Teaching... my favorite thing to do! I will just need to lay low for 3 weeks, then I'll be back!

I have been teaching different art classes for over 30 years. I simply love to help others create something special! Today I took on another Quilt Shop ( Keepsake Cottage ) in Bothell, it was really fun and a great place to teach! So now you will see me in Kirkland and Bothell!


I think meeting new ladies, and then being able to see old friends each month when I teach ...makes it the perfect job. Now you probably noticed that I now have a stool beside me. I had to get that last week, so that I could get my weight off of my knees when I am teaching. I found out last week that I have a meniscus tear on each knee. It happened when I had my car accident in June. I just kept wondering how my knees could be going bad both at the same time?



So tomorrow...I will go in for Arthroscopic surgery on both knees so... I will be down for awhile.
I am a bit discouraged about having surgery but..I don't want to be hurting any more either so... we will do it!
I have many blessings... so that is where I need to focus my energies, well on that... and on healing and getting my knees stronger.

Since I won't be able to do stairs for 4 days... we brought our recliner downstairs, got my Chicken Soup Quilt and a good stash of yarn, so...I think we are ready and I'll be fine!

 Good Night dear friends!
I like the quote " By doing what you love, you inspire and awaken the hearts of Others."

Have I taught my children to fish and to sharpen their axes?

Finally my back has gotten better and I am terribly grateful for that. I forget how hard it is to function or concentrate when you are in such pain. It has been a long time since my back has been that bad...I think it scared Jeff and I both. I don't want to have surgery on my back, I pray that I can get stronger and keep it that way!

Today I was able to go to church and teach the women in Relief Society. The lesson was how important it is that we teach our children about God and how that can change their lives. One of the things that stuck out to me was ...that the reason that it is important to teach your children about God and Jesus Christ is because, there will be times in your kids lives that you can't be there.. but their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will always be there. What a great source of strength that can be.
I love the quote...

"Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime"

I would love to keep all my family close to me always and shelter them from anything bad in the world, but that isn't possible. I just pray that Jeff and I have taught them well enough to fish on their own. I hope that they will read the scriptures and go to them always for strength and comfort.

I hope that they know through and through, that they are a child of God and with that knowledge they will be able to be happy and have peace and hope...no matter what is going on in their world.

I hope that they love and teach their families to love and serve others. That they will never see someone in trouble or hurt...without helping them. 

you can watch the video HERE:

What a better world we would have if everyone loved one another.
It was a great reminder for me to study the scriptures, pray more often and look for opportunities every day to help someone in need.

Good Night dear friends!

PS If any of you think your lives are too busy to take time and read your scriptures...then read this story below!

The Wood-Choppers Contest

Once upon a time there were two men in a wood-chopping contest.  They were tasked with chopping down as many trees in the forest as they could from sun-up to sun-down.  The winner would be rewarded with both fame and fortune.

From morning till noon, both men steadily chopped and chopped.  By noon they were neck and neck, but then one man took a break and stopped chopping.  The other man saw this and thought to himself: “The lazy fool, he’s probably taken a break for lunch. He’s given me a chance to get ahead of him and I will without doubt win this contest!”

A while later the man got back to work. As the day continued he chopped more trees than his hard-working (and hungry) competitor and by mid-afternoon he had taken a clear lead.

When sundown came, the man who had taken the break at noon had chopped almost twice as many trees as the other man, who was drenched in sweat, hungry and exhausted.

“How did you beat me?” he asked puzzled. “You were lazier than I and even took a break for lunch!”

“Ah,” said the other man, “I did take a break, but it was during that break, that I sharpened my axe.”

I love Sundays!

I love Sundays because they spiritually  recharge me for the week. Today the lessons that I learned were about parenthood, a great reminder of the things we need to do with our children and grandchildren. Here are some of my notes...

"The most important work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home" ~ Harold B. Lee

1. ...Make sure that we as parents are at the crossroads for our kids when they are coming and going, when they leave and return from school, when they leave or return from dates, when they bring friends home. Always be there at the crossroads!
2.  ...Take time to be a real friend to your children. Listen to your children, really listen. Talk to them, laugh and joke with them, sing with them, play with them, cry with them, hug them, honestly praise them. Regularly spend one on one time with each child. Be a real friend to your children. 
3. ...Take time to read to your children. Starting from the cradle, read to your sons and daughters. … You will plant a love for good literature and a real love for the scriptures if you will read to your children regularly.
4. ...Take time to pray with your children. Hold family prayers morning and night. Have your children feel of your faith as you call down the blessings of heaven upon them. … Have your children participate in family and personal prayers.
5. ...Take time to have a meaningful weekly home evening. Have your children actively involved. Teach them correct principles. Make this one of your family traditions. …
6. ...Take time to be together at mealtimes as often as possible. This is a challenge as the children get older and lives get busier. But happy conversation, sharing of the day’s plans and activities, and special teaching moments occur at mealtime because parents and children work at it.
7. ...Take time daily to read the scriptures together as a family. … Reading will bring increased spirituality into your home and will give both parents and children the power to resist temptation. It will change the lives of your family.
8. ... Take time to do things as a family. Make family outings and picnics and birthday celebrations and trips special times and memory builders. Whenever possible, ...attend, as a family, events where one of the family members is involved, such as a school play, a ball game, a talk, a recital. ...Attend Church meetings together.
9. ...Take time to teach your children. Catch the teaching moments at mealtime, in casual settings, or at special sit-down times together, at the foot of the bed at the end of the day, or during an early-morning walk together. …
10. A mother and Father's love and prayerful concern for their children are the most important ingredients in teaching them. Teach children gospel principles. Teach them it pays to be good. Teach them there is no safety in sin. Teach them a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and a testimony of its divinity.
11. ...Teach your sons and daughters modesty, and teach them to respect their bodies. To have respect for other's modesty also.
12. ...Teach them a love for work and the value of a good education.
13. ...Teach them the importance of the right kind of entertainment, including appropriate movies, videos, music, books, and magazines. Discuss the evils of pornography and drugs, and teach them the value of living the clean life.
14. ...Take the time to truly love your little children. Love your children like the Savior does.

Good night dear friends!

Day 2 of Christmas!

Today was Day 2 of Christmas, so Angie and I got up and went over the class demo staging, she is already learning so much. I love her desire to create! She was excited to come to work with me today. We had a lot of ladies turn out today, it went great and they really loved the block. I just love teaching these ladies, they are amazing and have become such dear friends to me. It has truly been a blessing to be their teacher.

After 3 hours of teaching, we had to stop by the Machine shop to have someone help me with my Serger, the tension wasn't right on it. Angie was a trooper and so patient, I know she liked it but it made for a long day. 

We came home and had dinner again on the deck!

Here she is with what she earned for working with me today. Susan let her pick out some fabric. I let her pick out an animal for helping me for 3 hours. She loves her stuffed animals, just like Lauren did when she was young.

..

Then we went outside and worked a bit in the front yard. She had fun trimming the bushes.

.After that, we headed to the store and then came home and watched a Movie. Jeff called and said they were fine and going to bed for the night. He said it was a beautiful drive today! He loves his motorcycle and the freedom it gives him. I am so glad that he has that, he is an amazing man and works sooo hard for our family, he certainly deserves it!

We first thought that maybe our Granddaughter Miss Oakley might be coming early, because Krystal hasn't been feeling good. It ended up that she was really dehydrated so they took her to the hospital for some IVs, now she is feeling better. Still praying for her safe arrival. I can hardly wait to see and hold that baby girl!
Good Night dear friends!

Doing Good to Others!

Teaching our children Service at a young age was very important to Jeff and I. We prayed daily that they would have kind and compassionate hearts. We tried to come up with different ways in which our family could serve. It has been one of the biggest blessings in our lives.
 As our kids are now adults, I watch them interact with Others, I am amazed at the level of concern and compassion that they have, and my heart is full of gratitude. They got it, they got the lessons that we tried so hard to teach. It just does your heart good as a parent, to see your kids grow up and make such a GOOD and BIG difference in the world. They truly love Others!

When I read this sweet story from a book called "To The Rescue ", I realized that this Mother in the story was trying to teach the very same lesson.

"Sunday dinner was a big event in the Monson home.

"Every Sunday Gladys would prepare a plate of food for Old Bob; before the family sat down to dinner, she would send Tommy off with the plate. One Sunday he asked, “Why don’t I take it down later?”
"His mother responded, “You do what I say, and your food will taste better.”
"He wasn’t sure what she meant, but he headed off for Old Bob’s, waiting anxiously as aged feet brought his neighbor to the door. Bob reached for a dime to reward the delivery boy. “Oh, Mr. Dicks,” said Tommy, “I wouldn’t want to take your money. My mother would tan my hide.”
“My boy, you have a wonderful mother,” Bob said as he patted Tommy’s blond hair."

"When Tommy got back, his dinner did taste better. “I didn’t realize,” he recalls, “I was learning a most powerful and important lesson about caring for those less fortunate.”

 

"Why does our happiness increase when we help others find happiness? How can parents help their children learn this truth?"

 

"When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated."

 

 

 

Teaching kids the value of work!

Today I gave a talk in church, on Teaching Children the Value of Work. So here it is, for anyone who needs a bit of encouragement teaching their kids or grandkids to work!

A traveler passed a stone quarry and saw three men working. He asked each man what he was doing. Each man’s answer revealed a different attitude, toward the same job. “ I am cutting stone,” the first man answered. The second replied, “I am earning three gold pieces per day.” And the third man smiled and said,  “ I am helping to build a house of God.”

 

It is vital that we have a great attitude about the work we do…one might ask WHY?

In a talk given  by J Richard Clark which you can find here:    he says… 

Work is a blessing from God. It is a fundamental principle of salvation, both spiritual and temporal. When Adam was driven from his garden home, he was told that his bread must be produced by his physical toil, by the sweat of his brow. Note carefully the words: “Cursed shall be the ground for thy sake” ., that is, for his good or benefit. It would not be easy to master the earth; but that was his challenge and his blessing, as it is ours.

From the time our kids were little we tried to teach them the value of work. 

Each week at FHE we would pick a (VERY IMPORTANT PERSON) or what we called our V.I.P. 
This child got to pick out the songs and treats for Family night,
they got to pick someone to say morning and nightly prayers,
they got to sit where they wanted at the table,
 they got to pick their favorite meal for one of our dinners
  and most important they got to pick what chore they did.

Usually the coveted chore was the dishes, it was pretty easy compared to sweeping, or laundry so ….that is what the VIP usually picked. One morning after all the kids had gone to school, I was in my room straightening up when I heard an awful scream from Lee  in the kitchen (it was one of those screams that you were pretty sure there had to be blood that went with it ) well, I ran in and found Lee holding his thumb and crying. I looked and he had been doing his dishes ( because he was the V.I.P. for the week ) and he had cut his self with one of the knifes. Now anyone of the younger kids that did the dishes, knew that they did not have to do the silverware …actually they weren’t suppose to….because of the knifes and other sharp objects. And up until that day, it has never been a problem!  Lee said that he thought he could take one of the knives and cut a door out of an old cardboard box he found, so he could have a garage for his matchbox cars. Well, obviously the knife slipped… and cut his thumb.  So off to the hospital we went.

As the nurses were trying to calm him down and clean the wound and prepare him for the stitches, they asked him some questions…

How old are you Lee?...."four"

How did you cut your thumb?..."with a butcher knife"  ( it wasn’t that big but to a 4 year old, maybe it did)

What were you doing with a butcher’s knife?.... sob …"I am the VIP"

What does that mean? …. Between  more  sobs he said   "VERY IMPORTANT PERSON"

But why did you have a knife? …"because I was doing the dishes"

Why were you doing the dishes? …..then will sobbing louder than ever he said…"because I am the VIP"

As I watched the nurses faces, and then saw them turn and whisper to each other, I was wondering if maybe our teaching our kids to work AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE   was going to be seen as something different! Lucky for us everything went fine…and we were able to take Lee home, after a few painful stitches.

 

As a family it was very important for us to remind our children what King Benjamin said in  . Mosiah 2:17  “ When you are in the service of your fellow beings ye are in the service of your God”

Teaching our kids to serve one another was a main goal in our home. We would remind them when they helped with the laundry… everyone in the house would have clean clothes that they could find,
when they needed them.
When they vacuumed, then the floor would be clean, for their baby brother or sister crawling around.

Brad however had a bit of trouble thinking that vacuuming and sweeping had any real purpose, so sometimes I had to get creative. One day after he did a half way job of sweeping and came to tell me that he was all done, I asked…did you find the money?  His reply was What money?  I then said, if you did  a really good job of sweeping, then you would have found the money.  From then on he learned quickly on how to really sweep, which meant going behind the furniture, picking up the rugs and sweeping all along the baseboards. .

 Teaching your kids to work, really takes a lot of thinking and creativity!
Still you might hear the same complaint every now and then that we read about in Matthew Chapter 20 It is the parable that Jesus tells of the laborers in the vineyard, when at the end of the day they are finally given their wages and how some complained …that it wasn’t  fair! Guess it does my heart good to know my kids weren’t the only ones to complain about fairness :)

As we talk to our kids now, they are grateful for their knowledge on how to work. Especially when they have  room mates or companions that don’t know how to do any chores at all.

I still agree with the old saying…

“Tell me and  I’ll forget”

Show me and  I’ll remember

Involve me and I’ll understand.” 

In closing I would like to read this quote that Brother Clark mentions in his talk, about work ….

“If you are poor, work. If you are burdened with seemingly unfair responsibilities, work. If you are happy, work. Idleness gives room for doubts and fears. If disappointments come, keep right on working. If sorrow overwhelms you and loved ones seem not true, work. If health is threatened, work. When faith falters and reason fails, just work. When dreams are shattered and hope seems dead, work. Work as if your life were in peril. It really is. No matter what ails you, work. Work faithfully-work with faith. Work is the greatest remedy available for both mental and physical afflictions.”

-- Korsaren

I am grateful for to be a member of this church, I am grateful for the emphasis that our Prophet put on the principle of work .
I am  grateful to know …that in the end, what is really important is…

What we have become by our labors!

It was a very good day!

 Today was a great day. It started out with me teaching the 2nd Day of Christmas at the shop. I just loved teaching, and especially teaching Christmas ideas! It doesn't get much better than that. All the ladies there are so amazing! Each one has different talents, different successes, lives and heartaches. Each one comes, and for a few minutes we all have something in common, we are learning something ...a talent that makes us happy, and usually one that we can share with those around us. Yes, that is why having something to do that  you love, can make all the difference in the world
  Then for lunch a dear friend came over with her Mother. I had met her Mother before, but we really didn't know each other real well. We have something in common though, she too is a Cancer Survivor! As I listened to her story...I was so amazed at her courage and faith. I shouldn't have been amazed, because I have known her daughter for years and she is simply one of the finest young women I know. She is a great example to me. So today I realized like the old saying goes "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree " and I mean that in the most positively way possible! :)
  As her Mom and I talked, I realized that there is something about having had some of the same struggles, experiences, illnesses and etc, with others... that make you more compassionate in that particular area. That is why I think it is vital for all of us to share our stories, our experiences and our faith. So maybe, just maybe it will help another...who is having to travel down that very same road. There is great comfort in knowing you are not the only one...yes, great comfort in that.
  Another thing I have noticed throughout my life is... that when you have a terrible tragedy, illness, death, loss in your life, that it is ok to mention God. When most times in the world, people don't mention Him for fear of what Others might think or judge you by. But those who have had these very terrible troubles in their lives, know that it is truly only through God and His Son Jesus Christ, that they had the courage and strength to over come all of their trials. With that personal knowledge comes a great strength and a PEACE, that the world can't even come close to offering.
How grateful I am for that relationship with them, I do not take that lightly and really do try to share my story every day of my life. If I help just one person, who feels so discouraged or alone, if I can help share their load or pain...then everything I have gone through, will have been worth it.
  Life's lessons, yes they can be hard very hard, but that is exactly what makes us who we are...if we choose to learn and grow from it!
  Yes it was a very good day!
  Good night dear friends!

The Example of a Child

Lynn is out enjoying a family reunion for the next few days, so she has asked me (Krystal, her daughter-in-law) to fill in while she is away. She is always so good at finding such inspirational quotes and stories, I hope I can come up with something you will like for the next few days. Please bear with me.
As many of you know, Brad and I have a little boy named Kai. Kai is a sweetheart, but the older, and more mobile he gets, the more he turns into a wiggly, energetic little guy. Going anywhere that we have to sit still for more than 10 minutes is such a struggle...especially church. There have been so many Sundays that I have seriously wondered why we even bother coming. I don't hear the lessons, we spends half of the time in the hall chasing Kai, and I spend all of the time frustrated. Why do we put ourselves through this madness?
A couple of weeks ago at church, as I was trying to coerce Kai into sitting still by bribing him with pretzels and milk, Kai all of sudden stopped what he was doing, sat down, and folded his arms. I looked up to see that the closing prayer was being said. I was shocked. I had no clue he was even paying attention! I wasn't even paying attention! In that moment, Kai taught me more about parenting than any book I have read or article I have studied.
I am sure many of you are already through this stage in your life, and could have told me this lesson ages ago, but seeing my 15-month-old son know that it was time to pray, and fold his arms in reverence hit me like a ton of bricks. He learns by example (and thankfully there are so many other examples than my own to help teach him), and he teaches me by example.
I'm grateful to have the opportunity to muddle through this whole parenting thing with Brad, and that I have such an awesome, if not rambunctious, little guy to teach me what life is all about.

"Parents must lead by example. Don't use the cliche; do as I say and not as I do. We are our children's first and most important role models." Lee Haney

"I think that the only way to teach is by example, as children will more easily follow what they see you do than what you tell them to do." Gloria Estefan

"If you as parents cut corners, your children will too. If you lie, they will too. If you spend all your money on yourselves and tithe no portion of it for charities, colleges, churches, synagogues, and civic causes, your children won't either. And if parents snicker at racial and gender jokes, another generation will pass on the poison adults still have not had the courage to snuff out." Marian Wright Edelman

"Learning is a result of listening, which in turn leads to even better listening and attentiveness to the other person. In other words, to learn from the child, we must have empathy, and empathy grows as we learn." Alice Miller

Prayers, Faith and Bugs!

 

Since Monday Angie has been looking for a bug to put in her new bug catcher. Last night during her prayer, she asked that she might catch a bug or butterfly today, on the last day of her Sleepover. I tried to explain that just because we pray about something doesn't mean the answer will always be what we want. Her blue eyes looked directly at me when she said " but why Nana?" I tried to explain that Heavenly Father knows what is best for us. Sometimes we want something, but Heavenly Father knows if we need it or not. She didn't say much more about it today

Today was full of learning,  or as Angie said "I got a lot of learning in today, didn't I Nana?" :) First I downloaded some sewing cards for her and then got her situated at her own machine ( a friend bought it for $10.00 for her, old Kenmore and it runs great ). I had to make her chair higher and then put a box under the table so she could put her feet and work the pedal from there. Then she just took off, fast is much easier than slow, when it comes to sewing. She got it down quite quickly ...I was so surprised. Before I knew it, she was on her 3rd sewing card and I didn't even have to remind her to put the pressure foot up and keep the needle down when she turned and pivoted. It was too cute.
Next we went and babysat for a friend while she was at a DR appt. Her kids were sleeping, so Angie and I brought some money work sheets that we downloaded and she worked on learning money. She is a bit worried about not knowing that when she starts 2nd grade next year, so we started now.
 Last I taught her to crochet with her fingers. She isn't quite ready for the crochet hook, that just gets her frustrated. But she did well with her fingers and already made 3 necklaces before the evening was over. She said "after learning all these things Nana, I feel like I can do anything! "  Then she drew a Welcome Home sign for Poppa.
Finally after dinner we took a long walk, came home watered the flowers and while we were doing that Angie yelled " Nana, there's a bug and a big bug, can we catch it?" She quickly put it in her catcher (with my help), then we came in the house looked up on line what kind of beetle it was, then went out and got stuff outside for it to eat and live on ...and put that in the cage. Then she said " Well, Nana, I guess that Heavenly Father knew I needed a bug and He gave me one!" Oh the faith of a child! I then reminded her that tonight she should thank Heavenly Father in her prayers for the bug, her response was " are you kidding me, I am going to thank Him right now!" Then she walked to the edge of the driveway near the tree, and knelt down and said a prayer. Oh the faith of a child!
I really thought a lot about the past few days with my granddaughter, I realize that if you let them...these incredible little spirits, can teach us a lot about life! We just need to slow down and learn!

Great Lesson!

Today in church one of the lessons in church was about "Spiritual Nourishment", the young Mother who taught it, did a wonderful job and I knew immediately that I needed to take notes or ask for her notes after class so I could share it with you.
Here is how she started out the class...

How important is food?
Food contains nutrients that our body needs to function, to grow, become stronger, gives us energy, builds up our immune system to help us fight illness.
To help us identify what our bodies need we have a food pyramid.  This pyramid outlines the different food groups that our body needs and how much of each food group.  So it is with the gospel.  We can have a “Spiritual Pyramid” that can give us a guide as to our daily needs for nourishment to our souls.  This pyramid would be built as such –
1)      Be a teacher
2)      Be an example
3)      Be a testifier
4)      Be diligent

 “We know that our physical bodies require certain nutrients to sustain life and to maintain physical and mental health. If we are deprived of those nutrients, our physical and mental vitality are impaired and we have a condition called malnutrition. Malnutrition produces such symptoms as reduced mental functions, digestive disorders, loss of physical strength, and impairment of vision. Good nutrition is especially important for children, whose growing bodies are easily impaired if they lack the nutrients necessary for normal growth.
Our spirits also require nourishment. Just as there is food for the body, there is food for the spirit. The consequences of spiritual malnutrition are just as hurtful to our spiritual lives as physical malnutrition is to our physical bodies. Symptoms of spiritual malnutrition include reduced ability to digest spiritual food, reduced spiritual strength, and impairment of spiritual vision.” ~ Dallan H. Oaks

I loved how she connected spiritual malnutrition to physical malnutrition. I think with our physical bodies, we would never let it go that far... but how about the spiritual needs we have? I loved this story that she told also...

Dr. Gustov Eckstein, one of the world’s renowned ornithologists, worked in the same laboratory for over twenty-five years. He bred and crossbred species of birds. He kept meticulous records on the varieties and hybrids of birds in his laboratory. Each day when he would enter his laboratory he would go down two or three stairs to the stereo. He would put on classical music and turn the volume up very loud. Then he would go about his work. The birds would sing along with the classical music. At the end of the day, about 5:30 P.M., he would turn off the stereo and leave for home.

After twenty-five years he had to hire a new custodian. After Dr. Eckstein left the laboratory, the new custodian thought the place should be aired out, so he opened all the windows.

The next morning when Dr. Eckstein went into his laboratory he saw the open windows and noted that every bird had flown out during the night. He was devastated, his life’s work ruined. By sort of habit or instinct, he went to the stereo and turned the classical music up very loud. Then he went and sat down on the steps, put his head in his hands, and wept.

The strains of music carried out through the open windows, through the trees, and down the streets. In a few moments Dr. Eckstein heard a fluttering of wings. He looked up and saw that the birds were beginning to come back into the laboratory through the open windows.

Dr. Eckstein said, “And every bird came back!”

The point was that our children and those that we teach will come back to the the truths that they have been taught eventually, if we actually taught them. In the lesson she mentioned that our example was a bigger teacher than our words will ever be.
What a great lesson and one that really touched my heart and reminded me to not let my spirituality suffer, just because I don't stop and take the time to do what I am suppose to do. When I am full spiritually, then I see the world through different eyes and I am more grateful for all my blessing!
Good night dear friends!

teach your daughters

Brad is now teaching!

When Brad was a little boy, we knew he had a gift (ha ha ha ).... just had to say that since I found this cute photo of him at 5 years old.: )  But seriously back to Brad's gift....he always loved to DRAW and he did a lot of it. Of course at a young age just like Amy, he was employed at the Woodard Home, helping out in preparation for all my Craft Shows and Craft Markets I did. He and Amy were quite a bit of help, and a that young age learned some valuable lessons on color and techniques...you see even though it was probably against Child Labor Laws...and their pay was so low ( food and clothing )... there still had to be Quality Control! Lauren and Lee came along 5 years later and so they didn't get tortured... opps, I mean trained quite as much :) but still they got the gene. Now the kids are adults and very talented Artistically, I love to think that I had some small hand in that! :)

I am teaching again, but this time it is with fabric and in a Quilt Shop...and I love it!

The good news is that Bradley who is now a Graphic Design Artist, is starting to teach also ( they say the Apple doesn't fall far from the tree ), so I am here to spread the news!

Next month Brad will be teaching an online digital illustration course. It is a beginner level course that teaches how to incorporate color, pattern and texture in your digital illustrations. Go to the link HERE:

And if you want to sign up and get 25% off the class ( and who wouldn't ), then all you have to do is put in the Promo Code Lynn and you will get the discount. I wish I was knew enough about it, to take it myself...he is sure a talented kid and great with people. So I really think you will enjoy it. Feel free to tell your friends about it too. 

I still can't believe my Bradley is now all grown up and has his own little boy, wow...how time flies!

Good night dear friends!

Below is Brad on the right at 9 months old and his son Kai on the left at 10 months old...too cute!

  

“Every artist was first an amateur.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

 “The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it. ”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Kids teaching parents!

Jeff and I were planning on going to a movie on Valentine’s night. We were trying to find out to see if anyone else had seen it. We saw the previews and it looked like a good date night movie, we thought. Right before we left our son and his wife called. After we told them where we were planning on going, but mentioned that we were a bit concern that we didn’t know a lot about it, then they told us a place to go.

It is called www. IMDb.com

What that stands for is The Internet Movie Database

1. You put in the movie you want to know about
2. Scroll down till you see the Motion Picture Ratings
3. Then  you push the Parent’s guide

It will give you scene by scene what goes on. What they mean specifically, if it says Some Sexual Content. It tells you bad the language will be. I guess you could be offended by just reading some of it, but it doesn’t take long to at least figure out, if it is the movie for you or for your kids. Oh how I wished I would have known about this when my kids were teenagers. It probably was there but I didn’t know it. How interesting that it took one of my kids to teach it to me. Glad that they are still teaching us!  

Still I am grateful for the information. It will safe Jeff and I from having to waste our money, or get up and walk out of a movie (which we have done on numerous occasions), so I was glad to get the information and just wanted to pass it on! We parents need to stick together. Anytime we can help one another in the quest for raising good kids, I think we should do it!

Hope this helps?  Remember … Knowledge is POWER!
Good night dear friends

 

“It's not only children who grow.  Parents do too.  As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours.  I can't tell my children to reach for the sun.  All I can do is reach for it, myself.”    ~Joyce Maynard

“The trouble with learning to parent on the job is that your child is the teacher.”    ~Robert Brault

“If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves.”    ~C.G. Jung

Shield of Faith!

Now that Jeff and I are alone, there are times we wonder if we have taught our children all they needed to know to succeed in the world… and be close to their Heavenly Father? In church yesterday one of the talks was on that very subject, I won’t give you all my notes but try to summarize a few of the things that were mentioned. One that really hit me was the talk about teaching your children to have Faith. Then they talked about shields and how they protect you … but if you remember the story of David and Goliath, David didn’t want to use the armor given to him, because it didn’t fit. So the point was…it is our responsibility as parents to teach them to have FAITH and how that is to be done in the home. Here are a few other things they mentioned about helping our children with their shield and armor of Faith…

1.That shield of faith is not produced in a factory but at home in a cottage industry.

2.The plan designed by the Father contemplates that man and woman, husband and wife, working together, fit each child individually with a shield of faith made to buckle on so firmly that it can neither be pulled off nor penetrated by those fiery darts.

3.It takes the steady strength of a father to hammer out the metal of it and the tender hands of a mother to polish and fit it on. Sometimes one parent is left to do it alone. It is difficult, but it can be done.

4.In the Church we can teach about the materials from which a shield of faith is made: reverence, courage, chastity, repentance, forgiveness, compassion. In church we can learn how to assemble and fit them together. But the actual making of and fitting on of the shield of faith belongs in the family circle. Otherwise it may loosen and come off in a crisis.

5.The prophets and Apostles know full well that the perilous times Paul prophesied for the last days are now upon us: “Men [are] lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection” (see 2 Tim. 3:1–7).

6.This shield of faith is not manufactured on an assembly line, only handmade in a cottage industry. Therefore our leaders press members to understand that what is most worth doing must be done at home. Some still do not see that too many out-of-home activities, however well intended, leave too little time to make and fit on the shield of faith at home. http://lds.org/ensign/1995/05/the-shield-of-faith?lang=eng

I love the analogy of the shield of faith. It is true, we as parents have a sacred responsibility to teach our kids as well as we can, so each day their armor is more resilient and strong enough,to withstand the temptations of the world. I hope that Jeff and I have done that for our kids? I hope they have enough Faith to endure the things they will have to challenge them? I hope they know that Jeff and I have great faith, but also realize that we have to work on strengthening that faith every day?

It was a great talk and a great reminder for all of us parents, to keep fitting, hammering, polishing and strengthening our children’s shield of faith! So even though we are empty nesters, our work is not done! For that I am grateful, I love being a Mother! 

Good night dear friends!

 

 

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’? Unlike the book on the library shelf, the covers of which shield its contents, our lives cannot be closed. Parents, we truly are an open book in the library of learning of our homes.”   ~ Thomas S. Monson

“The family is both the fundamental unit of society as well as the root of culture. It ... is a perpetual source of encouragement, advocacy, assurance, and emotional refueling that empowers a child to venture with confidence into the greater world and to become all that he can be.”  ~Marianne E. Neifert

“It is in the home that we form our attitudes, our deeply held beliefs. It is in the home that hope is fostered or destroyed. Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries; they should also be places where God’s Spirit can dwell, where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells.”   ~ Thomas S. Monson

Pete and Repeat

When I was a little girl, my grandmother always used the phrase  ...Pete and Repeat!

She would say it when you did the same thing as someone else, like my brother would come in tattling and then I would come in tattling, she would always say..."Here comes Pete and Repeat". I thought about this when I saw my youngest granddaughter holding her phone up to her ear, like her Uncle Lee was doing. It was so cute, she is just at that parrot stage or as Grandma would have said it.. the Pete and Repeat stage. Every day Jenny is coming up with new words that she hears from us then she repeats it a million times, cute to me... but sometimes annoying to her family!

 

Some times I wish we were more like little children...good little listeners and imitating the good we see others do all around us. Yes, those little children are such great teachers!

 

“We are apt to forget that children watch examples better than they listen to preaching.” ~ Roy L. Smith

“To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while.”  ~ Josh Billings

“My father didn’t tell me how to live, he lived, and let me watch him do it.” ~ Clarence Budinton Kelland

Christmas in July!

It is hard to believe that July is already here. Today I was able to teach at the Quilt Shop and of course...we did Christmas in July, I taught how to make these cute stockings. It reminds that I need to start preparing for Christmas now, so that I don't have to make the holidays so rushed.

I am surprised how much faster these past year has gone by, probably because I was starting to have my health back, and able to start working some at the Quilt Shop. I love teaching again, I have taught art classes for years, I love having the chance to meet soooo many incredible women and share my love for quilting. I think my Grandmother and Aunt would have be so excited for me. They are the ones who helped me develop these talents, when I was just a little girl.

Most of all, I am just grateful to be here and feeling good enough to do things that I love, with the people I love ! That is no small thing!   Good night dear friends.

 

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back."  ~ Harvey MacKay

"Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many thing that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever..."   ~ Isak Dinesen

" Somehow, not only for Christmas but all the long year through, the joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you. And the more you spend in blessing the poor and lonely and sad, the more of your heart's possessing returns to you glad."  ~ John Greenleaf

Just to let you know.

You might have noticed on the right hand of my blog, a new button that looks like this below...or at least the writing part on the right below...Mandie and Me Designs. When I was invited to go to the Quilt Market this year, I thought I should really have a blog that shows my creations and the demos and samples that I do for the shop. So Mandie and Me Designs was created, (with the help of an incredibly talented friend, ok... she did do almost all of it!)

Now many of you that read my blog know who Mandie is. She is the name of my prosthetic. I decided to name her, mine as well make it fun. She and I have to be together every day, and so I thought it would be more than perfect to put her name in on my blog with me. Why? Well, because just 2 years ago, after finishing treatments for my cancer, and healing from that and the mastectomy...I went to be fitted for a prosthetic. I thought back then, it really doesn't matter what it looks like, I am never going to go out among people again any way.

I was so worried that everyone would stare and think that I was a freak. Interesting though...I believe that to this day, I was the only one who thought that. But that is exactly what it felt like to me. I remember well, my daughters and daughter- in -law trying to convince me... of how beautiful I still was to them and how I desperately needed to get rid of all my scarf's and turtlenecks. I was trying to cover up, and they were trying to help me realize my true beauty...mastectomy and all.

So you see without sweet Mandie, I probably wouldn't go out each day and feel half way normal. She and I go everywhere, she makes me feel whole. She makes me feel happy and because of those feelings, I am back to creating again and even teaching! Yes, Mandie and I both!  :)

I hope you will take a minute to check out my new blog and remember...it is still a bit of work in progress. I am slow on getting all of the little bugs out of it. So let me know what you think?

Good night dear friends!

 

"Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant."  ~ Maya Angelou 

"My cancer scare changed my life.  I'm grateful for every new, healthy day I have. It has helped me prioritize my life."  ~Olivia Newton-John

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."  ~ George Bernard Shaw  

Hitting the WALL!

Have you ever heard the statement made by many marathon runners, when they say "Around the 22nd mile, I hit the wall"?

Energy Dynamics 101

( Here's the scientific explanation )

“Hitting The Wall is basically about running out of energy,” says Dave Martin, Ph.D., Emeritus Regent’s Professor of Health Sciences at Georgia State University in Atlanta—chemical energy, that is, stored in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and obtained from the breakdown, or metabolism, of energy-containing fuel. The runner’s primary fuel sources are carbohydrates (in the form of blood glucose and glycogen, a polymer of glucose stored in the muscles and liver) and fats (free fatty acids in the bloodstream and muscle triglycerides, molecules containing three fatty acids).

I actually heard about it when I was on the track team, and our coach was explaining it and what to do to keep going AFTER you hit the wall. That mentality stayed with me for years, even though I wasn't running on the track, I was running or working or not sleeping so much ...that I continually hit the Wall, but remembered well, how to keep pushing and keep going. I actually thought that was a good thing?

Then I began to get so sick, and I was always trying to learn new ways to be healthy. One of the first things that I learned was how important it is not to push so hard, or so fast that you hit the Wall, that means your energy is gone and it seems like your shoes are filled with concrete. In healing your Mind and Body, you are taught to honor that Wall, recognize you are too tired, too sleepy, too worn out and to stop everything and let your body rejuvenate. What an odd concept that was to me, what a hard time I had learning that. But now I have to admit that more often than not, I do stop and rest.

Today however and actually for the past 3 days, I have Hit the Wall at some point and despite what I know, I kept pushing and totally ignored the wall. I realized tonight that I need to go back to honoring my body. Listen to what it is trying to tell me. The hard part for me is when it happens and I am doing things that I LOVE TO DO! I got to teach my Quilt Class today, which I love! Then I drove my son to an appointment, stopped and did some errands and then got ready and went and taught a class at church tonight. What a HIGH I am on, but oh...my body is paying for it. So I am telling you that ...I do know better, and I can't keep doing that or my body will get sick. So I am going to try to pace myself more. Why is it, even at my age...I am still learning so many lessons, and some of them OVER and OVER again?  Actually, you don't have to answer that... I know the answer! I will try to do better tomorrow.
Good night dear friends!

 

"Respect your efforts, respect yourself.  Self-respect leads to self-discipline.  When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power."  ~Clint Eastwood

"Take care of your body.  It's the only place you have to live."  ~Jim Rohn

"The body never lies."  ~Martha Graham

"Sometimes your body is smarter than you are."  ~Author Unknown

 

 

"

The Magic Pebbles

I love this story, plus it comes with it's own quotes! Read it, you will love it!

The Magic Pebbles

"Why do we have to learn all of this dumb stuff?"

Of all the complaints and questions I have heard from my students during my years in the classroom, this was the one most frequently uttered. I would answer it by recounting the following legend.

One night a group of nomads were preparing to retire for the evening when suddenly they were surrounded by a great light. They knew they were in the presence of a celestial being. With great anticipation, they awaited a heavenly message of great importance that they knew must be especially for them.

Finally, the voice spoke, "Gather as many pebbles as you can. Put them in your saddle bags. Travel a day's journey and tomorrow night will find you glad and it will find you sad."

After having departed, the nomads shared their disappointment and anger with each other. They had expected the revelation of a great universal truth that would enable them to create wealth, health and purpose for the world. But instead they were given a menial task that made no sense to them at all. However, the memory of the brilliance of their visitor caused each one to pick up a few pebbles and deposit them in their saddle bags while voicing their displeasure.

They traveled a day's journey and that night while making camp, they reached into their saddle bags and discovered every pebble they had gathered had become a diamond. They were glad they had diamonds. They were sad they had not gathered more pebbles.

It was an experience I had with a student, I shall call Alan, early in my teaching career that illustrated the truth of that legend to me.

When Alan was in the eighth grade, he majored in "trouble" with a minor in "suspensions." He had studied how to be a bully and was getting his master's in "thievery."

Every day I had my students memorize a quotation from a great thinker. As I called roll, I would begin a quotation. To be counted present, the student would be expected to finish the thought.

"Alice Adams - 'There is no failure except ...’"

"’In no longer trying.' I'm present, Mr. Schlatter."

So, by the end of the year, my young charges would have memorized 150 great thoughts.

"Think you can, think you can't - either way you're right!"

"If you can see the obstacles, you've taken your eyes off the goal."

"A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."

And, of course, Napoleon Hill's "If you can conceive it, and believe it, you can achieve it."

No one complained about this daily routine more than Alan - right up to the day he was expelled and I lost touch with him for five years. Then one day, he called. He was in a special program at one of the neighboring colleges and had just finished parole.

He told me that after being sent to juvenile hall and finally being shipped off to the California Youth Authority for his antics, he had become so disgusted with himself that he had taken a razor blade and cut his wrists.

He said, "You know what, Mr. Schlatter, as I lay there with my life running out of my body, I suddenly remembered that dumb quote you made me write 20 times one day. ‘There is no failure except in no longer trying.' Then it suddenly made sense to me. As long as I was alive, I wasn't a failure, but if I allowed myself to die, I would most certainly die a failure. So with my remaining strength, I called for help and started a new life."

At the time he had heard the quotation, it was a pebble. When he needed guidance in a moment of crisis, it had become a diamond. And so it is to you I say, gather all the pebbles you can, and you can count on a future filled with diamonds.

By John Wayne Schlatter
from A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Hands

Every time I look at Amy's hands ( now that she is a grown woman), it reminds me of my Mom's hand. Amy thinks that is funny, because she says my hands reminder her of my Mom's hands too! There is something endearing about hands. I am sure it is because of how powerful  a touch can be.

When I was a little girl, in church we used to sing a song called I HAVE TWO LITTLE HANDS it goes like this...

I have two little hands, folded snugly and tight.
They are tiny and weak, yet they know what is right.
During all the long hours till daylight is through,
There is plenty indeed for my two hands to do.

Kind Father, I thank thee for two little hands
And ask thee to bless them till each understands
That children can only be happy all day
When two little hands have learned how to obey.

Words: Bertha A. Kleinman, 1877–1971

Music: William Frederick Hanson, 1887–1969

It is hard to realize that my baby Lee, is now is an Uncle and has grown into a incredible young man. He had big hands as a baby, I knew that someday they would be bigger than mine ...and they are. Still it's hard to believe that my oldest child Amy, could already be a Mother and now holding the hands of her two little girls. Yes, it is important to remember how many lives we can touch and help, by using our hands and our hearts. That's what life is all about, serving and helping one another!

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"When you save a girl, you save generations."  ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

"We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs."