Opening the Heavens Printout

For anyone who might be interested, I made up a quarter-sheet print out of Elder Kikuchi's morning schedule. I did change the wording just a little bit, replacing "him" with "you", and so forth.

I printed one off and put it on my fridge as a reminder to me.

I just realized that I cannot attach a document to my post,

so you will have to copy and paste this onto your own document. Sorry.

Opening the Heavens

Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi

• Rise from bed early.

• Exercise for a few minutes.

• Wash your body (and shave)—make yourself clean.

• Dress for the day.

• Go to a quiet place inside your home.

• Kneel, subdue your spirit before Heavenly Father, and call upon Him. Talk with Him in reverent prayer.

· Wait for His holy inspiration, pondering the scriptures or a recent general conference talk and think about the specific problems you face.

I promise you that if you do this and immerse yourself in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, for a few minutes every day, you will experience feelings of joy and will receive strength to go on.

How to Open the Heavens, and Be Unspotted from the World

I have really been trying hard to do better at reading spiritually enlightening material, not just the fiction that I so dearly love. One thing I have been doing is reading the Ensign. It's rare that I manage to get through an entire article in one sitting, but I do it piece by piece, and I will get it all read.

I have been reading the August Ensign this weekend, and there were two articles that I really liked. The first one was a talk from President David O. McKay titled Unspotted from the World. He gave this talk at General Conference in 1911. What a testament to the truthfulness of Latter-Day Prophets and their divine inspiration, that their counsel is truly timeless.

His talk was truly wonderful, but one part in particular seemed to really jump out to me. In his talk he spoke about when Satan came and tempted Christ. Then President McKay related

Now, nearly every temptation that comes to you and me comes in one of those forms. Classify them, and you will find that under one of those three nearly every given temptation that makes you and me spotted, ever so little may be, comes to us as (1) a temptation of the appetite; (2) a yielding to the pride and fashion and vanity of those alienated from the things of God; or (3) a gratifying of the passion, or a desire for the riches of the world, or power among men

I liked it because it simplified all of our temptations. How much easier could it be to withstand our own personal temptations if we first recognize them for what they really are. Which of these things are being tempted, and do we really need to give into them?

You can learn more about David O. McKay here.

The second article that really struck me, especially with the personal struggles I have been having, was titled Opening the Heavens, by Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi, Of the Seventy.

He spoke about how to have the Spirit of the Lord with you everyday. He spoke particularly about having your own personal "morning devotional" each day, and what a great impact it can have in your life. He shared many stories from people he was worked with, which I was able to relate to.

What I found really helpful, in a logistical sort of way, was the outline he gave for your morning. (This was advice directed at a struggling missionary, but it applies to all of us)

• • Rise from his bed early—in his case, a few minutes before 6:30 a.m.

• • Exercise for a few minutes.

• • Wash his body and shave—make himself clean.

• • Dress for the day.

• • Go to a quiet place inside his apartment.

• • Kneel, subdue his spirit before Heavenly Father, and call upon Him. Talk with Him in reverent prayer.

• • Wait for His holy inspiration, pondering the scriptures or a recent general conference talk and think about the specific problems he faced.

I promised this young elder that if he did this and immersed himself in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, for a few minutes every day, he would experience feelings of joy and would receive strength to go on.

What wonderful advice this is. Now, it is not quite realistic for me to rise early enough to accomplish all of these before my children are up, especially since they rise at 6am to get ready for school, but I can do all of these things after they leave.

I knew that these were all good things to do, I just hadn't really ever put them in that order before, and after reading this article, it makes total sense to do just that. So, this is my new goal. Every day, whenever possible, I intend to follow the advice from Elder Kikuchi, and I know that not only will I benefit personally, but my family will feel a difference in their lives as well.

I strongly recommend that everyone reads these wonderful articles. I hope that you find your own personal message in them, just as I did.

Chameleons and Chamber Pots

Only my Emma.

Only my Emma would put a stuffed chameleon on the floor with a bowl, and have it use the chamber pot before bed.

The large stuffed chameleon is the class pet, and Emma got to bring him home this weekend. He comes complete with a journal in which we are supposed to record our activities with Lucky (that's his name), pictures of them together, and what character trait (the school teaches the kids 7 specific ones) we taught Lucky. We are teaching Lucky about responsibility.

Where does the chamber pot come in? This quarter Emma's class is learning about pilgrims. They talked about the pilgrims' travels across the ocean in the Mayflower. Well, in the Mayflower, the pilgrims had to use chamber pots, and the only time the pilgrims were allowed on the top deck was when the chamber pots were emptied.

Did you know that already? I did not. I learned that tonight after I saw Emma put the little yellow bowl on the floor, under the coffee table (Lucky must have his privacy), and sat Lucky on top of it.

You must admit, it is rather responsible of Lucky to use the chamber pot right before bed, so that we don't have to make a bathroom trip in the middle of the night.

What a considerate chameleon we brought home.

Nielsen's Frozen Custard

Yesterday, Barbie and I met at 11:30 for lunch at Nielsen's Frozen Custard, and it was DELICIOUS!

We started out with "The Finer Things" grinder and a yummy order of HOT salty fries with their special Fry Sauce.

What is "The Finer Things" grinder? I am glad you asked. This delectable sub sandwich includes sliced turkey breast, fresh avocado, cream cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onions, and pepper relish.

Barbie ate one with everything, I nixed the onions and pepper relish. It was one of the best sandwiches I have had in my life, and it was surprisingly light fare. The fries and sauce were the perfect compliment to the grinders.

After our main course, we treated ourselves to some concretes. What is a concrete? It is basically a large cup of frozen custard, and it includes one mix-in for free. I had my usual: chocolate with raspberries, which is heavenly. Barbie chose vanilla with brownies and hot fudge. YUMMY!

We ate and talked and laughed, and had a great time in general. Thanks for another great date, Barbie! I can't wait to go back again next time.

Oh, Nielsen's is located on the NW corner of Gilbert and Southern, west of the gas station. Try it out!

Love Notes and Chubby Baby Legs

There are some things that just can't help but make you feel better. Things like a love note written in chalk. Or watching your 10 month old niece toddle around on newly walking legs, pushing a baby stroller around and loving on dolls.

How cute is she?

Also, blessings. I am so grateful to have a worthly priesthood holder in my home. My husband has been given so many opportunities to give me blessings over the years, and last night he again laid his hands on my head and gave me a blessing of comfort. I slept last night. I was also reminded in my blessing that I can turn to my Father in Heaven often to ask for comfort. I will do just that.

I am not all the way cured yet, but I am feeling a little better. I think lunch tomorrow at Nielson's will definately help. Thank you, Barbie, for being willing to sacrifice figure for food with me! What would I do without friends?

Here is my favorite picture of Barbie, from her birthday trip we took in June. I will post about this trip soon, as it was FABULOUS! Barbie, you are beautiful inside and out.

Female Nerves, or Something More Sinister?

We have had such a busy month. After the family campout (posted below), Eli and I took the girls on our family vacation. The location: DISNEYLAND!!

We left on Sept 7th, drove back on Sept 10th, and on Sept 11th Eli and the girls left for our Ward Father/Daughter campout. I spent those 24 hours doing nothing productive, whatsoever, but had a wonderful time hanging out with my good friend, Barbie. Unfortunately, I haven't done much since, either. This means that I still have camping gear in my kitchen and entry way, dirty laundry spilling out all over the place, and a kitchen floor that is starting to resemble the great outdoors. My 4runner also still smells like a campfire. Not my scent of choice for my vehicle.

Today, instead of posting all my pictures of our activities (these will come later), I am asking for a diagnosis. I have not felt anywhere near normal since Saturday. My symptoms are:

Unable to sleep

Fatigue (probably from not sleeping...)

Over-emotional (my husband did nicely point this one out to me, but I already knew it...)

Complete lack of energy (I almost quit 10 minutes into my yoga tape, and I still don't know how I completed it)

Feeling overwhelmed

Over-emotional

No brain function

Drinking water is making me nauseous (nothing else makes me sick, only water)

Over-emotional

I am sure that I have more symptoms, but like I said, my brain appears not to be functioning, so I can't remember them.

For those of you who are thinking I must be pregnant, I am 99% sure that I am not. So what is wrong with me?

Is it severe PMS, premature Menopause, or is it just that this is what happens when you start to get "older", cause you know I am almost 30 now. (I did say that facetiously.)

Am I forever doomed to wander the world in a stupor, bursting out in tears for no good reason?

Will water be stricken from my diet, forcing me to live on yummy soda? (I believe people with rabies can't drink water, but I don't remember being bitten by any rabid animals)

Are my nights going to be one endless cycle of turning over in circles, despairing that I am never EVER going to get a good night's sleep again? (There really is nothing good to watch on TV in the middle of the night)

Is there anything that can be done for me, or am I to be classified as a hopeless case of "female nerves"? (I am sure there was such a diagnosis in the 1950's)

I will let you know if I find a cure for my maladies. Until then, I will just try my hardest to keep myself held together. Maybe by tomorrow I will be feeling better. I think I will try supplementing my diet with extra chocolate and ice cream. I have to have faith that a trip to Neilson's Frozen Custard for a hot batch of fries and a Chocolate concrete with Raspberries will help. Now I just need to find a partner in crime who is willing to sacrifice with me.

Are you interested?

Dixon Family Campout 2009

We had a swingin' good time at the annual Dixon Family Campout this past weekend. This campout includes everyone from my Grandma Dixon on down. More specifically, this is my grandma, my dad and his 4 siblings, and all of their families. This campout has been an annual event since my teen years, and the kids all love it!

The past four years we have camped out at a private lake in ShowLow, which has a full kitchen, a large eating/gathering area, 4 bathrooms, and 4 showers. This makes camping so much more fun!

I think the kid's favorite part of the trip is the lake. Tarin was super bummed that she couldn't get in the lake because of her stitches, but Emma had a blast.

The water was pretty cold, but it didn't stop her from walkin' right in.

Here my cousins Chelsea and Ryann (12 yrs old) pulled Emma around the lake in a canoe.

Emma swam around for HOURS.

Emma's best friend is my little cousin Glen.

They are 8 months apart, and they love doing everything together.

Although Tarin couldn't get in the water, she did spend a lot of time fishing, and she even managed to snag a nice-sized fish. She was very excited about that!

The big kids had fun on the lake as well. Here is my sister Darla with her almost-fiance Steve.

He told me that he likes to wear his "hairy sweater" while swimming.

After the lake, the most fun activity is the various swings at the campsite. There are two sets of spinning swings, one of which goes over the lake. It is basically a large pole in the ground with four swing attached at the top, and they spin around the pole. You can really catch some height with these swings, especially if you get some of the men to swing you!

Myself, Emma and my sister Dawna swinging over the lake.

Here is Eli trying to give us some serious swinging height...

... which worked. Look at my sister Darla's face.

We had all kinds of family fun. This is me and my three sisters.

I am the oldest, or as I call it, #1!! Dawna (purple shirt) is #4 in our family, Darla (orange shirt) is #5, and Dorene (brown shirt) is #7, the baby of the family at 14 years old.

The swings were a great place to have fun with my two girls.

There was also a tire-swing and some teeter-totters.

Emma

Me

Me and my niece Jaidyn. She is Dawna's baby.

Here is Jaidyn with mom Dawna, and dad Spencer.

Tarin and my cousin Heather.

My dad always organizes games at the campout, where we compete for ribbons to place on our family banners. Some of these were fishing, 2 card game championships, horseshoes, canoe races, 2-man water-balloon volleyball, a potato race-car derby (Eli took the 1st place ribbon!), and egg-tosses.

12-yrs and under egg toss.

(My cousin Casey is obviously over 12, but his little 4-yr old was without a partner.)

Tarin and Emma each received ribbons for the egg toss.

Emma and Glen didn't place in water-balloon volleyball, but they had a great time, and almost made it over the net a few times. They played against me and Eli (who took 4th), and we just tossed it back and forth under the net.

Tarin and my cousin Kimberly (18) took 2nd place in the competition.

Here they are playing my mom and my Aunt Kyle (Glen's mom), who you can't see .

We also played Bingo daily, and had fabulous meals!

Emma and Glen (again....)

Tarin and Heather (left) and Chelsea (right).

BTW: Heather and Chelsea are fraternal twins! They look NOTHING alike.

Mmmmmmmm! Biscuits, gravy, hashed browns, bacon, eggs, oranges and Tang.

Breakfast of champions!

Another neat thing about this particular campsite is that every afternoon a herd of horses comes grazing through. There were several moms and colts this year, which was neat to see, but a little dangerous for the kids, so we kept a close eye on them.

On a funny note, there was a little procreating going on behind my cousin's camping trailer, but the stud missed the mare and hit the trailer with his little swimmers. My cousin wasn't very happy about that. We had a good laugh, though.

By the time all the fun was over, and everything was cleaned up and packed away, we were all tired. Some of us had to drive home and unpack, but others got to sleep for a while.

"New" Furniture

Last Saturday we received some bedroom furniture from friends, which we needed, as we just moved Tarin into her own room, and were a little short on furniture.

This is what the bed frame and nightstands originally looked like.

We decided to spiff up the "new" furniture, which of course meant a trip to Home Depot!

Tarin chose the spray paint color "French Lilac" for her bed frame,

which Emma also wanted for her nightstand.

Then Tarin picked out the color "Leafy Green" for her nightstand.

We also let the girls pick out new handles for the nightstand drawers,

which they put on themselves.

Tarin's handles were a pretty flowery silver,

and Emma's were brass and white.

They both look really good.

Here is the "new" furniture.

The girls were both excited to put their new furniture in their rooms.

If you notice,

Tarin also painted an old brown metal trash can

(that was probably from the 1970's) to match her new furniture.

I would also like to point out one other Fabulous accomplishment in these photos.

Can you see them?

Do you notice the Absolutely Darling quilts on both of their beds?

These are the first full size quilts that I have ever made from scratch!

Last year my Grandma Dixon decided that she was going to teach me how to quilt, and she did. It came as a HUGE surprise to me that I actually liked doing it.

I also feel really good about my accomplishment!

I think we should all learn something new each year.

Here is what I am learning this year:

Thank you, Miss Terra, for teaching me piano. I have loved both of my lessons so far!

I also am planning on learning how to make bed skirts (see the sad lack of skirts on my girls beds?) and valances and curtains to match their adorable quilts.

How hard can it be???