March 26th

I was sick today.  Runny nose, sore throat, achy body.  NO FUN!  I knew I couldn't do much today, so I decided to just THANK my Heavenly Father for my blessings and ask for nothing in return.  It is actually harder than it sounds!  I always want to ask to keep my family safe and to have the spirit with me.  I know He is waiting to bless us, we just need to call on Him.  This time it felt really good to be able to sincerely thank Him and not ask for anything.  I know I am nothing without Heavenly Father and He guides me in my life. So get on your knees and start counting your blessings...you'll be surprised!! Or keep a prayer journal.  I find that I am so tired at the end of the day that if I sit quietly to pray, I end up asleep and don't get to finish my prayer.  So I started writing them down.  Not every day, but when I am trying really hard to focus.  It has helped me so much and I feel like I am really having a conversation with Him.  It's  neat to go back and read what I prayed for a month or a year ago. I love that we get to have that communication with Him through prayer.

March 25th

Every Sunday my little Zoey goes to nursery while Pat and I serve in the Primary.  I know most people think that nursery is not the greatest calling because you don't get to see anyone and you are stuck in a room full of 2-year olds for 2 hours.  But I can't express my thanks enough to the sweet nursery workers!  I know Zoey is safe and loved. I feel that Heavenly Father gives special blessings to those called into nursery.  My plan was to come to the church and clean all the nursery toys, but those plans fell through when the rice bag project took over and I didn't have a key to get into the church.  But I did, however, donate snacks and clorox wipes and I hope to find another time to come in and clean the toys.  THANK YOU to Nate, Cash, Windy and Rebecca for taking such good care of Zoey!!!!

March 24th

My dear friend Whitney has a cousin that was admitted to LDS Hospital this week for cancer treatment.  This was one of the reasons we were pushing to get the rice bags done this weekend.  We went and delivered 50 rice bags to the East wing of LDS Hospital today.  It was fun to go together and we had some of our kids with us.  I had to steal a wheelchair to actually transport those heavy bags!  The nurses seemed grateful and kept telling how nice we were.  I hope it helps the patients receiving treatment.  I know it's helped me to be grateful for my family and my life and my health.  Pictures to come...

March 23rd

Saying 'thank you' has always been big in my family.  My mom has taught me the importance of those 2 little words.  I have good intentions, but life gets busy and I fail to write thank you cards.  I want to be better.  I know how good it makes me feel to know that someone appreciates what I do and actually acknowledges it.  So that was my goal today.  THANK YOU to my friends and family that support and love me.  :)

March 22nd

Another great day of sewing and filling rice bags.  We are SO very close to finishing.  We made a goal of 200 rice bags (50 for each of the 4 hospitals-Huntsman, LDS, Primary Children's and Utah Valley Regional Medical).  We do not have enough rice, though.  There have been so many people that have contributed, THANK YOU!!  (Merritt family, Christie Hutchings, Adrianne Watson, Chelsea Murphy, Becky Rosevear, Shari Johnson, Windy Kener, Whitney McKell...I hope I am not forgetting anyone).  We plan on finishing this weekend and can't wait to deliver them.

March 21st

I have always been one to recycle.  I try to turn off the water while I brush my teeth.  Or cut up the plastic rings on the soda can holder things.  I bring my own bags to the grocery store.  And I try to reuse both sides of the paper before I toss it.  I wanted to something BIG with this, but ended up just doing what I normally do.  I was going through the kids craft room and sorting papers to keep and papers to toss.  I gathered the stuff that could be recycled and put it in my recycle garbage.  I went throughout the whole house doing this and filled up a big bag to put in the recycle bin.  I have no idea if this helped save a tree or reduced my carbon footprint, but I know that if every household did this every week, it could make a HUGE impact.  So, that is thought to you...RECYCLE.  Just do it.  :)

March 20th

March 19th

This is an ongoing project...but for Girl's Night we got together to make rice bags to deliver to the Oncology floors of several hospitals.  We cut out 148 in one night and sewed at least half that many.  We are filling them and plan to deliver sometime in the next week.  It was fun to do this with the girls and to make such great progress.

March 18th

There is something so nice about getting a compliment.  It builds us up, confirms what we hope to believe and gives us confidence.  Then why is it so hard to give compliments sometimes?  I listen to my thoughts and know that I am complimenting a lot of people in my head, but what good does that do?  It's wasted and you never know what it will do for the person receiving it.  There have been countless times when someone has said something to me that helped me so much in times that I was struggling.  Well, NO MORE!  Let the compliments flow!  I tried today to give a sincere compliment to someone that I'm not close with, that sometimes even rubs me the wrong way.  I didn't want it to be fake or insincere.  It was well received and I think it helped me to like this person more than if I had kept it to myself.

March 17th

Be a nice driver.  This is easier said than done.  Honest to goodness, I try, but I am hot headed when it comes to dealing with others on the road.  It has to be the 18 months I spent in NY/NJ driving as a missionary that brought out the road rage in me.  Well, today I tried to be different.  I mean, I didn't wake up saying this was going to be my RAOK, but when the opportunity presented itself, I did my best.  So here's the story... Driving to my MIL's for a birthday party with the kids.  I had just exited the freeway and was behind several cars at the light.  I started to go when CRASH, a car behind me slams into the back of my car.  My initial reaction was, well, anger.  I was like, "Are you kidding me?  What the  heck?  This is a brand new car, you have got to be joking?  WHY?"  (Only slip in a few swear words...) But then I realized that accidents happen.  That there isn't enough room in the world for anger.  So, quickly I calmed down and stepped out of the car and proceeded to be the nice driver I wanted to be.  It turned out to be a young kid who actually got rear ended by someone that quickly sped off and left us with the damage.  (Don't worry, it will come back to him.  Some time, some way, but it will come back to him.)  And the damage to my car was minimal.  And the kid felt terrible and no one was hurt.  Whew!

March 16th

Lukas goes off track for a few weeks so I thought it would be great to donate some stuff to his classroom.  We brought in a bag full of prizes and toys for Mrs. Foreman's prize box and some clorox wipes to help keep the classroom clean.  Zoey and Max were with me today and LOVE going to Lukas' school. (Nice picture of Zoey, I know.  Her eye is tweeking out!  Haha!)

March 15th

This was a great day!  First of all because I got so many messages, gifts, treats and kind words (THANK YOU everyone!).  I love birthdays.  :)  Secondly,  I invited my neighbors to McDonald's for lunch so we could donate our spare change to the Ronald McDonald donation box.  I got teary-eyed watching my friends and their darling kids put money in those boxes.  I know it's just change, and it's small, but to me it was HUGE!  I see these girls, my friends, do so much with me and for me.  My heart swells to overflowing as I watch them.  The best gift of all today is GREAT FRIENDS!!!!!

March 14th

I must be running out of steam!!  Not to say that I'm not happy to help and do nice things...I think life just gets so busy and I let other things take over.  :(  As soon as I remember what I did, I will post.

March 13th

I was sooooo thirsty today.  Not just anything will do, so I went to the McDonald's drive thru.  I knew the kids were hungry so we just got a couple of burgers and my drink.  I decided today was the day I'd pay for the person behind me.  I was so excited!!!  I told the guy at the drive-thru and he was like, "Wait, what?" I had to tell him twice before he got it.  I watched in my rear view mirror as the person behind me drove up to pay.  She had a big smile on her face!  I wished she had a family or someone with her, but I was happy knowing that I could surprise someone like that.  :)

March 12th

One of my favorite things to do is go to Lukas' school and sit in his classroom.  I love first grade!!  They are innocent and cute, yet they are learning so quickly.  I got to volunteer today and read with some of the kids.  I really love Lukas' teacher, Mrs. Foreman.  She had Lukas read one of the books he published in class to the class while I was there.  It was so sweet!  And Lukas has an amazing talent of writing and drawing.  He loves it!!  I wish I had more time to do this, I appreciate teachers everywhere who give so much to the learning and education of our children.

March 11th

My cute cousin, Marisa, left for Honduras a few days ago.  She is going to help native's that want to be missionaries, but that can't afford their Dr. check-ups or dentist visits.  So a large group is going (including a Dr. and Dentist) to help these locals to afford to serve a mission.  They will have missionary clothing and other toiletries to help them get a head start.  Marisa asked if I had any old ties or missionary attire that I could donate to take with her.  I wish I had started looking for stuff sooner because I know I would've been able to get more stuff.  I decided to head to Walmart and load up on things she could take that would be helpful.  Whitney wanted to help (what's new, that girl is always giving!) and so she donated some money and I went shopping.  It was fun to choose things and hope that they would be of some use to these willing souls all the way over in Honduras.  I decided that I wanted this to be the "donate money to a good cause" item on my RAOK list.  I love missionaries and all that they sacrifice to spread the gospel, so here's to them!!

March 10th

We went out to eat at Red Robin (a family favorite!) and wanted to leave a BIG tip for our server as our Random Act of Kindness.  We had a great time, eating and visiting and being together as a family.  Our server was great and we left him a nice tip.  But we also noticed the bus boy.  I pulled out some cash and I told Pat that I really wanted to tip him as well.  He was so thoughtful and just right on top of things.  I found the manager (3 actually!) and was telling them what a great job he had done.  He happened to walk by just as I was saying this.  He was grinning from ear to ear and I handed him a tip and he was so happy.  It made my night just knowing I made his night. I wish I had more money to share!!!

March 9th

We frequent the library at least weekly.  My kids love checking out movies and Zoey loves finding the Princess books to take home.  It is so kid-friendly and an easy, cheap hour of entertainment.  I have wanted to find a way to do a RAOK at the library and thought how cool it would be to pay someone's fines.  I don't know who doesn't have fines, especially anyone with kids.  I always find a way to lose a book or misplace a movie and then find that it's overdue.  So I picked up Max and his buddy, Aiden from preschool and took the kids to the library.  As we checked out I paid my fine and asked the librarian to find someone that could use some help and I'd pay their fine, too.  She was very nice and helpful and thanked me for wanting to do that.  She picked someone and now that person is at a 0 balance!  Yay, a fresh start!  It made me feel good.  And because I felt good I was nicer to my kids and hopefully they were nicer to each other. And on and on.  :)

While we were here, another item on my list was to read a book out loud.  So I loaded up on books and sat the kids down and started reading.  Zoey wandered off, but Aiden and Max loved it.  There were a few other kids that came over to listen for a minute.  I need to take more time to read to my kids.  It was fun and they actually sat and listened.

March 8th

I bought these beautiful flowers at the beginning of the week, so they have served two purposes!  They have made my home beautiful for the past few days and now they will go to some neighbors up the street that just came back from their mission.  I hope it will bring them joy to know they were such great examples to our family for serving the Lord.

March 7th

I have been collecting and setting aside clothes and things in the house that I don't need or use anymore.  I was planning on taking them to D.I. towards the end of the month, but then I got a notice in the mail for the Big Brother Big Sister program and they come to pick up your items.  I was so excited that it was happening this month, so I rounded my few sacks and put them on the curb.  Then a cute friend said she had stuff and she added to the pile.  It's so fun seeing how many people do such kind things.

March 6th

It has been great having my list of things that I want to do because now I look for opportunities...and without fail they come, every time.  I signed up to feed the missionaries.  It was great to have them in our home.  I love their example and love for the gospel and they were SISTERS!  I always love the sisters because I can hug them!  Thank you Sisters for spreading the gospel.

March 5th

Monday's are my grocery shopping days. So I decided today would be a great day to look for someone to go ahead of me in line. I went to Costco right when it opened so there weren't too many shoppers. When I was ready to check out it was not looking like I could help anyone. So (silly, I know) but I said a quick prayer that I might be able to help someone out. Sure enough just as started putting my groceries up I spotted a lady with 3 things looking for a short line. I quickly motioned to her to go in front of me. She was very grateful and so sweet. She put her things down and immediately started helping me load my stuff. She finished checking out and glanced back again to thank me. :) I was so happy!! But it doesn't end there. I was loading upy car in the parking lot and when I was almost done another nice lady came over and asked if she could return my cart. I know that when you look out for others, you'll be looked after. I smiled all day. :)

March 4th

Today I went with a dear friend to do her act of kindness.  She wrote a thank you note and made someone some cookies.  It was awesome to see someone else want to do these silly random acts of kindess and I just feel so touched that even one person is doing it with me.  :)

I made a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies and took them to a few people that needed to be THANKED.  There is something about sharing that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.  Especially my favorite cookies.  I have several dozen more cookies so I might just show up at your house!!

March 3rd

Today I wanted to do something nice for someone at home.  Sometimes its easier serving those that are closest to us because we already love them and we know what they need.  :)  Well, one thing I do NOT enjoy is putting laundry away.  I wash it and fold it for everyone and then deliver it and say, "Your turn"!  I end up helping most of the kids, but Pat's laundry tends to collect.  There will be several baskets piled up from weeks of laundry.  He is a busy guy and he does a lot for this family, so I try not to nag.  But at the same time I don't want to put it away!  Except for today.  I wanted to do something nice for him because he's always working and busy to provide for us.  So, today his laundry is put away!!  And I sorted all his receipts for taxes.  :)

March 2nd, Part II

I was so excited to learn that my ward was able to sign up to clean the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.  Last night around 6:15 I pulled out my recommend to make sure I could find it before we left, we had to be there at 6:45. To my horror I realized that it expired in February!!!!  I called Pat panicked and so sad!  He told me that it was too bad, but we should go out anyway since we had a sitter.  I couldn't let it go and called our Bishop.  He told me to come over immediately and he'd make a phone call.  I left the house with Lukas in charge and told our babysitter to come now if she could! The Bishop interviewed me and sent me to President Wood's house for the second interview.  By then Pat had made it home, Lindsay was with the kids and away we went to see Pres. Wood.  He was so accommodating and signed my recommend.  We rushed to the temple and were just a few minutes late.  It was a miracle!!!  And what a blessing to be able to serve in the temple.  Although I have to say, there wasn't a spec of dirt in that beautiful building.  I got to dust with my dear friend Kelly and others from our ward.  Even though it was my own fault for not checking my recommend sooner, I feel that Heavenly Father was looking out for me and wanted me to have this experience.  I'm so thankful for that.  For His tender mercies.  And on top of that, as I'm getting ready to pay the babysitter, she insists on NOT taking my money.  It touched my heart so much.  What a sweet girl to want to do it for free!!  I know that goodness goes around and the more you give the more you get.  Thank you Bishop Jenkins,  President Wood, Pat, Lindsay and Kelly for making my day/night!!!!!!

March 2nd

Today I get to watch Evie.  She is such a doll.  I'm happy to add this to my RAOK list.  Although it's more of a treat for me than an act of kindness.  I love the blessings that come from loving and serving.  And if you think this face is cute, you should see the legs and thighs on her!  Ahhhh!  Love it!

March 1st

I woke up so excited this morning.  I don't really have an order of how I'm going to do things, I'm waiting for opportunities to come up.  And boy did they!!!  It snowed last night here in Herriman, so I'm throwing my snow boots on and I'm going to go shovel some sidewalks!!!

Make A Difference

I know I always feel better when I forget myself and serve others.  I am a firm believer in the power of one and making a difference by doing the small things.  This month, for my 35th birthday, I want to do 35 Random Acts of Kindness.  I have made a list of the things I want to do and hope that some of you will join me, even for just one.  You can do it anonymously, or tell me who you are, but I want to know what you did and how you felt.  Send me an email at givegladly@gmail.com or send a comment to this blog.  I have been inspired by so many of you on a daily basis that I want to pay it forward.

1.     Wear a smile all day long.  Smile at everyone you come across.
2.   Be a nice driver.  {Don’t get mad when you get cut off or someone steals your spot.  Instead, give it to someone that needs it more than you.}
3.  Take someone flowers and leave an anonymous note.
4.  Write a thank you note to someone {or several}.
5.  Make your favorite treat and take it to someone that needs cheering up.
6.  Go through the books in your house and donate the ones you don’t need to Big Brother Big Sisters or another organization that would need them. {I will be collecting them if you’d like to drop them off to me.  I’m taking them to the book drop on 118^th South on March 22^nd…}
7.  Recycle.  Instead of throwing junk mail or that old water bottle in the regular garbage, separate it and put it in the recycle bin.
8.   Find someone that needs dinner and take it to them. {Call Timette, she’s the Compassionate Service Leader.  Text me and I’ll get you her #.}
9.  When you are at a drive-thru, pay for the person behind you.
10.  Write a letter to someone far away {a missionary, or someone serving in the military}.
11.  Babysit someone’s kids for free and for nothing in return.
12.  Gather up all your loose change and drop it in the charity boxes you see at the grocery store or McDonalds.  {You can bring me your loose change and I will be taking it to McDonalds at the District on March 23^rd}.
13.  When you are eating at a restaurant, leave a BIGger than normal tip.
14.  Clean your wards nursery toys, or donate snacks/Clorox wipes. {I will be at the church March 20^th if you’d like to join me to clean our wards nursery toys}.
15.   Find more loose change and search for vending machines or parking meters to feed.
16.  Go through your house and collect things you don’t use anymore to donate to D.I.  {I will be making a D.I run March 27^th if you’d like to drop off donations. }
17.   Go to your child’s school and volunteer or donate supplies.
18.   Pay someone’s fines at the library.
19.  Buy extra cans of food to donate to food bank. {You can bring me your canned goods and I will be dropping them off at the food bin inside the Riverton Wal-Mart on March 29^th.}
20.   Walk a neighbors dog.
21.  When at the grocery store, let someone with fewer items go ahead of you at the checkout.
22.  Take your shopping cart to the cart return.
23.  Go to the temple! {I will be going to the Temple Cleaning Day March 7^th with our ward.  Come join me!}
24.  Go to the temple!  I am counting this one twice, because I also want to do a session, an initiatory, baptism and confirmation in one day.  I just haven’t decided what day.  I’ll keep you informed if you’d like to join me for all or part of it.
25.  Go to your favorite park and pick up trash.
26.  Take treats and snacks to the hospital for the nurses and staff. {I will be taking treats to Pat’s floor at IMC, but am not sure of the date yet.}
27.   Make rice bags and take to the cancer center for patients getting chemo. {I am still working on dates for this project.  If you’d like to donate fabric, or rice (long grain, not instant) to make the bags, I will gladly sew them.}
28.  Instead of just thinking it, compliment someone.
29.  Do something nice for someone in your home {make their bed, fix them breakfast, put their clothes away.}
30.   Donate money to a good cause.  {Huntsman Cancer Institute, Primary Children’s Hospital, The Humane Society}.
31.  During your prayers one day, just say thanks.  Don’t ask for anything.
32.  Make a care package for someone far away.  {I will be making a package for a   sweet family I know in Zimbabwe, Africa.}
33.  Write down your favorite inspirational quote.  Walk through a parking lot and choose a car window to put it on.
34.  Go to the library, Barnes and Noble, or anywhere people are reading and read a book out loud for the children that are there.
35.  Prayerfully think of something you could do to help someone around you.  You’ll be surprised how Heavenly Father answers someone else’s prayer through YOU!!

I was reading a book that I checked out from the library called "Talking With God".  I can't remember the name of the author, but he said this:

"The Almighty answers peoples prayers through other people, through those sensitive souls who open themselves to inspiration and are willing to be inconvenienced."