Principles

Principles

I believe this quote is from Dave Ramsey. And I really agree with this quote!!

I like to think of myself as a principle-based person. And this quote has caused me to ponder on some of the greatest principles in my life:

-Integrity. This is so much more than honesty. It's transparency. It's trustworthiness. It's doing the right thing even if no one is watching.
-Putting God's will above my own (this one is a daily challenge, but I believe it's a true principle and continue to work and do this.)
-Charity: the pure love of Christ. I think this Christmas Season could be summed up by this one word, actually!! But, we need charity in our hearts all year long!
-When we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God. This great principle was given to us by King Benjamin, but we see this great example set for us repeatedly by our Savior, Jesus Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He showed He loved His (our) Father by loving and serving others.
-Faith precedes the Miracle. By small and simple things, great things are brought to pass. I just experienced a great miracle in my own life. A miracle healing of my leg and back. The two bulging discs in my back have debilitated me to pretty much bed rest the past 5 months. I prayed in faith, fervently. I received Priesthood blessings. My back was healed without surgery. Though, sometimes this is not always the case. Sometimes surgery is the miracle healing. I give all the credit to my God for my healing.
-The Atonement has great healing power! It encompasses healing of every kind: physical, spiritual, emotional, mental. Every time either I or one of my kids experiences healing, I try to acknowledge my Savior and his Atonement. If we have faith, and repent we can be healed of our ailments. Sometimes we may not receive complete healing until the resurrection. But, our most important healing is our spiritual healing. And that comes by Faith, Repentence, Baptism, Covenant Making, Covenant Keeping, Continuous Striving and picking ourselves up when we fall down, Hard Work in relationships, Choosing the Right Every Day, and Becoming the Person who He wants us to be!!
- We are never alone when we stand with God! Though we may not have a single earthly person standing next to us, when we make the brave choice to not follow the ways of the world, or succumb to peer pressure, we will be standing strong with God!!! And we will also be standing with Nephi, Moroni, Joseph Smith, and so many other great people!!!
-Never sacrifice what you *really* want, for what you want right now!!! This is a big part of my "conservative character." If this is not what you really want in life but you are feeling tempted or pressured, do NOT give in!!! Hold out awhile longer for what you REALLY want!!! I am a huge believer in this!! There is a lot of self control that comes with this principle, but it is SO rewarding!! It's a huge part of who I am!!! And I invite you all to try it!!
-Relationships are the most important thing. Family is everything. We were organized as families by God. He assembled us in he pre-mortal world. I used to feel like I was mismatched in my own family of origin, only to find as I am aging, that who am I to question God's all knowing. And only to realize as I strive to strengthen the relationships with my own 9 brothers and sisters, and parents that who am I kidding?! I was placed in a family of awesome-ness!!! These guys are all great, and unique and love every one of them with my whole heart!!! And not only is it just family relationships that are important, so our our friendships, and probably our relationships with all that we interact with. We should leave every single person feeling better about themselves than when we met them.
-Be your best self. If you've learned how to be kind, be kind, even when it's hard! If you learned the value of hard work, do it! If you've learned truth, live it!!

And I have other abiding principles in my life that I will have to save for another time, when I have more time to write. But I challenge any who reads this to ponder and find out what your abiding principles in life are, it is a great mental and spiritual adventure!!

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Love at Home

When There's Love at Home...

Inside of our Family Room

I love the hymn, Love at Home.  When I was a girl growing up, from time to time when my siblings and I would squabble my Mom would sing this song.  I can hardly think of this song without remembering my childhood, and my Mother singing those words to us.  At the time I was bereft about it, but now it is a fond memory!!

There is beauty all around when there's love at home

There is joy in ev'ry sound when there's love at home.

Peace and plenty here abide, smiling sweet on ev'ry side.

Time doth softly sweetly glide when there's love at home.

Love at home, love at home.

Time doth softly sweetly glide when there's love at home!

In the Cottage there is Joy when there's love at home

Hate and envy ne'er annoy when there's love at home.

Roses bloom beneath our feet; all the earth's a garden sweet

Making life a bliss complete when there's love at home.

Love at home, love at home.

Making life a bliss complete when there's love at home!

Kindly Heaven smiles above when there's love at home;

All the world is filled with love when there's love at home

Sweeter sings the brooklet by; brighter beams the azure sky.

Oh, there's one who smiles on high when there's love at home.

Love at home, love at home.

Oh, there's one who smiles on high when there's love at home!

Hymns p. 294

And the Rebellious Shall be Pierced with Much Sorrow

Sorrow...

The Rebellious Shall Be Pierced With Much Sorrow

One of the most significant lessons I have ever learned is involved with the story of a prize Holstein heifer calf who got into the alfalfa, and bloated because we could not build a fence which would hold her. One day after dad had built a particularly strong fence to hold her in, I remember thinking to my self that I still hoped she would get out somehow. At that time I admired her independence and wanted her to assert herself against the best efforts of my dad. Well, she did get out and ate green alfalfa, and despite the best efforts of dad to save her, it cost her her life. I remember my feelings the next day when her body was being hauled away in the by-products truck. Her rebellion had cost her her life.

Sometimes our rebellion against authority can cost us dearly. The very things that seem to restrict our freedom are the things that ultimately assure our freedom. True freedom only comes from obedience.

D&C 1:3, And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed.

—Jack R. Kapp
-------------------------------
Received from Sue Farson Kapp on 2 June 2013 for posting on FamilySearch.org.

**I came across this interesting story on FamilySearch. I left all the information of the Author and source on the posting to cite proper ownership.

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Family Ups and Downs

Family Changes:

 

I love these people more than any others in the world!!! I am so grateful for them. We've been through a lot together, and we continue to go through a lot together!!

So many of the trials we are experiencing, I never dreamed we would be experiencing. But here we are, in the middle of some heavy stuff that I won't go into!! I know The Lord is helping to make my burdens lighter. I know that He helps me when I turn to Him, and when I position myself to receive His help by choosing the right. If I don't make good choices, He can't help me as much, even though He wants to.

 

 

 

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Update

Brief Update

Our house

We finally found a house in the same area as the house we were renting.  It was a foreclosure, so we got a good deal, but have spent all of the 4 years we have lived here fixing it up!  Lots of time and money!

Kyle is feeling much better than 4.5 years ago when he got suddenly extremely ill with life threatening liver problems.  Laren's company won the next phase (to the North) of the I-15 project.  It's called "the point" project.  He has also done a lot of traveling to Kansas for a dual freeway interchange project there.

The kids are growing up!  Kayla is 17 and a Senior in High School now.  Alyssa is 15 and a sophomore, Kyle is 13 and in 8th grade, Rilyn is 11 and in 6th, Tyler is 8 and in third grade.  and Ashton hangs out with Mom at home, but we usually hit the gym on most weekdays where he hangs out in the gym daycare for Mom can sweat and forget about her troubles for a bit!  

We love Utah, and we are so glad we decided to move back here 5 years ago now!

Meet Ashton and a brief Update

Meet Ashton

And an Update

Ashton Jay Livingston

Was born to our family September 30th, 2010

Ashton has been such a delightful addition to our family!!  Though we weren't necessarily counting on another baby, we are SO glad we got him!  And he is almost 3 years old now!  I haven't blogged in 4 years!

                  Ashton being silly in the kitchen on a recent Sunday morning before Church.

I'm Back!

I'm Back!

Update

I haven't blogged in a long time! Life has been busy and good. We had a fun summer and spent a lot of time at Seven Peaks. I also had a good time exercising several mornings a week with some gals in my ward hiking to the Mount Timpanogos Cave. I don't believe I've ever had better exercise for my heart and lungs! It is a strenuous but fulfilling hike! We hope to take our kids soon, and actually tour the cave!

We did, however, take our kids to hike Y mountain in Provo a few weeks ago. That also was a strenuous hike, but our kids did great! Of course we did give them the motivation of donuts once they got to the top.

Alyssa went to Clear Creek Summer Camp for a week this summer and Kayla, Kyle and Rilyn went to Grandma Vala's in Montana for a week with Grandma and some cousins. Tyler got to stay home with Mom and Dad.

Laren is working as busy as ever with his job, which he has now been at just shy of a year! That is hard to believe!! He still enjoys it very much. He works with good people and the work is interesting and intense. He has lots of meetings, in fact I can rarely get him on the phone or cell phone most days so I've pretty much quit trying until he comes home. And last night he didn't get home until about 8:30 or so!

Aside from Girls Camp, I also went with the Youth to Youth Conference up to Camp Williams North of Lehi for 3 days. These youth in our ward are a fantastic bunch of kids! I enjoy all of the time that I spend with them!!

A couple of weeks ago we had a Mother/Daughter Enrichment Activity up at Mutual Dell, a campground/Lodge that our stake owns up American Fork Canyon. I have been busy attending BYU Education Week this week, and I finally got my Utah Drivers License (had to take a written test for that, even though I've been driving 20 years - pretty crazy!), and today our kids started back to school!!

I cannot say enough GOOD about Education Week! It beats out Women's Conference by a mile. The classes are more diversified (different subjects) and very informative and educational, unlike Women's Conference where many of the talks are about being a wife and mother and not to belittle it, because it is great, but almost every class has the same topic with just different stories and a different presenter(s).

So far here is a list of the classes I've taken at Education Week:

Mental Wellness: What is it, How to get it and How to Keep it (No matter what hits you!) by: Carrie Wrigley

Coping With Adversity Through Prayer
by: Barbara Barrington Jones

Filling Your Heart & Home with the Irresistible Light of Christlike Love: Enriching Your Marriage
by: Gary and Joy Lundberg

The Plan of Salvation: The Great Plan of Happiness
by: David J. Ridges - the guy who wrote The Book of Mormon Made Easier, one of my favorite books!

Helping Your Husband Preside in Love and Righteousness
by: John Bytheway

Kitchen Organization: Help Your Kitchen Help You
by: Marie C. Ricks

Listen to a Prophet's Voice: The Process of Personal Progression
by: Scott Anderson

Coping With Clutter
by: Marie Ricks ...LOVE these classes by Sister Ricks. She has a great website on helping with all sorts of housekeeping chores, menu planning, budgeting, etc... Her website can be found here.

And a few pictures...

Our puppy Molly, who is now caught up on her immunizations until she is a year old! She has brought a refreshing joy to our family!!

Laren and I at the "Y" on Y Mountain a few weeks ago.

The kids and I resting on the "Y", the kids eating their donuts and me, my rice crispy treats. (Love those Creamery Rice Crispy Treats!)


At the top of the hike to Timp Cave with my hiking buddies!

Laren finally replaced his wrecked Camry with a Nissan Maxima.

Alyssa and Tyler at Temple Square this summer.

Kyle, Rilyn and Kayla at the airport headed to Grandma and Grandpa's!

Alyssa returning from Summer Camp at Clear Creek.

Citrus Chicken Teriyaki, a newfound dinner. Our dinner Sunday night.

This summer I started doing Deals to Meals, a program where recipes are created for you based on the grocery store items that are on sale. It has been fun for our family to try new recipes and get out of our eating rut!

Smothered Chicken, a dinner we had last week.

Me going to get my Utah Drivers License.

Most of the kids and I attempting to hike to the Timpangogos Cave, but we were too early - the trail doesn't open on the weekend until 7:30 am. It opens during the weekdays by 6:00 am. So this is us about 1/4 of the way up, before the gate.

(Front-Back, l-r) Alyssa, Rilyn, Cara, Kayla My daughters and a friend at Mutual Dell a couple of weeks ago.

And finally me helping Rilyn to paint her block up at Mutual Dell.

I hope you all had a great summer too!!