Gratitude time

One time in Primary sharing time, a woman quoted her friend saying "My children always say they are grateful for our home...but then they never do their chores." How interesting is that? I cant tell you I was in the same boat in some areas in my life. If we truly are grateful for the things we say we are, then our attitude and the way we treat it should be positive and consistent. I've had to reevaluate some things in my life, but this is a great comment to keep in mind! Here's a few things that I've been very grateful for lately.

I am grateful to be a stay-at-home mom(SAHM). Sometimes, it's not that glamorous but really, I am the luckiest mom!  I can tell you the time when Emery first sat up, crawled, smiled, giggled. I have the comfort knowing she is receiving the nurture she needs. I get to spend time with her all day..and sometimes all night ;)

Because I am a SAHM I get to still pursue the things I LOVE. I am a part-time photographer and I recently joined the cosmetic company Younique. I can do online classes when I have time. I can catch up with friends and family because I dictate my schedule. I have a lot to do, but life is fairly flexible. I couldn't ask for more.

I am grateful for General conference. We just had the opportunity to hear from the Prophet and leaders of the church. I know a few of those messages were intended just for me! And there is a message for everyone. I get so excited about conference because I know for the next six months, I have specific counsel to guide me through life decisions, trials and challenges. We are so loved by a Father in Heaven!

I am grateful for the mission I was called to serve in the Philippines. I had a wonderful time seeing old faces and reuniting with my second mission president at our mission reunion. I learned so much while I was in the field and I credit my experience there to my testimony and teaching me to be a better wife and mother. While in the field, I learned the power of weekly planning and companionship inventory. To this day we still use these sessions in our little family-it's been a blessing and it's so much more fun when you're married!

I am here with Amy and Megan


I am grateful for many other things that I hope to do better with showing it. I am grateful for my body-so I can exercise more. I am grateful for my home- I can keep it more tidy. I am grateful for my ward family-I can serve them more. It seems easier to do things when you view these things from an angle of gratitude instead of necessary evils. What are you grateful for? 

I'm grateful...

     I am so grateful for the blessings we receive. I've just felt an outpouring of my Heavenly father's love and mercy lately. A few things have happened in the last couple of weeks where I have seen God's hand in our life. The first has to do with our monetary needs. I started filing our taxes for 2013 and came across a startling realization. Our company had not been withholding any federal and state taxes for 2013. So, I was expecting a little bit of a refund this year, but that's not the case. We OWE the government thousands of dollars.

We're going to be okay, thanks to Dave Ramsey we saved for an emergency, but not expecting it to be this kind of emergency. It was still a big hit to our finances and very disappointing.

But, God takes care of his children. A week later, Adam comes home to tell me about a position that opened up at work. The head of the department reached out to him personally and asked if he would apply. Today, the official offer was presented and in the end, it was about as much of an increase in pay/bonus that we would've paid before any credits are applied to our tax return.   We are so grateful!

Lately I've been in need of something for my spiritual growth. Something where I can share what I know. I was thinking primary, because that has always been my favorite callings. I think children are so fun to teach! But they had so many people called to serve in the Primary already and I'm about to have a baby so I didn't dwell on it too much. Last night I met with a member of the bishopric and sure enough, they asked me to serve in the primary! I was pretty excited. It's just what I've been praying for. Those children have a lot to teach me!

One last thing. Recently I mentioned the Life Leadership program that we stumbled into. I love the things we are learning. Last week I called Adam on his way home from class and suggested we go out for ice cream, but he had a lot of homework to do and he had to pack for his drill weekend. I kinda hinted again..ICE CREAM, I didn't want to just come out and say it because I didn't want him to feel burdened or obligated or appear needy. But, he wasn't really getting it. After getting off the phone, I kinda teared up a bit, I'm pregnant, this happens on occasion lol. 

In walks Adam 20 minutes later with a box of ice cream. He explained "I got it! You were trying to signal to me you wanted Ice cream!" He had just been listening to a marriage CD from the Life Leadership program where The founder and his wife talk about signals/communication etc. How awesome right? We have talked about these things before but, sometimes you forget. Listening to these CD's and reading daily helps us remember these vital things.  

 Now, the best way to show gratitude is to serve others :)