Utah

Baptism Talk

Today I will be attending the Baptism of my niece and I was asked to speak at her baptism.  This is what I prepared which will lead into the next person's talk on the Holy Ghost.

The Book of Mormon tells of a group of people who learned the gospel and were baptized at a place called Mormon. From the time of their baptism, they regarded Mormon as a place of beauty because while they were there, they “came to the knowledge of their Redeemer” (Mosiah 18:30). Strengthened by their testimonies and their baptismal covenant, they remained faithful to the Lord, even in times of intense trial (see Mosiah 23–24).

Like the people in this Book of Mormon account, you can rejoice as you remember your baptismal covenant and the Lord’s promises to you. You can find strength in the ordinance of baptism

We know that through baptism you become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  When you are baptized you show your willingness to follow the Savior’s example.  He too was baptized, even though He was without sin.  Everyone who seeks Eternal Life must follow the example of the Savior and be baptized.

When you are baptized you are making a baptismal covenant or a promise with Heavenly father.  You are promising to take upon yourself the name of Christ, keep His commandments, and serve Him always.  We are blessed to renew these covenants each time we take the sacrament. 

What does it mean to take the name of Christ upon us?  When you take His name on yourself you see yourself as his.  You seek what he wants rather than what you want or what the world wants. 

In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin explains why it is important to take the name of the Savior upon ourselves:

“There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

“And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.

“And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God” (Mosiah 5:8–10).

The next promise you make is to keep the commandments.  Your baptismal covenant is a commitment to come into God’s kingdom, separating yourself from the world and standing as a witness of God “at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9). Your efforts to stand as a witness of God include everything you do and say. Strive always to remember and keep the Lord’s commandments. Keep your thoughts, language, and actions pure. When you seek entertainment such as movies, television, the Internet, music, books, magazines, and newspapers, be careful to watch, listen to, and read only those things that are uplifting. Dress modestly. Choose friends who encourage you to reach your eternal goals. Stay away from immorality.  Keep yourself worthy to enter the temple.

Serving the Lord. The commandment to separate yourself from the things of the world does not mean that you should stay away from people. Part of the baptismal covenant is to serve the Lord, and you serve Him best when you serve the people around us. When the prophet Alma taught about the baptismal covenant, he said that we should be “willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light” and “willing to mourn with those that mourn … and comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:8–9). Be kind and respectful to all people, following the example of Jesus Christ in the way you treat others.

If we do these things then there are some WONDERFUL promised blessing. 

First is the Constant Companionship of the Holy Ghost and to receive a remission for our sins.  

FSOT

Just a quick note today.  Ed just received news from the State Department that he passed the FSOT (Foreign Service Officers Test).  This is actually the second time he's passed it and now onto the remaining steps in hopes of becoming a Foreign Service Officer.  This is a REALLY long process! So much so that he will have completed this Graduate program (that he's starting this summer) before heading off to Washington DC for training.

The next step are PN's (Personal Narratives) which are basically 7 or 8 (I don't remember off the top of my head) mini essays about himself.

(If you're not familiar with an FS Officer.  They work for the State Department and live all over the world at various embassies.  Their job is to help American's in other countries and to issues Visas to those wanting to come here.  It's an often forgotten protection that our country has!)