Enough Women

"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.” -Margaret Nadauld

I have a really hard time with this quote. I feel that when Sister Nadauld spoke these words they were portrayed in a way that was negative. As if you could be only one way and not the other. (heaven forbid you be a well-balanced person)

I am Proud to be Tough.
I am Tender (unless you make me angry)

Coarse? What does this mean? If it means rugged and outdoorsy then I'm proud to be that too. I love that I have the pleasure of being a WFR, have experienced time in the desert with just the clothes on my back and I enjoy all that God made for me outdoors.

I am Kind. (again, ONLY if you don't cross me)

RUDE. I don't belch. I do my best not to pass gas. (unsuccessfully I might add) I don't cut people off while driving. So, I'm not rude.

Refined? I don't know many women who are "refined." (maybe not any) The Queen. When I sit down to a 7 course mean I have NO idea which fork to use. (I have to ask) My posture isn't perfect. My walk has a little bounce in it. I speak my mind, instead of holding my tongue. I don't think I'm "refined." So, does that make me rude?

I'm not famous.
I certainly don't have a fortune.
I'm pretty sure my faith isn't where I'm comfortable. If these are opposites, then how do I not have any of them. Oh, I have met some really nice, humble famous people. And I know some AMAZING people who really do have a FORTUNE. I don't believe that makes them any less faithful.

I'm not Greedy. (However, if we do not have more than an acquaintance status, then DO NOT ask to borrow something from me. I WILL say no)
I'm decently good.

I'm not vain. (I find it incredibly humorous that I live in the City that was voted by Forbes as the most vain City in the US in 2007. Even more interesting is that Fox 13 covered this story last year- just a little slow.)
I'm virtuous.

I'm definitely NOT popular. (especially in my ward.-they fear me)
I'm pure. (If you ask me something I will give you a genuine and sincere answer)

I just don't understand this quote. None of these things are opposites. I don't feel they really contradict each other. Oh well. I will just keep with the things that I like, enjoy, and am proud of. My Hubby loves the way I am.

It's just a Day

Today is just a day.
It's a day to read.
A day to sleep.
A day to wish that someone else makes the dinner.
A day of pondering.
A day of games. (card and board)
A cloudy day
A chilly day. (not that I am going outside or anything)
The day my Hubby is gone to meetings ALL day. (I hate meetings! Especially the ones where the person in charge thinks that something can still be accomplished after the first hour. NEVER happens.)
A day of loneliness at home. (Sweet Pea sleeps all the time still)

How's your day?

Bitter Sweet Religion

Why do I stay in the church? I have thought about this many times, but today the question was spurred from reading the article Enduring Well from this months Ensign. More specifically from this quote,

"Ye seek me, not because ye desire to keep my sayings, neither because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." (John 6:26, footnote a, from Joseph Smith Translation)

So, why do I continue to seek God? Why do I do it here? What have I tasted? I have had, multiple times, experiences that should have driven me away. I continue to have these experiences. What keeps me here?

My Hubby has asked me more than once; even stated that he is surprised I'm still willingly around. In response to his questions I always reply, "Because I know."

What do I know? That the Gospel is true? That the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the Priesthood Authority needed to perform ordinances that last? That "the church is true, but the people aren't"? (don't lie, you have all heard this one)

I always thought it was stupid for people to leave the church because someone offended them. I understand that over time it gets harder and harder. In truth, it's not so much the offensive act, as much as it is the supposed "man or woman of God" committing the offense. And when it becomes more frequent there seems to be no point in sticking around. Love, Truth and Kindness just don't seem to be present anymore.



So, what is it that keeps me around? What did I taste? You know, I don't remember. That's the problem with time, it gets harder and harder to recall things. I don't remember what I tasted, when, or why. What I do know is that it was something I tasted more than once; so it MUST have been good. What I'm tasting now is bland, sometimes bitter and often revolting.

Maybe it's just the HOPE of sweetness that keeps me here. Someday. someday.

The Beginning. . .AGAIN!

Before I was out of my first trimester, my cousin told me that I needed to make sure that I got right back into my regular jeans after I had my baby. I thought that she was crazy. She said that the people that spend all of their post pregnancy time in their Maternity pants tend to eat to fill the pants.

Well, since I have had my little Sweet Pea I have been wearing my Maternity pants. Mostly because I was afraid to try on my regular pants in fear of not being able to pull them up over my now fat legs. However, I dared today to try on my regular pants. I can:

-pull them over my fat legs

-squeeze my huge butt into them

-AND do them up.

I was so excited. Now, aside from the bulges and the incredibly huge muffin top I have, I am glad that I put on my regular pants. I feel as if there is a little bit of hope. I am motivated to choose more healthy meals to help to rid myself of the excess and exercise a little bit. It's time. FINALLY.

I have been so anxious to get started again. I will not be jumping into my routine where I left off. 5 miles of running and p90x every day is just not where my body is at right now. I'm thinking light weights, walks, and light house work. (since I am not allowed to do any "heavy" house work yet)

So, here I am at the beginning again.

weight: 226 lbs
pant size: Somewhere bigger than a 14
aerobic ability: walking around the apartment

Ready, Set, GO!

Any Ideas?

I am bored out of my mind. I need something to do (beside clean my horrific home). I have a bunch of fabric I could use. I just don't know what to use it for. My home is looking really blah.

Any ideas about how to liven up a dull, winterized home?

Warning!

If the roads look like this:


(photo from Nikchick on flickr)

And you're in a zone like this:




DO NOT TAILGATE ME. (especially when I'm ALREADY speeding) I AM AN ORNERY, NEW AND VERY OVERPROTECTIVE MOTHER. I WILL SLOW DOWN! AND CREATE THE FAMOUS "UTAH ROAD BLOCK" WHICH WILL NOT LET YOU GO ANYWHERE. IT WILL RUIN YOUR DAY AT WORK AND MAKE ME FEEL 1000% BETTER.

Burp Rag VS Boob Rag

While I was pregnant, I thought that I would be so crafty and make myself some burp rags.

I made them with extra cotton fabric that I had left over from some quilts that I made. (which meant that they matched)

And I received a whole bunch of these:

And I've even crocheted a couple myself.

HOWEVER, the previously mentioned burp rags are imposters. They do not really fulfill the desired requirements for their work. They are just not adequate for the Projectile Vomit that occurs during the day and night at my house.

Although I was disappointed, I have found a use for the beautiful pieces of cloth. They are perfect for the Boob.

Directions:

Place rag under boob while feeding. This will catch any excess dribble from Baby's mouth or excess spurting that occurs with accidental unlatching.



These are the BEST Burp Rags:

These cloth diapers transform excellently into super absorbent Burp Rags. PERFECT!!

Diaper Dilemma

I have a Diaper Dilemma.

My little one is a throw-up baby; meaning, that if she lays on her back within 30 minutes after feeding she will throw it up. So, I change her diaper before I feed her. This is great except she spends the whole time she is eating filling her britches. After the thirty minutes are passed and I can lay her down, she is asleep. I don't want to risk waking her. But if she sleeps in the dirty diaper that means I have to take a scrapper to her bum to get it clean.

Any suggestions?

There's No Place Like My Bed

We spent the last week and a half at my parents house because my body decided to have a tantrum. This was a great help because I couldn't move or breathe very well for the first few days. Then my body ached SO bad by the end of the day for the rest of the week, I just had to have someone else cuddle with my little one. YUCKY PAIN! Grandpa, Gramma and the Uncles were very willing to snuggle Sweet Pea so that my body received a break. Thank you VERY MUCH!

Now I'm back at home. This is nice, but quiet. And I'm still not allowed to do very much. (my house is a mess) Sweet Pea has to get used to the new environment again. She has been good some of the time and a little fussy other times.

It was great to sleep on my bed with my OWN PILLOWS. Oh, glorious pillows. (The pillows are just not the same when you go away.)

Setting Goals Before Having a Baby. . . Bad Idea

These were the goals at the beginning of the year:

1- lose the 60 lbs. of baby weight I put on.
2- watch less TV.
3- Run 3 races this year and one of those needs to be a 1/2 marathon.
4- Have fun FHE's.
5- Study Preach My Gospel with my Hubby.
6- Get up, exercise, shower, and get ready EVERY day.
7- Play outside with Baby 3-5x a week.
8- Quilt 2 blankets this year.
9- Sew the curtains for my house.
10- Read and Write more.
11- Save more. (I will find a way to be a young parent, just out of school with loans to pay off, with a beginning salary that can SAVE MONEY better than I already am)


This is how they are going:

1- I put on 60 lbs and have LOST 30 lbs. I love breastfeeding! and losing the water weight and the actual weight of my almost 10 lb baby. (we'll see how the next few months go.)

2- I don't know that watching less TV has been happening. The Olympics didn't help out with that. I will have to see how it goes now that they are over.

3- With extra, unpredictable pain I haven't been able to even really walk all that much so, getting closer to my racing goals this year has not begun yet. It will.

4- Watching the olympics was pretty fun for FHE nights. But other than that, we haven't done anything. (does staring at the baby count?)

5- Definitely haven't been studying. Just trying to get sleep

6- The get ready every day thing is non existent. And I am lucky if I shower every other day. (don't judge me)

7- Sweet Pea isn't old enough and it's not warm enough to take her outside to play.

8 and 9- Haven't had any time. I will figure it out closer to the end of the year.

10- I casually read. Not as much as I would like. Which means it takes me FOREVER to finish a book. (UGH)

11- I think I figured out a way to save more. I will see how the next few months go and will let you in on how I am doing it. (if it works)


How are your goals going?