Girls Camp Service Project

I went to a girls camp with 300 girls. A couple of ladies and myself were in charge of a service project that the girls would do. Here is what we came up with and what we did. We decided to have the girls write letters to the soldiers. We decorated the room very patriotic. This picture is one of the walls. The other walls were covered with patriotic scrapbook pages and flags hung on clotheslines. It looked amazingly good. When each group of girls came in I had patriotic music playing. I gave them an inspirational message about how blessed we are to live in America and what sacrifices the soldiers make to keep us free.

We showed them how to make this homemade card. They picked 3 quote cards to put in their letter and then wrote the letter. The quote cards were really up beat inspiring quotes that a soldier would like.
I read many of the letters the girls wrote. Each one of the cards I read made me tear up. The girls really got it. One of the girls said that this was the best thing she had ever done in camp in 6 years. WOW, that is amazing!



These are the songs that I had playing. I think this made a huge difference in the feeling that was in the room.
1- America the Beautiful - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
2 - God Bless the USA - Lee Greenwood
3 - God Bless America - Celine Dion
4 - American Soldier - Toby Keith
5 - Letters From Home - John Michael Montgomery
6 - You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
7 - Battle Hymn of the Republic - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
8- Hero- Mariah Carey
9 - There's A Hero - Billy Gilman
10 - Arlington - Trace Adkins
11 - Homeward Bound- Allyse Smith

I'm Proud of You Jacob

I haven't put very much about my kids on the blog but I feel like I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't acknowledge my son and his big year. He is such an example and teaches me how to be a better person. I really look up to him. He aims his goals high and achieves them one by one. What a blessing it is to be able to associate with a person like him.
Here he is with a friend at high school graduation. He had a 4.1 GPA. It was cold, rained on us the whole time and was held outside. (NOT fun!)
This was after getting his Eagle Scout Award. If you aren't familiar with scouting it takes years and years of work and service to get this award. I was amazed at what it takes to get this award. Here he is standing next to my mother after graduating seminary. This is 4 years of religious study. He also just got his Duty to God award.
Jacob ran track and cross country. This was as hard on me as it was for him. I could hardly handle watching him in such pain. We live in Arizona and it wasn't unusual for them to be running in 110 degree weather. Ouch!He finally quit playing in his band. Besides him blowing the roof off of our house, I enjoyed hearing the boys writing, singing, laughing and performing their songs.
I can go on and on but I won't. I can't take any credit for his accomplishments because he just came this way.
Your nickname "Jakey my Joy" is so fitting, because you were truly a joy to raise. I'm going to miss you when you go off to ASU. I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!

Trace Adkins "You're Gonna Miss This"

How many times have you said when I get this done then I'll be happy?.... when I am married, ...when we are making more money....when my kids are older, ...when I get a bigger house....when, when, when. Do you know that "when" never comes? When you get close to it, it magically changes and it is still ahead in the future? I have lived this way most of life. I was always waiting for this or that to happen. I am now trying my best to enjoy the journey, and not wait to be happy when I get to the destination.
If I am not happy and fulfilled today, with what is,...... then I won't be happy and fulfilled tomorrow. People can be happy in dire circumstances and be miserable in the best. Happiness is a state of mind. It is not determined by the things we achieve or where we are in life. We can really just choose to be happy. I heard it growing up but never believed it. But I have put it to the test and can tell you it is absolutely true.
"You're Gonna Miss This" reminds me of me. I couldn't wait to get out of school, get married and start a family. While I was wishing ahead I was actually cheating myself out of enjoying the present.

Sunshine Acres Children's Home

There is an orphanage close to my home. I had heard about it but had never gone to visit. Yesterday my mother took me there to meet her high school friend Priscilla. Her parents are the ones who started this children’s home called Sunshine Acres. All these years I had pictured these children having a really sad life with a bleak future. What a surprise to find out the opposite was true. It was one of the most special places I have ever visited!
It was not hopeless at all. These 70 children have a pool, church, library, doctors office, mechanic shop, wood working shop, computers, horses, pool tables, and big screen TV’s. More importantly the people taking care of them are loving dedicated people. There are about 15 kids per home which have permanent house parents in each one. The kids each share a room that is model home perfect and they keep the entire place spotless! I couldn’t believe it. Each room in each home was neat, clean, smelled good and felt good.
This part really blew me away. There was nothing on the counters in bathrooms, nothing out and not a bed unmade. She said that a design team had come in and decorated the houses for a total cost of $374.000. I’m talking, these home were NICE! The furniture was donated by model homes. It was humbling to think that a children’s home was nicer, and cleaner than my own.
What also blew me away was the fact that nobody knew we were coming and we went in home after home and looked in the bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas and there was not a thing out of place. The only way I could tell that any people lived there was a graduation gown out with an honors award by it.
When I am cleaning to make my home look this perfect, my kids always ask who’s coming over? Hmm

She told us story after story of the miracles that have happened there. Including a story when there was a huge drop in temperature and the children were cold. A lady dropped off 30 blankets in the middle of a storm and disappeared. (The exact number they needed) She was their angel. It felt so good in the houses I wanted to move in myself. They call it their miracle in the desert. Priscilla said in all the years of running Sunshine Acres, they have never once sent out a letter asking for money. She said everything is always provided. In the early years, the State put kids in and out of the home on a whim. She said that one 13 year old girl made her home there and the State came in and made her move to Phoenix. She cried and screamed when they took her away and later attempted suicide. After hearing this, Pricilla’s dad said he will never take State money again and they will never take anymore of their kids away. Children can come to Sunshine Acres for any reason and stay as long as they want, including when they go to college. The people working there are good, good people doing an amazing service. She said they have had more than 1500 children live there through the years. Pricilla’s sister said she came to help out as a house parent for six weeks and she has stayed for the past 48 years. These people are as good as gold.
The couple that started Sunshine Acres had a dream of helping kids. They didn’t know how it would turn out, but they had passion and hope. Priscilla’s mother was called Aunt Vera by all the kids and was the best storyteller around. They have a picture of her 4 months before she died with all the kids gathered around listening to her tell stories. Next to it are her words, “Don’t worry about anything but pray for everything”.
I came away wanting to do more. What a wonderful life it must be to work around good people, working for a good cause. The people there were the real deal. I met many of them and they were all like family. I could see why. One lady I met at their Thrift shop had been a house mom for 19 years.
Priscilla was proud to tell me of the accomplishments the children made and who they had become today. She said when some of them show up they had never slept in a bed. They were given a beautiful room and bed, and would still find them curled up on the floor. They even have a school on the premises to help the children catch up so they can go to public school. I guess you can see what an impact this all had on me. I am inspired to do more.
We and our children are so blessed. Thank goodness there are special people in the world that rise to the call, and help children. These people are the angels. This place is truly a miracle in the desert. Thanks to all the Aunt Vera’s, for leaving the world a better place than they found it. I hope we can too!
There website is http://sunshineacres.org/index.php

A Mother's Day Tip

My husband used to be a terrible gift giver. The night before a holiday, he would run up to the corner drugstore. He did this because he had procrastinated, and it was the only place open at 11:00PM. It was a pretty steady practice for him. He just wasn't used to gift buying, because like most women I handled every gift that any person in our family was required to buy.
One of the first gifts I received was a taco holder. I am probably the only person who has gotten such a gift. I was newly married and hadn't learned the art of accepting gifts, sooo...I basically gave him the lecture of a lifetime. I told him that I don't make tacos, I don't eat tacos and if I ever decided to make tacos, I certainly wouldn't need a holder for them. I used the taco holder for laughs at parties and to one up the other wives when talking about the stupid gifts they had received. Months later I even had a hard time selling it at a garage sale for 25 cents. This made the story even juicer.
I never really liked any of my Wallgreen gifts and I told him so each and every time. I finally told him that I didn't need any more gifts. I made a deal with him that I would just buy my own. This was actually a great plan because he was happy that he didn't have the pressure of pleasing a perfectionist wife. I was happy because I knew that I would get the gift that I wanted. I quit fantasizing; dreaming of him picking out the perfect sentimental present. I quit having expectations. I wasn't sad or mad anymore. I thought we had a nice arrangement. But because of this I haven't gotten very many gifts.

Many years later my husband and I were in a fancy boutique killing some time (not something we normally do) and I saw this purse. I went crazy over it. I told Kyle that this was the most beautiful "me" purse I had ever seen. If it didn't cost $300.00, I would buy it in a second. He looked at me and said, "I'm going to buy you the purse." I said that it would be ridiculous to buy such an expensive purse. I tried to talk him out of it, but he bought it anyway.
I couldn't believe it! It was the sweetest thing ever! He was so happy and it made me so happy. I couldn't quit crying because it was such a caring gesture.
Here is a picture of the purse. I love it! I love the color, style, fabric, broach, everything! It is a Glenda Gies. I get 2 or 3 compliments on it a day. Everywhere I go people love it. Whenever I am with him he sees everyone raving about it. This reinforces what a hero he was to buy this beautiful gift. (Guys love to be a hero.)
He was so excited about the great thing he did and how much I appreciated it that he got on ebay and started looking at Glenda Gies purses and started buying me more and more and more.
These are all my purses to date. I try to get him to stop but they keep showing up in the mail.

Here is the tip and what I learned. Men like to buy their wives gifts. Some of them just don't know what to buy. When they do something right, acknowledge it, and like me you might get more and more and more. If you are like the old me, making fun, unappreciative, guess what you get? Nothing! Make sure and let your guy know how great he is in spite of what he gets you for Mother's Day, and appreciate the thought as well as the taco holder. I wonder what would have happened if I started crying over the taco holder?
Oh know........ I would probably have a whole house full by now:)

Thanks for Making my Day!!

OK, I got home yesterday and found the most beautifully wrapped gift on my doorstep. It was white shiny paper tied with pink gingham ribbon. I was confused because it was not a holiday. I couldn't understand who would be leaving me a gift. I opened the card and it said this. "I was just thinking about you. Now you will be able to record all of your spiritual and inspirational thoughts. Love your friend. And no signature! Can you believe there are such nice people in the world? What a nice thing. I love the surprise and the unexpected part, but I also think it is soo sweet that someone would go to all the trouble of shopping for me and thinking about what I would like, picking out a pink leather journal and wrapping it so cute. I am blown away. The card was even adorable. It had a cherry with a crystal on it. If you are the one who bought me this beautiful gift. Thank You So Much!!!!!!!

This made me realized that I need to do more anonymous giving. It is such a happy thing to do. Gifts and notes make the giver feel good, and the receiver. How great is that? Thanks friend for making me feel so loved.