You don’t need to take back my library books, I survived…barely…

As you can see, I survived my math mid-term (what?? She had a math mid-term?? She never even mentioned she was in school…..she’s really pale…Hot Pocket…)

Sorry, random Gaffigan moment.

Anyhoo…..I am on the other side. I don’t know what my grade is but I finished the 23 question just shy of 2 hours…yeah, I’m pathetic.

Seeings how I didn’t think Enrichment Homemaking What is it Called? Relief Society Night, a midterm, a 3 hour night class and a pile of homework up to my fine booty was enough, I decided to host Book Club tonight.

What the what??? Now I gotta clean my giant postage stamp of a house for company to come over???? Holy Good Crap!! Do you think my guest will mind the streaks of I don’t even know what on my walls or the 4 inches of dust on everything (including my uterus), 2 broken chairs and the floor to sit on and a tasty refreshment we like to call ‘buttered saltines’?

I may have big shoes to fill tonight considering the last few houses we’ve met at don’t have the bewitching scent of “What the H is that???”, they had enough chairs for all their guests, no diapers hiding under there (haha, you said underwear!!) and they each have had a ‘snack’ spread you wouldn’t believe! I mean, homemade chocolate cupcakes of sin and butter, fruit salad fit for the Gods, delightful dips with homemade cinnamon chips, salsas, chocolate covered strawberries, Matthew McConaughey on toast….wait…..that was a different get together all together…..ahem…

But you know what??? I think they are gonna love it!

You know why? I’ll tell you why. I will do ANYTHING to entertain you. That’s right, I will be your performing monkey! If you leave my house without laughing either at my own pain and humiliation, the perfect line, or seeing what I can light on fire that you never thought you could, unless, of course, you were a 12 year old boy, then it is not my fault! I may not be the hostess-with-the-mostest but I can at least make you tear up and maybe even pee a little-mostly at my own expense.

So, even though it’s ‘just at Mindi’s house’ I know they will come. Who knows, I may even bring out the hummus WITH the buttered saltines!

You wanna come? We might even talk about the book! What were we reading again??

Post It Note Tuesday…

It’s Tuesday and I have already been very busy-telling people something I wasn’t supposed to, screaming at my kids, spent more money than I have and failed a math test. Awesome.

So, to celebrate I thought I would do some more Post-its to kind of clear my head of some random thoughts. I think these are brilliant and always love Chief’s (I pretty much think she’s as awesome as a cold Diet Coke on a very hot day!!) Post-it thoughts so I’m thinking I am officially on the SupahMommy (Who has like a billion awesome ideas!) bandwagon o’ fun. These can get addicting!

 

Click on the Post It Note to find out how to do your own!

 

 

    

What’s on your mind on this rainy Tuesday?

PS-If you don’t hear from me in a while, the math mid-term fried my brain and I am now in the Funny Farm. Just know I love you all….

Whose brilliant idea was it to live behind a donut factory???

The morning breaks with birds chirping, chickens clucking and school zone lights blinking. A slight breeze blows across the neighborhood. With it it carries not only the smells of an early morning, but the bewitching scent of a donut.

The donut is one of the only few things I can actually resist when it comes to food temptations. But this donut factory makes the best chocolate cake, chocolate frosting donut on the whole planet. And whether you like donuts or not you’ve got to admit, they look and smell pretty tantalizing. This cursed place of sin and debauchery is less then a mile from my home. Yes, that would be walking distance.

Image taken from here.

I go there on occasion to buy my bread (I swear that’s all I’m doing!!) and I often feel like a pervert in a porn shop staring at those donuts, taking in their scent, gaining 5 lbs. just from sniffing. “Oh yeah, you wear that frosting, let it hug your yummy flesh….”, “Nice sprinkles…” I could go on but it just gets dirtier from here…..

I just know those little workers of iniquity in the form of baking are sitting there each morning, turning on all the fans like the Pied Piper, making sure those smells fill the neighborhood surrounding them, luring the innocent to their cave of frosting, chocolate, sugar and enriched white flour, all while they sit there in their hair nets and aprons, diabolically rubbing their sanitarily gloved hands and guffawing wickedly at the weaklings they control.

Curse you, Dunford and your minions!

Photo and Post-its Post

This is me about to blog. I hate that shirt.

This is what happens when a 5 year old gets a hold of the camera. And apparently someone didn’t vacuum that day.

 

Does anything here stand out to you? That had to hurt! I was wondering why one of the chickens was limping…

Although it is bedtime, a girl can never be too prepared.

 

Do you think this’ll work…yeah, we’ll see….

My blogging buddy, Chief, does this every Tuesday (which came from SupahMommy):

Click on post it to find out how to do it!

I thought I would give it a try. So here we go….

 

 

  

On that note(get it??? Note???), it is time for children to go to bed so they can come back upstairs and try to get in my bed.

A little bit of silly and a little bit of serious in honor of this Sabbath day

You guys are all amazing! Thank you for all your love, support and understanding! I realize we are all in the same boat in trying to figure out life and finding joy! Sometimes I think I am following in the footsteps of Jon Gosselin in some sort of mid-life crisis. If you see me with extra piercings, whining about losing my 20’s or driving a fancy car I can’t afford, do not hesitate to have an intervention for me! You can even invite A&E!!

Someone had this bright idea to pop open ‘just one more Diet Coke’ and what to do you know? Hello, midnight and Advil PM! I figured while I wait for my magic pill to kick in, I’d do a little writing!

What if Jane Austen was a ‘Mormon’? If you think about it, the traditions of her time aren’t all that different from the traditions of even a modern day Latter-Day Saint. Sure, women can have a career, actually pick the man she will marry and do more than sit around playing cards and reading, but marriage is still very important, in fact it often seems that is the only reason to do what we do-so we can take our love to the temple and be married for time and all eternity. Right? Obviously, it doesn’t always happen that way but that seems to be a major goal.

So, is it all that different from Sister Austen’s time? You tell me. I took the first page of Pride and Prejudice and changed it up a bit to be like a modern-ish Mormon Bro. and Sis. Bennett just for kicks. Have a look-see:

~It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a young return missionary in possession of a scholarship to BYU must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a single’s ward, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding co-eds, that he is considered as the rightful property of her and, hopefully, not one of her roommates.

"My dear Bro. Bennet," said his wife to him one day, "have you heard that Hyrum Marriott is home from his mission?"

Bro. Bennett replied that he had not.

"But he is," returned she; "for Sis. Long has just been here and she told me all about it."

Bro. Bennet made no answer.

"Do not you want to know where he is going to school?" cried his wife impatiently.

"You want to tell me and I have no objection to hearing it."

This was invitation enough.

"Why, my dear, you must know, Sis. Long says that he has served his mission honorably in the north of England and because of that the Lord has blessed him with a full ride scholarship to BYU! Could he be more perfect for our Emma?

"Is he the Elder’s Quorum President or Sunday School teacher?"

"Oh! Elder’s Quorum President, my dear, for sure! A return missionary going to BYU to be a dentist, no less! What a fine thing for our Emma!"

"How so? how can it affect her?"

"My dear Bro. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying her, living in Herriman and giving me 7 grandchildren!"

"Is that his design in going to the same school as Emma?"

"Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely he received revelation that he would meet his wife there and, obviously, that is Emma. We must take him some banana bread to welcome him home and remind him of his future wife."~

So, what do you think? Maybe a little cheesy but it made me giggle!

*******************************************************************

On a more serious note….

I was watching Elder Holland’s Conference talk tonight (somehow I missed it and my bff told me it HAD to be watched, not just read. So, I watched it here. Seriously, you should, too!) and it was so powerful. It really had me thinking how much I take the Book of Mormon for granted. It is a book I know to be true and yet I don’t read it as much as I should lately.

C Jane did a post on her blog about how she feels about the Book of Mormon and when she first discovered it was true for herself and I thought I would do the same.

I grew up in the church and, of course, took it for granted. I never really read the whole Book of Mormon until I was about 19. I had come to know these more than awesome people from a trip to Mexico on a short bus and they showed me where joy came from.

I started reading the Book of Mormon every night, no matter how late it was, I read some. I made it through the last part of 2 Nephi and the Isaiah (huh?) chapters, I made it through the wars of Alma. I made it all the way to the end where Moroni gives his great promise. And I knew it was true.

All the other times I tried to read it I was waiting for the angels to come and witness to me that what I was reading was true. When the heavenly trumpets didn’t sound, i would give up. But this time I realized that the answer for me wasn’t this huge momentous moment. It was the feeling I had each time I read it. It was the joy I had in my life that I never fully had before. It was the excitement I felt in opening the pages of that sacred book each night. It was the opening of my mind to understanding and enlightenment of God’s purpose of this life, Christ’s atonement and sacrifice for me. Little ole’ dorky Mindi. I didn’t need the angels-I had joy!

I’ve lost some of that these days, feeling a little beaten up by life and just plain old tired. But after listening to Elder Holland’s testimony tonight. I am recommitted. I want those feelings more prevalent in my life.

I know that is what I am craving and I’m beginning my feast today! Wanna join me?!

I don’t know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt..

Hi. My name is Mindi. Do you remember me? I remember you. You’re pretty.

Perspective is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?

I have been struggling, in fact, I just asked my husband, “What if my funny has dried up?” It has been a rough year and I find myself wallowing in self pity over my ‘health issues’, financial stuff, my spirituality, blah, blah, blah. I’ve gotten in over my head over here and I am trying to deal with it the best I can.

Let me be clear, I have everything I have ever wanted-wonderful kids that I can be a stay-at-home-mom with, the best and most handsome hubby in the world, I get to go to school for free, the best friends in the world and Diet Coke no further than a mile away. What more could I possibly want?

Nothing. I have it all. I really do.

I went off my meds a while back, I think I told you about that here. And while I am very happy to be off the anti-depressant(welcome back, libido, we’ve missed you. A lot.), going off the Synthroid has come back to bite me in the butt. And guess what, my level is even higher than before, which is not good, so that is awesome. Whatever. I’m just glad to know I don’t have a brain tumor. But it’s back on Synthroid for me. I will accept it now.

My five year old brings out the worst in me almost on a daily basis. I realize it may have something to do with her new semi-independence with kindergarten so I am trying to figure out how to deal with that but most of the time it’s a lot of yelling and that does wonders. Obviously. I caught myself the other day playing Dr. Phil and having an intervention for her. All I got was overhearing her and her friend talk about how mean I am and his mom is way nicer, which she is and I am alright with that. She’s prettier, too, so whatever.

School is hard as hell. But I have an 86% in math. Go me!

What I want no one can give me but me. I want peace. My Savior is standing there reaching out to heal me but I get in my own way with allowing my anger and frustration hinder my every move. I feel as though it all came to a head a couple weeks ago and I am on my way up, it is just a hard road up and I am freaking tired but determined. I know I can make it back up and I know it will take time.

A sister in my ward gave a great talk based on this awesome article. I felt like that was the first time I actually heard a talk in church in a long time. That felt good especially since the week before I was literally on the verge of giving up. That talk helped a lot!

We had an awesome General Conference that I even stayed awake for most of it! I love President Monson and all the apostles. Their words give me peace often. They are good men and truly are called by God.

Here comes the perspective part, 3 parts actually.

1. NieNie Dialogues. Read it. You will be amazed. Just be sure to have some tissues handy.

2. Matt Logelin. He is amazing and such a great father. He’s a cusser so consider yourself warned.

3. My friend, Joy, who is aptly named, I might add. Her tiny little baby died last night only having lived a few difficult days. It isn’t my story so I won’t go into great detail(plus, I don’t have many) but they knew about 3 months into the pregnancy that things were not good for this baby, most of her organs were not in the right places, and they were happily surprised she was born alive. I just think of her holding her baby as she passed away and it makes me want to hold my babies close and never let go.

We all have our hard in life and it’s up to us how we deal with it. I am not always dealing with my minute hard all that well but I get up and keep trying.

The Mormon pioneers did the unthinkable hundreds of years ago. They left the homes they loved, the Temple they just finished building and some even left family and they walked. That’s not even the amazing part. While they walked they starved, buried babies, children, mothers and fathers. They lost possessions, hope fingers and toes. But each day they woke up with the sun. They put on what was left of their tattered shoes, if they were lucky they ate a small meal. And then they walked. The amazing part isn’t what they left behind, that they followed a man they believed to be a Prophet of God with a blinding faith, the loved ones they lost. The amazing part, the most unbelievable part is that they kept walking. Even when they didn’t want to, even after they just buried their small infant in a shallow grave, even when they doubted the man called Prophet, even when they doubted the God who told them to follow. They kept walking.

I want to follow that faith. Even though I don’t always want to ‘keep walking’, even though I don’t always see light at the end of my tunnel, I want to ‘keep walking’. I hope that I will be able to see the beauty at the end of my trail. Better yet, I hope I see it along the way.