It's a beautiful life.

I'll be honest with you- I hate when I feel down and sick.  I wish everyday could be a happy, energetic easy day.  I don't love the ebb and flows of life even as I know they are normal, strengthening and unavoidable.

I feel bright again!  My prescription is working!  My house is clean.  All the kids' bedrooms are clean.  I've spent quality moments with my kids and they feel good.  Lunch snacks are all prepared   (I buy big bags and section them into snack bags). My laundry is all washed and ready to be folded.  I'm even washing all our bedding this morning.  We had a sweet family home evening last night (taught by Anna), and a humble, devoted scripture time this morning. 

Yes, the children still squabbled a bit, one missed our devotional.  But, it was calm and good.

After the kids left (I still have 4 at home with fevers), I straightened up, started washing bedding, and I took time to study my scriptures and prepare a lesson I'm teaching this Sunday.

All feels good in the world.

Doing life is not nearly as hard as thinking about life!  Today I feel powerful to choose what I will do and what I won't.

I feel rededicated to being more thrifty, to making my home beautiful, to being grateful and to SEEing all there is to delight in.  I believe God has blessed us with much to delight in, even as He allows us to endure hard things.

One of my daughters worried that I only see her bad things.  I told her I really do see the good things, it's just the bad things are easier to see because they are strewn across my floor or yelled in my face.  

I HATE the analogy where someone compares a person to a white shirt (or sheet) with an ink stain saying, of course everyone notices the ink stain.  I want to be gentle with ink stains and grateful for white shirts.

We reinforce that which we pay attention to.

Eve is a beautiful napper (thank you-- napping children is my talent).

She is a bit of a stink at bedtime though.  She gets too much attention (good or bad) at night when she sneaks out of bed.

Last night I did the best thing.  Haha!  I asked her to climb in bed and she didn't.  She was fooling around.  Usually I talk her into getting in bed, then gently cajole her into putting her feet down so I can cover her up, then tuck in her babies, lay by her, bribe her with some fun thing we're going to do tomorrow, etc...

Last night, I just ignored her and climbed in bed beside Lily.  How many nights have I catered to my two year old while my five year old lays beautifully in her bed alone?  Too many.  It felt SO nice to love and praise and cuddle good behavior.

Guess what?  After spending only a few minutes loving on my good listener, I kissed Leah in the top bunk and then I noticed Eve was laying all tucked into her bed.  Ha!  She never does that.  Now I could hug and love her up.  She didn't get out of bed once last night.

I DO notice the good around me.  When I look around me for good I feel like my life is seeped in beauty.

Here are a few things I noticed yesterday...

-I LOVE the crayon artwork that is all over my house.  (Can you see the tire swing and yellow nest?)

-I LOVE big sisters who are ALWAYS reading to little sisters (this was yesterday).

-This was today.  I LOVE that Ellie reads to the little kids setting a good example so that now Leah loves to read to little ones too.  (Lily is sick and she sucks her thumb when she doesn't feel good.)

-I LOVE that my kids are always playing the piano!  It is a beautiful background music to my home.

-She is almost 12!  Taught the cutest lesson on family prayer using scriptures, stories, activities, and visuals.  Love that my kids are great teachers.

-oh man!  I was going to show you TWO well-made beds this morning, but I forget I messed them up to wash sheets.  Honestly, my kids are dang good at cleaning up.  People say teenagers have messy rooms.  My oldest kids are amazingly tidy.  Love that.

-I love people.  Even under the weather, we had sister missionaries over on Friday, helped with a church dinner on Saturday, stayed after church for New Beginnings on Sunday, and had the Elders for dinner on Monday.  I honestly feel that it is a blessing to be able to serve and invite people into my home.  I'm so grateful we get to serve often.

Love him (see eve's toes?).

Blessed to be right here, right now.

Life is good- if we SEE the good.