Happy Anniversary!

I just wanted to wish a VERY Happy Anniversary to the best parents in the world! I hope that your time together has been as wonderful for you as it has for all of your crazy kids.

The Simple Life is not so Simple and What Century is This?

I I have come to realize that the simple life is not so simple. Let me explain. Beau gave a lesson in priesthood about a year ago and one of the points made in the conference talk (which somehow ended up taped to the refrigerator) was this: "unencumber your life." I think of this often and have taken it to heart because I know that one of the greatest tools the advarsary is using in this day is 'noise.'

I first thought of this concept sitting in my statistics class. Statistics 101. In statistics, the definition of noise is something extraneous--uncontrolled variables which cause errors in the distribution of data. I came to understand the idea a little more concretely in physics, which defines noise as: "a disturbance, especially a random and persistent disturbance that obscures or reduces the clarity of a signal." Basically, "noise" in this sense is meaningless, irrelevant and superfluous information.

As my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ has grown, I have come to recognize that from all directions Satan is sending "noise." It is there at the grocery store in creative packaging, it comes to my mailbox, it blares through the radio, and violates through the tv. Our 'culture of youth' teems with messages of superiority and inferiority.

We live in one of the wealthiest nations in the entire world, yet we are made to feel inferior unless we have a certain gismo, drive a certain car, wear a certain style of clothing, listen to a certain type of music and eat a certain type of food. Its no wonder that the very being who in the beginning wished to deprive us of agency wants us to all be alike, but not only this...he cunningly makes us want to be like "everyone else."

As a result of this ssi, (spiritual space invasion), we are cumbered down with ideals and, more often tangible objects that are meaningless, irrelevant and superfluous. These "random and persistent disturbances obscure the clarity" of an eternal perspective. The perspective that focuses on returning to our Heavenly home clean, and surrounded by nothing else but...our FAMILY.

Satan is clever. Satan uses "things" to steer our minutes, moments, days, and lives away from the literal quiet moments in which the spirit can whisper absolute truth.

Okay, off my soap box and on to the real purpose of this post. The simple life. As a family we have been trying; to simplify. to unencumber. So I have to ask. In regard to physically decluttering, where do you draw the line between the letting go and "I'm going to need this someday", "we have to prepare" attitude. Despite what my husband may say, I am very critical of what comes into my home (both tangible and intangible.)

Ironically, today in Relief Society we talked of Elder Ballard's recent conference talk about 'the simple life' (of which I have listened to four times). He discusses Thorough's experience on Waldon Pond and the true necessities of life: food, shelter, clothing and fuel (particularly spiritual fuel).

Lately I feel like we have been living the simple life. Last week, I chopped the firewood for the stove. I wash my dishes in an old porcelain sink because there is no dishwasher. Also last week we ran out of hot water and I found myself heating water on both stoves for the boys bath. For family home evening we hand cranked our own flour and made bread and Grandpa's Saline's whole wheat pancakes. (To add to this simple life feeling, this beautiful old home we live in has original 1920's wood floors, trim, and decor; and, in our town, there is no Walmart and people gather on downtown street corners and converse in front of the window shops.) But let me just tell you--the simple life is NOT SO SIMPLE! It is rewarding, but it is HARD WORK. We have it SO easy!

The challenge of our day is not to chop firewood and grind flour. The challenge of our day is to remove the 'noise' that is clouding a perfect and eternal perspective of where we came from, why we are here and what we should be doing to get where we are going. It is to unencumber ourselves of ALL the noise that is distracting from progress toward that perfect end--a celestial family.

So I guess I am writing this to me, to remind myself to "simplify, simplify, simplify."

Happy Halloween

The cutest Clown you will ever see!
Keagan the SuperHERO and his trusty...frog.

for the love... of money, power, and gingerbread men

of power:
One day a few weeks ago, the boys and I were at the beach. We'd taken some stories and read a few, and then we went and sat on some logs about three feet from the water and were watching the waves come closer and closer. I would say that for about 45 minutes Keagan, Kaleb and I just sat there. on a log. watching a glacier.

I was enthralled. Keagan and Kaleb on the other hand were sifting the sand through their hands and throwing it into the big bad ocean. A couple of people showed up at the beach with their dogs. (Up until then, we had had this whole beach to ourselves.) Well, we watch these people use a ball thrower to give their dogs a big thrill. Keagan watches this for about twenty minutes and asks me if he can throw the ball to the dogs. I told him that if he wanted to do that, he needed to go ask "that man" politely if he could throw the ball. (I'm trying to get him to talk to adults--this stems from my chronically shy childhood.) Well, Keagan watched for about another 10 minutes and when he had finally gotten up the courage to ask him, the man said "no."

This has bothered me for three weeks. I'll be honest, those ball throwers are kind of hard to use, I didn't expect that Keagan could even dislodge it from the gripper...but I didn't see the harm in letting him try--or even just letting him toss the ball! Why do people say "NO" to children just to get a power trip out of it! I mean seriously---it's a ball, and a dog.

of money:

So we are at the hardware store going to get a drain stopper for this original 1920's sink that I have in my kitchen. (What's worse than not having a dishwasher? not having a sink. I had to wait 7 days for the porcelain on this sink to dry. I digress.) OF COURSE, what is on the very first end isle right when we walk in? A ball thrower for dogs. Keagan grabs one and carries it around the entire store. Alright, I'm trying to be a good mom and teach my son about money right? I said, "Keagan, this costs money. Do you have any money?" He pulls 12 cents out of his pocket. I said "Well, I don't think that is enough, but we can go see." So I take him to the front to have HIM ask the clerk if his 12 cents will buy this twelve dollar item.

So here we are at the front of the store with this old man that could play Santa Clause in the Cole's Thanksgiving Day parade. Keagan asks, "Will my money buy this?" and he says "Do you have any money?" Once again, the little palm with two pennies and a dime. The old man pauses for a moment, long enough to make me really nervous. "Do you really want that?" he asks. Another long pause. Now I can't handle it and intervene, "It would help if we had a dog, wouldn't it Keagan," I hint "but maybe if you save your money and you really want that you can bring your money back and buy it."

of gingerbread men:

Now the old man takes Keagan back over and puts the thrower away and says, "How about this one?" "Naw." "How about this one?" He keeps showing Keagan these other dog toys and I'm really confused at what's going on by now. They come back and Keagan is holding an eleven dollar gingerbread man chew toy. He starts ringing me up for the $2.30 drain stopper and I say, "Keagan, maybe we can buy this later." --"Oh, no. That's his. It's clearly defective. I can't take money for it anyway. " (not true.) followed by the grandchildren story.

First of all, let me explain. There are not enough people like this incredibly generous hardware store owner--seriously, it was an eleven dollar dog toy. It was a very kind token; however, I was trying to bestow a powerful financial lesson, and now my son is carrying around a chew toy.