Mr Clean, Thank you for existing.

We've been trying to come up with fun things to do now that the weather is cold. One of Holynd's favorite things to do is color, but coloring in a tiny coloring book gets old really fast! Sometimes coloring is a lot more fun when you can color on the wall.



Holynd spent a good hour coloring on the "wall". I'm pretty sure I'll have to wait for bedtime to come around before I can take this down.


Since little hands have a hard time staying on the "wall" paper, I'm making sure that this Thanksgiving I give thanks for Mr Clean and his magic erasers. I'm also thankful for my husband who makes sure to have extra paint handy just in case some things can't be cleaned off.

I've been reading more lately now that we can't venture outside as much. My dad gave me a book to read which I've really been enjoying, "Broken Things to Mend" by Jeffrey R. Holland. I wanted to quote a few passages that I need to remember. Maybe it will give someone the lift they need today, or maybe it will be something I need to have record of for the future.

"The first words Jesus spoke in His majestic Sermon on the Mount were to the troubled, the discouraged and downhearted. 'Blessed are the poor in spirit... for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). Many people are facing personal trials and family struggles, enduring conflicts fought in the lonely foxholes of the heart, trying to hold back floodwaters of despair that sometimes wash over us like a tsunami of the soul.... To all such I offer the surest and sweetest remedy that I know. It is found in clarison call the Savior of the world Himself gave. He said it in the beginning of His ministry, and He said it in the end. He said it to believers, and He said it to those who were not so sure. He said to everyone, whatever their personal problems might be: 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls' (Matthew 11:28-29)."

"In speaking of mothers generally, I especially wish to praise and encourage young mothers. The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work. The young years are often those when either husband or wife -or both- may still be in school or in those earliest and leanest stages of developing the husband's breadwinning capacities. Finances fluctuate daily between low and nonexistent.... Through these years, mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other times in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island... Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones. "

Happy fall everyone! It seems to be coming to a close. We are starting to see signs of winter almost everyday now.