Word on the Streets

dog tricks. . .

when you have a dog that can make it look like she is double jointed or has a broken leg, wouldn't you say you have a very unusual dog? this dog has the craziest tricks.

quiet, creative play. . .

just the other week we had a number of days where my two boys were not feeling great. it has been a fever, a driveling nose that just will not S.T.O.P! or a deep and scratchy cough. so there was a day or two where one or both stayed home to rest. during those days i was able to witness one of my most favorite things ever: quiet and creative play. 

jack took to doing pages in some 1st grade workbooks i had. i think he found great joy in the fact that he could do most of the pages without troubles. it must have made him feel like he was super smart for all of the pages he was determined to finish and did! morgan pulled out some of the toys we had when they were younger. he took to organizing all the animals in noah's ark (two by two). morgan loves to sort and organize things! he was on the floor playing quietly and i had nothing to do with instructing him how to go about playing or keeping himself occupied. he was self-directed in finding an activity in the cupboard that he would like to spend time doing. he was engaged in that play for a good hour. then his attention moved to the sleeping dog. morgan loves to pet the dog. he is tender and kind to her. he seems to have a special connection to her. when morgan stretched out next to chloe she went fully vertical and her body was as long as his! what a sight!

i love a little quiet time when each boy can find something to busy himself with that is not a t.v. or a video game or a computer. it lets me see how their creative mind works. there is a peace in our home when times like this happen. that is what made me go and get my camera. it is not always this serene. but when it is, i feel a sliver of what heaven must be like. 

dinner with a smile. . .

when this lady shows up at your home with a smile on her face offering you a totally adorable orange le creuset pot full of homemade chicken tortilla soup, homemade mini corn muffins and salad you welcome her in and smile back---big time!

larae is one of those friends that everyone should have. she helps me out in a pinch and is one of the best cooks i know. this meal was perfectly timed and delicious. my little family devoured the food and we had it again for the next day's lunch. 

i love this photo of her. it is so typical. she serves others and what i didn't get in this photo is the fact that she is wearing a shirt that says, "be kind" (it is one of those BE KIND campaign shirts from the josh stevens foundation for schools).

priesthood blessings through the laying on of hands. . .

i believe that Christ gives the authority to worthy men on earth to call upon His divine power to bless the lives of others. this is something that was done in ancient times. prophets and religious men of old would lay their hands on the heads of others and bless them or heal them. these blessings or healings come of Jesus Christ through the vessel of a faithful and pure in heart man. the power to act in the name of Jesus Christ is what my religion refers to as "the priesthood." it is not a group of men. rather it is the power and authority that is bestowed from Christ himself to a prophet and then from that prophet to other worthy men.

i believe the blessings and healings that are performed on those who have faith in Christ's abilities are some the most amazing acts of miracles in this life. some can be life altering. some are more simple. the needs vary and Jesus Christ has the desire and where-with-all to bless or heal thousands just as he does one single individual.

i have been that "one" in the past. i have a few very personal experiences that involve receiving a blessing from a man who held the priesthood. each time the priesthood holder has laid his hands on my head, anointed me with consecrated oil and pronounced a blessing upon me.

this week i was very stressed about something we've been working towards and thursday night i was fortunate enough to have my dad and husband lay their hands on my head and give me a priesthood blessing. it filled me with a peace and assurance that i was on the right path and that what we as a family are trying to do is right with God. no matter the outcome, i felt as though everything will be o.k. and we will be able to reach our collective potential as a family unit.

later that evening when my husband was putting our son jack to bed, jack was complaining about the back of his head hurting. eventually he fell asleep but later that night when we ourselves were asleep jack came into our room screaming. he was holding the back of his head and screaming that it hurt. we turned on the lights and checked his head. nothing. we made sure that he was awake and not dreaming. we just could hardly calm him down. then when we asked if he had hit his head at all he told us amid the tears that he had knocked his head on the monkey bars at school. so my mamma-mind starts worrying that maybe he really did crack his head hard on those bars and is just now having the effects felt on the interior. it really would not have set me at such an alarm if he had not been crying so seriously about the pain. i have to admit, my own mind was hurting. i was not sure what to do for him. rod was the same way. we both just wondered what to do.

then a thought came to my mind. earlier that morning we had read in the scriptures about a prophet who had brought his brother back from the dead. he had healed his brother through the use of the priesthood. i asked jack if he could remember that story. (funny enough we had talked about it in some length in the morning.) he did remember and i asked him if he thought Jesus could help heal his pain in his head. he nodded to the affirmative and continued to tear up. i asked him if he wanted daddy to give him a blessing like the prophet gave his brother in the scriptures. jack wiped his tears and said, "yes."

so at 3:00 am rod got out his consecrated oil and anointed our little son while i held him in my lap. he doesn't exactly fit in my lap anymore but he wanted to sit there with his legs curled up and his head next to my chin. rod gave him a blessing in which jack was told he would be able to relax and sleep and that his head would stop hurting so he could rest. he was told that God was aware of him and proud of him. He loved him and would help his body stop hurting. jack listened intently during the prayer. he had stopped crying. when it was over he melted into me and seemed to be at ease. i talked to him for just a few minutes more and then let him rest on my pillow. there was no more crying. he said his head still hurt but that it didn't hurt as much. he then went right to sleep. he slept the entire night. in the morning he woke up and acted normal. when i asked him if he remembered the night before how bad his head hurt he said that he did. and he remembered having his dad give him a blessing too. that morning he was his normal happy self. he went off to school and came home happy too. we have not had a hurting head since that night. we've talked about it with him and i think he understands much of what happened. i think he understands at such a young age (because we all know that children have the most simplistic faith of all of us) that God really can reach down from heaven and touch us with his healing powers when we need them most. jack is too little to write down this story. i think i might give him a special notebook and have him call it his journal and see what he wants to write about such experiences until he is older and can really get to documenting such sacred occurrences in his life. until he can write them for himself, i will.

i find great comfort in knowing that my husband can act in the name of Jesus Christ and lay his hands on my child's head and call down the powers of heaven on their behalf. the way rod and i view this authority and power is so similar. our views on religion are so in-line with each others. it is one of the greatest strengths in our marriage and family life. and i am percolating with hope that each of my children will develop very real working relationships with God and Christ in their lives.  

 

listing favorites. . .

i have many favorite things in life. lately i've collected photos of some of my favorite things. i'm wondering what other people favor in their lives? my things are fairly simple. there are so many more to add to this list but i'll share these for now. listing them and showing them make me all the more grateful for them! 

one of my favorite things is seeing my boys hair just before they go to school. i love how it is always glued. they like to have their hair out of their face. they are happy on days when it is bed head too but when they actually do their hair and have it look nice it allows me to see their faces so much more. and that is one of my favorite things.

i also favor a good stink face once in a while. they can do the best stink faces. i do not favor such faces when they are done with sincere stinky emotion behind them. but when they are made in jest it makes me laugh all the more. morgan has perfected the stink face i think. 

when it comes to food i have too many favorite things to list. but when i need a good treat to give lots of people i tend to favor these little nuggets of delight. they are easy to make. the kids can help do them and their taste is pure addiction. all they are is a square pretzel with a hershey kiss on top. warm them at 350 degrees in the oven for about five minutes and then remove them and smash a peanut m&m on top. then put them in the refrigerator to harden back up. there are tons of variations on this using different types of kisses and top candy. but this combo is my proven favorite. these were our gifts for the school office staff and teachers on february 14th this year. they were a huge hit. speaking of this, i also favor the people who work in the office at our school. i think it is important to remember them and the work they do for my children. i think it is advantageous to get to know them a little and thank them for the job they do. they so often get overlooked. but they can help a parent out and it is nice to have a familiar person who answers the phone at my children's school to help me if i need something. i definitely have favorite office staff at my children's school and i want them to know they are appreciated for their kindness towards me. 

another favorite of mine is when the blossoming trees are in full bloom. there are tree at our church that just astound me each sunday when i pull in the parking lot this time of year. they are teaming with bees but the show of white blossoms is really nothing short of stunning. i always notice them and they set my mind in the right place to enter church. they happen to have white blossoms but my ultimate favorite are the cherry and plum trees at this time of year. driving into our community by the elementary school there are a number of those pink plum blossoms all over the few trees in the center median. it is a showcase of pink. because they are in the median i am never really in a good position to take a photo of them but these are my favorite in the spring!

natural light through windows is really high on my favorites list! i've been searching with my parents for a home they might be interested in purchasing. in each home we go i find that i am attracted to the ones with lots of natural light in them. i love windows in a home. i love the light streaming through them. in my own home i have a few favorite places where the light comes streaming in. those floors and the light make me happy.

another favorite that goes with the natural light favorite would have to be having a clean, well lighted kitchen in which to work. i'm not finished altering my kitchen just yet. i have a dream of white or just off-white cabinets some day that will help even more with the light in my kitchen. but i have a huge slider doors and a large window just over the sink that let in wonderful light. i love when it is clean and shiny. my favorite things in the kitchen are the shiny black granite and a freshly mopped floor. all i want to do when it is that way is cook up a storm and have guests over for dinner!

my father loves my boys. to watch him with them tops my favorites list. when he is with them he lights up! they have a special relationship with grandpa. he even runs out to my house to stay with them when they are sick and home from school so i can make a doctor's appointment. i'm not sure who has more fun--he or they.

having my mom, my sister and my sister-in-law all in dark hair is another favorite thing! we may have a few blonde moments but i'm favoring our dark hair right now.

one of my all time favorite things is having a ridiculously photographic husband who can fix things! not only does he know how to fix most things on cars and household appliances he also fixes broken toys all the time. for our anniversary we decided to forgo gifts that we purchase and do kind things for each other. one of his things was to fix our guest room toilet from the decaying wax ring underneath it! it was a completely disgusting job but somebody had to do it and he was up for it. everything is clean and back to functioning order! and i love him for it. as one of my gifts i took his photo. which really is a gift for myself if i think about it!!! his dark features make black and white photos of him some of my favorites. 

and i'll top off my favorites with my boys talents. the love of learning is so apparent in jack. he has had a few difficult weeks with being sick. he just cannot seem to kick his cough, sinus infection and fever. one day i gave him a workbook like he'd have at school just so he would have something to keep his brain from going to mush. to my surprise he plowed through the workbook finishing page after page! he could not wait to take those pages all stapled together to school to show his teacher. his stamina to learn is one of my favorite things about him.

lastly i favor the creativity of my boy morgan. this child loves to work with paper and art materials. he borrowed a book from the library about how to make decorative masks. wouldn't you know it--he made one himself that looks as good as the one in the book, if not better! when he shows other people it he just about bursts with pride. this makes me happy for him on every level. and when he comes to me with mask in place and says, "mom, take my photo, please" i do. it is me taking a photo of his favorite something which makes it my favorite everything! 

february 19th means 11 years together. . .

i'm so lucky to have been married to rod on february 19th in 2000. it makes remembering how many years we've been together so easy! we are now onto our 11th year. two countries, two cities, two houses, 4 jobs, two children later and we find our lives are incredibly blessed. 

valentine's day follow-up. . .

late sunday night two cupids made their way into jack and morgan's room and gave them a "heart attack" so that when they woke the next morning they would have a surprise. they loved it of course! i think we are keeping it up through the month! 

i came down to my desk in the morning to find that my boys (all three) had left sweet valentine's day notes. i loved each one for different reasons.

our little jars of love notes are filling up fast. sometimes there are three new ones in my jar in one day! these are turning out to be a big, big hit. 

for dinner i just wanted to make something healthy and easy. we did roasted red pepper soup from trader joes (for the red) and quinoa southwest salad (recipe from trader joes). it was delicious with little grape tomatoes, avocado, black beans, cilantro, cilantro dressing, lime zest and corn. the quinoa was tasty and a nice change from lentils. i was happy that everyone loved it. it could be a new staple in our home. the other special treat of the night was homemade bread! i made a bread recipe that rachel sent me. i do not consider myself a bread baker at all and i made this with ease! it was beautiful and tasted just like artisan bread from the best bakery. i was so pleased that it turned out edible let alone made a grand presentation. warm with butter and honey on it, we were in heaven! thanks, rachel for that recipe. it is a keeper!

the boys are still a little sick. they have been that way all weekend. we have some higher fevers, runny noses and coughs to deal with but they have been in good spirits and we've had a great weekend with lots of down time. our valentine's day was low-key but just the right amount of happiness.

 

jars of love. . .

since valentines day falls on monday i thought it would be a nice opportunity to incorporate an activity i've had in my head for this month. i used it for part of our family home evening lesson. it was a huge hit!

i'm not exactly sure where i got the idea for writing love notes to each other as a family. my sister-in-law has cute little mailboxes that she puts our and her children write love notes to one another then put the flag up on the mailbox. i've seen something similar probably on the web. when i looked for little mailboxes i couldn't find what i was searching for but i found something that i could personalize and love just the same. i love glass jars. i love how light streams through them to reveal their contents. so when i found these little jars with rubber rings on the lids to close them i decided they would be our "mailboxes." they just needed some easy decorative touch and we'd be in business. i had felt already at home and these beautiful yellow kazuri beads from kenya. i just cut out the shapes for the lids and put a few stitches in them to get the bead on top. then i hot glued them to the lid. next i added a band of ribbon of each person's choice. with a name on a round label affixed to the front them seemed to scream, "put some love notes in me!" i printed up small rectangular papers of card stock on which to write notes to one another.

during family home evening i presented them to my family and the boy's eyes got wide. they were so excited to start using them. the idea is to keep them out on display with the bowl of slips of black paper near. then when you want to you write a love note to a member of the family for them to later find inside their jar. so far i've gotten some really sweet notes. one from jack said, "mom, i love you. you are like a cherry. love jack." morgan has written to jack. rod has written to morgan. i've written to rod, etc. it is just something we are going to do through to the end of february to help us remember to compliment one another. we are spreading the love around here! secret words of kindness. can anyone really even get enough of such a thing? i'm in love with these little jars of love.

pondering in your hearts. . .

its is almost valentines day. i've already gotten the sweetest valentines from my sons. they were handmade and hand-drawn in school. the boys were so very excited to give them. there is something about home-made valentines to me that i cherish far more than store purchased ones. it says more to me. it says, "i took the time to make you something and i was thinking about you when i made or wrote it."

i've been pondering lately how much my children and husband mean to me. i'm not sure i can fully explain to them how much i love them. but i am trying to create some special ways this valentines to let them know. i'll not be purchasing a card. i'll be making my own way to show them how much i love them. there will possibly be a home made dinner and a few fun little love notes on special paper i find. there might be lips drawn on the mirrors or hand-cut hearts plastered all over a room. whatever it is that i end up doing i hope will let them know that i treasure them. they are the depth in my life. i feel as though God has been very generous in blessing me with such a wonderful family. 

we've been reading the scriptures every morning before jack and morgan go off to school. they love to read a few verses each and i am equally thrilled to see their excitement about reading these words. they have a strong desire to tackle the tough words and learn the scripture language. as we have done this i have seen a clear improvement in their reading! when children are young and can be encouraged to read a verse or two from the scriptures, i really believe it can help them in their overall reading skills. i believe it to be one of the blessings of reading from the scriptures with children. the Lord blesses them with the learning of language and reading skills when they sink their teeth into even one verse of scripture a day. i've noticed an increase of love in our home since we have been reading each morning. i've noticed that the boys have fought less with one another. they still get into disagreements and get upset at one another but less often and not to the degree that they were prior to daily scripture reading. it has been a blessing for us this year. before this year it was something i would do with them periodically but now that we are full-on into the before school morning routine and can read them as we have breakfast, i have seen the habit take roots and be a huge benefit. 

the theme in primary this year at church is the scriptures. we have encouraged each child to read the scriptures at least three times a week. if they do this they can write their name on a slip of colored paper at the beginning of primary in church each week. we are then forming a paper chain with all of those strips of paper and the goal is to run the chain from the primary room to the bishop's office. the program has been going now for only five weeks and i am convinced that our chain will run much farther than just the bishop's office from the primary room. the children are reading weekly! my children look forward to reading. i think this project in primary will bless the lives of each of those children who read. it will be such fun to see in a few months just how far they can get our paper chain to reach! teachers and leaders are also reading and writing their names on a slip of paper. this way the children can feel that their teachers are committed with them. i'm grateful that this is our theme for 2011. it will help me keep the scriptures in the fore-front of our family life. 

valuing the scriptures, valuing my family, valuing the valentines holiday that helps me remember to keep all these things in my heart and ponder them often...its just what i've had on my brain of late. 

en_lightened canine. . .

on the mornings that i can get the boys to school early, i take chloe to the dog park. she sits in her usual spot in the car while i drop off jack and morgan. she waits her turn and we head over to the dog park behind the district. she romps and plays and when we return she finds her most favorite spot in the house. she camps out in the playroom (when it is clean enough) in the block of light that streams through the playroom window. she falls asleep with the sun on her. it must be a great feeling because eventually she will contort herself into various sleeping positions. she is in dog fetal position, upside down and on her side. anyway you shape it, she is a long-legged sun seeker!