Pearls & Perfection Pending

I have a problem. I suffer from a ridiculously excessive amount of canker sores. There is no cause nor cure, says my doctor. What does he know? I hate it. They last for about a week and always come in a pack, ready to conquer my mouth for the best and most inconvenient places. I discovered this week however, that there is an instant reliever! My new best friend, Pepsi when cold and carbonated does the trick better than anything I have tried. I don't know what this says about this product for normal use, but for my personal purposes, I have found my hero! It numbs my woes and makes my verbal life bearable for yet another hour. I love you, Pepsi.

Last night we held a parents’ night at the local church to display some of the things the kids have been doing at camp. I was watching the group in the first row and made an impressive realization. Katherine, the female counselor for this group was given one of the most challenging groups of kids. A lot of them were very needy or obnoxious. Her co-counselor was super lazy and ditched out on camp two weeks early. Yet, each day, she came to camp with an ear to ear smile and did nothing more than love the kids. There were days when her kids were unsupportable, and I would see her let out a deep sigh and continue on. But she just kept going. She was the energizer bunny of camp. The thing that hit me though was the result that came from her longsuffering and constant kindness. This crazy group that was nearly impossible to manage at the beginning of camp sat calmly and lovingly on the front row last night, almost begging to be the special one to sit on her lap or by her side. Th

I heard about two girls from Utah who have started a new campaign called Beauty Redefined . I read through their website and I am very impressed by such a proactive stance on such a silent plague that is no longer creeping in on us, but has already unpacked and looks like it is here to stay. I particularly liked this article they posted. I appreciated the idea that pornography has become readily accepted by our culture within the last 10 years, a tragedy. Pornography is, "...a state of undress and a mode of representation that invites the sexualized gaze of the viewer” (ex: Mooney, 2008). Webster’s Dictionary describes it as “the depiction of erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement.” Working from these definitions, we find these dangerous messages in many other places than just behind closed doors. In fact, we find them everywhere." Why this is a cause worth fighting for: "This is not just a feminist argument calling out all the harmfully objectifyin

This comes from Elder Bednar's three steps to becoming more diligent and concerned at home. I like the idea that life and spiritual progression does not need to be a miraculous or spectacular event each day. We do not have to plan detailed FHE lessons or provide profound spiritual experiences each time we open the scriptures with our families. While these things are often welcome and exciting, they are not the norm. Our lives are detailed masterpieces, painted carefully and painstakingly, one brush stroke at a time. To read the whole talk, click here . Express love and show it: As disciples of the Savior, we are not merely striving to know more; rather, we need to consistently do more of what we know is right and become better. Just as our love of and for the Lord is evidenced by walking ever in His ways (see Deuteronomy 19:9), so our love for spouse, parents, and children is reflected most powerfully in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds (see Mosiah 4:30). Bear t

I am very hesitant to post this for fear that someone will read into it and assume that I must be pregnant. Quite contrary. On Sunday, I was falling asleep at church and David gave me the task of drawing our family in 7 years to keep myself awake. This was the result: Later, we got into the ongoing child naming game. It is interesting to see how our opinions change over time. This is what we came up with, in no particular order: Evelyn Hayden Kimball Jaden Bailey Corban Olivia Emery Hiram Bentley Camrie McKinley Kennedy Maybe someday we will have a few of these. :)