Happy Birthday To My Knight In Shining Armor~

Happy Birthday to my dearest husband Roger,

You are and will always be my Knight in Shining Armor. I love that you captured my heart so many years ago. May our life ever after, last forever.
Today you turn 67 years old and we are now the same age. Perhaps in the eons of  time before we came to earth we drew straws to see who would get to come  down first. I am sure that must be why I am two months older than you; I must have drawn the short straw.
I do believe our meeting on earth was pre-arranged. When people talk about soul mates; you are the one. You will always be my sun, moon and stars, my everything.
Having time with you is my Heaven on Earth.
"Thank you for being the best husband ever. I loved that you are a very caring and loving Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa.

I love how you love our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. I love your faith in them. I am so grateful for your testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You are a true disciple of Christ.  
I love going to the temple each week with you to serve as ordinance workers. Even though we have different assignments, I know that you are somewhere in the temple. If we happen to see each other; my heart skips a beat at the sight of you.
I love serving with you on our Inner City Mission. I love your kind heart and desire to lift and care for those in need. Thanks you for your compassion and testimony of this work.
Thanks for being a righteous priesthood holder and for the many times you have blessed our children and me. I love that I can ask you any time for a priesthood blessing. I have been healed more than once and have always received comfort and peace through those blessings. I love how our children even now asked for a father's blessings from you. I love also that our children often seek you out for advice and counsel.
You have worked so hard for us through the years. You are an example of one who is dedicated and loyal to your employers. We have been greatly blessed from your hard work.
We have had many trials throughout our life together. We have had poor health issues, job loses, many moves, children and grandchildren struggles. Through them all we have walked hand in hand. Our joys have far out weighed our trials.
Thank you for just loving us all and being there for us.
May your 67th Birthday be a sweet one. I am so happy to be able to celebrate this day with you.

Love Always and Forever - LeAnn
 

Happy Birthday from us all!!

"Families Can Be Forever"~

  

Jackson is an awesome young man. He is a senior this year and he will be turning 18 in July. He plans to serve a mission. He is a very talented young man. He loves to write and is actually working on a novel. I look forward to his first book. He is a wonderful brother, son and grandson. We are extremely proud of him  

This past Sunday my husband and I went to Sacrament meeting at our Son's ward so that we might hear our Grandson, Jackson give a message. My  heart was touched by his words. I felt the spirit strongly and I told him later that a sign of a good talk is if his grandmother cries. I then asked if he would let me share his message on my blog. He was a little reluctant but did consent. I told him he would be my guest blogger so here are portion of his thoughts.
     "The family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of his children. The living prophets tell us why. The Family is ordained of God. Marriage is between a man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. The family unit is fundamental not only to society and to the Church but also to our hope for eternal life. We begin to practise in the family, the smaller unit, what will spread to the Church and to the Society in which we live in this world, which will then be what we practice in families bound together forever by covenants and by faithfulness." ( Quote found in The Family Proclamation To The World).     
    "Husband and Wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children."Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a scared duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live...."Fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. (The above quotes are found here in the The Family Proclamation To The World).    
      King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon stated in Mosiah 4: 14-15; "And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness. But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another."
     The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:1-2; "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. "
     Many problems in the home come from family members speaking and acting selfishly or unkindly. Instead, seek to be a peacemaker. Show love for your family members each day.
    Honor your parents by showing love and respect for them. Obey them as they lead you in righteousness Willingly help in your home. Participate in wholesome family activities and traditions. Join your family in family prayer, family scripture study and family home evenings.
     Elder Henry B. Eyring, teaches us how we may achieve happiness in family life. "We cannot control what others choose to do, and so we cannot force our children to heaven, but we can determine what we will do. And we can decide that we will do all we can to bring down the powers of heaven into that family we want so much to have forever."
     A key for us is in the Family proclamation: "Happiness sin family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ." 
     Again from the Proclamation on the Family: "Successful marriage and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.
     In General Conference talk given in April 2003; Elder L. Tom Perry taught us the importance of the Family. "In a world of turmoil and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to make our families the center of our lives and the top of our priorities. Families lie at the center of our Heavenly Father's plan. "President Brigham Young explained that our families are not yet ours. The Lord has committed them to us to see how we will treat them. Only if we are faithful will they be given to us forever." We need to make our homes a place of refuge from the storm, which is increasing in intensity all about us. Even if the smallest openings are left unattended, negative influences can penetrate the very walls of our homes."
     The home is the most important place for gospel learning.....Our Latter-day prophets have repeatedly called on parents to nurture their children with love and gospel teaching. They have promised that our dedication to the Family Home Evening program will help protect our families against the evils of our time and will bring us abundant joy now and throughout the eternities.
     In closing Jackson said the following; Let us make a resolve this year to make our homes a safe refuge from the storm."
     This is a challenge for us all to make our top priority. The storms surround us and this is the way to make it through safely. I am so grateful to have a strong and true Grandson. He will soon be preparing for a mission and he will make a great missionary for our church.
Thank you Jackson for a wonderful message - It did cause Grandma to cry from the feelings of the spirit and great joy from you.

The Song In My Heart~

I love music. I find that music can stir my soul like few other things can. Since I was a little girl I have enjoyed music of all kinds; well maybe I should say selected music of all kinds. I enjoy mostly Classical, Oldies, a little Country and best of all the Hymns and other religious songs. I love listening to a symphony play. I love dancing to quiet romantic music. I used to enjoy doing aerobics to various types of exercise music. I took tap and ballet dancing lessons when I was young so I have always love dancing too. My Dad would often times grab my Mom or myself if their was dance music on and he would give us a whirl around the room.
 When I was a young girl our family would go on a trip or other adventures and my parents would sing together in the car. I also accompanied my father when he made ice cream deliveries to little towns throughout Utah. He would sing while he drove. Some of my favorite songs that he sang were; "My Wild Irish Rose", Buttons and Bows and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. 
My dear Mother started me on the piano when I was six years old. I loved playing the piano. Practicing the piano was another thing; she would have to prod me a bit on that one. I only liked to play what I liked to play. I took piano for about 6 years and was becoming fairly good at it. Then my parents hit a financial crises and we had to move from the little town where I was born. At that time they sold the piano and I didn't have one for a while. Eventually, they bought another one and I started back playing the music I had learned before. They couldn't afford piano lessons; so I would challenge myself to learn new pieces.
 When my dear husband left on his mission for two years to Northern California; I waited for him. It was so hard because I loved him so much. I looked forward to when he would return and we could be married.  His picture was on our piano and I would sit down to play the piano and sing "A Certain Smile" by Johnny Mathis. Kind of sappy I know; but I missed him so much. 
After we were married and started our family I would sing lullaby's and other songs to my babies and children. Sometimes I would make up lines to various music. I don't have a good voice; but I would sing anyway. After a few years we were able to purchase a piano. I would play the piano for our family Nativity programs each year. I would seldom play outside of our home because I would make mistakes. I did accompany my daughters a few times when they sang trios and one time for my daughter's singing recital. I made it through those with just small errors.
Years later I started back into piano lessons and took for 4 years but only practiced for about 2 of those years. My dear teacher would have me play in recitals with all of her younger students. I could never get through a piece without making a mistake. That made me gun shy; so I still don't play outside of my home. Someday perhaps I will overcome that problem.
One thing that is really awesome is that my children have good voices. My three girls have lovely voices and through the years they have sang as a trio. Each of them have had some vocal training. My youngest daughter played the part of Annie in the play "Annie"; when she was eleven years old. Since that time she sings often at various functions.  
I love the Hymns that we sing in our church. Who doesn't love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Their voices are like heavenly angels to me. I often shed tears when I hear some of their pieces. My favorites are; "How Great Thou Art", "How Firm A Foundation and "Lilies Of The Field".
In The Preface of Our Hymn book the first Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said the following: "Inspirational music is an essential part of our church meeting. The hymns invite the Spirit of the Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as members and provide a way for us to offer praises to the Lord........."
I know that in my personal life music has lifted me up on many days when my heart has hurt. Hymns have given me courage, peace, the ability to resist temptations of the adversary and profound answers to my prayers. There are hymns that I have memorized that I can bring to my mind when I am in need of comfort and love. Hymns have helped to build my testimony and they have brought living waters to quench the thirst in my soul.  Music has power to move us and our families to a greater spirituality and devotion to the gospel. I try to fill my home with the sounds of worthy music. It is one of the ways that I can have a Christ Centered home. I love to play and sing the hymns. There are sermons to be taught through singing the hymns. 
One of my most favorite hymns is "Love One Another" partly because my husband wrote two more verses to this hymn. I hope you will enjoy hearing two of my daughters sing it. 

Our Joy-Filled Family Moments - December 2012~

December 2012

Our December moments started with decorating our trees~

                        

               Sweet little sparrows just outside our window~

Celebration of our Granddaughter Justice's 17th birthday on December 22nd ~

Ethan, Justice and Austin ~

Austin, Karli and Ryley~

Amanda our Daughter In Law and Our Granddaughter, Gillian~

Justice, my son Travis, Austin and Karli ~

Kason and Layton playing the piano, kind of~



Our Sweet Family from Missouri arrived to spend a few days before Christmas ~

Back row - Roger, LeAnn, Chrissy, Brandon

Front row - Abbey, Faith, April and Levi and Sariah~

Our Family Christmas Party~

 Enjoying our  Family Christmas dinner~

Right - Mary our daughter in law, Jed and Jessica our grandchildren

A table full of loved ones~

 Left - Levi, Jadyn, Joshua and Lilly ~

 Sariah playing the piano  and April~ April plays the Violin but didn't bring it~

 Preparing for our Nativity Program~

 Our Nativity Cast ~

Jonathan, a Wiseman; Levi, a Shepherd; Faith, a Angel; Lilly, a Angel; Jadyn and Sagan, Mary and baby Jesus; Joshua, Joseph and Jeffery, A Shepherd

 Sagan, Jadyn and Joshua; a very tired Joseph~

 Our granddaughters Gillian and Jessica ~

The Audience

 Jackson, our Grandson and Grandpa~

 Jed and Jessica our Grandson and Granddaughter~

 Dana, Sagan and Jacob our grandchildren and great grandson~

My son Sean and Me ~ My oldest son

Our daughter, Christina, (Chrissy Bug's) birthday celebration~

  The end of a perfect Christmas Eve - Snow gently falling~

 Our Christmas Morning Celebration - Just me and my dear husband and Sammy~

 Sammy loved his present from Santa~

 My dearest husband, Roger ~

Checking out a new skirt I received~
&
Sammy enjoying his Santa Toy~

We had a wonderful Christmas Celebration  and enjoyed all of our sweet moments with Family and Friends~

The Simple Woman's Daybook -

FOR TODAY

Be sure and drop by other Simple Day Book Entries here.
Enjoy reading and perhaps join the fun!

Outside my window...it's a very cold Sabbath day. There is an inversion which is not good for my allergies.  The valley is thick with bad air.
I am thinking...that I am so grateful to have been able to attend church today. The meetings were lovely. Our meeting time started at 9 am instead of 11 am; so we had to speed up a bit.
I like the 9 am time because then you have more time in the afternoon to do Sabbath appropriate activities and Inner City Missionary work. Today I enjoyed playing the piano for a while and doing some reading. 
I am thankful...for good health today. On the Sunday before Christmas I started in with not feeling well. At that time I asked my sweet husband for a priesthood blessing. I felt that I would be OK.  By Christmas Eve I tried so hard to eat a wonderful dinner that my dear husband had fixed for us. We have a yearly tradition of having a dinner together on Christmas Eve. When we were raising our children we would do it later in the evening when they were in bed. I took just a couple of bites and I just couldn't eat. I prayed that I could feel well during the Christmas Holiday. I knew beyond doubt I could be healed if it was the Lord's will. The next day on Christmas I felt really good all day. My husband gave me two very thoughtful gifts. One was tickets to "Les Miserable" on Christmas Day and the other one was tickets to the Donna and Marie Osmond Christmas show on Thursday evening. I felt good enough to go to the movie and I didn't cough at all. When I got home from the movie I started to cough and it continued through Wednesday. Then on Thursday I had another good day and was able to go to the Donna and Marie show. I felt so blessed. Since then I have had a irritating cough but have felt well otherwise. I feel deeply blessed because I have had pneumonia twice in the last 4 years and I was blessed not to have this complication. Today was awesome I have not been coughing at all.  
In the kitchen...my dear husband is cooking again. He loves to cook; so I am letting him.. We are having  Salmon tonight, one of my favorite dishes. 
I am wearing...a flowered skirt, with a light green blouse, a black sweater and black slippers. I sometimes enjoy wearing a dress or skirt while at home on the Sabbath day. 
I am creating...my day timer. I don't know if this is creating; since I have all the materials for it. I am of course getting it organized. 
I am going...to enjoy this Sabbath day by getting this day book entry completed and then read from the books I am enjoying right now. 
I am wondering...if I can get organized enough to accomplish more in my day. I continue to struggle with priorities. I want to start doing more family history research weekly.
I am reading..."Look Up My Soul -The Divine Promise of Hope" by Gerald N. Lund.

This book is a must read. While reading a blog post that challenged me to pick a word for the year; I decided on the word "Hope". I am really learning a lot about this word. I desire to have an understanding of hope and thus strengthen my hope in Christ.
  I also started to read the Biography of Thomas S. Monson entitled; "To The Rescue" by Heidi S. Swinton. 

President Monson is our prophet and I started to cry just reading the Preface to the book.  I can tell I am in trouble on this one. He is such a marvelous man. His mission has always been to serve and left others. This should be on a must read list too. 
Over the Christmas Holiday, I love to read Christmas books. This year I read "Angels At The Table by Debbie Macomber and then "The 13th Day of Christmas" by Jason F. Wright. Both of these books were such a treat to read. 
Of course, I am still reading out of the Book Of Mormon everyday. This is a commitment that I have made and it is my favorite book of all. 

I am hoping...to enjoy more moments with my children and grandchildren this year. I wish that they lived closer. We did enjoy having some Christmas moments with three of our families. I treasure all of the time I can have with them. I have some awesome grandchildren and great grandchildren. Right now my Granddaughter Gillian who is 21 years old moved in with us the first part of December. She has been a joy to have and has been so thoughtful of us both. It is fun having her and her friends around more. I think it keeps us young. 
I am looking forward to...more time with my dear husband. He had planned on taking off half of a day each day through the holidays but instead he ended up working more. I just keep hoping that he will retire sometime this year. I am ready for retirement; so we can serve a full time mission. I am so glad he works at home or it would seem very hard when he works so much.
I am learning...how to do Family History research. For Christmas I wanted to give my husband some names from his ancestry lines to do temple work. I knew I wasn't going to have time to do a lot of research. I have found some names on my lines; but none on his. I prayed hard for guidance to find some names on his line. I knew he would be thrilled if I did that. 
As Christmas drew near I didn't think I would get the time. However, I prayed in faith and when I did have a couple of hours to sit down and work on it I was able to find three children that needed their temple work completed and be sealed to their parents. There were two boys names and one girl. I was so excited and I felt so blessed. When I gave him the names in a card for Christmas he was deeply touched. It brought us both great joy. 
Around the house...I have been looking for my journal entries for 2012. I couldn't find them where I normally keep them; which was strange. I wanted to add December's entries so the journal would be complete. I started a search around the house and couldn't find them in the obvious places that I would keep items like this. I started to pray. Yesterday, I looked everywhere I could think of. I continued to plead with Heavenly Father to help me find the entries. Last night as I was lying in bed; I thought of looking in an old purse that I had and I also though I should go through my cedar chest again. When I got home from church I started in searching again. I went through the cedar chest. I felt discouraged because the journal writings were not there.Then again the thought came to me to look in this one purse I had in the closet. At the same time my husband came into the room and started to look on that same shelf. As reached for the bag and moved it; there was my precious journal. I know beyond a doubt that I was led there by the Spirit. I do believe in the tender mercies of the Lord and answers to prayers. He does care about the little things in our lives. I have faith in Him. 
I am pondering...about my relationship with my Savior. 

This year I want to develop an even stronger hope in Christ. I want to challenge myself with goals that can help me draw closer to Him. I want a Christ centered home and life. 
A favorite quote for today..." Hope is a gift of the Spirit-one that strengthens the heart and lifts the spirit -and is therefore a form of light and truth". - Gerald Lund ~
One of my favorite things...is to have lunch with close friends. I have some very dear friends that bring great joy into my life.
Something New About Me...I would love to act in a play again. I had a one time when I was in my middle thirties. I was  Dora the Heroine in a melodrama.  I had so much fun. The Hero was much younger than I and was always teasing me. He threatened to give me the wrong lines to goof me up. I had bruises all over my body  from being chased and thrown over a couch on the set. This was just a one time moment and truly a wonderful experience.
Pet Peeves...I hate being late to anything. However, I am usually the cause. I think it might be hereditary  I had a grandmother that would take 3 days to pack for a five hour drive and she was never on a timed schedule. 
One of my guilty pleasures... is to go shopping. I love to window shop and I also enjoy watching people. I find people in general very interesting. 
A few plans for the rest of the week: How about take all of my Christmas decorations down. I am very slow in doing this. I have a hard time letting Christmas go. I plan to start working on some of the goals I have for myself; such as practice the piano daily, continue to work on Family History, and finish a project for my dear husband's birthday at the end of the month.
A peek into Our Christmas Nativity Program ~

 Our Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren - 

Jonathan, Levi, Faith, Lilly, Jadyn with Baby Sagan, Joshua and Jeffery.

The escaping baby angel, Lilly -

A New Year Of Hope~ 2013

Today I was reading one of my favorite blogger's  post at 10 Steps to Finding Your Happy Place. She suggested choosing a word for the year. A word to live by and think about.  After much thought I have chosen the word "Hope". To me hope is a gift of the spirit. This is even a gift we can pray for. Hope gives us courage to go forward. To look up instead of looking down. I desire to go forward in the New Year of 2013 and live in hope. Hope for a better future. Hope for the good found in life. Most importantly an increased  Hope in Christ. 
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said the following about hope: "Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to us. It is a confidence that if we live according to god's laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. 
I like this thought by President George Q. Cannon: "Whenever darkness fills our minds, we may know that we are not possessed of the Spirit of God, and we must get rid of it. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we are filled with joy, with peace and with happiness no matter what our circumstances may be; for it is a spirit of cheerfulness of happiness." I believe this comes about through the gift of hope.
I have a little clause in my patriarchal blessing that says as I am optimistic and cheerful that I am promised joy. I have deep faith and hope in those promised blessings. 
I would encourage you today to perhaps choose a word for the Year of 2013. 
May the New Year bring you all greater hope in your  lives. May you look up in hope.
Thanks you for visiting my blog and making comments. I love you all and want you to know how much reading your posts have lifted my spirit, assisted me in being more optimistic and cheerful and more hopeful during trying times. I have gained increased faith in my Savior through your inspiring posts. Thank you for sharing your life experiences where I have witnessed your faith, hope and your charity. Happy New Year for 2013.