“. . . the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation . . . and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy⁠“

— Pres. Russell M. Nelson

Latest Posts


  • Projects . . .

    One of my goals is to make more time for things that I love – like reading, sewing, photography, etc.  The craziest thing is, for the first time in a long time, I finally FEEL like doing projects again.  Here… Continue reading

  • A Sunny Day in January

    Today, we played.  I have been inspired by some of you to get out and play more with my children, and so we took advantage of our summer weather, and PLAYED!  Lily and Derek were overjoyed to be out in… Continue reading

  • We have a “Reverence Star!”

    She finally got it, and she was so happy when they gave it to her that she stood up and announced to the primary,  "I got the Reverence Star!!  I got the Reverence Star!!"  It was adorable.  Now, the question… Continue reading

  • A Sleepover Adventure!

    "It's time for not talking!  I have a very important rule!  You always turn off the light if you are having a slumber party." – Lily Two nights ago, Kevin and the kids had a sleepover in the living room. … Continue reading

  • Found!

    Well, we found the fork.  After searching in/under/around everything, including the garbage can, Kevin and I  had given up, chalking it up to the vortex of lost things, like his putter :).  The next day, we were sitting around playing… Continue reading

  • A Very Busy Weekend

    To talk about this weekend, I have broken into three separate posts – one for Derek, one for Lily, and one for me, with a little bit of family stuff sprinkled in it.  This weekend really began on Friday, when… Continue reading

  • My Little “Sunbeam”

    My beautiful little Lily had her first day of Primary today.  She has been bursting with excitement about the idea of getting to be a "Sunbeam," go to class, and be in Primary.  Yesterday she had a wonderful time meeting… Continue reading

  • The Case of the Missing Fork

     Missing: Dora Fork Last Seen: In the hands of a silly little boy. Okay, in my last post I mentioned how Derek likes to hide things and such, well, it just keeps getting worse.  Yesterday Kevin found Lily's brand new… Continue reading

  • A Misty Day in Georgia

    It was such a great day today – one of those foggy, misty days that almost feel magical.  It was even warm, in the 70's, and so it felt even more so.  It took me back to Monterey, when the… Continue reading