Sunday thoughts

A few weeks ago, I bought a darling, white ruffled jacket for my mom to wear to the temple. It was the only time in recent memory I have actually been excited to send her a birthday gift! (Usually, I have no idea what to get her.)

It was so fun for me to pick something out for her to wear to the temple. The whole time, I kept thinking, "I am so happy that we share this love of the temple!"

This last weekend, I attended BYU Women's Conference with my dear friends.

I heard some really great talks, I took a lot of notes, I have a lot to think about. I will probably share some of those thoughts in future Sunday thoughts posts. But the overwhelming feeling I had was, "I am so happy that we all share a love of the gospel!"

And I kept thinking about this scripture, and feeling like Alma:

Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord...

Alma 17:2

I just love that.

Sunday thoughts

There were a lot of great things about church today, including a joint 3rd hour with the Young Men and Young Women, and a stake Standards Night fireside tonight.

But I gave a talk in sacrament meeting on the pursuit of happiness, and I want to remember at least some of it. I can't even remember the things I said that weren't in my notes (there was quite a bit), so I'm just going to post my notes:

“In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” –Gordon B. Hinckley

Pres. Uchtdorf – Forget Me Not

“Our journey toward perfection is long, but we can find wonder and delight in even the tiniest steps in that journey.

“Forget not to be happy now.

“So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket – the ticket that they believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about. For some, the golden ticket may be a perfect marriage; for others, a magazine-cover house or perhaps freedom from stress or worry.

“There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings-we hope and seek after things that are ‘virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.’ The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event-our golden ticket-to appear.”

I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Paul (Philippians 4:11)

What are some other things that keep us from being happy?

Sin

Alma 41:10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.

Worldly voices beckon to us to follow seemingly good paths, but we need to stay on the path of righteousness. The world’s standards of happiness do not bring true happiness.

“The cause of most of man’s unhappiness is sacrificing what he wants most for what he wants now.” – Gordon B. Hinckley

Satan wants us to see ourselves through the world’s mirrors: distorted, minimized, inferior.

We need to worry less about what others think of us and more about what the Lord thinks of us.

Happiness and peace come when we live in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Comparison

Comparison is the fast track to misery. It takes the fun out of life. Make a decision not to do that. Qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation – the single most important skill we can acquire in this life. This is the best way to avoid comparison because the spirit will tell you how you stand before God, if you are progressing, what you need to change, and how to do it.

We should continually check on the condition of our heart and its openness to his spirit.

When we are filled with the spirit, we have souls that are satisfied. He can fill every need, every longing, every vacuum. This is lasting happiness that no one can take away from you.

Selfishness

“Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.” President Gordon B. Hinckley

Willing service to others is a key to enduring happiness.

“We can rise above mere work and find comfort, joy, and loveliness in our daily lives.” (Sister Dibb) talk about what April taught me about service/servitude

We may not be called to do one great act, but consistent small acts of service, to act as the Savior would do.

“This is not to say that we should abandon hope or temper our goals. Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life.

“The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy.”

“Attempt to be creative for the joy it brings. Being creative will help you enjoy life. It engenders a spirit of gratitude. It develops talents, sharpens your capacity to reason, to act, and to find purpose in life. It dispels loneliness and heartache. It gives a renewal, a spark of enthusiasm, and zest for life.” –Elder Scott

LDS Create (volunteer/contribute/create)

Photos, videos, music, design, writing

I have a Heavenly Father.

He knows me.

He loves me.

He knows what is best for me.

If I follow his plan, I will be happy.

Mosiah 2:41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

before & after

Today I decided to tackle the monstrosity that is my bedside table. Periodically, I go through and organize the books in the basket, but it seems that in no time, it looks like this:


Blech.

I decided to swap out the bedside table for a really cute little cart that Marc bought recently at D.I. for $3.00.

I had originally planned to spray-paint it with the same bright green paint we used for the frames above our bed, but when I brought it up to our bedroom, I discovered that I loved it just the way it was! (But I did spend about 45 minutes scrubbing it down.)

Like just about every other project I ever embark on, this one took much longer than I anticipated.


But it is finished and it makes me happy!

I wonder how long it will look like this?

(terrible photos due to terrible lighting in our room, but... I had to show the results anyway!)

p.s. Eva saw my old table in the hallway and said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?!" I knew what she was thinking, alright. I moved it in next to her bed (she has been pining after a bedside table). The scale is off for her room, but it is there for now and she is thrilled.

I have succumbed.

{via Pinterest}

Miranda told me about it ages ago.

Jessie tempted me with it again.

I was reluctant to dive into something that I knew would prove to be addictive, but ultimately I could not resist.

Visual bookmarks that you can organize and categorize any way you like?

I'm all in.

happy valentine's day!

I happen to love valentine's day. It's not the most popular stance, but there you have it. For me, it's not really about romantic love. It's just about love. And that's something I can really get behind.

I've heard all the arguments against it – why do we need a day to express our love? We should do that every day! Agreed. But I don't care. We should show our mothers and fathers appreciation on a regular basis, too, but I'm really glad we have Mother's Day and Father's Day. We should remember the Savior and try to be more like him always, but I do love Easter and Christmastime. But I digress...

If you were an observer here in my home, you might not really see my love for this holiday. I never got around to making or putting up red, pink and white decorations. All I managed to do this year was print out a free printable and put it in a frame. I didn't make the cute heart wreath I envisioned. I didn't even make sugar cookies this year! Gasp. This might be the first year that that important tradition has been neglected.

Fortunately, my family was not neglected, due to this package that my mom sent. Gift cards, candies, straws, pencils, notebooks, heart containers, and even earmuffs and glittery belts for Eva. (Eva's response? "Everyone really ought to get themselves a Grandma Susan!")

Pretty much the only thing I did do was buy candies for my family and wrap them up in cellophane bags. And I made and sent valentines for some of my friends and family.

Because I love them! And sometimes it's nice to have a little tangible reminder of that fact.

Plus, it gave me an excuse to play with the Divine Twine that Jill gave me for Christmas. Swoon. I really love that.

Look at the adorable little valentine Kristi sent me? That's another thing I love about valentines. They don't have to have a purpose other than to be cute. Tiny doesn't hurt, either.

If it weren't for valentines, the world might have been deprived of this very cute and funny cow/math art by Max.

And this short treatise on friendship by Eva: (translated)

Dear Sammie, I know some days we are mean to each other, but today we are friends forever. I love you.

She told me that it was nice but also true. Come on! You've gotta love that!

Also, Marc came home today to a valentine Eva created wherein she fashioned an envelope out of typing paper and mucho, mucho Scotch tape. She filled it with Reese's peanut butter cups that were left over from her class valentines and addressed it to her favorite person in the world.

So to sum up:

Red, white, and pink = good.
Candy = good.
Reading the funny things your kids write = good.
Love = good.

Happy valentine's day.

tales of a somewhat (but not too) unusual Monday

Today started at 4:15 a.m., when Eva called out for me to tuck her in. Exasperated, I reminded her that I did not want to be awakened for such paltry needs. Repeat at 5:45, but with my exasperation exacerbated. Although I fall asleep easily, I have a devil of a time going back to sleep when wakened in the early morning hours. Sleeping through the night is definitely the exception, not the rule, with Eva around. (Can someone please tell me why I can't reliably get a good night's sleep when my youngest child is nearing 6?!)

I thought that maybe, just maybe, today would be one of those rare days when she sleeps until 8:00. And since I knew that Max was going to be staying home from school today (sick), I was hoping that I might actually get to go back to sleep and stay in bed until 8:00. Guess who called out, chipper as could be, and ready to start her day at 7:00? Sigh.

Lucas developed what appeared to be an abscessed tooth last night, so I called the dentist's office as soon as it opened. They wanted us to come in right away. We found out that it was not an abscess, but an infection that developed near two loose teeth and that two new teeth were trying to come in, with nowhere to go. He had the teeth pulled and we were home by 8:30!

I called the pediatrician's office as soon as it opened, as well, and got an appointment for all of the kids: Max has had some hearing difficulties and what he describes as, "everything sounding robotic." Eva and Lucas seemed to have a recurrence of their sinus infections. Just another day at the Olivier household!

We walked out of there with 3 prescriptions for different antibiotics. We stopped at Sonic for milkshakes and a vanilla diet Coke for me. I dropped the kids at home and went to pick up the meds, plus cough drops with zinc and echinacea for good measure.

While I was there, I decided to make myself a salad at the beautiful salad bar at Harmon's.
Because they are pricey, this is a rare treat. And apparently I am nostalgic about this salad, who knew? It takes me back to my days as a new bride, when I had a full-time job as the receptionist/office manager for Ballard Technology, a small engineering firm in Seattle. I didn't have enough work to do. I was bored. But there was a QFC nearby, and I would go build a big beautiful salad during my lunch hour about once a week.

I know that I could make salads like this for myself at home, but the fact is that I do not. Maybe because I like having a vast array of choices, and when making a salad for myself, I make do with just a few add-ins. Here's what goes into my ideal salad bar salad:

mixed greens, plus some spinach
cucumbers
peas
cauliflower
grape tomatoes
hard-boiled egg
green onions
sliced black olives
cooked chicken breast (or sometimes cubed ham)
mushrooms
artichoke hearts
crumbled feta or blue cheese
sunflower seeds
raspberry vinaigrette

When I got home, all the kids were playing on Lucas's new PlayStation. In his room. In other words, not in the family room or kitchen. Ahhhhh. I sat down and ate my scrumptious salad with some homemade bread I made in-between appointments this morning. I sipped my Sonic drink. It felt like a nice reward for all the smotherhood I have been dealing with.

Here's the thing about having sick kids: it's almost better for all of them to be sick, because then they're all home and they can hang out and be sick together! Less clinging to me, fewer demands to field.

While the kids were occupied, I put in my headphones and resumed listening to my book club book (for tomorrow!) and worked on putting away Christmas. Yes, Christmas. We only started taking down the decorations last night! Not because we still wanted them up, just because of overall busyness. And general fatigue.

It felt very productive and satisfying.

In addition, I did something I have been wanting to do for months. (I am not exaggerating.) I started a seed culture. A seed culture ferments over time and becomes a starter for making bread. I read in one of my bread cookbooks that baking with a starter instead of yeast results in bread that is so complex, so rich and flavorful, so good, it is like bread to the max. But making a seed culture and starter requires a little babysitting – stirring several times a day, watching, adding, and so on for almost two weeks, so I just haven't had the time. Until now. I really want to taste bread to the max.

At this point, it was time to take Eva to dance. Because although she does have another sinus infection, she doesn't feel all that sick. I sat and listened to more of my audiobook (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet).

After dance, we dashed home, and the boys got in the car. We drove to BYU to meet Marc at the Museum of Art to see the Carl Bloch exhibit about the life of Christ. (It was my turn to plan Family Home Evening.) Even though Lucas and Eva get museum burnout much faster than the rest of us, resulting in a quicker tour than I would have liked, it was worth it. The paintings are stunning, and I was surprised by how many of them were familiar to me. Evidently, the LDS church uses a lot of his paintings that depict the Savior's life.

When we came home, I made peanutty noodles for dinner. (Lucas and Eva ate plain fettuccine, let's not get too excited.)

I read the second to the last chapter of Charlotte's Web before bed. How I adore that book! I do not want it to end. (It's gratifying that she loves it as well.)

And now I'm blogging. I don't even feel like a zombie! The Route 44 drink must have helped me to get through the day on 4 hours of sleep. And that's it. My long, busy, somewhat unusual Monday. Even with all the craziness, it was a pretty good day!

Creative Friday

Christmas vacation has flown by. We realized that if we didn't seize the day, it would all be over without another Creative Friday. We couldn't let that happen, so Jill and Landon and Whitney came over yesterday.

The boys had a chess tournament, with guitar accompaniment when Max wasn't playing. Obviously. Also, Max was overheard telling Lucas that he was employing "the most annoying strategy ever." Hmm.

Eva and Whitney had some project time at the table, using some of the bijillion rhinestones my mom sent.

Why didn't I think of using them as a unicorn horn and dinosaur eyes?

We had a package from Kristi! I don't know why, but it is so fun to get a package for both of us together.

Look at the cutest mailbox keychain that really opens!

Kristi sent me a self-stick monogram (only Kristi would know about such a thing) and a fancy journal. Jill said it looks like the kind of thing I should put my secrets in.

Jill paid Whitney to "babysit" Eva. They played nicely all afternoon, and I overheard Eva saying, "Whitney, I just love it when you come to my house!" Win/win.

Jill worked on her many, many Christmas cards. It's a big job! (I opted out of cards this year. I don't know why, but it wasn't even on my radar.)

I forgot that there was one more present under the tree! One my mom had sent for Jill and I to share. 6 spools of ribbon. We both love ribbon.

This is Jill's response to getting a phone call during Creative Friday.

The weather took a turn for the worst while Jill and the kids were here. When they went to leave, it was snowing, the wind was blowing crazily, and it was freezing! So of course, Jill decided to take several trips so she could take out our trash and recycle some boxes. What the?! Then she called me, nearly an hour later, to say that they were finally home. That's dedication.

it's almost here

I love Christmas Eve so much.

Marc and the boys went to the movies. Eva and I baked rolls. I vacuumed. We went to Michelle's house for an Italian feast.

We came home, read the Christmas story in Luke, wrote out our gifts for the Savior for the coming year.

Then, finally, when all the kids were tucked into bed, I worked my Santa magic. I love stockings, they are probably my favorite part of Christmas.

And then I just sat and looked at it all – the tree, the gifts, the stockings, and thought about how it would all be over this time tomorrow. I hope it is magical for them.

gift wrapping – a tutorial

Many of you have commented on my gift wrapping. I grew up with the gift wrapping master, my mother. Every Christmas, I was her wrapping partner, and we stayed up late into the night many times making pretty packages.

I know a lot of people don't think they have skills in this area. It's really not hard to do, you just need to know a few tricks!

(Maybe you don't care about pretty packages. If not, read no further. Pretty packages are not for the haphazard wrappers.)

First of all, put your gift in a box if you can. Odd-sized or -shaped gifts are nearly impossible to wrap nicely. If I don't have a box to fit an odd gift, I may put it in a cute gift bag. (And I don't like using gift bags, because then I am deprived of using cute wrapping paper.) That's how hard it is to wrap something like that. Also, sometimes I will put a DVD or video game inside a box, just so the recipient doesn't immediately guess what it is... I like surprises, and I like to inflict them on others, as well.

Secondly, not all wrapping papers are created equal. I still buy cheapo paper from Walmart or the grocery store sometimes if it is really cute, but I usually regret it. It just doesn't wrap as nicely as the thicker stuff you get at Hobby Lobby, Xpedx, TJMaxx, or Michaels. (The printed grid on the back of some papers is a nice bonus.) I have a bit of a wrapping paper fetish, and have had to restrain myself from buying more Christmas paper for the last two years, as Marc reminds me we have plenty.

Here, I chose to use a sub-standard paper because it just fit the recipient better than the nice paper I had on hand. Sometimes I can be a glutton for punishment.

Measuring your paper properly is key to a nicely wrapped package. Loosely fold the paper around the box to make sure it is big enough to go all the way around. Cut the sides with a margin roughly equivalent to the height of your box or less. (Eyeball it here, I'm not crazy enough to measure!)

This is a good height for doing those tricky end folds. (If your paper is too long, you will never be able to get it nicely folded.)

Wrap your paper around your box lengthwise. Crease the paper along the edges of the box. Bring the paper around the other side of the package, pulling taut (but not too tight or your paper may tear). At this point, I like to fold the edge under, creating a nice, finished edge. (I always factor in a little extra for this purpose when measuring the paper.) Tape.

With one end of the package facing you, fold the top edge down and crease along the box.

Press paper down into the corner of the box and crease the triangle that is formed. Repeat on opposite side of same end.

Fold triangle in toward box end and crease along bottom and the new triangle that is formed. Repeat on other side.

If you have enough paper, fold along edge to make another nice, finished edge.

At this point, I usually turn the box around and repeat the folding steps on the other end. Then you can stand the box up on one end without crushing the paper (because it's already folded in).

Tape where necessary on one end, then turn the box around and tape the other end. Voilà!

Now onto the ribbon portion of our gift. You can make a respectable bow with cheapo satin ribbon from the craft store, and it is infinitely preferable to curling ribbon or stick-on bows (in fact, I used it for years). But if you want an effortlessly beautiful bow, you need decent ribbon.

If you're using nice ribbon, don't bother doing the whole criss cross over the package. Once around will do. And even a simple square knot can be very pretty, especially on a small package or with wide ribbon.

If you want more of a bow, try this invention of my mom's: make one long loop, drape it over your knot, and knot the original ends again. (You can take it even further by cutting another straight piece and including it under the loop.)

Easy peasy. Notch your ends and you have got a super-easy, pretty "bow."

I like to add some sort of embellishment to a gift, such as a miniature ornament, a sprig of greenery, or – my favorite – a glittery something. (Target sells glittered snowflakes in the ornament section; I bought a bunch on clearance after Christmas one year. I bought these sayings this year at Hobby Lobby for 50% off.)

Of course, I love to have plenty of cute gift tags on hand. Wrapping is not fun at all if you don't have the supplies you need. I have been collecting free downloads of gift tags, and today I went through them and printed and cut out a bunch. This is a whole lot of happy in my book.

Unfortunately, I don't have a good record of the sources for all of these, but I do have some:

www.jonesdesigncompany.com (really cute ones in 3 colorways!)
www.papercrave.com
www.theblackapple.typepad.com
www.creaturecomfortsblog.com
www.thepaperseed.com
www.copycatcrafts.com (multiple versions!)
angry chicken printable tags (these are funny!)

Happy wrapping!

my new favorite tool

Do you know about Amazon's universal wish list?

If you don't, you should. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever. (Jessie turned me on to it.)

Simply add their "Add to Wish List" button to your browser toolbar, and you can add items from any website to your Amazon wish list. That way, you can keep track of any and all gifts you are wishing for in one centralized place.

Mine has items I am wishing for, and ideas for gifts I want to give to others. Marc tells me this is stupid, and I should separate my lists, but it works for me (for now, anyway). Jessie has a list for herself, and another one for her girls.

Basically, I wish everyone I know would have one of these wish lists, it makes gift buying SO much easier! (Dad, this means you.)

And with the free Amazon Prime membership that Jill hooked me up with, I am just an Amazon devotee right now. With no shipping to worry about, I am ordering online gifts left and right!

(This is not a paid endorsement. Obviously.)

lights on Temple Square

Last weekend we walked from Marc's parents' condo down the hill to see the lights at Temple Square. We hadn't done this for several years! Every other time I had gone to see the Christmas lights, it was absolutely freezing, the kind of cold that makes it hard to enjoy anything. Since we've been having unseasonably warm weather, we didn't even need hats and gloves. So pleasant.

Without a flash, this picture of Bob & Mim came out kind of blurry, but I still like it. They are such sweet people.

Christmas lights are the only thing I can think of that would make the Salt Lake temple even prettier than it usually is.

Eva, modeling her new super-warm, Eskimo-like coat.

I love to see the temple.

The only drawback was the huge number of people on Temple Square! So many people were there enjoying the season that it was really hard to stay together and find each other when we inevitably got separated. I did run into one of my former young women, however!

I was utterly captivated by these floating candle-like orbs.

I love the way the windows are outlined with lights.

Bob and Mim took us out to dinner at Blue Lemon, which I've been wanting to try for ages. It was delicious. Mim had gotten a gift card for her birthday and spent it on us! They are always so generous.

My knee was really bothering me, making it difficult to even walk, so I had to cut my visit short. I was disappointed that I didn't get to see/take pictures of the luminaries. We did get a family picture while on Temple Square, but since it's on Marc's camera, I may never see it...

There's nothing quite so festive as lots and lots of twinkly lights!