Going to the Temple

I have some exciting news. Chad and I are going to the temple! The cancellation of my sealing to my ex-husband was approved on January 2. We will be meeting with the bishop tomorrow to work on our next step. Our plan is to be sealed on February 3. I can't even tell you how excited I am!
It feels completely different than when I was sealed before. Last time, it just felt like the next step in my life. This time I am so excited that I want to shout it on the rooftops. I know that this is right for both of us.

New Blog

I started a new blog to document my cooking adventure. It is called Druciana Cooks. For this blog, I will be making meals and deserts from recipes in books only. I feel like using recipe books is a lost art. Most of us just look up new recipes online while the books we used to use all of the time sit on shelves or in cabinets not being opened. I feel a bit sad for these books. I want to bring attention to these wonderful classics.

I'm Going to Try It

On Thursday, I was given a few boxes of cook books. I am quite excited to dive in! I am planning to go through the "cooking classes" first. My plan is to do one recipe per week, each Saturday. I know it is cheesy and a bit like Julie and Julia, but I really do like cooking and would love to learn more. I am excited to get started!

The Time Goes Too Fast!

It is hard to believe that 12 years ago today, the caboose to our little family was born. Noel is such a special little girl. I have been truly blessed to see her grow and learn. She is loved by almost everyone she meets. She has such a big personality, it is hard not to know when she is around.

Happy Birthday

Princess

He's 14

I am trying to do better at documenting things that happen in my family, but I am failing. I missed an important day.
Sean turned 14 on the 25th. He was able to enjoy 4 days of off and on birthday celebration. On Friday, September 22, I took off work and went to Boondocks with him. We played laser  tag, bowled, drove go-carts, and played in the arcade. It was a lot of fun! I was so happy that he chose to spend a day with me. The next day, we gave Sean his presents (a hamster from Noel and a board game he had been asking for from Chad and I and the Link hoodie from Eric a few days later when it arrived) and ate at Village Inn. My sister and her family were able to join us which was an extra special surprise since she has not been able to come up to this part of town since the baby was born in March. Sunday we went up to Chad's parents' house to celebrate his birthday and Chad's mom's birthday. We had another delicious dinner and some desert. They spoiled him by giving him an Eco Dot which he got set up the same night and has not gone a day without using it yet. Monday (his actual birthday), I made him a cake and we finally got to play the game he was given on Saturday.
I am so lucky that Sean is a part of our family. He is such a special boy, and I could not imagine my life without him.

Have to Get it Off My Chest

I am taking a break from Facebook. Why? Because when someone posted a meme comparing NFL players refusing to stand for the National Anthem to Rosa Parks, I was livid. My first thought was (and still is), "How dare they compare a group of millionaires that received a free ride to college to a true American hero who was actually oppressed?" I will not post this opinion on Facebook because I am a coward and fear the backlash of the people who post such memes. I do feel that the men who earn millions of dollars showing their talents to the world do deserve the income that they make, and I hope they are smart enough with that money that they will be able to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, but I do not think that they are oppressed in any way. Is this me being naive? Maybe. It will take a lot of convincing with many examples to change my opinion. Until either that happens or my poor brain calms down, I will stay away from Facebook and the claims that this is more than just a bunch of pampered stars having a fit.

They Grow Too Fast

I am sitting here looking at the pictures on the wall. The ones that look back at me are the kids' school pictures from last year. All I can keep thinking is how much they have grown in the last year. Sean especially looks a lot more grown up. I know that he has been maturing more lately, but I don't normally think about how much he has actually grown. I'm not sure I'm ready for this.

Piano Done

The challenge is complete!

Piano Cleaning Time

Unfortunately, this is what my piano area currently looks like. It WILL be cleaned this week. 

Scared for a Bit

I went to long into my other blog to post about my lack of success this week and saw a very scary screen saying that the blog had been deleted. Then, I went to try to long onto this blog. Again, I saw the same screen. I quickly went to my son who had just spent some time on the Nintendo website on my laptop and ask repeatedly what he did, if he deleted my blogs (including his blog). He said he didn't know. I may have yelled a bit about all of the family history lost.
I, then, grabbed my laptop to see what had happened. Apparently, he had accidentally disabled my Google account. This included my email, blogs, and other Google products. (I really only noticed the blogs at the time.) I went through the process of enabling my account. It is all back now, thank goodness. I comforted my then bawling boy. Life is now back to normal...as normal as it can be anyway.

Proud of My Boy

As many people know, my boys have been hesitant to accept the priesthood. Last week my oldest, Eric (15), decided he was ready to be ordained as a Teacher in the Aaronic priesthood. He, of course, didn't tell me. He tols the Young Men's president and a counselor in the bishopric. I was told by the counselor because he was also called to the presidency of the Teachers' quarm in our ward.
Today, Eric was ordained by his grandfather. I was so happy that tears came to my eyes. I didn't know if this would ever happen, but I am glad that my son not only made this decision, he made it on his own.

Making Grandma Mitchell's Pickles

I have been making my grandmother's pickles for the past 2 weeks (it is a 14 day recipe). As I started making the syrup, many memories that have come to my mind. The smell is such a wonderful reminder of the woman that I remember when I was young.
To me, it is the smell of Sunday dinner. On Sundays, she would make roast with all of the fixings. In the middle of the table were pickles. The best pickles anyone has ever tasted. Pickles that only Grandma could make. The next day she would serve the leftovers to make sandwiches and pickles.
Yesterday as I worked on the syrup, I thought of being a child in her home in Milford, IL (this is not where she lived for the last 20 or so years of her life). I could remember being in her kitchen "helping" her get dishes to set the table. The kitchen usually smelled like the smell I will always associate with one person, Grandma.
As I thought about this great lady, I remember how much love she had for her grandchildren and great grand children. I remembered that last time I visited her in Michigan (I have good memories of her there. Just not as many.) My boys were very small. Sean was 10 months old, and Eric was 2.2 years old. I remembered her taking my baby on her lap and reading to him. She was so amazed that he would just sit on her lap and let her read to him. Sean is now 13 and loves to read. I like to think that he got that love from her.
I hope that one day I will be able to make this recipe as good as my grandmother. I hope to be able to pass this recipe down so that the family recipe and memory of my grandma will continue on.

Tender Mercy

https://www.obu.edu/rotc/tribute-to-the-american-flag/

When considering the tender mercies in my life, I was having a hard time this week. Then, I was overcome with the spirit as we sang "The Star Spangled Banner" in Sacrament Meeting today. I am privileged to be a citizen of the most wonderful country in the world. I have the freedom to worship as I see fit. I have the freedom to vote. I have the freedom to speak out when I feel that thing are not right. I have many other freedoms that some people take for granted. I am honored to be chosen to be born in and be able to continue to live in such a wonderful country.

Tender Mercy

My tender mercy this last week was a wonderful talk that was given in Sacrament Meeting last week. It really made me think about the things that I needed to do differently with my kids to try to continue to teach them the gospel in the home. It seems like the older they get, the more resistant they get to the teachings of the gospel. I knew I had been lacking on a few things like Family Home Evening and scripture study, but I needed the reminder. I have talked to my husband,and we decided to start having Family Home Evening again. I think this will really make a difference in my family.

The Lord Will Find a Way

When the Lord has a message that needs to be shared, He will find a way for that to happen. In Jeremiah 36, Jeremiah is not able to go into Judah to preach to and warn the people. The solution was that he dictated his message to Barauch and these prophesies are made into a book. The king responds to this by destroying the book. Rather than giving up, Jeremiah dictates to Barauch again. This time he adds to his message. (Jeremiah 36)
We have seen this in modern times as well. Joseph Smith dictated the 116 pages in the Book of Mormon. He allowed Martin Harris to take them temporarily, and Martin Harris lost the manuscript. Joseph Smith was instructed by the Lord to not re-translate the pages because those who were seeking to destroy the message of the Book of Mormon would alter the words (Doctrine and Covenants 10:10-11). Luckily, the Lord had known this would happen when the Book of Mormon was being written in Nephi's days. Nephi had been instructed to write some of the same things as his father (1 Nephi 6:1).
These are examples of how the Lord will find a way for his message to be taught to those who need it at the time they need it. We are privileged to have a prophet on the earth today who continues to receive revelation for the Church. Elder James E. Faust told us in a conference talk, "The prophets, seers,and revelators have had and still have the responsibility and privilege of receiving and declaring the word of God for the world." Once great thing about living in our day is that when these revelations are revealed to us, we can hear the prophet tell them to us in conferences. If for some reason we miss those conferences or want to refer to them again, they are published the following month in the Ensign which we can access online and though apps on our phones/tablets.

https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/quote-meme-uchtdorf-1222045?lang=eng

When I was 17, my mom told me excitedly about a proclamation that was revealed to the women of the Church at women's conference on September 23, 1995. This proclamation has continued to be used to teach us about the divine nature and purpose of the family. My mother loved this doctrine. She passed away less than a year later. I truly believe that the timing of this revelation being given to the church prior to my mother's death was not a coincidence. She needed to learn this doctrine in this life, and she needed to feel the excitement she felt about the gospel in that moment.

Tender Mercy Research

I found an article/conference talk about tender mercies by Elder Bednar from the February 2012 issue. He pointed out that we are are able to have tender mercies in our lives. There is not a qualification process. My favorite quote from that article is, "I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord's timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them."

Fasting

http://www.relatably.com/q/fasting-quotes-christian

Isaiah 58 has so much packed into the 14 verses it comprises, I would suggest everyone read it. The principle that stuck out to me was in verses 5-8, fasting. 

Growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I was taught to fast the first Sunday of every month. I do not really remember being told until I was older what the purpose of the fast was. It was a continued struggle for me to follow this principle. When I was pregnant and nursing, I thought it was great that I did not "have to" fast for a while. It was not until June of 2009 that I was taught the true meaning of the fast. 

The first part of 2009 was very difficult for me. My husband at that time was more interested in talking to a girl online than spending time with me or the kids. He even took a month off of work to "write," but ended up chatting with her most of the time instead. In June he went on a trip to meet his "writing friends." While he was gone, I talked to my friend about the troubles I was having in my marriage. She suggested that I fast and pray about it that Sunday which just happened to be fast Sunday. She told me to read an article in the Ensign to help me know how to have a more meaningful fast. I followed her advise. I read the article. Then, I fasted. I remember praying and crying to know what to do to save my marriage. A few days later, it was confirmed that my husband had been cheating on me while away with his "friends." I was so confused. 

About a month after the revelation that would later change my life, the man I was married to and I decided through counseling that we were going to try to work things out in our marriage and stay married.  About an year and a half later, he moved out for good. I questioned why we got back together if it was going to end up in divorce anyway. When I prayed about it, I was reminded of my righteous desire that I had fasted and prayed about. The Lord was trying to help me.

http://keywordsuggest.org/gallery/261065.html

Asking for help is not the only reason to fast, though. As a classmate of mine pointed out it also helps us feed the poor. When we fast, we donate money to the Church. It is called Fast Offerings. We are asked to donate the money that we would have spent for the meals we went without. That money is then used to help feed people in need. 

I have struggled with this principle most of my life. I am going to try harder to follow it in the future to have an honest fast that will help lift the burdens of myself or others. 

Two Tender Mercies

I have been listing to the scriptures as I get ready for work, and it has made a big difference in my day. I can really see how my mood is better, and I am more ready to deal with the challenges that life puts in front of me. I did not realize what a difference it would make.
I have continually been able to see tender mercies in my life. This week the main one was the change I recently had with my job. I was miserable working in the call center at work and stressed out by all of the changes and with not knowing if I would have a job by the time they were done with the restructuring. I prayed for help a few months ago daily because I was so stressed out and depressed that I did not know what to do with myself. I had also been applying for jobs because I though that a change was what was needed. One day, a supervisor came over to talk to my supervisor to see if he knew anyone wanting to work in the billing department. I overheard the conversation and knew that this was meant for me. That day, I started the process of contacting the supervisor in the billing department and made sure he knew I wanted the job. I have now been working in that department for about three weeks. It has made a big difference in my life at home as well as at work. I have been getting back on track with my school work,and I have more patience with my kids.

Tender Mercy of this Week

I have been looking for more tender mercies in my life. As I have done this, I have not only been able to recognize the tender mercies in my life now, but also some of the tender mercies I was given in the past. Yesterday, while I was facilitating a self-reliance class, the circumstances of my divorce were revealed because I was explaining why I had to go back to work when my daughter was so young. As I explained this, I realized that meeting my current husband when I did and getting married when we did was a tender mercy. He is completely a different person than my ex-husband. He loves me unconditionally and respects me. For many years in my first marriage, I wished my husband would treat me the ways that my friends' husbands treated them. I longed to feel loved no matter if I finished my "chores" that day or not. I have that now. Meeting him and becoming friends with him as I was going through the divorce, and then marrying him about a year after filing was what I needed. I did not have the skills needed to take care of myself and three kids. Even though I was working, I needed him to help me learn to be the strong person I am today.

Missionary Work

First of all, I have to say that I got something different out of this scripture than one of my classmates. Isn't it wonderful how the Lord will speak to us in different ways depending on what we need at the time?
We are commanded to be missionaries. Not just if/when we are set apart to serve, but always. In Isaiah 6, we are told, "...Go, and tell this people..." (verse 6) He continues on in verse 9 to say, "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and convert, and be healed." Isaiah is not telling us to "go, and tell this people" when you are called to a full-time missionary. In fact, there is not a provision added to that.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/238620480229538626/

In more recent times, we have been commanded to teach the gospel to those around us as well. When I was a child in primary I learned the saying, "Every member a missionary." This means that we are all to teach those around us the gospel. In the November 1997 Ensign, Richard G. Scott addressed the need for every member to be a missionary. He told us to prayerfully seek for missionary opportunities. He says that we start today to find the joy and excitement of doing missionary work. This can be scary, but if we pray for help, He will help us. It could be as simple as answering questions when ask. It could be as intimidating as correcting the wrong information that people have. Years ago, when I worked in a doctor's office, I had a friend that was searching for help with her children. I did not have children yet, so I really did not feel I had the answers for her even though I wanted to help. The visiting teaching message for that month had the answers that she was looking for. I made a copy of that page out of my Ensign, and gave it to her one day before work. As she read it, she had tears in her eyes as she thanked me for the help she had been praying for. I do not know if she ever joined the Church or searched out any other information about the Church. What I do know is that I was prompted to help her, and I followed that prompting. I know it is not always that easy.
For those who think that they are not able to perform missionary service, Elder Scott advised us, " There are other ways you may not think of as missionary service. For example, a young mother can teach each growing son to prepare to be a missionary to preach the gospel and share his testimony of truth. As a mother and father cultivate that thought through his growing years, he will be a missionary. that is excellent missionary service." This is something I did not even think of as being missionary service. We are told that service starts in the home. Elder Scott shows us in this example that missionary service starts tin the home as well.
We have also learned that doing work for our ancestors in the temple is also temple work. In the same talk, Elder Scott tells us, "...identify your ancestors and arrange for ordinance work to be done for them in the temples..." This may be a less intimidating way to serve those searching for the gospel. We need to remember that they are real people, and did not have the chance to learn the gospel in this life. This is their chance to accept the gospel in their lives.
We have been promised that if we bring one soul unto the Lord, our joy would be great. (Doctrine and Covenants 86:15) We all would like to have joy. Sharing the gospel may be scary at first, but that fear would not continue. The Lord gives us that promise. How often do we know what the blessings are going to be for our obedience to the Lord's commandments?