packaging with punch

I have never noticed this inspiring little tag line on my bulk package of yeast before:

Maybe it's just my new Relief Society mentality, but what a great thought--we rise up and do the job we're supposed to do, enabling others to shine. I like it.

He is able

I've been playing this particular Hilary Weeks song on my iPod a lot for the past few days:

Sometimes I wonder
If I will make it through even one more day
What can I say some days I wonder
Sometimes I struggle

Is it just me, or do you ever feel the same
Either way, some days I struggle
But when I'm down to my last breath
and I just need a hand

He is able
He is able
Able to make me strong enough
When I can't see the end
And when I need a friend
He is able

I'm always learning
Just when I think I know
Here comes something new
That God has led me to
'Cause I'm still learning

He knows I'm trying
I see my weakness but He sees strength in me
And all that I can be so I go on trying
And nothing can stop me when
I reach up for His hand

He is able to lift me up
He is able to rise above
Able to make me strong enough
when I can't see the end
When I need a friend
He is able, He is able

Today I was sustained as the Relief Society President of our newly-formed ward. I'm a tad overwhelmed, to say the least. I don't mean to sound unhappy, because I look forward to serving the sisters in my ward and learning to know and love them. I'm just overwhelmed by the responsibility of it all. I feel like I have so much "on my plate" already and I can't logically see how I can do any more.

Then I remember that this isn't necessarily logical. I have to take it on faith, as Nephi did when going to get the plates from Laban. He said, "And I was ^aled by the Spirit, not ^bknowing beforehand the things which I should do." 1 Nephi 4:6. He didn't know how he was supposed to accomplish the task before him, but had the faith to know that the Lord would show him what to do and how to do it.

President Eyring, in a 2002 Conference address said,

There will be times when you will feel overwhelmed. One of the ways you will be attacked is with the feeling that you are inadequate. Well, you are inadequate to answer a call to represent God with only your own powers. But you have access to more than your natural capacities, and you do not work alone.

The Lord will magnify what you say and what you do in the eyes of the people you serve. He will send the Holy Ghost to manifest to them that what you spoke was true. What you say and do will carry hope and give direction to people far beyond your natural abilities and your own understanding. That miracle has been a mark of the Lord’s Church in every dispensation. It is so much a part of your call that you may begin to take it for granted.

I am so grateful to know that I'm not alone and that the Lord can make me equal to my responsibilities. One day at a time, Denise.

girl with a twirl

When I was a little girl I loved the dresses my mom sewed for me--especially the ones with exceptional Twirl Factor. I could always count on a beautifully made dress for occasions such as Christmas and Easter, and later in high school for Homecoming and Prom. I have never outgrown this love for a twirly dress. When I'm costuming, for instance, nothing brings me quite the satisfaction as seeing a voluminous skirt sweep its way across the stage.

This year for Easter Sunday I made myself a dress with ultimate Twirl Factor. I haven't sewn for myself in quite a while, but when I found this beautiful piece of cotton sateen (with just a bit of lycra for stretch) for only $3.69/yard it spoke to my heart and I decided I would costume myself.

Here's the finished dress. . .

. . . and here is its ultimate twirling power:

It was fun to make something for myself that I actually liked. Sometimes sewing for yourself can be a disheartening affair. Sarah's dress, on the other hand, was cute but lacked adequate TF. I should have realized it when I was cutting out the pattern and added more fullness. Still, she looked cute, especially with her grown-up pink patent leather wedge sandals.

And no, I did not make these ties for my guys, but I did shop for them. They're quite handsome, don't you think?

John and Sarah dyed eggs on Saturday afternoon. I'm not sure what made some of them get this crackled and speckled effect, but I think it's kind of cool.

The best part of hard-boiled eggs, however, is having my mom make deviled eggs!

John's favorite part of Easter dinner was the twice-baked potatoes I made ahead on Saturday night. When he saw that there was a little left in the mixing bowl for him to lick with a spatula he cried in delight, "It's an Easter miracle!" He makes me laugh!

My favorite part, aside from the deviled eggs, would have to be my mom's homemade strawberry pie--no store-bought icky glaze here. (Note to Miranda and April: put this one on your list for Wednesdays With Charlotte.)

Happy (better late than never) Easter, and yes--that is in fact Jessie's head popping up behind Mark.

the dog ate my homework

Okay, my internet has been down for four days now and I feel completely lost to the world! I'm back online now, however, with many things on my mind about which to blog--including, but not limited to:

• Our ward was dissolved on Sunday and we now find ourselves in a new one.
• I made cute Easter dresses for Sarah and I.
• Charlotte and Emily will be home in less than two weeks!
• My right hand is crippled from all the spray-painting I've been doing.
• Things are finally falling into place for a fun family get-away in May.
• I have an appointment with our new bishop tonight.
  
• My niece Claire is coming to stay overnight tonight on her way to BYU-I!
• I'm beginning to get quite a few little "side jobs," sewing, interior design work, etc., which is good for the money's sake, but not-so-good for my sanity/time's sake.
• I'm in a sewing mood--that is, I would like to sew summer clothes for my kids.
• Did I mention my crippled hand?--for real.
• I was so excited about my powder room re-do that I haven't yet blogged about the other awesome gifts I received for my birthday last month, including a new red Blackberry!
• I need to get caught up on reading everyone else's blogs!

So there you have it--a blogging brain dump. Funny how things that used to seem like luxuries, such as high-speed internet access, are now absolute necessities. Thank heaven mine is up and running again!

Conference Weekend highlights

For those of you who don't know what Conference Weekend is, it's The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints semi-annual broadcast from Salt Lake City, always held on the first weekends in April and October. There are five sessions total on Saturday and Sunday, two hours each, where our church leaders speak about everything from repentance to personal finance. I look forward to these two weekends each year as a time of personal revelation and growth, as well as a time of family tradition and togetherness. I always come away feeling motivated to be better than I am today, and feel an increased love and appreciation for my Savior Jesus Christ.

I also love the feeling of connected-ness (made up word?) I feel with the other 13 million members of my church, including my loved ones watching in faraway places. I love knowing that we're all hearing the same messages at the same time, having the Holy Spirit bear witness to us of the divinity of Jesus Christ and His love for us.

I can't wait to download the talks to my iPod. I didn't take notes because I was working on Easter sewing projects for Sarah and me (to be documented later). Going from memory--which at 46 isn't what it used to be--the messages that spoke to my heart are, in no particular order:

• Start where you are right now to become a better person. Start now.
• Worshipping in the temple with greater frequency and sincerity will bless me immeasurably.
• Learn to say, "We can't afford it."
• We are so blessed to have a living Prophet of God on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson.
• Don't be afraid of changes in life. Embrace them and work through them with the Savior at your side.
• Fear is the opposite of faith.
• We needn't fear the current climate of economic uncertainty. Hold steadfast to the truth, learn to live providently, and we'll get through it.
  
• Gospel principles remain constant and unchanging in a changing world. Standing firm by them is our sure hope for safety, peace, and happiness.
• It's always fair when you get to choose.
  

We had our traditional Donut Night on Saturday night, after the men's Priesthood session. I love seeing the men I love in their white shirts and ties. John changed out of his Sunday clothes before I could get his picture, and for some reason I didn't think to have him pose with his Dad and Grandpa for this post-Priesthood session shot. I love and appreciate the honorable Priesthood holders in my family and do not take for granted having this power in my home.

Mom decided that she felt well enough to help me make donuts at her house (she's the glazer, you know, but has been sick this past week). Since she's still coughing quite a bit, we didn't invite our usual crowd of friends.

If I do say so myself, it was one of our better batches!

We watched the Sunday afternoon session with my Mom and Dad at their house and had dinner together afterwards.

This photo is for Bella. Sorry honey, but we don't want "another dog." Even Grandpa has a soft spot for Moosey!

Until October, then.

back to real life

After nearly two weeks of fun and surprises it's back to real life--well, not completely yet since the kids are still on Spring Break and it's General Conference this weekend--but a little sad, just the same. My sister and brother-in-law left on Sunday. Michelle got to stay on for a few more days; her flight left early this afternoon. Her time here seemed to pass all-too-quickly. We each snapped a SP at the airport curbside before saying goodbye.

She is such an enjoyable, uplifting person to be around. She is so mindful of others' feelings and is always looking for ways to help, strengthen, and include everyone. Spending time with Michelle makes me want to strive to be more like her--more Christlike in the way I view and treat those around me (and how is it that her lipstick is always perfect in every photo?! What gives?).

Sarah rode out with me to the airport and on the way home we decided that a nice big batch of Rice Krispie treats was just what we needed to stave away the blues. We stopped at King Soopers for marshmallows (which, happily, were on sale for $1/bag). Nothing quite like a large batch of this gooey comfort treat to make you feel better!

Then, on to the computer to do some catching up on blog reading. Never mind that I really need to be catching up on laundry, ironing, cleaning--hey, it's still Spring Break, right? While reading I suddenly noticed a howling wind and looked up to see another blizzard swirling outside! Boy, did that come on quickly. An April Fool's joke, for sure.

Part of me was relieved that Michelle's flight left as early as it did, and part of me wished she would have been stranded for another day.

So now it's nearing dinner time, I'm not hungry so I don't want to cook anything, and the laundry and ironing still await my attention. *sigh* I think I'll go pull off another sticky piece of Rice Krispies.

the big reveal!

I had hoped to post my bathroom makeover photos yesterday, but a nasty migraine sent me to bed for the afternoon. I can't wait to show you what we accomplished during Susan's and Fred's brief visit!

We decided to paint right over the existing wallpaper--not always the best idea, but two of the bathroom's walls had already been painted over by the previous homeowner, and time was also a consideration, so we forged ahead. Susan painted the room while I worked downstairs sewing the window treatment from the beautiful silk remnant she brought. Look at this fabulous silk ball fringe to be used as trim!

Susan recommends always painting the ceiling the same color as the wall, and I have never been disappointed when doing so. (It also makes cutting in much easier!)

Once the base color was on the wall, we marked it for tone-on-tone striping with an ingenious tool Fred devised for doing so. This photo doesn't really show the tool, but it's a wooden template of sorts that marks 10" stripes on the wall (with the assistance of a level).

After marking the lines in light pencil it's time for the blue painter's tape to go up. We masked off the lines that were going to be painted in a slightly darker (and flat finish) shade. The base coat of paint is an eggshell finish.

The fun part is taking off the blue tape to reveal the crisp, straight stripes. We laughed at this huge gob of tape amassed in the garbage can.

No more blue tape!

I almost forgot to mention that we decided to paint--yes, I said paint--the floor. We put a coat of primer over the linoleum, then a lighter base coat of color. Next, Susan used a plastic bag to do a "faux finish" on the floor. We chose the color from the floor rug she brought, which ties the wall color with the floor. (Note our ingenious use of Glad Press 'n Seal wrap to cap off the exposed sink pipe!)

Thankfully, the blizzard lasted only one day and we were able to get out on Friday for a trip to one of our favorite stores: TJMaxx/HomeGoods. Here we found several great accessories, including a really cute glass-front chest to hang above the toilet. We weren't really looking for one, but when we saw it we knew it was the perfect thing.

This one's for you, Jill. I actually remembered to snap this SP after our successful HomeGoods run.

And now--drum roll, please--Ta Dum!

Now for the fun part--accessorizing! Once the new sink and vanity was installed and the mirror, valance, and chest hung, Susan began her finishing touches. She has such an eye for and attention to detail. She brought some new things and scavenged around the house for a few existing items to use. Here's a good look at the HomeGoods chest, filled with rolled aqua towels we found on the clearance aisle of the same store (the bottom shelf has rolls of toilet paper--who knew they could be so cute!):

One of my favorite things is this collection of framed prints that Fred gave me. They are photographs of old pressed botanical samples. Some of them date back to the 1800's! He did a beautiful job of photographing them--they look almost dimensional in their pressed glass frames, and I like how the wall shows through like a "mat."

I would never have thought to put cute things on the back of my toilet! Look at these monogrammed soaps in two different shapes in this cute cute glass apothecary jar.

Here's a closer look at the detail above the wall chest. She brought the cute round mirror from her store and pilfered the books and fleur de lis from my dining room bookcase. I still don't know how she managed to get all of this stuff in her suitcases on the way here!

New light fixture, made even better because it was only $26.99 at Home Depot. It sure beats the Texaco bathroom look of the old one.

A little of the old (reframed) to mix in with the new: a photo of Emily and I when she was a baby. I had it hanging in here before, only in a different frame.

No detail was left unattended to. Susan bought new switch plates, faucet, a new towel bar, hook, and toilet paper holder. She even brought a fragrance diffuser (from her store) that's not only in a cute square bottle, but also in one of my favorite scents--grapefruit. We found a cute china casserole lid among my things (a gift from Susan in the past) to hang above the towel hook.

The project took a little longer than we had anticipated (we worked until about 9 p.m. on Saturday night and they were scheduled to leave Sunday morning) but it sure was satisfying. What a wonderous gift of love to me! Their generosity is overwhelming--not just the money spent on the project, but their time, as well. That is probably the best part of the gift--having the entire project finished in such a relatively short time. It's really fun to work hard with people you love, and even more fun when the project is something you've been wanting to do since well, FOREVER.

The best part? Now I'm no longer embarrassed to let people use my powder bath--in fact, I might even encourage them to do so! This project has been such a morale boost to me, now I know why all those people on Extreme Makeover, Home Edition cry when they see the finished result. Thank you, thank you, thank you dear Susan and Fred. You're wonderful and I love you both!