Homemade Happiness

Today is my Grandma Dayley's funeral (Blanche Gail Peck Dayley). I'm here at home wishing to be in Oakley and Burley, Idaho with many relatives and especially with my mom. But I am taking this quiet time while Hakon is at the office and Spencer is napping to go back in time with memories of my sweet grandma.

The above picture was taken February 2009. Hakon met her for the first time and it ended up being the only time.I was expecting Spencer at the time so he never met her. I'm so glad we took the chance to go see her on that trip. I'm so grateful for all the good memories with grandma. Up until a few years ago she lived in the house pictured below in Oakley, Idaho. It is over 100 years old and was built by the Dayley family. It has stayed in our family all that time as well. I loved visiting here many summers and sometimes at Christmas or Easter. Grandma would always have lots of food for us to eat and ice cream cones for dessert. She would take us to Clarke's to buy penny candies and we would often rent a movie. I loved going on walks around Oakley and seeing all the old houses and buildings imagining the previous generations who lived in them.

Grandma loved to hear us play the piano or sing and we usually put on a little program for her while there. My mom somehow got all of us to participate. She even got my teenage brother to show grandma how he can lead a hymn while my sister played it. Grandma was always delighted with these programs. Since we lived about 13 hours apart we would sometimes make videos to mail to her. I've been transferring home videos to DVD for my parents and have seen a few of these programs. It is such a treasure to have those memories preserved, especially since we can't go for a visit and do a program anymore.

Grandma was always very concerned about having things just right and made us feel so welcomed. We would usually show up at her house late at night after a long day of driving and she would be asleep in her chair trying to wait up for us. Since my grandpa died in 1992 I don't have as many memories of him on these visits.

Although she had many grandchildren, she knew how to make me feel really special to her. Just being around her made me want to be a better person and always do things that she would be proud of. She would make a big deal out of any small accomplishment of mine that she knew of and would remember it for years. I wrote a poem for a competition in Grade 5 about the pioneers who came to Cardston. I won first prize and was asked to read it at a town dinner when a wagon train came to Cardston commemorating the early pioneers. I'm sure I would have long forgotten about this but Grandma made a great deal out of it.

Wagon Train

Wagons are rolling along the trail.
Alberta's our goal the pioneers yell.
Grinding up mountains
On northward they go.
New lands to find, new lands to sew.

Tomorrow will come and it will go.
Rain or shine, wind or snow.
Although it is hard
It's worth it still.
Never give up and Never you'll fail

She talked about that poem for years to come and kept a copy of it in a special book. Then she sent me a wooden doll with it written on the back in her own handwriting!

Even though we lived far away I definitely still felt her love.

I heard her bear testimony of the gospel many times and I know she was sincere. I am so grateful for her example and legacy. I'm grateful that she raised my mother so well and blessed our family by her love and testimony even though we usually only saw each other about once a year. I miss her but know she is in a better place having a grand reunion with my grandpa and all her other loved ones who passed on before her. I know I will see her again but she will be in a perfect state, without her pains and aches that became so bad over the years. I bet she will be a lot taller than I remember her! I look forward to that sweet reunion.

This month I want to focus more on thinking of Christ-always remembering him. I promise to do this every Sunday when I partake of the Sacrament but I fall short each week. I am going to give a more fervent effort this month. With some forethought it isn't very hard with all the Christmas music, videos, books, decorations, and events. These two videos have especially touched me tonight.






These videos have also made me reflect on the miracle of life and motherhood. I have an increased sense of the how sacred birth and newborn babies are. I am so grateful to be awaiting my second child and look forward to snuggling him in my arms. I have the opportunity to play Mary in a cantata our ward is putting on this year and have been thinking more of her this year than any previous year. She must have been an incredible young woman. I would like to meet her someday. I wonder how it would be to love Jesus Christ not only as my brother and Savior but also as my son? I'm grateful for opportunities this season that help me focus on Christ and His glorious gospel.

Day 15: Pictures of my dream house

It is a good thing I am not at the point of deciding on my dream house because I haven't quite figured out my style. And even when I do I am sure the practical side of me will take over and I will do without a lot of the things I think are aesthetically pleasing. Here are some homes I sure wouldn't mind having someday though.

I love how clean this looks. Notice the cute lantern out front, the windows, and the little balcony areas. I love it all.

There is something about shutters and this colonial style that I love every time. I would probably end up going with white for the house but I like this color scheme too.

I like some stone and the angles add nice variety. I like that there is pretty landscaping out front. I like how the garage doesn't overshadow the archetecture of the rest of the home.

Nice lighting at night adds so much! I knocked on many doors to homes like this in Nashville.

I also like a simple little house like this. Unpretentious, yet neat, clean and inviting.

And look at all this space! Huge yard, wraparound porch and dormers. I'm not so sure about the red brick but the rest I like.

And there you have it...I'm done my 15 day challenge! Not in 15 days, but who is counting anyway?

Day 14: Favorite Pictures (sorry to anyone who got the list from my blog, this was supposed to also say "favorite pictures that I have taken")

My beautiful parents

I went visiting teaching and asked Hakon to get the chicken out when it was done. When I returned home the first thing I could smell was burnt chicken but he couldn't smell anything.

One of those rare cuddle moments with Spencer.

Striking a pose with the toothbrush.

My little model boy

lasagna, mmm

chubster

hanging out

almost too big for his recliner

Saturday night nachos with dad

wrestling with the puppies

well rested

4 generations

daddy's boy

sent from above, our bundle of joy

Day 13: Goals

• Pray on my knees morning and night (besides other less formal prayers throughout the day) individually and as a family/couple
• Read my scriptures every day individually and as a family

• Do a weekly meal plan and a weekly grocery shopping trip
• Read each monthly ensign cover to cover

•  Funny thing about this Ensign is that Hakon was roommates and is still good friends with the dad's brother (I hope that makes sense). He recognized the whole family when the Ensign came in the mail.
• To neither physically hurt my children nor yell at them for discipline
• To not gossip

• Memorize "The Living Christ"
• I have actually memorized it but I need to keep going over it to keep it fresh, how easily I forget!
• Stay out of debt (except to get a mortgage...eventually)
• To have a 3 month food supply, money in reserve, and water storage 

• and to have it as neatly organized as this picture!
• Have Family Home Evening every Monday night
• Manage our money as best I/we can so I can remain a stay at home mom if at all possible.
• In general: to raise confident, faithful, clean-cut children who build testimonies of Jesus Christ and prepare to make and keep sacred covenants in holy temples of the Lord. 

• To have a successful/fulfilling marriage that will last through eternity.

As you can see, a lot of my goals come from what I have been taught through my religion. It is everything that is most important to me. I experience the most personal growth by doing and striving to do these things. 

Day 12: What you believe

Day 11: Favorite TV shows
Well you probably already know this but I really like this show. I have never watched one by myself though. Hakon and I always watch it together on the laptop while Spencer is in bed. We always watch the episodes in order. We have only skipped a couple that had a theme we thought inappropriate. It is almost always clean and captivating. I usually cry at the very end of each episode (honestly I have probably not cried at the end of 2 out of 40 episodes).






Occasionally I like to see this show but I don't even know when it is on so it is a fluke if I turn the TV on to this station at the right time. I saw it more often when Spencer had me confined to the couch for hours on end nursing.

Day 10: Something your afraid of

One word for you: MICE!

My worst experience with mice: One night I was babysitting and the kids were asleep. I was sitting on the couch when suddenly a mouse ran from under the couch to the loveseat and back and forth. Looking back now I'm sure it was just afraid of me, but I was more afraid of it. I seriously was standing on the table to stay safe. When the parents got home the dad asked if I just got out the broom and took control or if I freaked out like his wife would have. I don't remember my reply but I do remember being slightly embarrassed.

Day 9: Put Your Ipod on shuffle, the first 10 songs
 
How Firm a Foundation: Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Piano Fantasy: William Joseph
Sunshine: Matt Costa
Consider the Lilies: Mormon Tabernacle Choir
I Cannot Find My Way/Three Kings: Michael McLean
The Innkeeper (Let Him In): Michael McLean
Lullabye-Goodnight My Angel: Haley Gibb
Callin' Baton Rouge: Garth Brooks
I Do Adore: Mindy Gledhill
Brahms Lullaby: Mikel Azpiroz

The main thing I actually use my ipod for is to listen to previous General Conference addresses. I also like to download BYU devotionals and speeches. If you know of any other great (free) podcasts let me know.

See that nice, soft rug Spencer is reading on? It is our early Christmas present. The rug that we have been wanting for over 1 1/2 years. It is finally ours and we are loving it. We spend way more time in the living room now.

Nneuschwanstein castle. It was gorgeous. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside though.

Monica Redd on the left found her non-biological twin in Germany. Isn't it crazy how similar they look!

Me and my besties on the trip! Katie Wood, Monica Redd, Trisha Zemp

Umm, I was tired by the end. This is just before arriving to Cardston.

This trip was something I could really only do while I was single and I'm so glad I took the opportunity.

I have to say I don't care much for this category. I seriously am not a movie watcher. Sure I watch one here or there but honestly I don't even remember most of the ones I've seen. I guess it is kind of the same way I am with jokes, I can hear the same one over and over and still not remember the punch line or important details.
Hakon and I have become so frustrated with trying to find a good movie that we almost get mad thinking about trying. I always try to check www.imdb.com to read the Parent's Guide of any movie we are considering renting...but it seems that I end up reading too much filth as I try to go through the warnings that I just give up. It makes me think of Elder Christofferson's recent General Conference talk where he said:

Having spoken in praise of labor, I must also add a kind word for leisure. Just as honest toil gives rest its sweetness, wholesome recreation is the friend and steadying companion of work. Music, literature, art, dance, drama, athletics—all can provide entertainment to enrich one’s life and further consecrate it. At the same time, it hardly needs to be said that much of what passes for entertainment today is coarse, degrading, violent, mind-numbing, and time wasting. Ironically, it sometimes takes hard work to find wholesome leisure. When entertainment turns from virtue to vice, it becomes a destroyer of the consecrated life. “Wherefore, take heed . . . that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God” (Moroni 7:14).  

I know there are a lot of good movies out there but I get frustrated with the work it takes to find them. I always appreciate it when a good one is recommended to me since it saves me the work. Anyway, a couple of the movies I can remember and love are:

The Sound of Music: I have watched The Sound of Music so many times. I love the singing, the patriotism, the family unity, and the lack of immorality. It is an uplifting movie. While in Austria I was able to visit a couple sites from the movie and it was so neat.

Fireproof: This one is on my list not because the acting is phenomenal but because I could not stop thinking about the movie for days after I watched it. It had a powerful message about marriage and it made me want to be a better spouse.

I guess I actually am glad we did this category so I can get good movie ideas from your blogs!

Day 6 — A song that makes you cry {or nearly and why}

Push Play on my playlist on the sidebar. It is the first song on the list.


Your Gonna Miss This
-Trace Adkins

She was staring out that window, of that SUV
Complaining, saying I can't wait to turn 18
She said I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said I was just like you


Chorus:
You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her It's a nice place
She says It'll do for now
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says Baby just slow down

Chorus

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
She keeps apologizin'
He says they don't bother me
I've got 2 babies of my own
One's 36, one's 23
Huh, it's hard to believe

Chorus


I'm usually at least choked up by the end of this song. I changed the words to blue that really hit home with me in this song. I really did always want to grow up way too fast and I suppose sometimes I still do. The chorus is a perfect reminder to enjoy the moments I have here and now. I remember some of these feelings when Spencer turned a week old. I sat holding him and crying because I couldn't bring that first week back and time was going too fast. It still does. I am just trying to make the most of what I have right now while preparing for a great future. I know my future will be made brighter by good memories I have the chance to make now.

Day 5: Pictures of things that make you happy

Note: This is by no means an exhaustive list and the order has no relevance. But here is a sample of things that make me happy!

I can't get a picture of this but go HERE to see a short video that makes me so happy. And then go ahead and give my Leah some comment love. It is so cute!

I just never find a better one.

Makeup that doesn't irritate my skin and make it flare up! It costs more than I like to pay but it's so worth it. I'm happy my mom experimented with lots of different makeup so I could benefit when she found the right one for both of our faces.

Whether a phone call is a couple minutes to say "Hi, I was thinking about you" or hours of talking about "nothing" it always makes me happy to know I was thought of or I was able to let someone else know I was thinking of them.

Funny everyday moments. The earplug on the right went through the wash on accident. I thought it was pretty funny how big it got from soaking up the water.

My first date with Hakon. It was a perfect night and he was a Senior! That was enough to make a freshman girl giddy. The double date included hiking up this mountain and hitting golf balls off the side of the mountain. This is overlooking Provo.

Saving money.

The Rocky Mountains back home.

Newborns. I can't believe he could fit in a baseball glove!

Our wedding day. You may think this is an odd picture to choose of all the options from that day, but I love it.

Memories of our first apartment. Yes our mattress was on the floor and it was double size, a little short for Hakon. But I love the memories of our "humble beginning".

Freedom. Symbols (the poppy) that remind me how blessed I am.

But really the only true source of happiness:

Forgiveness for my sins through Jesus Christ and His great atoning sacrifice. I couldn't be happy without the burden of my sins being lifted through him. Nothing else could replace this type of true happiness.

We are happy as we pray every morning and every night, when we can feel that the Lord hears us and is always willing to bless, forgive, and help us. We are happy as we feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost in our lives—as we feel the Spirit when we have to make important life decisions. We are happy as we go home after a stressful and tiresome day at work to the arms of our families, as they express love and appreciation for us. We are happy to talk to our children, to enjoy the family, to get together on family night. In short, we can feel happiness every day in our lives through little things we do, and we are fully happy as we keep the commandments of a loving God who cares about us. (Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, Fun and Happiness)