Britnee's 22nd birthday AND Mother's Day...

My MT work is going GREAT! I am working for 2 companies now and LOVE it! I even have another company looking to hire me full time, so we'll see how that goes! I'd love to work f/t because of better pay and benefits after 90 days! My line count is coming up and for this past week, I've been getting up at 7 a.m. and doing 5-6 reports then read in my scriptures and relax until afternoon and then do 5 more reports, then do laundry or housework and log on for the LAST time for the day and finish off with another 5-6 reports! I am doing about 100-150 lines more since I've been doing it this way! YAY for a WORKING system!! I am also incorporating exercise too and I got the book "The 17 Day Diet" from Jentry cuz I've been wanting it. I want to be able to get up and ride my bike while watching t.v. for 20 min. then go at night around the block a couple times to start out. I am eating well too. Things are looking UP for me! :)

Today it's May 13th (Friday the 13th) and I had a few minutes to add some of my FAVE pics of Britnee on her 22nd birthday and talk about what's been going on in our family. Britnee and Jordan got an ALL expensive paid birthday retreat to Park City from a good friend of theirs and after their relaxing time in Park City, they stopped by home to open presents and visit with OUR newest additions...Rocky and Apollo. They sure LOVED the pups and the pups loved them back!! In the top photo...Britnee had just opened her mantel clock that says "Time Spent Together Makes Our House A Home." In the 2nd pic...Britnee is holding Rocky and holding her plant/flower I gave her and the black stoneware. The 3rd pic...Brit and Jordan are holding the dogs and they are ALL looking at the camera, which was SO cute! The 4th pic is of her and Jentry with her stoneware. I liked the pic of my 2 SWEET girls!! She got some nice gifts and I made her a homemade cheesecake with cherry topping (a tradition we've done for her for 6-7 years now). Britnee said it was one of her FAVE birthdays!! I'm SO glad cuz she deserves the BEST!! We all LOVE our Britnee!! :)

Mother's Day was a VERY nice day! ALL of my kids wrote endearing and beautiful posts on F/B for me and then each gave me sweet gifts. Jentry gave me a NICE card, a book, earrings, and a Venus Razor with refill cartridges. Brock gave me eyeshadow, eyeliner, powder makeup, mascara and lip gloss and a SWEET card and Britnee gave me a pair of black and white polka dot pjs, slippers, choc. covered pretzels and choc. covered graham crackers, and a beautiful yellow rose and PRETTY card too! My mom and I exchanged gifts at Golden Corral (where we went to eat) and she gave me the COOLEST Hurricane vase with a flickering (battery-powered) candle inside, and the book "To The Rescue" about our prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I even got 3 homemade cards from friends from MT school and a card from one of my mom's old friends, Claudia! VERY nice of them! A GREAT day!! I'm SO proud of ALL 3 of my beautiful kids and they certainly ARE the jewels in my crown!! BTW...NO JERRY BACK YET! We have counseling in the morning, and I am praying for a miracle cuz I'd like him to come back! I forgive and don't want to lose a 16 year marriage over ANYTHING that is in the past!! I am willing to work, but he has to want to work too! I can't do it for BOTH of us! I DO love him and want to try my HARDEST to get him to come back to me! We'll see...

To end this post...Jentry is getting ready for her Pioneer Trek (Walk As A Witness) July 13-16th (Bountiful Utah Central Stake Trek) instead of camp and each FHE I am making sure she memorize the Trek scripture which is: Mosiah 24:14. She is also supposed to read 3 Nephi 11 before going on the trek too. I am also seeing to it that she memorizes the 2 hymns: "Lord I Would Follow Thee" and "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel." I gave her a Preach My Gospel book (just for her) so she can also study Chapter 4 and do the activities in that chapter. We will do a couple activities together in that chapter as a family, but I felt she needed her own manual to write notes and read the WHOLE chapter, plus I wrote down ALL the things she NEEDS to do to prepare for the Trek...like I'm writing here. So, there is NO excuse that she is NOT prepared for this NEAT Stake Trek coming up! She is also reading at least 10 minutes a night in the Book of Mormon and she is starting to walk for 15 min. 3 x's a week and then by June she should be walking 30 min. 3 x's a week. We will go over the Strength of Youth booklet and discuss it together and I am reading pioneer stories every other night too. I asked friends and family on F/B to tell me any ancestor or pioneer stories they know, so that I'll have plenty to relate to my family before she goes. I have 5 small stories and 3 bigger ones and I hope to get more stories, so if you read this blog, PLZ email me at: shelljb31@yahoo.com with any good pioneer/ancestor stories OR any story or article you've read concerning the EARLY years of the church! I want her to have a SPIRITUAL experience and I know that if I prepare her by doing these things in our FHE's she will have a WONDERFUL time! I know it'll be DIFFERENT for her cuz she's used to her cell phone (texting PRO), laptop use, hair straightner, makeup, and stylin' clothes, and there will be NONE of these allowed on the Trek...which is a GOOD thing!! I hope she learns a GREAT deal of what our early ancestors and the early Saints went through to get to Utah and make this place THEIR home! And they went through A LOT!! A very physically and emotionally draining journey for them! We are SO grateful for their MANY sacrifices! I will be getting a bookmark from Sister Leary on Sunday (it has 17 other trek scriptures on it) that I want my kids and us to learn and mark in our scriptures too. She is also going to go to any temple baptisms before the Trek. She has already gone to ONE 3 weeks ago at 5 a.m. I am even gonna get up to the temple 2-3 times before her Trek because I NEED to visit the temple and this gives me a reason to attend! I just LOVE attending the temple, but it's been SO hard right now because I don't have a car! I will get up there sometime this next week for sure! I will report that I went to the temple in my NEXT weekly post!! Oh...also the parents were asked to write a letter to our daughter with our love for her and our testimony that will be delivered at some point on the Trek by the Pony Express. Jerry and I got ours done and turned them in to Sister Bradbury yesterday. PRETTY NIFTY IDEA!!! I hope she likes what we had to say to her! I know it came from OUR hearts!! I will talk more about what we are doing and how things are going with the memorization next time.

**In the News...Osama Bin Laden (terrorist in charge of the 9/11 terrorist plots was shot and killed on May Day (Britnee's birthday) and they captured several others and lots of concealed information on future terrorist attacks! America is GLAD he is GONE!! A TERRIBLE and EVIL man that needed to be put to death! It's been 10 years since the attacks on the WTC, Pentagon and the plane that went down in the PA field! It was a GOOD day for AMERICA!!**

I am done blogging tonight and I just got my General Conference issue of the Ensign today, so I will 1st read the talk given by Elder Quentin L. Cook (pg. 18) entitled: LDS Women Are Incredible! I like just opening the magazine up to a page and read instead of reading from page 1 to the end. I just need to MARK the talks I've read with a marker cuz I sometimes forget that I've read a talk and end up reading it several times...which isn't a bad thing...but I do want to read ALL of the talks and then go back and REPEAT!! Kinda sounds like a shampoo commercial! LOL!! Lather, Rinse, Repeat (Read, Learn, Repeat). LOL! :)

TTFN my friends! :)

Easter and our NEW additions to the family...

Hello EVERYONE! We have 2 NEW family members...Rocky and Apollo! They are purebred Chihuahuas and were given to our family as an Easter gift by a good friend of mine. We sure LOVE em both! They get LOTS of TLC!! They even have helped me with my depression and anxiety, which is VERY nice! They are therapeutic little buddies!! Apollo (the brown one) is the runt and can fit inside my hand and Rocky (black and white) is the bigger brother and they play and wrestle with each other and it's SO fun to watch!! They are only 7 weeks old and we are in the "process" of training them to go on the pee pads, which works half the time. We will NOT give up until they are fully housetrained! Brock has really stepped up to the plate and worked with both dogs to get them trained and I thank him for that. We named the dogs BIG names because they are SO little and Rocky has become Brock's dog and Apollo is MINE! I was only going to get Apollo because I did NOT want 2 dogs, but Jentry seemed to get attached more to Rocky, in the time we spent with them and I couldn't say NO! I have NEVER been the kind of parent to say NO to things...especially SWEET puppies!!! LOL! :) I will keep everyone posted on how they are growing and when we finally get them housetrained. If anyone has GOOD ideas on how to properly train the dogs, please let me know. Otherwise, we are keeping at it and slowly but surely we will have them trained!! That I KNOW!! Jentry is SUN BURNED in the pics above...it needed to be said, because she is working at Lagoon on the weekends right now (she is even wearing her uniform in the top 2 pics). When school gets out she'll be working during the week too. She is ENJOYING it and she LOVES having her OWN money for CLOTHES, MAKEUP, FUN & ACTIVITIES with friends, and MORE CLOTHES!! :D

Easter was NICE! We are getting used to NOT having Jerry in the house now (it's been a month) and we decided to make the BEST of our Easter without him here! We wanted to keep up the tradition of coloring eggs, so you'll see in the TOP pic that we did do that and we watched Father of the Bride together on Sunday and they got their Easter baskets of goodies and I think we made a pretty good memory for this Easter!! We also talked about the Atonement and what Easter is REALLY about and I gave them each a card with "personal" messages for each of them and Jerry came by with a card for Brock and Jentry too. I want them to keep the ties with their dad and he is trying to stay in their lives the best he can, which I appreciate, as do the kids! So, Easter was NICE! We had a GREAT day! :)

I've been doing well with my MT work! We are approaching the BUSY months and I should have PLENTY of work to do! I also got a 2nd P/T transcription position with TTE Transcripts as an Independent Contractor and will start this coming weekend. I have been BLESSED in getting the MT jobs I have! MOST MTs that I graduated with are STILL waiting for a position, so I feel totally CONTENT with the work I've got! Medscript is ALL medical and hospital reports and TTE is more legal, financial, business (Microsoft, Oracle), internal sales calls, department meeting notes, and even interviews (American Idol, DWTS, and Glenn Beck) to name a few. I am "spreading my MT wings" and learning MORE than just how to transcribe medical and hospital reports, which I am taking on as GREAT experience in my field! Both companies have VERY high standards of accuracy, 99.5% to be exact! I have made that goal for Medscript and will be working on HIGH STANDARD work for TTE too! If after 30 days, I can't meet their HIGH standards, I will be removed from that job. Grammar, punctuation, sentence structures, spelling, good proofreading skills, knowing how and where to research certain terms, words, or phrases, and retaining what I learn is KEY to being a GREAT MT and that's what I'm striving for!! I hope to do well with BOTH jobs! It will help me become financially self-sufficient and will OPEN doors for me in the future, for higher paying MT jobs. As an MT, we have to work for "peanuts" until we gain the experience we need to make GOOD money, so it's IMPERATIVE to get 2-3 years experience, before I can make a satisfactory income and be able to exclusively work from home, which is my goal!! I LOVE the work and I learn something NEW every day! It's SO important to LOVE what you do...what's the saying?? "If you LOVE what you do, you'll NEVER have to work a day in ur life??" I am a BELIEVER!!!

To END with some "spiritual wisdom" I am taking the bishop's GREAT advice and getting UP earlier and working his daily GOSPEL STUDY program that he gave me a copy of...which consists of:

*Rise from your bed early.

*Exercise for a few minutes.

*Wash your body and make yourself clean and presentable (I added the presentable part).

*Dress for the day. WHAT??? No working in my pjs?? I try to get dressed 4 of the 7 days, so far, because working from home gives me the LUXURY of working in my pjs some of the days.

*Go to a quiet place.

*Kneel, subdue your spirit before Heavenly Father, and call upon Him. Talk with him in reverent prayer.

*Wait for His holy inspiration, pondering the scriptures or a recent general conference talk and think about the specific problems you face.

He asks these questions before giving the list above:

1. Do you want to feel the love of God more powerfully in your life?

2. Do you want to feel more in tune with His Spirit?

3. Do you want to have the heavens opened to you daily?

And then he goes on to say..."There is a way you can feel a daily renewal of God's everlasting love and drink from "the fountain of living waters". I speak of a morning devotional time spent in prayer, meditation, and scripture study. If you have a devotional every morning, even if only for a few minutes, you will be deeply blessed. I know this to be true."

He also gives many references to talks/devotionals to read and I've read through most of them. He is a TRULY inspired bishop when he gave me this DIRECTIVE! I appreciate his humble and loving demeanor! I am SO blessed to have such a WONDERFUL bishop and I have handed this Gospel Study program that he gave me...out to friends and family too. I am a BELIEVER in the things he speaks of above and I'm gaining a BETTER and STRONGER testimony EVERY day that I follow this plan! A BIG thanks to Bishop Gardner for being that Christ-like example to me and to all those in the Bountiful 2nd Ward! We are truly blessed to have him as our bishop for this season!

I will end with that...because that's enough to think on for at least another week... :)

I hope everyone has a GREAT week and I will be back to post here again next week! It's Britnee's (my Bitty Boo's) 22nd birthday on May Day, so I will have LOTS to talk about and pics to post by then! TAKE CARE and STRIVE FOR CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT DAILY in your lives! TTFN! :)

Wow...it's been OVER a month...time FLIES!!

Hello ALL! It's been a while and I'm sorry for that. I've had a BUSY month and have been making new hair and foot accessories (flowers for flip flops) and have MANY orders still needing to get sent out! There is NEVER enough time in a day, it seems. So, the 1st pic is Jentry modeling her flip flops with polka dot fabric flowers and purple korker ribbon bow centers. I've had FUN creating with different fabrics and I use a fabric stiffener to make the petals curl up a bit...so they look "flowery"! It is 3:15 a.m. and I just got done with ONE big order to send out tomorrow. The gal I made the CHEER BOWS, HATS, and FLOWERS for has been waiting patiently. I DO enjoy and I have been making a little bit of money to help since Jerry is gone now.

I am also working part-time as an MT and LOVE the job! I am ENJOYING the learning and I learn something NEW every day! It makes my brain work, which is a GOOD thing! LOL! I am trying to get my line count UP each week and so far this past month, I've done pretty darn good, except for 9 days that I was in a DEPRESSION and didn't wanna do anything. I have those darn days because of my medical history and I can usually shake the depressed mood after a few days, but this time it went a bit longer than expected. I am trying to get used to Jerry being gone and part of me wants him to come back home and the other part doesn't. I just have those kinda days, but what can I expect? I've been married to him for almost 16 years. I am hoping this is a hiatus and I'm giving him his space, but if it isn't and he's gone for good, then I have to learn to live and move on! One weird thing happened 3 days ago. I had a FULL blown panic attack! I have heard about them from others, but never experienced one. I mean I've had anxiety, but this was SO different. I couldn't breathe, my heart was racing, I was crying uncontrollably, I was shaking and irrational, and my words wouldn't come out right when I tried talking to my mom. She said she couldn't understand a word I said to her. It lasted almost 40 min. and when you're in one of those...40 min. seems like 3 hours! I hope that doesn't happen again!! I need to learn to meditate OR does anyone know ways to decompress or know of any books or help I can get? Please let me know if you do. I haven't exercised much...and YES, I'll blame it on the snow and bad weather we've had this past month. I will get right back to it this coming week. I love to take walks in the springtime. Just SO pretty out!!!

Okay...the 2nd pic is of my nephew, Ty, wearing the hat I made for him at his 2nd birthday party! He is SO darn cute! My brother and family are moving to TX for a job that opened up for him. His Master's degree in business has sure served him and his lil' family well! I'm ALL for a COLLEGE education and I hope my kids go to college! It's a GOOD way of ensuring your future and making decent money too! We will sure miss Jason, Melanie and Ty! They found a house 2 weeks ago and the movers will be moving them in 23 days! They have never lived out of the state of Utah and I hope they can adjust to Texas well. I know I missed my family when we lived in OKC for 3 years and I had to get back to MY home in UT! I hope to go visit twice a year because I took out my endowments in the Dallas, TX temple in 1995 (4 months after me and Jerry had our civil marriage). Jason's house is only a half an hour drive from Dallas, so I'm looking forward to visits. I would also like to take the 3 1/2 hour drive to OKC to attend their temple too. We moved before OKC had a temple. I served as YW's President for 2 1/2 years in OKC and I still write to 3 of the YW (now married and ONE going to school) and would like to visit them too.

And the last pic is that of my OLDEST daughter Britnee's Easter basket. She is 22 (May 1st) and lives in Logan, but Brock is going up to stay with his dad this weekend, so I'm gonna have him take it to her because we won't be going to Logan this Easter because I have NO car yet. I've always made her a basket and probably always will! I got her MOST of her FAVE Easter candy and Mentos and gum...plus I always put a little stuffed animal in their baskets too! I know she'll like the little homemade touches I made to it also. I put a HUGE pink Daisy on the basket handle and made her a black and white bow for her hair (she wears the things I make too) and she DID get her "traditional MONEY egg", although it's only $10, but it's the thought that counts huh?? I LOVE seeing the kids faces when they wake up and now that they are getting older...and will ALL be outta the house soon, I cherish the holidays, traditions, and times we share together MORE!!! Brock will be 18 in 4 months and then I will only have my SWEET Jentry here to keep her old ma company...and then in 3 years, she'll be gone! I HATE to think about that though. General Conference sure snuck up on us...and I loved the talks and watched EVERY session too. I like to also listen to a talk a night on LDS.org after Conference because I hear things that I didn't hear the FIRST time and to hear the words of our living prophet and apostles is such an AWE inspiring privilege that I want to listen to their words until I've almost memorized the talks! We are LUCKY to be members of the TRUE church on this earth! Do you ever think about how lucky and happy we should feel and be?? I do! I would love to hear from anyone reading this blog to relate comments about their favorite talk or talks and what you specifically learned from the talk or talks...so PLZ share!! Don't be SHY! I would LOVE to hear!

It's time to sign off now! I've been writing for an hour now and it's almost 4:10 a.m. I enjoy seeing other's blogs and I thank you for reading my blog and following and listening about my family and my life! Thanks friends!! I hope ya'll have a GREAT week! I will post again in a week or 2. So, until then, I hope everyone has a NICE week and remember to CTR and SERVE others! I ALWAYS tell my kids...REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE!! It's an IMPORTANT thing to know!! OHHH...and something Bishop Gardner counseled me on was 4 things to do to BE HAPPY from a talk given by Pres. Hinckley....

1. Go to ALL church meetings. That is Sunday School, Sacrament, and Relief Society/Priesthood!

2. Pay an honest and full tithe.

3. Pray to our Heavenly Father morning and night.

4. Feast on the scriptures DAILY.

**If the Bishop is reading this....because I have a menopausal memory, did I get those 4 points right from President Hinckley's talk? Please advise or add ur thoughts and what is that talk called and where can people find it?

The bishop got back to me on which talk it is: "Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts Unceasingly" in the May 2007 Ensign by Pres. Hinckley. A VERY GOOD READ!!!! :)

And I'll add, if I may, have regular FHE, family prayer, family scripture reading, and hold a parent to child counsel often with each child....and YES...even teenagers!! :)

In my family we also have a family game night and a family movie night each week...but that's NOT doctrine, by any means, JUST tradition!!! I believe EVERY family should make their OWN family traditions! Can anyone tell me some of UR family traditions??? :)

TTFN! :)

I usually leave with a quote or a scripture and tonight it'll be a scripture from our FHE last Monday on Temples. It's in Doctrine and Covenants (not D&C cuz I'm trying to get used to that) 97:15 - And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it.

If I don't get back on til after Easter, I hope EVERYONE has a WONDERFUL Easter Sunday!!

Love, Shelly

The Bishop news...

TOP AND 2nd ROW (PICS): My kids; Brock, Jentry and Britnee (with boyfriend, Jordan)

3rd and 4th ROW (PICS): What I've been working on this past week. Flip flop flowers and crocheted hats and MORE flowers. I am also almost done with my nephew Ty's blue/black knitted hat and will show a pic of that later this week (when done).

Hi ALL! Last week was CRAZY busy! Jentry got a JOB! YAY for her! She will be working at Lagoon and she went to orientation this past week and got her RED Lagoon shirt, work badge, and parking pass. PLUS...she gets a coupon EACH month to get 10 people in to Lagoon for $10...which is a BIG YAY cuz Lagoon is charging $43.95 per person for entrance into Lagoon this year. WOW!! I can't believe how much they charge! It's OUTRAGEOUS!! I am SO proud of Jentry and she is REALLY excited! She will be doing the games and doesn't know which game yet...she will know by the end of the week. She will do a GREAT job because she is outgoing, sweet, smily, cheerful and GREAT with kids!! So a BIG shout out to my baby for getting a JOB! YAY GIRL!!! Now, if Brock would just get one, then we'd ALL be happy! Brock has been in the dentist chair twice this past week. He has about $4000 of work needing to be done on his teeth. He had an emergency root canal done and was in A LOT of pain. POOR KID!! His dad is helping pay for the dental procedures he needs and Brock's mouth will be done by June, if he stays on the track the dentist prescribed for him. The dentist says he has very soft enamel and that he will need a prescribed toothpaste and mouth rinse for the rest of his life. He will do that! After sitting in a chair and whincing every time the pain was too much to bear, he'll do whatever the dentist recommends from here on out! It's gonna be a LONG road, but I'm glad that he's finally getting them taken care of. Britnee is still working hard and I talked to her last night and she wants me to come visit this weekend or next and I promised I would make it a priority to get up there and spend some time with her. I MISS HER!!!! We are only an hour and 1/2 away from each other, but it might as well be 400 miles because I don't have a reliable car that can get me up there to visit her or my mom. TERRIBLE!!! I am hoping to find a cheap car that runs okay soon. Be on the LOOKOUT, anyone! That's the kids (this past week) in a nutshell. LOVE EM!!

I reached my MT goals last week and I'm hoping for the same or better this coming week! I got 300+ lines, 4 days outta the week, and this week I'm shooting for OVER 300 lines for 5 days this week. My fitness goals have come to a screeching halt when I tried to use my recumbant bike and found out that the power plug was NOT the one for my bike and it didn't work. I was looking forward to that exercise...and I looked up how much it would cost for another power plug for the bicycle...and it's $79. I will end up using some of my pay to get that plug cuz that exercise doesn't hurt my back and I can easily do 20 min. 3 x's a day on the bike and can't do that on any other exercise equipment. I wish we could find the RIGHT power source plug for it, cuz it's here in this house somewhere...we just can't find it. UGH! I have been doing MUCH better with my Coke drinking and I'm only drinking a can a day (12 oz) instead of 64 oz. per day. I will soon be able to drop it completely and then I hope the weight starts dropping. SPRING is upon us! I can feel it in the air!! I LOVE SPRING!! The PRETTY flowers and the beautiful SUNRISES etc... Spring is GREAT!!!

I went to the doctor last Tuesday and I told him my depression was still VERY bad and that I was SO tired ALL the time and he changed a couple of my medications and today (6 days into treatment), I am feeling A LOT better. I was UP today at 8:30 a.m. and I haven't been up at that time for months...or even years! I feel SO alive and HAPPY! I have hit my knees a lot over my depression and life circumstances and with the help of my doctor of 11 years and better yet, my Heavenly Father, I think my life is "on track" and that I am on the road to a BETTER life! I need to be well for my kids and I've been "in the dark" for too darn long! It's time to LIVE life and get up and make LIFE happen! I can't do it by always being tired and depressed and I'm glad that things are looking UP! I hope it's not a temporary fix. I am "IN THE GAME." YAY for me!!!

Last week's FHE was on the Ensign article called: "God Reveals Truth To His Prophets And To Us" on page 8 of the March 2011 Ensign and then I wrote up 15 questions about the lesson and put it in the kid's journals and that was their journal assignment for this week. It was a GREAT lesson and good time spent as a family! We are still trying to get through the BOM before Brock turns 18 in August. We are still in 1 Nephi and on Chapter 13. We try to read Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Sunday. We read 2 of the 4 days last week. We will do better this week!! We are reading a chapter a night, so we should be on Chapter 17 or better by next Monday. I am gonna try to get 2 chapters in on some of the nights this week. Wish me luck on that one. :)

Scripture for the week (from last week's FHE) is: Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3 - "I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. "Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation."

Quote for the week: "If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change." --Buddha

So, I will bid ya'll goodbye for this week and I'll be back next week or sooner with GOOD news! I HOPE!! TTFN! :) ONWARD....

This PAST week...a GOOD one!

Hello All! I LOVE this pic of the Sunflower REACHING for the sun! So NICE! What I'm trying to do...EVERY day! Find the positive, keep going, and maintain peace in the home! It has been a GREAT week for MT work cuz I have done 300+ lines 4 days this past week. A BANNER week for me! I am gonna do MORE this coming week! My goal is 300+ lines daily for 6 days! I CAN do it! My exercising kinda fell to the wayside, although I did get in ONE day of 3000 steps, which is something...I guess. It's gotta be A LOT better than that so I can lose this weight! A NEW dedication to that goal this week also. I have got my stationary bike going again and I am planning on working out on it when I first get up in the morning...starting at 15 min. EVERY morning and then working up to 20 min. 3 x's a day for 5 days a week. I have ALWAYS enjoyed bicycle exercise and step aerobics. I can't seem to find a step aerobics block (to step on) or good workout DVD for that type of exercise, so I'm going with the bicycling this week. I will also try to get in 1500-2000 steps a day (4 days a week) on my Nordictrack stepper. It's a GREAT low impact exercise and it helps my energy level and the pain in my joints feel SO much better after exercising on the stepper OR the bicycle. I'm GLAD they found the cord needed to get the bike going. YAY! I am taking a multivitamin daily called ALIVE and been taking these ONE a day for over a month now. I like em but they are pretty expensive and can only be found at GNC or Bountiful Health. After I am done with this bottle, I will go back to the One-A-Day Women's Energy Vitamins because they cost over $18 less and they work just as well, in my opinion. If anyone reads this can you PLZ tell me what vitamins or what I could be doing to get better energy during the day and better sleep at night. Any advice?? Any suggestions?? Please let me know. THANKS!!!!


I forgot to turn the clock forward last night so we missed church today. DARN! I was prepared and had all the books ready to go and even studied the Gospel Doctrine lesson and the Sunday School lesson too! It seems like when I'm prepared, something happens that I don't get there. Our car is on the FRITZ too! We can't even be driving it, so we woulda needed to walk too. By the time I got up at 9 am (which was actually 10 am), we had missed our FIRST class and if we woulda got up and got ready and walked there...we may have heard the LAST speaker in Sacrament and song and prayer. UGH! I am MAD at myself cuz I needed to remember that!!! It's HARD being the ONLY adult in the home right now...and all the things I need to keep up on sometimes seem undaunting! I MUST do better! I will listen to a talk CD tonight before falling asleep and then I've given Jentry the FHE lesson for tomorrow night...and we are watching a movie tomorrow night too, cuz The Celebrity Apprentice is on tonight and I wanted to see it. So, for missing our Sunday movie...we will have BOTH the movie and lesson tomorrow night! A GOOD night together...coming tomorow!


I found 2 NEAT websites last night...the first is http://www.ldsmusicnow.com/ and the other is http://www.steppingstones.com/. BOTH of these SPIRITUAL and UPLIFTING websites are for EVERY one! The first website has a place where you can download music for cheap (very good & uplifting gospel music) and it also has a place where you can designate how MANY chapters or verses of scriptures you wanna read EACH day and what book...and it'll post THAT reading assignment in your email inbox EACH day. Like I said I wanna read the BOM (2 Chapters daily) starting at the beginning of the book...so tomorrow I will get my FIRST reading of 1 Nephi 1-2 to read on Monday for my personal scripture studying. NEATO HUH??! TRY IT!! There are a lot of other features on it too...go check it out. The 2nd website is SO AWESOME and I got if from the http://www.yldsr.com/ (Mormon radio station) website. Toward the bottom of the page and it explains what you can do with the stepping stone website and the music now website. They have put in a kind of WHEEL OF FORTUNE of GREAT films for all ages and they ALL teach VALUES! You can choose to watch for a minimal fee OR buy at a minimal fee and you can read about what the movie is about and what it teaches and the age level that it's appropriate for! SO COOL! I can't even tell you how NEATO that http://www.steppingstones.com/ site is. I watched the Velveteen Rabbit for FREE last night and cried! JUST SO CUTE! I wish this gal woulda came up with this idea YEARS ago...for my children...but I NOW have this for my grandchildren when they start coming! Also, nieces and nephews and kids I babysit in the ward would benefit from these AWESOME movies too! There is also a FAMILY PLAN to watch the movies (unlimited viewing) for $8.95 a month. What a GREAT cost! It pays for itself with ONE movie!! If you decide to just wanna watch it to see if you'd like to buy it for your library, you can do that too...for $2.95. GREAT huh??! I am passing this website on to my little sister and brother. PLZ go check it out!!! They are NOT just LDS movies. They are movies with a message and as a parent, don't we all want our children watching movies that teach?? I know I do! That's that....:)


To end tonight I'd like to post a quote I like:

"I am only ONE; but still I am ONE.
I cannot do everything; but still I can do something.
I will not refuse to do the something I can!" ---Helen Keller

AND the scripture for tonight (going along with my Sunflower pic) is:

Doctrine and Covenants 86:7 -- The final reaping will occur only when the father determines that the world is "fully ripe." Meanwhile, brothers and sisters, the challenge is surviving spiritually in a deteriorating "wheat and tares" world.

GOOD ones huh?! I hope everyone of my family and friends has a GREAT week to come! I have an MT job interview on Tuesday morning, so cross your fingers, cuz it's an employee with benefits MT job and I REALLY need a BETTER paying MT job to get through these HARD times financially with my family. No washer, no vehicle, not much food, no insurance, if something bad were to happen (it would be BAD), and NO job for Jerry yet! I am gonna look on the BRIGHT SIDE too...though...We have each other, food enough to survive, electricity, warm and cold water, a roof over our head, and GREAT neighbors too! I am going to just DO what I can to improve MY life and NOT dwell on the negative as much! I believe that if you live RIGHT, Choose the BETTER part, and LOVE others and show our love by helping and serving one another...that GOOD things will happen in my little family! I KNOW IT!!!! I will NOT give up and I will DO MY BEST and live ONE DAY AT A TIME!! And the rest will take care of itself... :)

GOODBYE FOR NOW! I will get back on after interviewing on Tuesday afternoon and hopefully it will be GOOD news! If not, I DO have a GREAT part time job and I will take it (either way)with a CHEERFUL and GRATEFUL heart!

**GOD BLESS AND BE WITH THE PEOPLE IN JAPAN FOR THE HEARTACHE AND DEVASTATION THEY ARE FACING NOW! With the earthquakes, aftershocks, and the Tsunami...it has been a HARD time for JAPAN! GOD SPEED!**

A GREAT CD TALK TO START MY WEEK!!

Hello ALL! It's been a few days, but I wanted to write a few notes on a GREAT CD talk I heard this morning....called: "Trusting the Savior in a World that Doesn't" by: Christopher B. Munday. I was very inspired by it and thought I would jot down some of my FAVE points.

1. FOLLOW THE PROPHET and listen and obey his words (pic above).

2. HONOR OUR PARENTS and show your love to them DAILY.

3. COME UNTO CHRIST and FOLLOW HIM. He should be our BEST friend in a troubling world! He will NEVER forsake us and he will ALWAYS be there, when needed! Ask for his help and pray for him in troubling times! He is there...waiting!

Then there were a few little points...that he spoke on...like...

PRAYING EVERY DAY and READING THE SCRIPTURES and SEEKING OUT RIGHTEOUS GOALS! We should also get our lives in line with the gospel and follow what our gospel teaches! His brother-in-law, who had a disease, was an alcoholic for YEARS (drowning in his sorrows) and ONE day he asked to meet Brother Munday at the Church and when he came he was dressed in his Sunday BEST and asked Brother Munday to help him "get back in line with the church" and he confessed his sins to his brother-in-law and asked if he thought he was forgiven and Brother Munday told him he WAS and not soon after repenting...his 26-year-old brother in law passed away! He made it BACK into the arms of our Savior and wanted to make everything RIGHT in his life! What a GREAT thing!

I believe WE should repent of those things that we need too and try to be MORE Christ-like and loving to ALL! Let's do it NOW! COME UNTO CHRIST AND FOLLOW THE GOSPEL STRAIGHTWAY! It was a GREAT talk and I will have my family listen to it tonight for FHE and then have some little stories of ways to COME unto Christ and others that take us AWAY from Christ...and we will all take a story and read it and decide WHICH way it leads us...to or from Christ. My FHE is prepared for tonight! YAY! I LOVE the gospel and have a SURE testimony of its GOODNESS! I'm so GRATEFUL for the TRUE Church in this dispensation and I plan on attending the temple this week. I will probably attend a session on Thursday night. I LOVE the Temple and going there is a GREAT way to feel of Christ's love and spirit and to turn my eyes towards heaven and AWAY from the world...for a time! A GOOD THING!!! :)

I did get 300+ lines - 4 times last week. I am hoping to get another FULL time job working as an MT and I will interview with her either tomorrow or later this week. I will let everyone know how that goes when I know more. I haven't been exercising like I should and I will rededicate myself to doing MORE exercise this week and a get a GOOD line count too!

The kids are just waking up for another week in school, so I'm gonna get off and tell them BOTH how much I love them and to REMEMBER WHO THEY ARE! :)

EVERYONE have a GREAT Monday! DO YOUR BEST TODAY!! :)

A GOOD President's Day!

Today was a GREAT and PRODUCTIVE day! I got over 400 lines doing my MT work and did over 2000 steps on my Nordictrack stepper. Not a bad day. The kids had some fun with NO school. Brock and friends went sledding and Jentry went to a friend's to watch a movie and play games. A GOOD day ALL around! I finished a knitted beaded hat (NEW pattern) and it turned out SO cute! It's for little Sunnie. I promised her a pink hat with beads and a blue flower. I posted a pic of it. I will make more of these. I finished the 2 hats that a friend, Christina ordered (from TX) and posted that pink crocheted hat too. I used a chunky, very soft yarn for the knitted and beaded hat. It is SO cozy and warm! It's almost time to NOT make those kind of hats since we are getting into springtime soon here. I will be making lots of variations of those beaded hats to see what I can create. A FUN pattern! The crocheted hats are good for anytime of year...since they are lightweight and I use a lightweight yarn. I could use a lighter weight yarn for the beaded hats too! There's an IDEA!! That'll be my next project...after I make Ty a hat and Teresa is going to order some more flowers soon too. This little hobby is FUN and I make a little bit of money on the side that sure helps out! Of course, I don't charge what I should because I didn't really get into this for selling, mostly just for fun, but when I saw that people really liked what I was making with the pics on Facebook, over 450 pics so far, which is 2 1/2 albums of photos. I have all the hats, flowers, bows, headbands (fabric, ribbon woven, nylon, and crocheted) in those albums on Facebook. I usually have people see something they like and then they tell me to make something like what is pictured or "something like it" so I know what they want and so far, the people I've sold my "creations" too have really liked what they ordered. It's FUN! I just got a Hana-Ami Flower Loom and will start creating cute yarn and ribbon flowers with that....making the flowers is SO fun! I also have a darling pattern for poly-satin flowers and I've made 3 (1 pictured here) with an electric blue color of material. I am ordering different colors for those flowers cuz I've received a lot of LIKES on those & I love making them...cuz each one comes out ONE OF A KIND because I use candle heat to melt 'em into the shapes and sizes I desire. A LOT of FUN! My job as an MT is SO GREAT! I just LOVE working for the company I work for! I learn MANY NEW things daily! I LOVE when I'm able to produce 250 lines or more a day! I don't get burned out and I make enough to help pay a couple bills...which makes me feel like I'm contributing! A GREAT FEELING!!!

Last night as a family we watched The Outsiders movie. A tradition we've had in our family on Sunday nights for over 4 years now. We all enjoyed that movie too. It was a GOOD one! Jentry is in charge of FHE tomorrow night...I gave her the Liahona June 2010 lesson by President Monson with the story called "Canaries with Gray on their Wings." It's on TRUE BEAUTY and how the Lord looks on the heart. This is her 2nd time taking charge of FHE and I know she'll do a GREAT job! I think at their ages...it's a good thing for them to take charge of 1 FHE a month (each). A NEW thing that I was inspired to do...after praying about it. More on that next time...

Brock is still shooting for his diploma and wanting to go into the Marine's after he turns 18, which is only in about 6 months. It's a GOOD goal for him and I think it'll teach him a lot of GOOD things! I just want the BEST for him and for EACH of my kids! Britnee got a little anchor tattoo and she wants me to see it. She has wanted one for a while and although I don't really agree, she says it is small and it means something to her. The next one she wants to get, down the road, is a shell...to honor me! She is sure an independent and strong girl! VERY proud of her!!! Jentry got a Chi hair straightener from Britnee and she is having fun straightening her pretty red hair out. She has sure grown out of that awkward stage and is turning into a BEAUTIFUL young lady! Inside AND out! I just LOVE my kids SO much!!! :)

My marriage is still on hiatus and we are going to our 4th session of counseling on Wednesday (23rd) together. I don't know if we are going to be able to work things out...but I am sure prayerful and open to do what NEEDS to happen after we see how counseling works for us. I pray EVERY night for us and for him too! I love him very much and that will never change. I want to be HAPPY though and I want him to be HAPPY too. Whatever road we take in the future, I know will be the RIGHT one for both of us! The bishop believes in miracles and so do I, but I am not gonna get my hopes UP either because reconciliation may NOT be the answer and I have to protect my heart from getting hurt again. I just HOPE and PRAY for that MIRACLE! Time will tell! More on that later....

I am signing off cuz it's 2 a.m. and if I want to get 300 lines a day or more...I need to get a good night's rest and get a decent start in the latter morning. I am shooting for waking at 11 a.m. this week, cuz lately I've been getting up at 1 p.m. because I don't get to sleep til after 4:30 a.m. every night, so I need to shoot for something "doable." I am a "work in progress" and just trying to DO BETTER each day!

2 NEW quotes I heard and REALLY like for this week are: "Live to Give" and "I'm too BLESSED to be STRESSED!"

Be back to post...later this week. :)

Been a while...sorry!

2-15-11

The picture is of Jentry on 2-14 (Monday) with ALL her FUN Valentine's from friends and even a ROSE from an "anonymous" boy "friend" at school. She was thrilled! :)Tonight for FHE we played a fun "NAME THE FAMOUS COUPLE" game together as a family because as we know...the family that PLAYS together STAYS together! We are reading the Book of Mormon together as a family also because in 6-8 months Brock will be leaving for the Marine's and I wanna get in as much FAM time as possible. A GOOD goal! Brock and I have GREAT talks about how his PT is and how his muscles felt like jello after his 1st PT and how the Sargeant kept calling him Dr. Pepper cuz he had his Dr. Pepper shirt on...he would yell right in his face, Brock said. WoW! INTENSE!! I haven't been doing much as far as MT work goes this week and I will HIT THE GROUND RUNNING tomorrow! I need at least 250-300 lines per day (6 days a week)! I CAN DO IT!! My fitness routine hasn't been going well this week either. Tomorrow is a NEW day and I will get 300 lines and at least 3000 steps on my Nordictrack stepper. K??! I haven't been very good about posting on here, like I said I would. I plan to do this blog at least TWICE a week. So, until next time! TTFN! :)

Keepin on keepin on...

It's Monday, January 17, 2011 and I got some flowers and 2 hats done this past weekend. I also posted a pic of Brock's CTR ring. It's black with a silver cursive CTR insert. I couldn't get a good pic of Jentry's but hers is VERY nice too. Her ring is called "shooting star." I got them from Deseret Book and they are both from RingMasters. They like their NEW rings! It was A GOOD and PRODUCTIVE Saturday! We ALL went to church as a family yesterday (16th)and it was NICE! I didn't get much sleep on Sat. night, in fact, I think Satan works extra hard on me to keep me from going to church, especially when I make my mind up BEFORE going that I WILL go. I either DON'T sleep OR I get sick etc... Jerry walked out at 8 a.m. (I had probably been asleep not even an hour) and asked if I was going to church and who to get up next and I said I don't know...I haven't slept all night and then I thought, NOPE...I am GOING!!! I got up and got ready and me and Jentry got to church by 9 a.m. and Brock was a little late, but he came around 9:25 with Jer. I was glad to be in Relief Society with other sisters and to hear the lesson given by a dear sister (don't know her name) on fasting. It sure made me happy to see Sister Johnson, Sister McBean and Sister Beacham and just to be amongst the other sisters. I talked to Sister Billings for a few minutes. It was nice seeing her. I was GLAD we got to church! A GOOD way to start the week! It is ALWAYS so nice to take the sacrament with my family and I'm glad for the times we are ALL together.

QUOTE: "As we worthily partake of the sacrament, we will sense those things we need to improve in and receive the help and determination to do so. No matter what our problems, the sacrament always gives hope." --John H. Groberg

I came home and slept most of the afternoon. Jerry made a GREAT turkey dinner. Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn and yams. YUMMY! We usually watch a movie as a family on Sunday but the kids didn't have school on Monday or Tuesday so I let Mike come over on Sunday night and we let the family movie night for this week...pass us up. We will watch something next Sunday. Tonight is FHE and I am going to give Jentry a message in the Conference Ensign and let HER do the lesson tonight. I have prayed over how to handle FHE's with older kids in the home and I think if I let THEM prepare the lesson once in a while, it will do us all some good. I have always been in charge and now I can let them be "in charge" once a month. So, the lesson is Steadfast and Immovable by: Silvia Allred and we'll see what Jentry comes up with for this lesson. I am EXCITED! I will report back later.

This morning Jerry made me some fresh O.J. using our Wolfgang Puck blender/juicer (we got for Christmas) and it wass SOOOOO tasty! I have only got 3 reports done today and it's been pretty slow, because of the holiday, but I did get some done. Tomorrow I will need to really get at it! I'm sure there will be lots to do. I LOVE my job and I love my family! I am BLESSED!!!!!

YES...so far!

Here's my daughter giving the THUMBS UP to getting FIT together! She is REALLY helpful and such a wonderful daughter to wanna get herself, her mom and family in a "healthy way!" We do tend to eat a lot of sugary treats etc... in this home. Especially when we have Sunday movie night together OR play Wii etc... We need to curb those BAD habits...NOW! EXERCISE is key!

I finished crocheting the ivory/cream hat (ABOVE) and the purple Dahlia flower looks GREAT on the hat. FUN HOBBY! An enjoyable and relaxing thing to do on the weekend! I will post more pics of what I am crocheting and the flowers and bows I am making...later!

I did get 1000 steps on my Nordictrack on Friday (14th) but not yet today. UGH! I will get back ON the wagon on Monday! I seem to "fall off the wagon" on the weekends! I will hit my MT goal HARD on Monday too. I only got 200 lines on the 14th and there's NO work today (Sat) and usually nothing on Sunday's either. I CAN DO THESE THINGS! I am planning to go to ALL church meetings tomorrow! I haven't done this in MONTHS! I have either had BAD health or been outta town or some other excuse. Well NO MORE excuses! I am going and so is my WHOLE family! Me, Jerry, Brock and Jentry will be there with "bells on"! LOL! :) I NEED to be spiritually FED EACH week and I can't get that from only going to Sacrament. I know where I need the work and this is a BIG goal to work on! I have bathed, put out my skirt and blouse, and have my scripture bag ready too! I have even read over the New Testament lesson for Sunday School! I just wish our church didn't start at 9 a.m. cuz that is SO early for me. I wouldn't mind 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. so much. The "NO MORE EXCUSES" goal doesn't care that church starts at 9 a.m. and I will report tomorrow on what I learned in each class and I will be SO glad that I have this outlet for posting my SUCCESSES and what I learn! My teens NEED me to be a GOOD example of going to church...so I can't let them down either.

So, we shall talk again tomorrow. Everyone have a WONDERFUL Saturday night! I am working on crocheting hats and making some flowers for friends that ordered today. I can get the 3 orders filled by Wednesday of this week. I LOVE my hobby and every little bit of income HELPS!! If anyone wants to see what I do...go on my F/B page (Shelly Leishman Bishop) and look at my Baby Blue Bowtique photos (album) and my Baby Blue Bowtique Part 2 pics (album). I will post a pic of the hat and flowers I finish tomorrow. TAKE CARE and EVERYONE have a GREAT and SPIRITUAL Sunday! I WILL!!! :)

OH...and I can't believe I almost forgot....I finally purchased 2 CTR rings for both Brock and Jentry and I gave the rings to them last night. They LOVE the styles I picked out for them. I will post a pic of BOTH rings tomorrow. Seems VERY appropriate for a Sunday pic! I am just glad that I was able to FINALLY get them the rings so they will ALWAYS be reminded to CTR (Choose the Right)! They've been asking for a CTR ring for OVER a year and I finally came through! It's IMPORTANT to wear them and let them serve as reminders!! :)

2011 New Year GOALS

I am challenging myself. BIG TIME this year! I want to lose 50-60 pounds and I want to work M-F building my MT skills by working for Medscript and giving it my ALL. My kids and family are all a part of my life and I need to be a more active and healthy mother and my marriage needs some work too. I'd like to work on these things proactively! But to get started I want to set some primary goals and report back EACH day on how I'm doing. I journal too but I want to do this also because it seems like when I'm accountable to someone...anyone...I DO more! Weird...I know. So, M-F I will wake early...and early for me is 9 or 10 a.m. and start my MT work. I want to get the majority of my line count in between 10-5 (with breaks in between) to walk on my Nordictrack stepper and they say that 12,000 steps a day is good for health. I want to start by getting in 1000 steps PER day this week starting today (Friday, Jan. 14th) - (Friday, Jan. 21st). Then I will reassess my exercise regimen and UP my step count. As for MT work...I want to get 280-400 lines A day this week (M-F) so I will actually start it today (Friday, Jan. 14th). It will take getting used too and I need to FOCUS and not sleep in and lose half my days anymore. On Saturdays I'd like to do a little crafting with my Cricut (making cards or scrapbooking) and working on my hair accessories (Baby Blue Bowtique)...so Saturday is my HOBBY/FUN day! Sunday has been a REAL "issue" for me! I want and MUST get to ALL my mtgs at church EVERY Sunday starting THIS Sunday (Jan. 16th) and our church meetings start EARLY this year. 9-noon. I have these 3 things to do this week and I did watch Apostle Christofferson's talk on DAY AT A TIME and maintaining DAY AT A TIME Goals so that's what I'll do! Each day I will report on what I did for the day and then if I think of anything more I want to work on or if I want to set another goal, I will post it for ALL to see. Right now I've bitten off a BIG piece for this upcoming week. Wish me luck friends!!! I can do anything I put my mind too and my mind is SET on getting fit this year, making decent money working as an MT from home, and attending church mtgs. weekly and attending the temple ONCE a month too. I will NOT neglect the things I've already got in the HABIT of doing...like journaling, FHE, Sunday movie night, family game night, and nightly thoughts and family prayer. I want my family to STAY together and I have to work HARD to make that happen! I will take baby steps and work on things day by day. It's the ONLY way this can possibly work for me. So, it's 3 a.m. and I need to sign off so that I can be UP by 9 or 10 a.m. GN and SWEET DREAMS ALL! Shelly