What?

Someone has too many knives and too much time on their hands! [but amazing stuff!]

Gifts for the Mom who has Everything

Every mom needs some sushi soap, right?

Or maybe some ABC cookie cutters [Already Been Chewed!] - these take all the work out of eating a gingerbread man.

Love these cool jewel ice cubes. Fun and easy way to make your luncheon or party extra special.

Maybe some of these monkey key covers? Great colors, don't you think?

Of course, for the cultured mom, a light-up "Starry Night" pillow. It even comes complete with batteries.

Check these [and more] out here.

Endorphins

I'm proud to announce that I met my exercise goal for last week. I was on the elliptical machine for 42 minutes [I'm working up to 45+ this week] and I did it for 5 days out of 7. It really does feel good to work hard and get all sweaty.

Tonight is Day 1 of this week and I'm ready to go. Success feels good and that feeling certainly has me on the path to succeed again this week.

And then I get an endorphin burrito. ha!

Mother's Day is Coming!

Mother's Day is only 2 weeks away! How did that happen?

Tonight Math asked me if I had special requests for Mother's Day -- and I was amazed to discover that it's not far away. I had to admit that I hadn't given it any thought whatsoever. It just didn't seem possible that it's so close.

Mother's Day is important to me. It's a special opportunity to reflect and to express love and gratitude for the moms in my life. There are four Moms I especially need to remember: my mom, my mother-in-law, my daughter and my daughter-in-law [moms to my grandkiddoes] are all very dear and I love them immensely. I have learned so much from them and I'm proud to be a part of their lives. I'm grateful for the examples they are and I want to be like them.

One of them raised me, loved me and taught me, despite my smart mouth and cranky attitude. I repaid that by moving away from home at age 18 and never coming back to stay. But she still loves me and makes that clear.

One of them accepted me into her family and allowed me to whisk her only son and youngest child away and turn him into a husband and father. She still loves me too, and I've always appreciated her willingness to share.

One of those moms is our only daughter. I have spent my life loving her, learning from her and enjoying every second I've had with her.

One of them is a daughter of the heart. Tara was my very first in-law and she is someone I was happy to give my son to because I knew she loved him like I do.

Each one is my friend, and they're all wonderful moms. They are all very different and I'm sure I try their patience regularly. But I love each one and will always be thankful for their roles in my life.

And they all love me too. I think.

Blessed. That's me.

Friends

[picture via creative thursday]

"It takes courage to be a real friend. A friend is a person who will suggest and render the best for us regardless of the immediate consequences. Sir Winston Churchill became Great Britain’s greatest friend in his country’s darkest hour because he was courageous enough to call for “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” when some would have accepted him more readily as a friend had he advocated peaceful surrender. President Abraham Lincoln was once criticized for his attitude toward his enemies. “Why do you try to make friends of them?” asked an associate. “You should try to destroy them.” “Am I not destroying my enemies,” Lincoln gently replied, “when I make them my friends?"~ Marvin J. Ashton

I loved this quote. I think friendship is on my mind today because of a sweet email I got from my friend Holly this morning. There are so many people who have had an impact on my life and I don't think I acknowledge them enough. Holly is one of them. She moved from here a while back and I still miss their family.

My family members are high on my list of friends. I have a husband who is my dearest friend in the world. I love having a daughter who can tell me that I'm making too much of an issue and need to move on, a daughter-in-law and son who allow me into their everyday life via phone calls and email, and another son who spends more time than you might expect with his [boring old] parents. I also have a wonderful sister who lives way too far away to suit me. The list could go on and on.

Whether we are linked by blood or by circumstance, all of you are people I love dearly. Thanks for making my life happy.

Motherhood

"Being a full-time mother is one of the highest-salaried jobs in any field, since the payment is pure love." ~Mildred B. Vermont *[I include grandma-hood in this quote as well!]

Mark was being set apart for his new calling last night and the Stake presidency member taking care of it asked me how I was. I thought about it, and then replied that I was the luckiest person in the world because on Sundays, I got to go to Primary and be with the children there, and during the week, I spent time with my daughter and grandkiddoes. I added though that the pay wasn't great and he immediately disagreed and told me the pay was the best ever -- which took me back to this quote.

And he was right. There's no better paying job in the world.

Great Gifts

I came across the funnest [wait, is that a word?] gift items in this catalog that arrived the other day. I found myself dog-earing the pages so that I could go back and take a second look at my favorites. Here's a few of them:



I loved these 'plates with purpose'. They are platters made from recycled glass that artistically reflect the mission of a non-profit organization. And in each case, a part of the proceeds goes to support local community organizations.
Check out this 'sisters' necklace. So beautiful, and a great gift idea.
Love the locket. Open it, and there's room for a picture, but the word 'loved' is on the top half. Very sweet.
I think the license plate necklaces are very cute. They are actually made from recycled license plates by the same artist who made this.
Oh, and love this origami necklace too. There's several to choose from but I liked this pinwheel design a lot. What great gift ideas! Check them [and much more!] out.

Stay on the Path

"You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds. " ~Dag Hammarskjsld

Oh, I love this thought -- what a great comment on what we have been taught about avoiding the very appearance of evil in our lives. It's all meaningful , but I especially like the last statement: I want my garden tidy so I need not reserve any space at all for weeds.

Staying on the straight and narrow is always the best choice.

Primary Talent Show

Mason came prepared with his sunglasses -- he sure charmed me!
Ty showed off his handstand skills. Awesome!
Here's Lance, our fearless [scary?!] MC. He was great.
This one? The fastest little girl ever on her pink and purple scooter. Look at Maya's hair flying out behind her. Love her sunglasses as well. She's a star!


Yesterday was our annual Primary Talent Show. We do this as one of our Quarterly Activities every year for a very simple reason. Every child can participate and we welcome every and any talent. We serve a hot dog lunch and then it's time for the show.

This year's MC was one of our 11-year-old Scout leaders and he was wonderful. He kept the show moving and held everyone's attention as well [no small job, when you're dealing with ages from nursery through adult].

We showcased lots of talents and you would have been in awe of the range. We had the usual piano/guitar/violin/vocal solos, a recorder duet, and even a harp solo [performed with the artist's pet parakeet perched on her shoulder! Yes, literally.] But we also had stand-up comedy, magic tricks, song-and-dance routines, origami demonstrations, handstands, and even a boy who solved the Rubik's Cube faster than I believed possible. [heck, anything is faster than what I can do. I can't solve those things!]

My personal favorite? One special little girl, who brought her pink scooter and performed on the stage. She was so fast and I was so proud of her! Can you guess who that was?

I think what I loved most was the look on each child's face as we applauded the talent they shared with us. And that, for me was what it was all about.

Fun Stuff!

I was browsing yesterday and happened upon this site where I found some fun things. I know that many of you would would actually just make the items yourselves, but for me, that will never happen. So I was excited at my discovery and actually ordered the bottom item. I've even 'chatted' with the owner online and found her to be funny and responsive. Check it out.

And that tile? It's right on. Four of my greatest blessings do call me Grandma! Can't wait for it to arrive!