MaeLyn's Musings

Every year, we make a calendar. This started the first year Steven and I were married and I was working at Kinkos. That year, just Steven got the calendar, which featured pictures of us: in high school, our engagement pictures, wedding pictures and honeymoon pictures. The following year, the calendar featured Hannah, starting a tradition of having the kids be the focus of the calendar. We gave the calendars to the grandparents for Christmas, and gradually expanded that to a few select others who also expressed a desire to have them. Here are this year's calendar pictures. (To download a printable pdf file of the entire calendar, you can click here .) The building in the picture is a really cool building nearby where my boys have had their cub scout day camps. Here, the kids are in John's closet, not exactly under the stairs, but still cramped when all four of them are in there. I borrowed the poster online somewhere. I love it because it looks like the characters are l

Every once in a while I have one of those days where it seems like God is trying to tell me something. Yesterday was one of those days. This past year, every Sunday before church, we have watched a General Conference talk. The talk that Josh selected for us to watch yesterday morning was entitled " Gifts ", given by President Thomas S. Monson in April of 1993. At the end of his talk, he mentioned something in closing that I had heard before, but that touched me more powerfully this time. They were the words of President Harold B. Lee: “Life is God’s gift to man. What we do with our life is our gift to God.” In Sacrament Meeting yesterday, the talks given were about obedience. One of the speakers quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell : “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give,’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselve

We had a great Christmas, spent enjoying great gifts, good food, and each others company. We didn't take many pictures (and I can't find the camera right now in the mess) so I'm not going to post pictures right now. I hope everyone else had a wonderful Christmas too!

We spent most of today downtown at the Denver Convention Center helping the Salvation Army serve dinner and hand out gifts to thousands of people. Here are some pictures taken with my camera phone. The whole family in front of the gift tables We pulled gift bags from the boxes by the wall and set them on the tables so families could grab one for each child. Peter got to be one of Santa's elves. Hannah helped with the gift bags. Josh got a piggy-back ride from a friend. (You can see some of the food tables behind him.) When Peter got tired, Josh got a turn escorting families to see Santa.   Josh had fun handing families their gift bags. After the crowds were gone, we got to eat before we cleaned everything up. We were tired, but enjoyed the experience. This may become an annual tradition. After we left the Convention Center, we took some time to explore downtown a little bit, stopping at the library and taking a free shuttle up and down the 16th St

A lot of families go to great lengths to "prove" to their children that there really is a Santa Claus. Some families have an elf that moves around the house doing different activities, moving only when no one is looking. We watch movies featuring Santa, including "Santa Claus is Coming To Town," "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer", and "Miracle on 34th Street." Our family's Christmas season started out this year with a bang - on the day after Thanksgiving we got to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole and see Santa Claus. It was a lot of fun! For Christmas last year, my parents gave us a book entitled, A Christ Centered Christmas by Emily Freeman. In the introduction, the author tells about a day when she was driving in the car with her young daughter listening to Christmas Carols, when her daughter told her, "Mom, I believe in Santa Claus, and you   believe in Jesus Christ." She realized then that she had spent more time tea

An extended relative of mine made a comment to me recently that left me with the impression that she thinks I throw away all my kids' toys. I'm not sure exactly how she gained this impression, but I can guess. My kids don't really have a big variety of manufactured toys. They used to when they were younger, but over the years I've realized that they don't play with them very much. Things that were designed to be used in one specific way don't seem to interest my children very much, and so these types of toys often end up tossed in a corner. I try not to buy these types of toys, because they aren't right for my children. On the other hand, my children have a huge collection of Legos, which they spend hours and hours putting together, building cities, organizing communities and economic systems. Why do they like Legos? They are versatile. Yes, you can build with them, but the things they can build provide huge varieties of ways to play. Because my childr

In institute this morning we discussed Alma 1-7. Here are a few of the things we discussed, along with some of my own thoughts and connections. ______________________________________________________ Alma 5:14 - "And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"  "Have you spiritually been born of God?"   Alma is referring to a spiritual conversion, a change of heart, repentance - or bringing our will into alignment with God's will. It is a change of our being in which we have no more desire to sin, but to do good continually. (See Mosiah 5:2 ) When we read about the apostate Nehor in chapter 1, we read verse 4 which says, "And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice;

Saturday morning was our traditional ward Christmas party, a breakfast with Santa. Usually, this event doesn't change much from year to year, but this year there was one thing different, and that was a live nativity, acted out by several young children in our ward. It was very cute, and added a touch of spirituality to the occasion. One thing which has been done several years that I really enjoy is that they line the tables with butcher paper and put out crayons so people can draw. My kids seemed to really enjoy this, and if you are familiar with Doctor Who, you might recognize some of the things they drew. One visitor arrived at the event a bit late, after the closing prayer, but most of the children stuck around, and even waited in line to have a chance to sit on his lap for a brief chat and have a picture taken. This year, only two of my children were interested. It was a fun party, and we enjoyed the food as well as the company.

There was a shooting at Arapahoe High School today. From what I gather from the news sites, a student at the school, dressed in army fatigues, entered the school with a shotgun, searching for a specific teacher. He shot two other students - one of which is in critical condition, another was injured, and then the gunman shot himself and died. The targeted teacher left the school as soon as he knew what was going on. Law enforcement was on the site within minutes of the event, but didn't fire a shot; the gunman was already dead. Other students at that high school and others nearby were placed on lock down. Security was increased at the schools in my children's schools as well. What is it about schools that draws these kind of events? Is it frustration? Is it a plea to be noticed? to be recognized as a person of importance? Are schools places where people feel suppressed, so people go there to vent their frustrations? I don't understand. I hope the student who did this f

Make a list of everything you feel like you have to do. (Sometimes it isn't as much as you think, and seeing it on paper can help you organize your thoughts and get out of panic mode.) Prioritize your to-do list. What things have a time limit or dead line? Which things can wait a little longer? Which things will take longer to do? Which things involve people you love and care about? Which things need to be "gotten out of the way" so you can concentrate on other things? Which things are "wants" rather than "needs" and can be set aside after more vital things are done? Organize your to-do list. What errands can be done in one trip? What things can be done simultaneously? (for example, the laundry can be running while you vacuum.) What things can be delegated to other people? Pick one thing on your list, set the timer for 5-15 minutes (or however long you choose) and see how much you can do in that space of time. You might be surprised! W

I went outside without a coat today. "What?" You're asking. "Why would you start a blog with that sentence? What does it matter whether or not you went out without a coat? What is significant about that???" The point it that it was warm enough that I could go out in just a sweater; I could take a bag of trash all the way around the building to the dumpster, and return to the house at a normal walking pace - all without freezing to death! Last week the temperatures were in single digits, and it wasn't until yesterday, finally, it really warmed up again, reaching the 40s, and snow from a week ago finally began to melt. This California Girl is grateful for warmth. I'm grateful that our heater is working again. I'm grateful for our water heater. I'm grateful for temperatures in the 40s and 50s that feel oddly warm in the middle of winter (Yes, I realize that it isn't technically winter yet... but it feels like it.)  It's kind of funny..

In Institute this morning, the main topic of discussion was Alma the Younger's conversion. (See Mosiah 27 ) Some interesting points were brought up: 1. Alma had a great gift for speaking. He was "a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people." (v. 8) After his conversion, he was able to use this gift to do a lot of good, as he strove to repair the injuries he had done before. I didn't mention this in class, but this actually reminds me of a Veggie Tales movie: " Lord of the Beans ", where a boy is given a gift (a magic bean) and goes on a journey to discover what that gift is for, and how he can use it to bless others. 2. Frequently, wickedness arises among the "rising generation" because they aren't familiar with everything with which their parents are familiar. Alma's generation wasn't familiar with the words of King Benjamin because they had been too young at the time they were given. Our teacher mentioned how th