Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat....

Well not really, it's actually still 3 months or 114 days or 2755 hours (at the time of this blog of course!) However, the other day Eden was apparently excited about it and asked for my Christmas craft stuff (which just so you know is pretty much the ONLY craft stuff i own) and began making Christmas decorations. With some inspiration from me about what to do with a toilet roll she came up with the design for the napkin holder below too. Anyway she spent about two days at this and even Immanuel jumped in a made a couple, although, even though he's exceptionally artistic, he didn't seem to have the patience for this kind of artwork. Eden stuck with it for hours and had a great time.

I am really excited that Fall is just around the corner and that means it will soon be Eden's birthday in which she will get baptized this year and then just 20 days later Christmas will actually be here. I LOVE it! Fun times ahead!

Can you tell Immanuel's from Eden's...like i said she had more patience...well that and she asked me for help too, whereas Immanuel just took it upon himself to do his own stuff.

The napkin holder...

Tree decorations...

The Wasabi Challenge!

So the other day i decided to see how gullible my children were....

On Thursdays when John works in Knoxville he often will stop by the super Kroger on his way home and get me some fresh California rolls. They always give you a big glop of wasabi on the end, which i never use as i am a weeny when it comes to spicy things, and spicy is an extreme understatement when it comes to wasabi (well in my opinion anyway)!

As per Wikipedia for those that may not actually know what this is:
[The burning sensations it can induce are short-lived compared to the effects of chili peppers, especially when water is used to remove the spicy flavor. The sensation is felt primarily in the nasal passage and can be quite painful, though it generally only lasts a few seconds.]

So I presented the wasabi challenge to my children, which was if they ate a large pea sized amount of wasabi i would give them a quarter (25 cents) each. Well they thought that was a great idea ( i later told them i wouldn't have done it for even $10) so they took it in turns and Eden went first. She was the bravest by far and acted like nothing had happened until i told her she could get a drink of milk after which she franticly grabbed the milk jug from the fridge and scrambled to get a cup! Immanuel went next and then even Sarah braved the challenge. It was fun and even though i think they cried a bit, they were glad they did it and received their quarters with smiling faces.

I guess these are the kinds of things that mom's do for entertainment (or maybe just the twisted me)...maybe i should get out more! ;-) lol!

This is how much i had them eat if they wanted the quarter.

Sarah gulping down the milk...

Fanning her mouth...not sure that actually works though.

Significant Moments and No Such Things as Coincidences...

When i reflect back on my life thus far and think about all the moments that lead me to today i cannot help but feel blessed, blessed in the witness that is clearly before me that there are no coincidences with an all-powerful, all-knowing God.

Some of the first significant memories i have are that of Missionaries coming to our home in England. No doubt i had no idea what was going on at the time, but i do remember these men frequently coming to our home to sit in our living room....and that they were fun and for whatever reason i looked forward to them coming....

I remember moving to Bury St. Edmunds and (my memory at least, which could be flawed as i was a child) that my dad "bumped" into Mike Muller....who happened to be the branch President of the Bury Branch...my parents at that point had not been going to church....how little did we realize how significant Mike was and his family in our lives as we came back to church.

I remember for some primary activity of some sort, my mother needing to write down on a card one word that described me and she put that i was kind. That helped define who i was and who i would be....

I remember my father being my Valiant teacher in primary at church and teaching me the importance of reading our scriptures....nice, neat, clean, and in good condition scriptures did us no good if it meant that they weren't being used....he used an analogy of them being in a nice box and kept safe under our beds....

I remember my sister playing with me all the time, laughing till it hurt with me and her being my best friend and ALWAYS wanting to be like her...that continued on throughout my life...she is to this day an amazing role model of what it means to be like Christ, to give people the benefit of the doubt and to be strong even when it's hard....

We moved to the United States of America...one of the most significant things in my life thus far as everything else that has happened to me would not have happened without being here.

I remember Nonette Gordon teaching me in a Merrie Miss class that we should think of prayer like a phone conversation....we need to be still...and give Heavenly Father a chance to talk back to us.....

I can never forget the great, dear kindness of Elizabeth Butler, Debbie Boyle, and Christina Repka, who taught me that i was lovable and worth something....during my high school years these girls did more for me than they could ever know. I am grateful to Heavenly Father for loving me enough to send them to me amidst the storms of life....

Likewise i am grateful for the blessing of Wendy Magda and Hugh Heisler, who took me in and treated my like a sister...Wendy was my inspiration for Dental Hygiene which proved extremely significant in my life....

Making the decision (regretfully at the time) to go to Harcum College to study Dental Hygiene was extremely significant....there i had a "mighty change" as i realized that being a member of the church meant "I" had to do it....alone as well and that it therefore had to mean something.....i prayed then to know if the church was true and was so flooded with blessings and knowledge and understanding that i could not deny it. It would be here that i would meet Lesley Gable, who would later join the church herself....where i met Tamara Robertson, who was nothing less than a God-sent angel....because of Tamara, i was able to be prepared for the MOST significant thing in my life....John.

If i hadn't moved to the US i wouldn't have met John....if i hadn't gone to Harcum College (my back-up school at the time that i cried about going to, lol) i would not have met John. If Tamara wasn't my friend John and all his wonders would have been too much for me....

On the other side of things if Sara Schutz hadn't opened her mouth 16 years ago and followed the Spirit, and shared the gospel with John i also would not have met and married him. I remember to this day on the day of my wedding, when i met the Schutzes for the first time, John telling me later how Vaughn and Sara "approved" of me and got a sense that i was a great spirit, that i was "good"...that meant so much to me and helped me again decide and come to know who i was. They are so spiritually gifted it's unlike anything i have ever seen before in my whole entire life. I value their thoughts and opinions greatly...they too are God-sent angels....they are parents...little did i know that 8 years down the road i would be living on their farm with them....no coincidences!

Back to me, back to John, back to me....(little old spice plug there) John taught me to look for truth....to question, to ask, to seek, to find answers i never knew the question existed to before....I was sling-shotted forward spiritually after i met John. This still in part to what he had learnt from the Schutzes, but at this point post-mission had become a part of who he was...a seeker of truth. Long before John became a therapist he started doing therapy on me, lol. There's nothing quite as painful i think as real therapy because it requires a lot of change and change is hard....almost feels impossible depending on what it is....but i now know it's always possible and that you can always be better than you are today....John taught me to let go of my pride that i thought defined me, he taught me to talk again, he taught me to trust, and that no matter what when you know God's will and you do it, you always have what you need. It has been our journey and he has been my strength through it all. John also taught me that i was beautiful and good and worthy. He made me feel unique and important and capable. He believes in me and this too has helped me to know who i am. There's only so many times a day you can hear, "you're so beautiful i just don't have the words for it" and not completely believe it. I am beautiful; he taught me to believe. He makes me feel like a Queen. John is my most significant moment....

Moving 9 times in 9 years of marriage is significant to me too. I have learnt that it doesn't matter where you are, BUT that you're doing what you're supposed to be doing. The Lord has always rewarded me for following him, even when to the rest of the world, or our friends, or our family judged us and thought we looked like crazy-heads. The Lords ways are not ours and he has a better idea of what makes us happy and the experiences we need to have in life to bring us to Him.

I could write too much about each of my children, but it suffices me at this point in time to say that they are each individually significant....they are noble and great....it says a lot to me about who i am and what the Lord trusts me with that he gave me Immanuel, Eden, Sarah, and Jack. They have so much to teach me. They are my friends...they make me try as hard as i do to be a good mother...they are the reason why being poor was worth it so that I could raise them and not a day-care center. We needed each other and I'll give up vacations and fancy cars any day for that, for them.

My brother is significant....he made me want to be a good example....he reminds me that i promised i wouldn't do to my kids what my parents did to me....it's hard to explain, but he keeps me in check and reminds me (without realizing he's doing it) to not judge and most of all to not be a hypocrite. He reminds me to trust and give the benefit of the doubt....he calls me all the time and it warms my heart that he loves me enough to not let too much time go past without seeing how I'm doing, or asking me for advice, or just saying hello. He is a loyal and loving husband to his wife and for some reason i cannot explain, there is great comfort in that for me.

Living in Morrisville, Pennsylvania was a significant event. We were led to buy a house in which Angel Buddenbaum would be our "duplex" neighbor (actually we moved into our homes the same exact day). Angel taught me much and again the Lord worked his magic and Angel joined the church. Through that experience i gained confidence in myself to recognize when i was receiving revelation. She taught me to love unconditionally. She taught me what it meant to "give the shirt off your back." She helped me honor my temple covenants and helped me begin to understand consecration.

Living on the Sweet dream Farm here in Tennessee was an extremely significant experience....it was purifying....it has changed me quicker spiritually than any other experience in my life. It's like i was on fast forward spiritually while i was there...could i expect less with amazing people surrounding me? I had no idea what i was in for. The Lord told us to be there and we did it. I wouldn't take ANY amount of money or luxury or wealth and trade it for that, not in a million years. There are not quite the words to express the value in having had this experience.

Being in the Cumberland Gap Ward is significant for me too. There has never been a place in all my life where i have met so many loving, giving, truly genuine people. I have more friends than i have ever had in my life at any given moment. These people are the kind of people that know what it means to love....to love the Lord, to love their country, their fellow man. I have been so blessed by the kindness of the Cumberland Gap Ward it is overwhelming. I love living here in Tennessee, in the South too. Here, people aren't afraid to talk about Christ...it's not politically incorrect to mention religion....it's a way of life. They are good to the core...not without their faults, but then no one is. They are kind and real and my love for them grows each day. Sometimes i think it's too good to be true. I hope i have there company in Heaven.

There are more significant experiences in my life of course, but for now these are the ones i felt inspired to write about. Nothing remedies a "woe is me" session better than thinking about the infinite blessings and significant events of ones life. Truly nothing is left to chance, everything is an intricately woven thread in the great quilt of life...we don't know the pattern when we begin, but everything comes together perfectly and it envelopes us with warmth. Today was a hard day, but i feel remedied now.

Here are a few old pics of some of these significant memories as they happened to be captured. Thank you for reading.

Me (hard to guess i know!) at my 4th birthday party

My wonderful sister, Louise.

My amazing brother, Jamie, and his now wife, Candice, in our home in Pennsylvania.

Christina Repka....my senior year of HS and her junior year.

Debbie Boyle, Me, and Elizabeth Butler at my high school graduation.

This represents my memory of Harcum College,
taken just outside the dorms in Bryn Mawr, PA. It was a beautiful place!

Tamara Robertson and I in San Diego, CA. Oh how I love this lady!

Lesley Gable and I at my college graduation, May 2000.

(L to R) Tamara, Lesley, Wendy, Louise (my sister), Elizabeth, Debbie.
Interestingly enough all of my bridesmaids were mentioned in this blog...i really hadn't thought about it and didn't even intentionally do this,
but i guess that's why i picked them....no coincidences!
These are significant and amazing women! ;-)

Sara and Vaughn with us on our wedding day.

Angel Buddenbaum - really an angel!

Fun on the farm!

My great ones!

Lesley's Visit & the Zoo....

The first week in August we were all privileged to have a glorious visit from my good dear friend Lesley. Lesley and I met in college 12 years ago and the Lord has seen fit for us to keep that friendship going. Lesley through the years investigated the Church and while John and I were being adventuresome in Idaho and Utah for John's undergraduate work she, on her own accord, made the dive into the waters of baptism and joined the Church herself. She is a good friend and left us with much to ponder on and learn from. Thank you Lesley for all your amazing gifts and talents, especially that of your determination to seek out good things and your ability to love and serve others.

On Tuesday of this visit I thought it would be a good idea to make sure Lesley had a good time while she was here and planned a trip to the Knoxville Zoo. Little did I realize at the time that Lesley doesn't like zoos.....although she did say there were more fun or worth it or something to that notion when kids were involved. LOL! ;-) However the zoo was only just barely enjoyable as it was over 100 degrees that day and was EXTREMELY humid! I don't think I've sweat that much in that amount of time ever...really.

It was worth it for me though to see the dear sweet camels loving on my children (well Jack wouldn't go near them without me holding him, so i couldn't take a picture of him with the camels) and also the glorious elephants. I have loved these creatures (elephants) since I was a small child and I can't quite explain what it is, but I feel a very strong connection (even a spiritual one) to them and am overcome when in their presence. What wonderful, wise, and majestic animals! The one we saw was throwing a football to it's trainer and also catching it too. The kids loved it and better yet we were in air conditioning for the whole thing! LOL!

Jack of course loved the Zebras the best and cried when we had to move on and Sarah likewise thoroughly enjoyed the monkeys! Eden cried at the end because I had had enough at that point (because of the excessive heat and humidity) and would not go and take her to see the Cheetahs, which are her favorite. Next time I promised them to take an extensive look to whatever they desired so of course out next zoo trip will be planned for the Fall!

This is Lesley with us! She is the best!

John got to stay with us for a few minutes before he had to take off to go to work.
Here he is trying to stay cool by the mists they have throughout the zoo.

Of course he's on a saddle...he cried when we left this area too!
I had to pull him off it and get him back in the stroller for us to leave!

The got to brush the goats!

I LOVE this boy of mine!

If you look close enough you can actually see his sweaty eyebrows! Ha ha!

The camels cuddling with my children. This was such a precious thing to see.
They are adorable and SO tame!

Yes her lips are blue....Lesley treated us all to Slushies!!

Trying to catch the football...

I know it's not a great picture as it was through glass and bars, but it's still magnificent!

He just kept staring at them and asking to go on their backs...

More mists!

The Monkeys!

The bamboo was everywhere and I loved it!

At home finally....Jack and his "yee haw" as he calls his hat.