Did you think to pray...

In all of my hustle, trying to get organized, staying on top of "my world" I haven't forgotten the important things this time... my spiritual self!

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Sometimes I get on a high, thinking I am on top of the world, but forget why I am there, and who allowed me to be there, and I come crashing down.

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I have worked much harder and made goals to read and study my scriptures and to remember to Pray. No matter how good I think I am doing... I found there is always room to improve and grow spiritually.

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One of my neighbors gave us this prayer rock for Christmas. He has had an incredible year... passed out, rushed to the hospital, they found a brain tumor the size of a plum, gave him less than 9 months to live in March. He has fought his way back through bad reactions to the chemo treatments, a blood clot that traveled to his kidney, and took his last radiation treatment in May. At which he took a reprieve from the constant doctor visits and went to the Oregon coast to spend some quality time with his wife along the beach.

On his birthday Dec 11th he reported to still be cancer free for 9 very special months.

Basically, you put the rock on your pillow when you get out of bed in the morning, and before you lay your head down to sleep that night, you conk your head on your prayer rock and it reminds you to pray, you then move your prayer rock to the floor, and when you awake and stub your toe on your prayer rock, it is to remind you to pray.

I keep mine wrapped in the fabric with the card, because I think it is so pretty, but I have unwrapped it on occasion... it is the most beautiful rock, probably one they carefully and especially picked out from the Oregon coast, just for us. I love rocks, and this one has such a wonderful story to tell.

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Prayer offers me comfort and peace in my life. I have had many prayers answered. I have been humbled by prayers. I never want to forget why I have so many blessings in my life, and that those blessings, everyone is offered from God.

A bottle of sunshine...

I have had such a good day today... I need to bottle up all the great feelings I have, and save some of them for those times when I fall in "the hole" and can't seem to get out, I could open it up and be all uplifted. I sooooo wish it worked that way.

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I am not really sure what made it such a good day for me, maybe it really wasn't one big thing, but rather a bunch of little things.

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Getting things put away and in order at home, and somewhat clean... that is always a good feeling of accomplishment. I am such a procrastinator, it's ridiculous! You would think, when it feels this good... I would keep it up... but I am stubborn too! What a double edged sword.

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The puppies were behaving... not that they are ever really bad dogs, but they can be very very needy some days. Today they were a little, but they were sooooo patient!

I have freezer meals put away, a really good peace of mind for when I am gone knowing my boys will have some home cooked meals (if they will put them in the oven). Note to self, get self photo with freezer group gals... some months are harder than others, but this month my meal just came together and I actually liked what I made (sometimes I don't like my own cooking... it's still a work in progress, and my freezer group has been so patient... thanks ladies!). I am not a good experimenter, I tend to have more flops than successes, but I love trying out new recipes.

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I am moving forward on my year end closings for the business I do work for... such a blessing to have the work, and the extra little income to supplement, but I always feel stress balancing it between home and family.

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I finished two different newsletter issues; both were kind of self inflicted... I started them up for better communication in the organizations, but allot of work to keep them going each month. I love the design and layout, but dread gathering the information and the deadlines. I am trying to cherish what I love about them, so the things I dread don't cause me to procrastinate. But this too is a challenge for me. So relieved they are done for another 3 weeks, I can breathe!

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A great day topped off with dinner with my family. I am so grateful for my eternal companion. He really balances me!

He keeps me grounded, and is so level headed and sensible.

I wish I could put him in a bottle today and save all his good qualities for those days when our moons are "out of alignment".

Actions speak louder than words...

One of the things I feel really important about is putting family first. And yet, so often my actions don't reflect what I treasure the most. This year it is my goal to work on that. I want my actions to be right in line with what is most important to me. My actions should be showing who I am. Cherish family, cherish who I am.

This week after several communications with my family in Seattle and "my boys", over my Mom's upcoming surgery next Wednesday... I am planning a trip back to Seattle.

She will not be able to lift anything for two weeks, and with my Dad's current troubles with his diabetes and falling (oh my dear), I need to be there to help them through this time.

So in order to leave my responsibilities and still have a sane mind. I HAVE to get things in order.

My strong silent mysterious man has called me twice today already to give me support to go be with my family, and assures me he and the teenager will be just fine, maybe they eat out and have a little more junk food when I am gone, but they will survive. So that is huge to have his unconditional support. I think spending time with family over Christmas helped him to be more compassionate. He likes to stay home and not travel much, and I hope this trip bonded him to the idea that sometimes you have to sacrifice to have what is most important to you.
(It gives me great hope for his upcoming family reunion in June!!!)

So this morning.... instead of working on my to lists at my own pace, cherishing my hot cocoa.

(this is what my strong silent mysterious man thinks I do all day long... this or sleep, ya right!!!)

I put on my super mom shirt and got busy.

(I really think I want a super mom shirt... my goal is to live up to it in 2009)

I feel so productive today before 10am I have...

Swept and mopped the kitchen and entry floors.
Vacuumed the main areas
Pulled all the dirty clothes out of the crevices where they get tucked (a teenagers specialty... cherish, cherish, cherish... he has nice clothes to wear, and is home so I can keep them clean for him)
Got all the garbage out to the curb for pick up
Dishes done, kitchen clean, sink is shiny
Laundry going
Labeled all my freezer meals for a swap tonight
Found the non-christmas decor and it put back out in the dining and living room
Put away all the Christmas boxes that were staged to be packed away
cleaned all the dog dishes
swish and swiped the bathrooms
found the top of my desk
finished getting my church callings responsibilities ready to temp. pass off (this one is hard for me, but my husband reminds and assures me they can cover until I get back)
got all the mail ready to go out
got the seasonal clothes bins out of my bedroom and back in the garage until the next season.
showered, shampoo'd and shining... ready to get all my companies year end work done, so I can be in Seattle next week.

Now I just have to eat all those veggies I bought yesterday between now and next Wed... because there is no hope my boys will fix and eat them while I am gone.

I am cherishing all this energy and motivation!!!
It's going to be a good day!