Timber!

Last Saturday Peter and Cooper helped me remove a hazard from our front yard. We had three extremely thorny bushes that had grown so large they were reaching out over the sidewalk. I had already decided I wanted to get rid of them, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. The thorns were strong enough to go through gloves and the soles of shoes, so we had to be careful. In the end, I used a new pair of loppers and gingerly maneuvered as I snipped. Once the branches fell, Peter used a long grabbing tool to pick them up and put them in a trash bag. Cooper manned the rake and the broom to gather any sharp bits that flew off. That makes the whole project sound organized and orderly, but it was mostly chaos. I'm happy with the final result. We'll dig the bushes out soon, which will be easier now that they have no thorns.

I forgot to take a before shot, so I found this one from way back in February. They had grown a lot more since then.

Here's one after I trimmed them all back, right before I decided to chop them down as much as I could.

In progress.

The final (so far) result. I'm thrilled to have those awful prickly parts gone.

Glisten

We spent most of Monday afternoon in the backyard. At one point Sophie asked for my phone. I handed it to her and she walked off, phone in one hand and a spray bottle of water in the other. Yesterday I found the results of her creativity in my Google Photos. I think they look pretty cool.

The Demon on the Shoulder

Phoebe was inspired this week by a video she watched and wrote this poem to express those feelings. I think both the poem and the poet are amazing.

The Demon on the Shoulder

A poem 

To all the people who struggle with negative self-thoughts. 

The Demon on the Shoulder is a pesky thing indeed,

It creeps right in, unwanted, as intrusive as a weed.

No one cares.  It whispers. They’re all laughing behind your back.

You thought they loved you? Think again. 

Go try and talk to them, they’ll only complain.

But you don’t have to listen,

 to that ugly little gremlin.

Instead, try and hear that Still Small voice.

Good job! You’ve done it! I knew you could.

You deserve to be loved, you deserve a choice!

Now I won’t lie, it won’t be easy.

And if you listen to the demon, you’ll always feel quite queasy.

But with a bit of strength, hope, and faith,

You’ll get right through.

Just like we always knew. 

You are loved.

Because you are you.

Church View

Balm for My Soul

Most of the talks last weekend spoke to me, probably because this was the first time in many years that I was able to take notes during Conference. It was much more difficult than usual to pull out my favorites. After pondering this question for the last week, I've narrowed down my list to my top seven eight (I had to add one more when I read over my notes):

• Elder Holland's Fear Not: Believe Only!

• Elder Kearon's He Is Risen With Healing in His Wings

• Sister Porter's Lessons at the Well
• What she said about light really hit me:
• "How much light does it take to pierce the darkness in a room? One small ray. And that ray of light in a dark place can emanate from the power of God in you. Even though you may feel alone as the storms of life are raging, you can shine a light in the darkness of misunderstanding, confusion, and unbelief. Your light of faith in Christ can be steady and sure, leading those around you to safety and peace."

• Sister Craven's Do What Mattereth Most
• This one might be my very favorite. She had three of my favorites quotes:
• "Boss your brain."
• "If you want to know anything, you will have to do something."
• "The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of action and a gospel of joy! Let us not underestimate our capacity to do those things that matter most."

• President Bingham's Covenants With God Strengthen, Protect, and Prepare Us for Eternal Glory
• I love that she encouraged young women to go to the Temple as soon as they felt spiritually prepared after they turn 18, no need to wait for a wedding or a mission call!

• Elder Renlund's Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny

• Sister Wright's Christ Heals That Which Is Broken
• A few more favorite quotes:
• "Waiting upon the Lord can be a sacred place—a place of polishing and refining where we can come to know the Savior in a deeply personal way."
• "With the depiction of this father in the parable of the prodigal son, the Savior emphasized that forgiveness is one of the noblest gifts we can give one another and most specifically ourselves."
• "Exercising faith in Christ means trusting not only in God’s will but also in His timing. For He knows exactly what we need and precisely when we need it. When we submit to the will of the Lord, we will ultimately receive substantially more than that which we had desired."

• President Nelson's The Power of Spiritual Momentum
• Okay, one more:
• "Positive spiritual momentum will keep us moving forward amid the fear and uncertainty created by pandemics, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and armed hostilities. Spiritual momentum can help us withstand the relentless, wicked attacks of the adversary and thwart his efforts to erode our personal spiritual foundation."

Role Reversal

Topher did a lot of wandering during Conference last weekend. He spent a little time coloring his Conference Notebook, but mostly he wanted to see what everyone else was up to. At one point he brought over a magnetic writing board to me, the kind you can easily erase. He asked me to draw something. Because of the way I was sitting, I figured the best thing to do was to draw something upside-down, so it would appear upright to him. I drew a simple heart.

"Oh, that's lovely," came Topher's reply. Then, after a brief pause, "What is it?"

I've had that exact thought while looking at the kids' drawings, I guess the feeling goes both ways.

The Fools of April

The kids were excited for April 1st this year. Some of them came up with some mild pranks. They included:

• writing "Out of Order" on a post-it note and sticking it on the bathroom door
• cutting a large beetle shape out of paper and taping it to the inside of a lamp shade (this got a big reaction)
• setting out a big package of Oreos they'd requested from the store, placing the open jar of salt next to it, sprinkling some salt around the Oreos, opening a few on a paper plate next to the salt, and putting a sign that said "Take 3 Happy April Fool's Day" (this only slowed the kids down for a moment, they were willing to risk salty Oreos)

Bryan added a joke to the day as well. He stuck a post-it note to the now closed package of Oreos that read "Can you guess which one I licked?" This got a big laugh and stopped no one from eating more Oreos.

I added my own spin to the day. On Friday nights we almost always eat pizza for dinner while we watch a movie. This week we had three regular pizzas and one tostada pizza. The kids were very confused to see refried beans and lettuce on their pizza. It was delicious.

Work In Progress

Phoebe looked at a picture of a tiger last Friday and drew what she saw. She says it's not done. I think it's beautiful.

Sweet Is the Peace the Gospel Brings

I really, really, really loved General Conference this weekend. Every talk filled my soul and a few specifically answered the questions I prayed about before Conference. And bonus, this was the most peaceful Conference we've had, well, probably since we had kids. It turns out warning them they would lose screen time for the next week if they kept talking was pretty persuasive. I don't think they all needed that particular encouragement, but some of them did.

Bonus, I was able to take notes for the first time in a loooooong time.

And I only took three pictures.

Preparation

I love General Conference and have been preparing my mind and heart for the messages of this coming weekend. Earlier this week a friend shared this updated version of a song we love and it provided a wonderful spiritual boost to focus my brain on the Savior. I look forward to the testimonies and messages I'll hear over the next two days about Him.