The Daffodil Principal....

Here is the story of "The Daffodil Principal" (It isn't mine, but I love the message)

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren."Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother.""Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her."But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this.""Carolyn," I said sternly, "Please turn around.""It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience." After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "DaffodilGarden." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down to the path.Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers."Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, tw o feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.That is, learning to move toward our goals and desire one step at a time - often just one baby-step at time - and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multipl y tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world."It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

The storyteller felt a sense of lost for all she might have accomplished if she'd only started earlier. But the message is this: Start today. One bulb at a time. What is your dream? What one thing can you do today to start to make that dream a reality? Don't waste time with regrets. Instead - keep your eyes forward - focused on the good you can do today and tomorrow and the tomorrows after that; one bulb at a time.

Thinner Mom...

I'm going to be really brave and add my weight loss progress on my blog. I won't scare you with my actual weight, but I will post my weekly progress.

I am doing the weight watchers program, and have been for longer than I want to admit.
I have had success up to 47lbs. lost, but haven't kept my head into it and I am only at about 20lbs. overall right now. You have to stay focused for it to be successful...as with anything in life, right.

I am hoping by posting my ups and downs, it will give me the accountability I need o stick with it. I am really not trying to scare anyone, and hang on if you get sick on roller coasters, because that is what it has been over the past year. But since today is a new day, I am making it a priority to take better care of myself... mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally!! One day at a time right?!!!!!!!

I am determined to be a Thinner Mom!!!

One more day...

One more day without Jacob.... we miss him, but it is keeping us strong on our daily prayer, we are kneeling down a few times a day together praying for thier safety and strength to endure.

One more day.... I am accomplishing all the little things I need to get done before Laurel Camp next week. The t-shirts and aprons are made, the m&m cards are printed and typed out, all the money is collected and accounted for, the permission slips are in order, the Temple Recommends have been requested by each Bishop... check, check, check!

One more day... to try and heal from my summer cold, UGGGGG!

One more day.... to try and eat right and take care of myself and get back on my ww program.

One more day... to work on the budget, and save all our pennies.

One more day.... to plug away at the piles in my office, trying to get caught up on all my work.

One more day.... to read my scriptures, and get the good habits back in place.

One more day.... to catch up on the laundry I washed and never got put away, it's piled up on the dog kennel.

One more day... to treasure my alone time with Jim, while Jacob is gone.

One more day... to work with moving the dog out of the bed that sleeps between us, so I can really treasure that alone time with Jim :)

Yes, by plugging away one day at a time and applying small and simple effort, I know I can accomplish great things, if I just stick with it!

Family Home Evening...

Monday is our family night, and Jim and I were determined to have a special night together and specifically focus on family night even with Jacob gone. So all day long we were planning and making arrangements for a lesson and dinner and a movie for our activity. However, in preparing for the lesson (we were going to talk about our finances and budget) I got a real close look at where all our money was being spent and when Jim came home we decided together there was no better time to start cutting it back to the basics than right now. When we first moved to Idaho 4 years ago we were living on much less than we are now, but yet we aren't saving that much more with the increase in our income.

So we crossed off dinner out and made dinner at home, and crossed of the movie theater and watched a dvd we already owned, and ate otter pops from the freezer for a treat. Then we added up how much money we saved!

We read scriptures together, and it turned out to be a great night!

It gave me a real glimpse of how it might be when Jacob leaves home. Did I mention we had to work everything around Antiques Road Show and Man vs Wild. And we had some strange conversation about how tired we were and who had the right to be more tired comparing what exhausting things we did all day, in the heat, up hill both ways, etc.

But at the end of the day we were together, we shared the time and enjoyed the spirit in our home. I am so in love with Jim, and I am learning to appreciate his way of doing things, even though it is not my way, he still gets to the heart of things and does what matters, even without a plan, a list, or a schedule.

This morning when he woke up, he said to me he was so proud that we didn't spend any money this week. He said "let's see if we can go all week until Jacob get's home without spending anything!"

Maybe I like it better when he doesn't have a plan :)

Early to Rise...

(yes Jacob, in the blue shirt, is almost as tall as all the leaders now)

Jacob and his Quorum met at 5:30am this morning to head out on their 50 mile hike this week. The good news is there were 6 boys ~ and 5 adults were going with them. I know how much of a sacrifice it is for these Dad's and I really appreciate the time they are taking. This trip will be one they won't ever forget. Strangely I am not too worried about Jacob, he still makes me wonder at times if his head is connected, but other times, he seems to be able to handle himself. I talked to a past Bishop that was up with them last week and he said Jacob will have no problem on the 50 miler. He was very confident in his abilities, so that helped me feel better.

On a note from last weeks campout, I heard all kinds of funny stories. Some didn't help the worry process as a Mom left behind, most of them were the "you had to be there" kind of stories. But it sounded like they all had a great time!

Here are a few pictures...

This was the day they all left...


Releasing trapped up energy before the car ride...
(boys are more silly than girls)



Jim in the middle and Jacob on the right.



Jacob in the center with the grey shorts, Jim behind him.



... the lake looked so beautiful!!

Sunday Best...

Just a quick post today since I haven't been on for a few days, but I don't want to spend much time on it today, since it is Sunday. I have really been enjoying the boys being back home from boys camp. And that time was much more precious than blogging... but I can't wait to post their pictures and write some notes about their trip tomorrow.

This morning Jim asked me if a shirt he had out to wear to church was okay... it was a plaid button down shirt, nice, but not super dressy. So I just told him, the Lord would probably want his "Sunday Best".

It was weird, I don't know exactly where it came from, but I think I remember my Grandmother saying something like that when we were little.

Later it was almost time to leave for church, and he asked if his face was too scruffy. He had a little grow in from not shaving, and I just told him he would have to do what he felt good about, but to just ask himself if it was his "Sunday Best" he was giving the Lord. He didn't say anything he just went in and shaved.

After our services, Jacob and his friends were gathered in the hall talking about their 50 mile hike trip tomorrow morning, and they all wanted to sleep over at the leaders house with his son so they didn't have to get up so early. Some of us Mom's were there, and got sucked into their excitement and nixed the 2 o'clock meeting, but might have been ok with the 9 o'clock hour to go over there. Then Jim walked up and heard all the commotion and immediately told Jacob NO. He reminded our family on the block drive home, that it was Sunday and that was not appropriate, we never left for overnight camp trips to start on Sunday night, and we weren't going to start today. He later cornered me in the closet while we were changing clothes and asked if I had given permission before he got there. I was so busted.

I love my husband, he tries so hard to do the right things in the eyes of the Lord and he gives me so much strength when I am weak. I am so grateful he listens to the Lord when we are prompted as parents in our decision making.

God is Good!!