Your Favorite Childhood Toys- Day #7

 Blog Challenge - Day 7

Your Favorite Childhood Toys

Okay this one was fun!  It really took me back!  I had a great childhood and nothing but really good memories!

Well... it all started with a little doll with purple hair that I was given when I was two years old.  After that I have been obsessed with EVERYTHING purple since!  At least that's the story I've always been told. I don't remember the doll at all, but I'm sure it had a "good" shade of purple as not all shades of purple are created equal.  I found a couple on Google that might have worked to influence me so profoundly, but still neither of these are it. 

My favorite dolls that I do remember were Chrissy and Velvet!  Of course Velvet had on a purple velvet dress which didn't influence me at all.  Oh I loved these two!!!

And then there's BARBIE!  I spent so many hours playing with Barbies!  Me and my friends would set up my entire basement as a huge house for our Barbies.  And then we would beg to have a three day long sleepover where we played with them non-stop!  We would make our own furniture out of spare 2x4 pieces of scrap wood and cover it with scrap leather fabric with a staple gun.  Instant leather couch!  We had so much fun with those things!  I didn't want to quit playing them even when I got "too old!"  I'd still play today if I had any of them left, but my Mom gave them all away!  Still breaks my heart to this day!  I took such good care of them too and I had some of the old classics my cousin Shelley passed down to me. 

 The Barbie Camper!  Loved this!

Barbie Cases!

 I also remember playing with a metal doll house!  I think this might be like the one I had!

 I loved my dolls called Little Kiddles!  They were scented!  My favorite one was Honeysuckle!  They were so awesome!  I had quite a collection of them!

 I also loved my Dawn Dolls!  Gosh, this brings back such fond memories!!!

 

 Since I only had a brother and no sisters and ton of boy cousins, I learned to love playing with Hot Wheels and MatchBox cars!  I had a huge collection of my own. I still have a lot of my old ones that my boys have played with.  

And of course who could forget the Easy Bake Oven!  Loved it too!  Even though those cakes tasted like wood and paint!  Bleh!  But it was fun feeling all grown up and actually baking!

Hopscotch was one of my favorite games!  We would play this at recess for hours.  Here is a Hoppy Taw!  The game just isn't as fun without an authentic Hoppy Taw!!

 Anyone remember the CLACKERS!!!  Mine were purple (of course!) but so much fun!

 I also loved playing Jacks at recess.  I remember this mostly from 1st grade through 3rd grade.

And we all loved Silly Putty!  Still do!!!

Last but not least, who could forget Gumby and Pokey?

That was a fun trip down memory lane!  I am sure I could come up several more if I had the time, but these were fun to go back and think of the good old days for a bit!

Your Zodiac Sign and If You Think It Fits Your Personality -Day #6

 Blog Challenge - Day 6
Your Zodiac Sign and If You Think It Fits Your Personality

I am not one to put my faith or trust in a zodiac sign or in astrology, but this was still a lot of fun to see how close some of these were to my real personality.

I am LEO the LION - hear me roar!   

Hmm... I would hope most of these are true!  haha  I'm not exactly laid back (though I wish I were!), but I DO know how to have fun!  I also wouldn't consider myself real talkative unless I am in the right setting. And as far as the part about "dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things"....well... that one is way off!  I LOVE adding "fluff" to many of the things I do. I have a tendency to "over-do" many things because I enjoy adding that little extra umph or detail to things.  Yes, I am the only Sunday School teacher that puts a tablecloth on her table - something that seems totally unnecessary, but to me it's essential!  ;)  To me that "fluff" IS necessary!  If something is worth doing, it's worth over-doing!  =)

I love to dance and  ice skate.  I wish I had taken ice skating lessons when I was younger because I really enjoy it.  The theater and dramatic activities is so not me!  I love being the life of the party, but not the center of attention especially in a play etc.  I do LOVE to eat and party though!  Love the energetic activities but one of those also happens to be considered mindless and boring....running!  Precision aiming? Hmmm......... I am a pretty good shot when it comes to bows and arrows and guns.  Love playing board games!

I do follow my heart!  Sometimes I should listen more to my head, but my heart always wins out!  I am ALL about tradition and family!  Mainly family traditions!  I have many and I love doing them!  I do love nurturing others!  But I do want to be shown love back, unless the person is not capable of it, then I am okay.  My cat is not a lover boy and does not like to be cuddled and I do hold that against him!  :) Yep, on the last one too.

Cocaine?  Wow!  I am told often by others that I am cheerful and happy.  I don't always feel happy, but I have learned that happiness is a choice and if I want to be happy, then I can choose to be.  I just sometimes forget to choose to be.  ;)  Full of vitality one moment and then want to be left alone the next??  Yeah, I guess I do need my down time.  I enjoy being alone quite a bit. I need that time.   I don't agree with the opinion part - other than I am pretty stubborn, but I can also be easily persuaded. 

This is very true...  ↑

I've been known to utter those phrases a time or two... lol

I do agree with that first statement.  I hate to let others down with a passion.  I also won't stand for being treated with contempt and the last thing I want to do is hurt someone, but if someone has crossed me or one of my boys...watch out! I become a Mother Bear instead of a Lion!  I can be impatient that's a FOR SURE, but I am not too overly dramatic.  It helps to live with all males.  We don't have much drama going on around here. Yes, on the irritability statement, but usually only if it happens during a hormone imbalance! haha  I do hope I'm generous, but it is something that I do have to work on.

All of these are spot on!

 

In all these years I never knew my element was FIRE or my planet was the SUN.

That was kind of fun to learn something new!

I have loved being a LEO because I have always been a cat lover and so I identify with this sign, but I have always been disappointed that my birthstone was Peridot (a light green color) instead of a purple stone like Amethyst. That is just wrong!  That is the one thing I'd to change about being a Leo.  Like I said above, I don't put too much faith or trust in this stuff, but it is fun once in a while!  And I'm not LION.........   (baaaaaaaad!  WAY bad!)

Your Views On Religion~ Day #5

Blog Challenge - Day 5

~Your Views On Religion~

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...also known as the Mormons.  As a religious group, we have been often thought of as strange or weird due to so many rumors that have been going around for eons. 

No, we do not practice polygamy.  It was banned hundreds of years ago.  

No, we don't have horns.  Where did that come from anyway?

No, we don't force our women to be submissive.  Quite the opposite in fact.  The women in our church have more responsibility and freedom than in any other religion I've ever seen. 

Yes, we believe in Jesus Christ.  He is the core of our religion.  Everything centers on Christ.

Yes, we do believe in living Prophets.  We are led and directed by them to help guide us in today's evil world.

Yes, we do believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.

Our religion is well known for it's charity work across the globe.  We believe strongly in helping others who are in need no matter what their religious views are.  I am so grateful I was born in to this church because it has blessed me in so many ways and continues to each day.  

There is so much misinformation about our beliefs.  If you are interested in finding out the truth of what we believe go to mormon.org and search for what ever it is you are seeking.    We have a force of 75,000 missionaries out right now sharing our message with the world.  In fact, one of my own sons is among them.  He is preaching in Brazil.  If you are interested in checking out his missionary website where I post his letters and photos, then go here. I am so proud of my boy and the sacrifice he has made to share this gospel that is so precious to us with those who haven't had the opportunity to find it yet.

As for my own personal testimony...I believe that Christ lived and died for each us.  I believe He now lives again.  I believe the atonement that He so willing submitted to was due to His love for our Heavenly Father and for each one of us personally.  I do not think that there is anything any of us can do to destroy that love He has for us.  I truly deeply and honestly believe that in my core.  I know He will love us even if we screw up royally.  He loves us so much that He wants us to return and live with Him again and so He made the atonement possible so that each one of us can do just that.  No. Matter. What.  I believe in an afterlife where we will live for the rest of eternity and while there we can continue to become perfected in Christ.  I believe that we will be reunited with our family members and all those we have loved while living down here on earth.  I believe that we have been given temples on this earth so we can be sealed to our loved ones not only while living here but when we pass on.  I know that families can be together forever.  I lost one of my five sons almost eight years ago when he was 17 years old and I feel this deep in my soul.  I KNOW I will be with him again and I KNOW I will be able to be together with him throughout the eternities because of the sealing power of the gospel.  I am most grateful for this knowledge above any other that I have.  I do not understand how people that don't have this knowledge can even survive this earth life when they lose someone dear and precious to them. I am so grateful for this knowledge.  I also have a deep testimony of the Book of Mormon.  I know that it was given to us to teach us and to help us to become better people.  I love having it a part of our scriptures along with the Bible.  I know that God wants us to be happy and he has provided a way for us to be.  He has given us commandments that if we will follow and obey, we will be happy.   I am so far from perfect and that is the very reason that I feel so strongly about the gospel. We don't have to be perfect!  We aren't supposed to become perfect in this short lifetime.  We have all of eternity to master that.  Thank goodness!  Whew, what a relief! 

In summary, the gospel of Jesus Christ is my whole life.  Everything I do, every decision I make is centered around living the gospel.  It is my core.  I truly love this gospel and I love my Savior and Father in Heaven so much for their love for me and for their patience.  I wish everyone on this planet could feel the joy I have because of this gospel.  It is life changing and brings happiness. Not surface happiness, but the deep core kind of happiness.  The stuff that everyone is seeking but can't seem to find.  I have found it!  And if you want it, you can to!  

Check out this website here.   

Click on the video below for a beautiful calming peaceful taste of hope.

Your Favorite Comfort Foods and Why~Day #4

Blog Challenge - Day 4

~Your Favorite Comfort Foods and Why~

Anyone that knows anything about me, knows that my #1 comfort food is CHOCOLATE!  It can turn a bad day into a wonderful one, a bad moment into bliss!  I have to admit I did try and go off it once.  It was HARD!  Longest six hours of my life!  I do LOVE my chocolate!  I don't really consider myself a chocolate snob and I accept pretty much all chocolate equally without judgment or racism... unless it's dark, cheap, or has an inferior inside.  By that I mean the many nasty fillings they can put inside various chocolates that make you wanna spit it as far across the room as you can!  But I still don't consider myself a chocolate racist, even though the only dark kind of chocolate that I tolerate is Dove.  I have also discovered these tasty little morsels from Costco that have me swinging from the vines whenever I get my hands (and mouth) on them.  They are however DARK chocolate, but whatever they are doing to make that delectable combo of coconut, almonds, and dark chocolate into those tasty little bites is working well for me.  They don't last around  my house very long.  Mainly because everyone in my family is as addicted to them as I am!  YUM!

But I am just as happy with an old boring plain and simple Hershey Bar!  I LOVE those things and they somehow can always make me happy.  The normal size one though.  I don't love the minis or the extra large ones.  They just don't do it for me.  I also absolutely love mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. There really is not a lot of chocolate out there that I don't adore. 

Here are my top 10 faves: (in no particular order because that would totally depend on my mood for the day!)

• Hershey Bar (sometimes with almonds- sometimes not)
• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (mini style)
• Dove milk chocolate
• Hershey's Kisses with almonds
• Violet Crumble (seafoam covered in chocolate in all it's glory and near impossible to find!)
• Twix (especially my homemade ones)
• Peanut M&M's
• Kit Kats
• Milk Chocolate Oranges
• See's Candy Milk Chocolate Bordeaux   

 

But there is more to life than just the food of the Gods (chocolate) and so I have quite a few other comfort foods as well that are totally unrelated.  I'll name just a few...(hundred!)  I LOVE food and I LOVE to eat!

Mashed potatoes and gravy

Black Licorice Ice Cream (sounds awful, but soooo delish!)

Chocolate Creamies

Soup (potato and cheese)

Lasagna with garlic bread

Spaghetti Factory's spaghetti with browned butter and mizithra cheese

Good old fashioned stew

German pancakes with Orange Sauce

Beef Stroganoff

Meat loaf

Chocolate pudding cake with whipped cream

Your Top Pet Peeves - Day #3

Blog Challenge Day #3

~Your Top Pet Peeves~

• Looking at phone or texting during dinner
• Someone standing over my shoulder while I'm reading the newspaper or they take the other part of it to read before I'm done
• Bad grammar online. {too/two/to} {their/they're/there} {lose/loose} {then/than} {your/you're}
• People who talk loud when on their cell phone especially in movies
• Cupboards being left open in kitchen
• Commercials before a movie
• People who give out fruit on Halloween
• People who don't discipline their children especially when they are at my house
• People that think cussing makes them appear tough
• Dark chocolate (unless it's Dove)
• Someone changing the thermostat after I have set it where I want it
• When someone closes all my open tabs on my computer
• Opening the microwave to find someone's food splattered all over it
• People who drive slow in the fast lane 
• Clean clothes put in the dirty clothes hamper
• People being wasteful. It drives me crazy when someone orders a big meal at a restaurant and doesn't eat even half of it but leaves it instead of doggy bagging it!
  
  
  
  

Where You'd Like to Be In 10 Years~ Day #2

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 2

~Where You'd Like to Be In 10 Years~

Oh goodness, this one is going to take some serious thinking!  

I can't even bear to think of the age I will be in 10 years!  It sounds so stinkin' OLD!  Yikes!  BUT... getting older does beat the alternative....at least I think it does!  That will remain to be determined I guess.  ;)

Okay, in 10 years, I would like to be a doting Grandma and a wonderful mother in law.  Let's put it this way...  I BETTER BE A GRANDMA BY THEN!  I would love to be one right now, right this very minute, but the sons are NOT cooperating!  But being a Grandma is what I want the most for myself in ten years.  I would even be happy if I have all grandsons!  I just want some of those little munchkins to love and squeeze and spoil rotten!

I would like to be better at service when it comes to others.  I always have such good intentions, but oft times the things I really want to do to help someone gets washed away in the busyness of the week.  I get frustrated with myself sometimes because I really do have good intentions.  Just not always a great follow through!

I would love to have a cabin at Bear Lake so our family has a place that we can gather and get away from it all, but that is still remotely close and easy to escape to.  

I would also like to be a published author.  I have a book (or books) that I have been wanting to write for so many years now that I am afraid it is never going to happen.  And that is okay I guess too, but if I can do it, that is a goal I'd like to achieve. These books are mainly to preserve the ideas of my family traditions and the crazy antics of motherhood I have experienced. No novels, no fiction, just the reality of life.  I also hope to have all my blog books published and on a shelf so I can look at them whenever I choose.

I would also like to have gone back to school and have completed my Master's Degree.  Though that goal isn't as important to me now as it was a few years ago.  I just love to learn and gaining an education has always been something I LOVE.  I can't get enough information about most things and so I am always seeking knowledge in one form or another.  

I also want to get back into my watercoloring.  I took lessons a few years back and it was something that I enjoyed doing with my son Tyson, who has since passed away.  I would love to dedicate more time to becoming good at it, because I wasn't too great and I need time to improve. 

One thing that I TRULY hope I can say I will be doing in ten years, is playing the harp!  Learning to play the harp has been something that I have wanted to do now for many years but there was never really time because all the teachers live out of my current city and when the boys were younger there just simply wasn't time for me to pursue that.  Now that they are all older and don't need me to be right there every minute, I feel like I DO have the time to dedicate to it.  I have just felt like for some reason I am supposed to learn how to play this instrument.  Maybe it's because that will be my only chance of getting into heaven.  There may be a shortage of harp players and they may let me in just because I can play it and they are desperate.  hehe   I know it will be extremely difficult to learn (so I've heard - even if you have studied piano, which I did for 10 years) but I am ready to just jump in with both feet and do it!  I am planning on beginning lessons this fall!  I am so excited!!!

And of course I hope to still be running like a mad woman!  Running is my therapy and I am praying that I will still be healthy enough in ten years to keep kickin' it out of me.  I feel so much better when I run and I know it is something that I would miss desperately if I couldn't do it anymore.  My dream is to be one of those old ladies that run marathons and doesn't die doing it!  Okay, maybe just half marathons at that point, but I do want to still be a fierce competitor!  

I guess I shouldn't leave out the common answer which is I would like to be happy.  That is something we all want .  And I now know that no matter what, I will be because I truly believe deep down that we choose whether or not we want to be happy.  Even if our lives are miserable, we can still choose happiness. And happiness is a choice.  I have learned that the freeway to happiness is gratitude.  No matter how bad things are, there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for.  And when we are grateful, we are happy.  Simple as that!

There are so many other things that I could add here ~~~ but for now, I will just leave it at this.

30 Day Blog Challenge! Your Current Relationship~ Day #`1

 30 Day Blog Challenge - Day #1

I'm back!  Well at least I am going to TRY and return for these 30 days and see if it will kick me back into gear in the blogger-sphere!  I am also doing a 30 day Yoga Challenge on Instagram right now, so why not just go crazy and do this too!   I really WANT to blog, but I just got out of the habit and so I stopped.  Facebook is easier and much faster to add photos and so that kind of became my way of preserving photos.  I know this way is better and so I am hoping this will become something that I can stick with.  It has changed a lot though!  I am going to have to teach myself all the new settings and format. I'm really rusty!  But it will be good for me!  Sooooooo............. here we go!!!

BLOG CHALLENGE DAY 1

~Your Current Relationship~

This should be an easy one to get started on since I have been married now for almost 31 years.  In one month and four days, it will 31 years!  Wow, not sure where the time has gone! But five boys, 2 birds, 2 bunnies, 2 cats, 1 dog, and countless fish (and snakes and lizards) later, we are still chugging away!  We have survived undergrad school, moving away to St. Louis, medical school, building a home, six pregnancies, five sons, six and half years with Dave in the Bishopric, and four more as Bishop, one year of me traveling all over the state to give speeches, two missionaries (so far), endless stays at the Primary Children's Hospital, countless broken bones and stitches, the death of our son Tyson, and I could go on and on!  It's amazing when you think back over your married life span, how much has happened!  

Dave has always been a very persistent person and has achieved whatever it was he set out to do.  Our relationship would never had happened without his persistence.  I am a very determined person and so his persistence (against my determination) is the only way we could have ever gotten together.  But I will spare you the details of our courtship and talk about our current relationship since that is what this challenge specifically is asking for.

We don't have a lot of time to spend together due to the fact that we are both extremely busy in our own endeavors.  But, we manage to find time to go on a date almost every week.  We don't usually do anything really exciting, but just going out to dinner seems to be the best thing so we can just sit down and actually talk.   He has at least one day a week off and so on that day, we are usually able to go to lunch or do some project together.  Our nest is emptying fast and so I am sure in the future our time to spend together will increase.  

Most of our interests are not the same unfortunately. He LOVES to garden and do yard work and I pretty much despise it.  I LOVE to shop and he really does not enjoy that one bit.  But it actually balances itself out in a way.  Someone needs to shop and someone needs to do the yard work right?  We do both love to watch our boys play sports and to attend anything that they are involved in.  We both enjoy vacationing together or just getting away to the cabin for a weekend here and there.  I am not a huge fan of fishing, but I will go fishing so we can spend that time together.  I love to run, and he has tried to do that with me but his knees won't cooperate and so we like to take walks together when we get a chance.  Bottom line is we both will try the others interests so we can spend more time together.

Dave is always thinking of me in one way or another.  He goes out of his way to please me.  Just this past couple of weeks he has left me one of my favorite treats (Old Grist Mill Pumpkin Bars with chocolate chips) in the bathroom several times for when I get out of the shower.  He always writes a note on the styrofoam container to me and even though it seems like such a little thing, it really is a big thing!  

He always leaves me a note under my pillow if he is going to be gone to scout camp or somewhere for the night.  If I am going to be gone, he will leave me a note in my bag.  He has never missed one time doing that in all these years. It really is the little things that make the big differences in a relationship.  He tells me frequently that I look nice and gives me compliments.  We women always lover to hear those kind of things!  He is always there to support me in my races if he can possibly be there.  He gives me the pats on the back I need and is always saying something nice to me either about my running or my talents.  He isn't afraid to help with the house, in fact he cleans the toilets!  And does much of the laundry and meal preparation.  He is a hard worker and never really takes a minute to just chill. It isn't in his nature. He is very talented and there aren't many things he isn't good at. He is very romantic and goes above and beyond just to please me in any way he can.  In fact, sometimes I am almost afraid to say I need something because I know he will stop what he is doing to make sure I get what I need even if it means him changing his plans. All in all, I can say that he truly treats me like the Queen of the Castle.  I have been very blessed to have him as a husband and as a worthy Priesthood holder.  I know deep down that I don't deserve him, but I am sure grateful I have him.
    
It isn't always lala land, that's for sure. We can get at each others throats at times, and we have many things we differ on and don't always agree with each other, but we eventually work things out and are able to see the bigger picture. We have a lot of room for improvement, but hey, what's the next 31 years for right?

I did it!  I completed my first Blog Challenge!!!  Now let's hope I don't forget to do it tomorrow and the next day, and the next day, and the....