My Name Is........

My husband calls me Mother Theresa because I give everything I have to my children. I give them the last serving of dinner, the last piece of pie, the last pair of matching socks in my drawer. I have no concept of keeping something just for 'the adults'. I share everything. I always have. When Bari and I started dating he cooked for me. I couldn't believe how many different ingredients he would use to make a meal. I would never put all the mushrooms, tomatoes, hamburger, onion, green pepper and what ever else in a sauce for spaghetti. Something would need to be saved for another meal. I was always saving for something else. Why use everything for 1 dinner when you could make 2? This must have been ingrained in me when I was small. My mom cooked very simple meals. We were working class (a nice way to say poor). There were 4 kids + mom and dad. Someone always had to wait until their 'turn' to get shoes or a coat. Mom rarely got anything new. I guess that was my example. Maybe that's why I never expect anything. I have no 'feeling of entitlement' like my husband. He works hard and he expects something for it. I work hard and then I work some more.
This has been a hard day. I must be PMS'ing or just a little blue.
Live-Life/Love-Life

One last comment---

I promised wedding photos- this layout is wierd, it distorts the photos but I put them up anyway. Be sure to check out the bottom of the page for my fave .
Live-Life/Love-Life

As A Mom..............

There are few real moments which define exactly what kind of 'Mom' you've been for your children. I've had children in my life for over 22 years. Yesterday I had a defining moment. And I guess I'm not doing too bad. Yesterday afternoon my oldest daughter seemed distressed and said we needed to have a 'mommy-daughter talk.' This can't be good. She proceeded to cry a little, and then tell me she had called off her wedding and broken her engagement. This decision had come after many hours of prayer and thoughtful contemplation. Her young man was not the one. I won't go into any details on the relationship. What I do want to emphasis is that she had strength to change a situation that was not in her best interest. A defining moment. Independence, strength, self-worth, an eye to the Glory in her life. She knows what Heavenly Father wants for her. When this relationship didn't match her Patriarchal Blessing, and she knew that it never would match, she left. Sometimes (many times) I doubt my parenting - mothering skills. This really was a defining moment- for her and for me.
I know you'll be wondering how she is doing. I don't think I've heard her laugh so much in one night as I did tonight. She was on the phone with a friend -he was on e-bay looking at wedding gowns to see if she could sell her dress for a good price. I guess it was all very funny. I know I'm happy.
Live-Life/Love-Life

My Husband.......the domestic Goddess.

Yes, my husband, the love of my life, is a Domestic Goddess. This morning, he was almost late to work because he was finishing the dishes (we don't use a dishwasher-see MamaD's blog), and folding clothes (which he had just taken from the dryer). Yes. A Domestic Goddess. How did I get so lucky? The trade-off is that my clothes are a little wrinkled sometimes (most of the time), and most of my dishes are cracked and chipped. Things could certainly be worse. He is- after all, the Love of My Life.
Live-Life/Love-Life

My head is just a swimmin' ------

My Grandma Cox- "Granny" used to say, "my heads just a swimmin'." She was from Kentucky so it was all foreign to me. The last couple of days I've read many of your Blogs and had many more things 'swim' in my head thank I could possibly write about. Add to all of your funny and thoughtful comments the fact that we had a fabulous Women's Conference Saturday night. I had the opportunity to help serve dinner, it was so much fun to see many sisters I know.

One thing I neglected to write about early on - was how I came up with the title of my Blog. After reading others wonderful-thoughtful titles- I wondered myself. So, it's no suprise that I came up with 'louonblog' in about a minute and a half (maybe not that long). I thought it was cute. I've since realized that it really sounds almost phonetically 'louannblog'. Hmmm. I really thought- louonblog, louann-is-jumping-on-this-blog-thing. That's it. I'm not very deep-really.

On to the conference. I loved all the talks, especially the one given by the new Gen'l RS Pres, and the last sister- the one who is the social worker. They were really great. I thought one of the most moving moments of the evening was when Elder Monson mentioned that Sis Faust was in the audience (in the first row- with her family). What a sweet man. You can tell he dearly loved serving with her husband.
There was a lot of talk about the 'relief' part of Relief Society. How we serve each other, how it is a part of us as women. It is our destiny to serve and give relief. There was also a lot of council about the strength of the LDS women, and how, as a group, we can be a strong force for good in this world. That is really exciting. We don't really need to do anything differently, just stand up for the good of the standards of Christ. It should be something we already do now. WoW.

Then the blogs I've read. I've nosed my way onto quite a few this weekend. I have gained quite an insight to your lives. I love the "I love-I hate" lists. I love the days with your kids- overflowing toilets and all. I love how you think about the words to special hymns and what they mean in your lives. I love (probably most of all) your descriptions of yourselves. You all think you are quite ordinary. I know a secret. You are not. You are the most special and loved women in all the world. You only pretend that you are living ordinary mondane lives-but you have a greater good. You have Sacred Covenants to uphold, the Gospel to preach, Scriptures to share. The fact that you do it while you are acting as normal run-of-the-mill women is an even greater accomplishment. WoW- I am blessed to know you. My heads just a swimmin' - - - - - -

Live-Live/Love-Life