"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow what a ride!" — Marjorie Pay Hinckley

A week of Easter

Starting tonight - our family will be doing a lesson every night until Easter on things that happened during the Savior's Ministry leading up to his crucifixion. First we will be making a countdown to easter. Each night we will turn over an egg and have a lesson, scriptures, and an activity described on the back of the egg. I'm pretty excited on sitting down with my kids and trying to teach them the importance of what our Savior has done for us. I wanted to share a few ideas that I have planned.

Monday : We will be talking about how and why Mary washed Jesus's feet - as our activity we will wash each other's feet as well.

Tuesday: Jesus taught the greatest law : Love thy neighbour as thyself - we will take a treat to our neighbors

Wednesday: The passover meal and the first time Christ gave the sacrement to help us remember him. We will make a meal. I don't think I can get a hold of unleavened bread, but I am going to buy some flat bread and have my kids eat it so they can have an idea of the type of bread that Christ ate.

Thursday: Cleansing of the Temple - we are going to talk about how our home and church should be a place that is calm and reverent and of order. We will make soft pretzels like folded arms. Maybe I will have them clean the house too :) I've also thought about going to the church (my kids are on spring break) and having them clean a little there.

Friday: The Garden of Gethsemene. We will pick out some things that we can give to the DI

Saturday: Jesus was crucified. This night we will make a list as a family of why we are grateful for Christ sacraficing for us.

Sunday: He is risen! Matthew 28:6 This day we will talk about the ressurection and have our family share our testimonies.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed because I feel it's an enormous task to teach small children the insurmountable sacrifice made on their behalf. But I feel, that if we teach with the spirit, they may not understand all the words we will use, but they will recognize and understand what they feel. And through the Holy Ghost, they will know it's true. I hope everyone has a wonderful week leading up to Easter. It is my sincere testimony that Heavenly Father loves each one of us so much. It is why our Elder Brother sacraficed himself on our behalf. The Atonement is powerful, and real. If well let our walls down and can be honest with ourselves, we can change and be better. Have a Happy Week Everyone!

"Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God." -Unknown

Heureux Mardi Gras

Being from the South, I am very proud of my roots and traditions that I celebrated growing up. I have been able to go to many Mardi Gras parades, and eat my share of king cake as well as yell "throw me something mister!" Not to mention the all coveted Golden Coconuts.

Now that I live in Utah, it is obvious that no one here really celebrates Mardi Gras. Most people know about the crazy parades, beads, food, and celebrations; but many don't understand WHAT it is. So allow me to educate you a little.

The history of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras began long before Europeans set foot in the New World. In mid February the ancient Romans celebrated the Lupercalia, a circus like festival not entirely unlike the Mardi Gras we are familiar with today. When Rome embraced Christianity, the early Church fathers decided it was better to incorporate certain aspects of pagan rituals into the new faith rather than attempt to abolish them altogether. Carnival became a period of merriment that preceded the penance of Lent, thus giving a Christian interpretation to the ancient custom. So basically after Christmas, you party it up for a couple of months until Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is not the only celebration during this time, but it is the biggest since it is the last night to "party" before Lent. Mardi Gras came to America in 1699 with the French explorer Iberville. Mardi Gras had been celebrated in Paris since the Middle Ages, where it was a major holiday

Mardi Gras Masks :
During the late 1700's, pre-Lenten masked balls and festivals were common in New Orleans while it was under French rule. However when New Orleans came under Spanish rule the custom was banned. In 1803 New Orleans came under the U.S. flag. The prohibition against masked festivals continued until 1823 when the Creole populace convinced the governor to permit masked balls. In 1827 street masking was again legalized.

King Cake

The history of the King Cake has its roots in pre-Christian religions of Western Europe. Part of the Harvest celebrations that the pagans practiced was the sacrifice ritual. It was customary to choose a man to be the "sacred king" of the tribe for a year. That man would be treated like a king for the year, then he would be sacrificed, and his blood returned to the soil to ensure that the harvest would be successful. The method of choosing who would have the honor of being the sacred king was the purpose of the "King's Cake". Several men of the tribe, would eat of the cake A coin or bean would be placed in the cake before baking, and whoever got the slice that had the coin was the chosen one.

In 12th century France where the cake would be baked on the eve of January 6 to celebrate the visit to the Christ Child by the three Kings. A small token was hidden in the cake as a surprise for the finder.

French settlers brought the custom to Louisiana in the 18th century where it remained associated with the Epiphany until the 19th century when it became a more elaborate Mardi Gras custom. In New Orleans, the first cake of the season is served on January 6. A small ceramic figurine of a baby is hidden inside the cake, by tradition. However now, the tradition is giving way to the baby being supplied and the customer placing the baby were ever they wish in the cake. Whoever finds the baby is allowed to choose a mock court and host the next King Cake party the following week (weekly cake parties were held until Mardi Gras).


Now there are many other parts to Mardi Gras like the beads, doubloons, parades and such. So do you feel more educated now? GOOD :) NOW onto my cute kids!

We decided that for a family activity, we would make our own Mardi Gras masks.  :) 

Hard at work

I would throw them some beads.. wouldn't you?

Aren't these two just the cutest?

And of course the mask I made.

Ezra is not pictures because let's be honest, all he would do is eat the feathers, crumple the mask, and in a day or two have sequined poop :) So I thought it best to just keep it out of his reach.

HAPPY MARDI GRAS YA'LL

LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS ROULEZ!

(let the good times roll)

My little chatter box.

Sorry for my lack of awesome videography skills, but I thought this video was cute and I wanted to share. My favorite part is where he whispers "momma" Sure love this little guy.

Come what May, and love it.

Who is whispering to you?

With all the things that have been happening to our family over the last while I have been racking my brain trying to figure out why it has felt like a very uneven fight. I started reading a book my sister gave me for Christmas. It is about seeing yourself the way that Christ sees you, and loving yourself. Not relying on someone else to boost your self worth. It got me thinking about Satan, yes Satan.

When you think of the name Satan, what words come to your mind? Here are a few that came to mine. Enemy, selfish, evil, hateful, power hungry, cunning, schemer, secretive, subtle, liar, user, powerful, successful, & expert. Those last few actually sound like positive characteristics, but in the Devil's profession, they are lethal.

It seems to me today, that saying I believe in the devil gets a lot of funny looks. Maybe even the title of being paranoid or weird. But let me tell you, I believe. I've seen his hand in my life, I've seen the destruction, infact, I feel like I'm dealing with him currently. His grip can get so tight and intertwined that often times it feels impossible to break free. And it doesn't even have to be a hold that he has on you, but on people that you love. If we try to fight him alone, it is like us bringing a knife to a gun fight. We will lose. That is the plain and simple truth. We will lose.

Satan's plan is simply this - destroy our Heavenly Father's plan for his children's happiness and chance at eternal life with our families - He is the son of destruction and his selfishness cost our Father one third of all his children even before we had an opportunity to come to this Earth. His goal hasn't changed over time, but  his methods have. Let's be frank, he's had quite a bit of practice, and honestly, quite a bit of success. Please allow me to sound like a raving mad lunatic for just a moment so that I can clearly emphasize what I believe. SATAN IS REAL. HE WANTS TO DESTROY US. He wants to destroy our children, our marriages, our families, our beliefs. Anything that is praisworthy of or good report. It is sick and twisted. He will use anything, any tactic, or any PERSON to cause harm and accomplish his design. He is EVIL. HE IS OUR ETERNAL ENEMY. "he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself" (2 Nephi 2:27)  His plan would damn us and stop our eternal progression as well as take away our agency. "Satan stirreth them up, that he may lead their souls to destruction. And thus he has laid a cunning plan, thinking to destroy the work of God'...And... he ... leadeth them along until he draggeth their souls down to hell; ...And thus he goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth , seeking to destroy the soulds of men" (D&C) 10:22-23, 26-27)

My sister told me a story of a boy in her Sunday School class complaining that they had heard a certain lesson before and couldn't they just move on. It got me thinking of why the scriptures can be repetitive. Why Sunday school teaches us the same things week after week. It is to REMIND us! Not only of the things that we must do in order to return to our Heavenly Father, but also of how precious and how loved we are. It is to remind us of the wonderful and awesome plan our Father has in place for his children. The Plan of Happiness. Satan wants us to forget. He wants us to forget who we are. Sons and daughters of a most High Being. He wants us to lose our knowlege of who our Savior is. If we forget those things, then he can swoop in and convince us of things like that our lives are so messed up and beyond repair that there is no chance of redemption or improvement. What a lie! He wants to alienate us from our most powerful supporters. Our Father and his Son. He knows that if we try to fight him on our own, that he will win. So what does he do? First he takes strike at our knowledge and our personal relationships with the Spirit. When we are not prepared, spiritually fortified and are neglecting our spiritual appetites we are weak and it is easy for the serpent to penetrate our minds and whisper to us. How can we discern where it comes from if our relationship with truth and knowledge is lacking? It sort of reminds me of Harry Potter when Voldemort is able to penetrate Harry's mind because he's too weak to keep him out.

It all starts with a thought. In most cases, Satan can not literally force our actions. He has no power over our bodies. But he has become a master at getting into our heads, playing games and highly influencing our thoughts, which in turn affect our actions. He twists, he taints, he exaggerates, he lies, and oh how he influences and continually whispers to us that we are justified in our poor thoughts and actions. Oh how he prompts and nudges us in the direction of misery. He wants to confine us. He wants us to doubt. If you allow him control over your thoughts, you allow him control over your actions. What can we do? We must change our thinking. We must replace the bad with the good. We must rid our mind of the garbage that we have allow to be dumped there. It's not a quick change or even an easy one. Self Mastery. Our thoughts make us who we are. If we are constantly thinking of the negative, then what do you suppose our actions are? You are not only destructive to those around you, but you are destroying yourself! You have become a TOOL in the hands of the evil one. If you want to be Christlike then your thoughts must be like that unto Christ. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar... for he who loveth God love his brother also"

It can be difficult to see the positive in very dark situations. When I feel this way, I start to think of my Savior and the Garden of Gethsemane. I am so precious to him, my agency, my chance at eternal life mean so much to him that he not only fought for me, (an continues to fight for me) but he sacrificed for me. Don't I owe it to him to fight for myself also? Or do I think that little of myself?  "Right thinking leads to right acting. We change our thoughts, and we change our actions, that is when we change our lives" - Toni Sorenson

The devil has many devices he uses. He is an expert at disguise - even to the point where he can even imitate the Spirit or even an Angel of the Lord. Take Korihor from the Book of Mormon. Alma records Korihor's confession after Satan brought him to the point of utter destruction: "Behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me;... There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words;... and I taught them , even until I had much success... that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth even until I have brought this great curse upon me" (Alma 30:53) Sadly, through Korihor, the devil was able to victimize many. He used Korihor as a tool for his purposes. He doesn't care - he is no respecter of persons. No one is exempt.
Spencer W. Kimball had this description of Satan: Satan is very much a personal, individual spirit being, but without a mortal body. His desires to seal each of us his are no less ardent in wickedness than our Father's are in righteousness to attract us to his own eternal kingdom... He is aslo clever and trained. With thousands of years of expereince behind him he has become superbly efficient and increasingly deteremined. Please know that any thought to diminish your worth and negativly impacts your life or the lives of others - whether it comes from your own mind or the mouth of someone else - IS NOT OF GOD  (The Miracle of Forgiveness)

He "desireth to have you" (3 Nephi 18:18) Every time you allow him in to influence your thoughts and actions, he gets his sick wish. Everytime you lie, or steal, violate your marraige, harden your heart, become selfish, prideful and carnal. Everytime - no exceptions.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland asked who it is that whispers to us? When I first read that, it made my stomach drop. Fear set in over me and I started to ask myself... who is whispering to me? Am I doing all I can to protect myself from the father of all lies and his schemes to destroy me and my family? The answer is that I haven't. President Joseph Fielding Smith warned us that Satan may influence us through friends, relatives, or other people in whom we have confidence.  He has an endless bag of tricks. In subtle ways, the things we we surround ourselves with can wear and tear us down.

Trials and life's ugly situations happen to us not because God makes it, but because it simply does. Actions have consequences. Bad things are sure to come everyone's way. It is part of growing, learning, and experiencing life. God does NOT give us our trials, but he allows us to go through them. Often times it is our own behaviors, thoughts, and actions that bring trials to our doorsteps. Sadly sometimes it is the agency of others that thrust sorrow our way. But that doesn't change the fact that it is an opportunity to learn and grow. Satan wants us to feel like God has abandoned us, that he does not hear our prayers or recognize our needs. This is a lie. There is no fervent (a desire to change) or sincere prayer that goes unheard. And I testify that God is absolutely mindful of each of us in a very personal way.

Take heart. We have a most powerful force on our side. But we must exercise our agency to use it. To allow Heavenly Father in. To allow the atonement to heal our deep wounds. In the midst of me feeling like my life is falling apart,  watching my kids struggle through emotional pain, being a single mom of 3, a lack of security, losing my marriage no matter how hard I fight, and battling people's judgments and negative views about me - I have peace and comfort. But it is a choice. I am choosing to not let these trials define me. I am choosing to not let the advasary gain control over me. I have had many dark and lonely nights that seemed like they would never end. And through a tear stained face I have pleaded with my Father to bring me peace and to fortify my family. He has never failed me. I am not saying the pain is magically gone or that each day right now isn't a struggle. I feel like a total failure, worthless, and defeated,  but I know I am loved and supported. I can't see what will happen, and I understand that I have no control over what others choose. But remember, "the moment we give up and say our cause is not worthwhile, the moment we choose not to fight is the moment progression stops..." -Spencer W. Kimball

Do not allow the evil one in, even just a little bit. Do now allow him to whisper doubt to your mind. Do not allow him to make you question the precious being you are. Your are sons and daughters of a King. His most prized creation, His top priority. Do not allow him to destroy what Heavenly Father is trying so hard for you to gain. Eternal life with your family.  YOUR MISTAKES DO NOT DEFINE YOU! They do not define me. It is why the Atonement is so beautiful. No matter how impossible things may be, they are possible through the Lord.