Dean Family pictures

I was able to get some more guinnie pigs for pics!! Yea! Meet the Dean Family! They were great and the kids were a ton of fun..... So I got a ton of candid shots (my fav!) But with goes this I've been trying to figure out several things with my camera. We had some lighting issues and I didn't see that there was a lot of motion in some pics...... still learning! But anyhow, enjoy!

Bows!!

K. So I've been workin on making some korker bows. My friend is doing a Boutique during Thanksgiving weekend and asked if I would do some bows to help fill her booth. Its been fun. Kind of stress relieving in a small way too. My kitchen table is out of comission and has been for the last couple days, but oh well! I probably will do some more crafts before we leave for Wyo!!! Yeah! So excited!! We might freeze, but at least it will be fun! Right?! So anyhow, heres a little peek.......FYI if they all don't sell, I will try to sell them on here so keep your eyes peeled! :)

Oh and another little side note...... Yesterday. (I will pretend that whoever reads this is on the edge of their seats waiting to find out how yesterday went.)

I was dreading choir yesterday.

I think I let this fellow get to me, hurt my pride or feelings whatever you want to call it...... so I really didn't even want to go. (plus the fact that yet again I hadn't found a piano this week.......) I was feeling extremely guilty for the choirister though. Stressful for her, yes. Also I told the accompianist that I would fill in for her. Anyhow, I just decided to pray for much needed love and get our butts to church. I was of course lolligagging around and we would be a couple minutes late. They had already started, and to my delight someone else was playing. The sister who had laughed at me the week previous :)..... so I sat down and joined the choir singing...... I could tell she was sweating bullets and extremely uncomfortable. I'm so mean!! I think she got a taste of what I felt last week. I did get back up and relieved her. It was fine. Mean brother in the back didn't say anything :). Thanks! I got through it and proceeded to take the girls to the potty, drinks etc before the meeting started. I felt good. I forgave the poor guy who didn't even know I was offended or hurt.

As I was just about to our seat, here comes the same sister who filled in for me. She didn't look so hot. I didn't see her husband and she plays the organ for sacrament meeting...... you getting my drift......I thought at first she needed help with her little girl then she tells me she is going HOME...... and gives me the look of will you fill in for me!!!! Yes, I started to sweat major bullets. It so came full circle to bite me in the hiney. I haven't touched the organ since my first encounter with it. Plus side, I knew all the hymns we were going to sing. Down side.....couldn't remember jack .....all those buttons......hmmmm. I started praying for some major help. There was only a couple minutes left to play some prelude. I was trying to remember, presssing some stops, accidently pushed a button and the volume sky rocketed, I was hitting some wrong notes.....sigh............... Holy cow. I just laughed. Embarrassed as I was, I couldn't do anything about it. I just tried to get through it. :) I did. Glad to get to class and not have a lesson, I notice there was no piano player in Primary. I played. That was a joy. It felt like home.

I did ask my partner who teaches with me, "you do have the lesson right!!??"

I don't like surprises....... at least not at church! :)

Accident-prone child, Mr. Mayes home, Sunday......

Doesn't look like much does it? I guess when they act like they are on the verge of dying!! I tend to react a bit differently......hope I'm not the only mother out there that tends to over-react!!!!

Catching everyone back up to speed.....on Thursday, I was walking Elle into class. I usually just drop her off out front and go. But, anywho, the path is gravel and has cement stepping stones in the middle of the path. She was running and her toe grabbed the last stone and she went down. HARD. She hit her jaw on the cement step. At first it looked like she hit her neck. With plenty of tears, her teacher took her inside and put a band-aid on it. So I left. Long story short, she was in a lot of pain. She could talk fine, so I knew it wasn't broken and I asked the doctors ass. if it should be looked at. Of course they made a appointment and got her in right away. Sigh..... so with bread in the oven baking (yes it was a first) Eli to be landing in less than 45 min. We hurried to the hospital. (Thats where her pediatrician is) He thinks its okay but wants an x-ray just to make sure....bigger sigh......Eli already touched down and is waiting. And I am seriously stressing out because I don't think she is going to do so hot. I told her what it would be like.....(to this day she has already had a CT scan, couple other x-rays, etc) same old story. Disaster, drama, coaxing, forcing, Bribing, you name it. Somehow we got her on the little platform and she is moving while they do this, so I know that we will need another one. Sheesh. Yep, one more. She calmly steps up on the platform and holds still. Good, we are done and are able to go get Eli. (note* x-ray was fine. obviously.)

**another note** the following night, she was playing on the bar chair in the kitchen, with her loving sister pushing it in circles when crash!!! Yep she landed on the back of her head......bloody nose. Till the next accident..........

So its been great having Mr. Mayes back with us! Can't tell you how wonderful it is. (his student is here too......) I am a very happy woman!! not that his student is staying with us! With Eli being home......

K, Sunday was going to be a busy day. I had sharing time, a lesson for our class, and piano solo in sacrament meeting. Oh and a biggy.....accompany for choir which I totally forgot. Stress for me. Oh and another thing, Elle had a talk. When it rains, it pours!!! :) So i try to find a paino piece for me. I usually wouldn't have a hard time with this, but of course its proving otherwise. Can't find one that fits. I thought I found one, called the bulliten person. Then changed my mind. Got the lesson prepared, figured out sharing time and got the things I needed for it done. Got Elle's talk prepared, and spent some much needed time with Mr. Mayes! My favorite. (and totally forgot about choir) Oh sheesh..... I get stressed pretty easy. Don't know why, but I do lately. Sucks. Get to church and ask another lady who has accompanied for choir already, if she wants to help me out. She laughs. yes, she laughed at me. So i did my best. Sightreading with four freakin sharps, I did my best. Was it good enough? I thought it was okay. Nope, one kind gentleman in the back row keeps belting out G SHARP!!! we were working on this particular section, so we were going over it multiple times. Again....G SHARP!!! I've already checked and re-checked my self to make sure i was playing it right. Ya, this time I was right. (I let everyone know when I got there that it would be pretty rough, obviously this gentleman didn't care) One last time G SHARP!!!!! Um sir, Would you please be kind enough to come show me what a g-sharp is? Great. Oh, that one!! GREAT! CUZ THATS WHAT I"VE BEEN PLAYING!!!!! K, I really didn't say that.... I was too busy blinking back the wall of tears ready to explode forth from my eyes. I very nicely told him that I was playing a sharp. Blink, blink, blink, blink, blink........man is it hot in here!! :) Boy was I sure glad when it was over!! (note to self.....I don't think i will forget to practice this week!! Yes, one more week of this) Oh! Even better, Eli was in choir and heard this guy. He was ready to get up and leave. :) AH.....so sweet. He knew I was dyin down there!!! The rest of the day went okay. We did a puppet show for our sharing time. The kids seemed to like it!! I was super happy to get home and eat my yummy roast and mashed potatoes!!! Oh and Elle did so good on her talk. She sang I Am a Child of God. And did fabulous. She didn't even wait for me to play the paino!!! It was so heart warming! She even had the small speaking part memorized.....just wonderful!!

Wow!

K, my thoughts are totally scrambled right now but I am seriously so amazed. I like to read the news on a daily basis. Tonight as I was checking, I went to KSL ( in Salt Lake) and a story just posted 2 hours ago. A commercial by the "Courage Campaign" in California. I couldn't believe it. It shows two supposed missionaries knocking on a lesbian couples home. They tell them "We are here to take your rights away" They proceed to ransack the home taking their wedding rings and searching for the marriage certificate and rip it up. As they are leaving, one looks at the other and says "that was too easy, what should we ban next?". Wow. Two hours later there are almost 300 comments. Member and non-members alike. VERY HEATED. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. We live in a wonderful land where we enjoy many of these freedoms. Of course it hurts to see our church displayed in such a hateful way. I was reading Eli's missionary scriptures (they are marked and he has wonderful inserts.)
There was one insert where it was about the Apostacy. (Sorry, there isn't a listed author, but I will find out.) I wish I could post the whole thing. It would take forever and be SO long. So I'll skip around a bit. It begins by saying, " Apostacy has existed from the beginning, as man strays from the narrow path, rejects prophets, revelation, and commandments, loses grasp of the iron rod, or once having obtained the fruit of the tree of life feels shame or embarrassment from worldly ridicule, and departs therefrom. The Lord's dealings with men have been designed to keep the faithful from apostacy and to encourage those who do not have the fullness of truth to accept the light and enjoy the blessings of obedience."
Just like in Christs time, He established His church on earth. When he died, the apostles where shortly killed one by one after. Therefore, bishops were the ones left. Some took parts and pieces of the truth and its wasn't whole anymore.
Today we have the truth. It was been restored to earth. What a blessing as members of Christs church today! We have a prophet who guides us, and revelation taylored to our needs today! In the scriptures we are warned that some will fall away "by the craftiness of the devil". So we knew this was coming right? RIGHT. By I can't believe how many members I read about say, "I feel this is wrong", "I disagree with Pres. Monson", "The church shouldn't be spending money fighting this...." etc. you get my point. So to see members falling away so quickly on this issue shocked me. Yes, we are human and make mistakes. How strong are our testimonies? There were a few that probably didn't like the the Proclamation on the Family. But isn't that the same exact thing we are standing up for? Marriage between a man and woman? Same thing the church has always stood up for?
I don't know if this makes any sense to you, but we see the pride cycle in scriptures and other great examples that could apply here. I don't know why this one popped out at me.
So I guess in my opinion, members are taking bits and pieces of the gospel and applying it. Choosing what sounds good, and their own interpretation. I am probably so nieve (sp?) to how faithful members are today. I just think in my own little world every member is a worthy faithful one! Yes, these are the things predicted about before the Savior comes again I just pray that I will be able to teach by the spirit in my own home.
One more thought. "Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of food been as well organized....the final outcome is certain-The forces of fighteousness will win, but what remains to be seen is where each of us will stand.....Great battles can make great heros and heroines" (In his steps, Address to Educational System Personnel Anaheim, CA 8 Feb. 1987) *note* its kind of hard to read some of his writing, but this is what it looks like it said :)

Sorry I rambled on, but I couldn't describe the feeling I had when I was reading members comments on this issue. What do you think? (to the masses who read our blog? :) )