How Great Will Be Your Joy

 

Angelina DaVinci

Baptism

Saturday February 23rd

performed by Glenn Gavin

Glenn, Chrissy, Angelina

Savannah, Judah, Sebastian, Leon

 

 Elder Pierre Louis, Angelina DaVinci, Elder Pyron

 

   Chrissy, Angelina, Marci

Angelina is a rare soul! She just walked into an LDS church one day and attended sacrament in California. Her in-laws had heard some crazy things about the church and told her not to go back. She listened to them for a time but she always thought in her heart that she had loved being there and that it was a good place. She moved here to Vegas and found out that she lived right next to another LDS church. She walked in and met some missionaries. They got her information and gave the referral to our ward where she lived. The assignment was given to Glenn(who is the assistant ward mission leader) He and Brother Torrey (a ward missionary) went to check it out. They met with her and asked her if the missionaries had taught her anything yet. She said that they hadn't but that she wanted to be baptized. You can imagine Glenn's excitement! Glenn then set her with a date for baptism and explained that their job along with the missionaries' is to prepare people to be baptized. They set the baptism for 3 weeks from that day. We met with her with the missionaries several times a week for lessons and for dinners and to hang out. We became close friends in a very short time. 

Angelina was so very prepared even before she met the missionaries. The day they met her Glenn mentioned that he wanted her to meet me. They set the time for the following day for me to meet. She said she would make some coffee. Glenn chuckled and explained that we actually didn't drink coffee. She asked if that was something personal or if as a church we didn't, he explained that as a church we did not drink coffee. She said that the week before she was pouring herself some coffee and started praying and asking God if it was a bad thing to drink coffee. When I met her that Monday she had thrown out all of her coffee. 

We got her a persian Book of Mormon. She had read all the way into Jacob by the 3rd week. We got her a Book of Mormon Reader for the kids and they started reading it together every night. 

At first when she was praying about what she was taught and as she read the Book of Mormon she thought it was her Dad, who had passed away and was a very righteous influence in her life, who was guiding her to this church. And maybe it was him a little. But as she read about the Holy Ghost in the Book of Mormon. She recognized that it was the Spirit that was telling her that the things she was reading and experiencing were from God. Her baptism was incredible. Her testimony was so full of humility and conviction. I wish I could just go on forever explaining her conversion but that will go in my actual journal. But I wanted to share her story and let anyone who will read it know that miracles are still happening, that God is leading his children, and that the Holy Ghost does teach us all things. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing experience! And we are blessed to have Angelina in our lives!

 And of course, Judah doesn't miss an opportunity to cause trouble.

You are not perfect and neither are your neighbors

 My house does get messier than this, I just took a picture of what my house looked like yesterday.  : )

President Uchtdorf gave an amazing talk in the Relief Society Conference in 2011

 “I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way — God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect,” he said. “Let me add — God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.”

President Uchtdorf cautioned sisters to not spend time and energy comparing themselves to others.

“Everyone has strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “It’s wonderful that you have strengths. It’s part of your mortal experience that you have weaknesses.”

President Uchtdorf said perfection is a long-term goal.

“It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet,”

What does it mean to be perfect? 

In God's perspective? 

It doesn't mean that you always have your hair and make up done perfectly. It doesn't mean that your house is always spotless. Or that your kids are perfectly behaved. Perfection in Heavenly Father's sense doesn't mean that your kids have to be potty trained at 18 months or that they are reading by age 2. That you have the best kid on the basketball team or that your daughter is the most popular in school. 

Socially we sometimes put these expectations on ourselves and others. 

But we have never had any counsel that we should be striving for these things. 

When we are asked to strive for perfection it is talking about perfecting our insides not our outsides. 

It means that we need to repent when we do things wrong. It means striving to make those weaknesses we have become strengths. It means serving others with love in our hearts. It means trying to gain more spiritual gifts and knowledge. Strive to gain and perfect our talents

It doesn't mean we need to do it all overnight. 

It means as you keep trying to do these things you will get better at doing them! 

And over time you will be able to perfect some of them and get closer than you were to begin with for others. And whatever is lacking in the end, the Atonement will make the difference. 

I hope we can all have charity towards each other and help each other lessen the load and competition of temporal things so we can focus on the spiritual things while we get the necessary temporal things done.

Homemade Laundry Soap-Yay? or Nay?

I am really sorry for anyone who really loves using homemade laundry soap. 

But I unfortunately have to give it a "Nay" review after having tried it myself.

I was very very excited to make my own laundry soap

not only do I save a HUGE amount 

of MONEY.

But I felt very accomplished and oh so domestic making it myself.

The process to make it was really easy

Simple ingredients.

Simple instructions.

 

I extremely enjoyed every time I used my laundry soap.

I dumped that scoop into my laundry machine 

Congratulating myself for how frugal and clever I was.

At first it seemed like a great 

laundry relationship. 

I was even looking forward to making my second batch

in a few months time.

Sadly as time passed in the 6 months of using the soap

my excitement started to dim.

I noticed it first with Judah's clothes.

It took me a couple weeks to figure out where it was coming from

A very distinct, stinky, stinky, smell. 

I couldn't believe how stinky his clothes were.

I realize that some people started adding the Downy Unstoppables to their recipes

but that would just mask the stinkiness it doesn't CLEAN it.

I couldn't tell with the rest of our clothes the same way I could with Judah's 

but then again the rest of us don't get as dirty as he does : ).

I begrudgingly went to the store and bought my regular laundry detergent again,

crying a little inside at the price when it rang up at the register.

I took it home and ran a load through the machines.

When I took the clothes out I was shocked at the difference! 

It was like freshness knocking me off my feet. 

I could even feel a difference in the touch of my clothes.

This is my review of homemade laundry soap. 

I am sad to have to go back to the pricey stuff but happy to have clean clothes.

1st Corinthians 13 For Moms

1st Corinthians 13 for Moms

life with jack

by KatieLoveland

If my child speaks in the tongues of men or of angels, masters sign language at six months and Spanish and Mandrin Chinese by six years, but does not learn to love, she is only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If he has the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge-ABCs at a year, reading by two, writing chapter books in Kindergarten-but does not have love, he is nothing. If I volunteer for every mommy ministry-MOPS, AWANA, Sunday School, and if I give all I possess to the poor (or at least bring loads of groceries to the foodbank), but do not have love, I gain nothing. 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy other mother's lifestyle choices or possessions, it does not boast in the areas of my children’s natural strengths (while covering for their faults), it is not proud of the way my child potty trained before your child. It does not dishonor others by insisting that my method of parenting is the best, it is not self-seeking-hoping that you’ll notice how smart, talented or well rounded I am raising my child to be. It is not easily angered by perceived slights or misjudgments, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth that all of parenting is fueled and driven by God’s grace. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails-even where I have fallen painfully short of God’s best for my children. But where there are competitions to see whose body bounces back best after childbirth, they will cease; where there are verbal fights over the correct methods of discipline, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge about the best way to feed and clothe and nurture a child, it will pass away. For we know in part and we parent incompletely, but when they are fully grown, what we thought we knew about raising our children will disappear. When I was a new parent, I thought, spoke and reasoned with immaturity and without grace. As my children grew, I asked God to give me the wisdom to put these childish ways behind me. For now we see our children’s future as only a reflection as in a mirror; one day we will behold their adults selves face to face. Now I know in part; then we shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

I loved reading this adaptation of the 13th chapter in Corin. It is so easy to get caught up in the competition of parenting which shouldn't even exist. I try really hard to keep the attitude that every child is different and that there are many right ways of parenting..and yet sometimes I forget. I know that we all want to do our best. We each have different strengths. Someone could point out somewhere in each of us that we are not particularly the best at in our parenting ability. We will never be perfect parents, it is okay that we will struggle sometimes. Over all we are here to help and understand

Hersheys, smart move!

Book Reviews from the Summertime

Summer Book List

"I have actually never made a summer book list before but this year I decided to because I had to pack certain books in storage while we are here at Glenn's mom's house, so I kept a small selection out for me to read." May 2012

Well the summer is now over and despite how busy it was I surprised myself when I discovered I read 15 books this summer! I didn't read every book on my list but I did end up reading quite a few that were not on my list. Here are my reviews for the books.

7/10 It was a good book. I thought she had really amazing points of view on the subject but there were some parts of her writing style I didn't really like all that much.

10/10 Sheri Dew is seriously incredible! She is so empowering and I love that she lets us learn from things she has learned. She really opens her life up to the reader and I think she is more persuasive because of it.

9/10 I really enjoyed reading a book from Sister Holland for a change. I usually read her husbands talks and books so it was really fun getting to know her through her book. I earmarked and underlined SO MANY passages from this book! I would definitely recommend it!

10+/10 This book gets my favorite of the list status! This book explains the Atonement of Jesus Christ in a way that completely relates to your own life. He really has a way of connecting to you and helping you feel a deeper relationship with the Savior.                                                                  

6/10 Matched was a fun quick read.  

I actually never got to either of the sequels. They didn't have them at Barnes and Noble when I could have bought it and then it was just never a priority. Maybe when they get out on paperback.

 

same as above

This one is a text book and I have read 100 pages out 750 so far....That is as far as I got. I will get into it some more later.

8/10 I really love reading Sheri Dew. I think she is one of the most incredible women!

8/10 I think I liked No One Can Take Your Place the most. But I still loved all three of these books by her.

I did not get to this one. I don't think I was quite in the mood for something quite like this.

I did not end up reading this because Glenn read it first and said it had some not really good parts in it so I decided to scratch this one.

 

10/10 President Hinckley's book was so good! I cannot believe I had not read it before now! He teaches in such a straight forward manner. He also helps you see through the worldly fog and gives a more clear definition with situations about virtues we should be living. 

Summer List

3/10 This book was the type of book that anyone from the age of 10-13 would LOVE! But it was definitely not geared toward an adult.

 8/10 Little Women is such an all time great book! It is the type that you can read several times over your life and not get bored.

 

9/10 This book was so extremely thought-provoking! Loved it!

 8/10 Fantasy Book-this was a really fun story-it was a little graphic at times. But it had a really compelling storyline and was very creative. I really enjoyed the characters.

 

Same as above and I also read number 3.

A Good Mother

Elder M. Russell Ballard "Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 108 

What a great talk by Elder Ballard. It is okay if we all parent differently, our kids are different! We are different!

Sometimes I think we beat ourselves up, or others, because we are not good at every aspect of raising our children, or keeping our home. 

A friend and I were talking about the show hoarders. It was funny because after she watched it, she did a huge deep cleaning in her house because she never wanted her house to be like that. After I watched it I gave myself a break that night because I thought, "I am doing okay, my house is good enough for today". The thing is....neither of these reactions were wrong. They are just different!

We all have different strengths...

maybe yours is keeping an organized house

maybe it is teaching your kids to read at a young age 

maybe it is playing outside with your kids instead of watching them play

 maybe it is encouraging them to be their best self

 maybe it is cooking healthy-natural meals

 or maybe it is finding creative things for them to do

 maybe it is teaching them the gospel

maybe it is to help your kids be independent

The point is that none of us are going to be perfect at all of the things a mother could be...not every kid needs all of the things a mother could do...hopefully we can enjoy being mothers and not feel the need to compare or look down at one another. 

I am grateful to all the great examples of mothers out there and hope I can be the best mom for my kids! I love my children and I am so thankful for the happiness they bring to me!

Summer Book List

I have actually never made a summer book list before but this year I decided to because I had to pack certain books in storage while we are here at Glenn's mom's house, so I kept a small selection out for me to read. I started in the middle of May so I will write which ones I have read so far....

I have read this one...

this one...

this one...

I am reading this one....

I have read this one....

This one is a text book and I have read 100 pages out 750 so far....

 

I am really excited about my list and happy that it is going so well (so far....)
Hope you can find a good book to read this summer too!

Genealogy Humor

When I was growing up I was really grateful that my mom and dad did their genealogy because that meant I didn't have to do any...hahaha. But it turns out I really like Genealogy now that I have matured a little and there is plenty to do with Glenn's family and with the current living generations so that our children and grandchildren will be able to know who we are. I am making a Robbins Family History book about my little family(my parents and siblings(and their spouses)) I can't wait to show it to you all when it is done.

The Walls We Build

"To receive the fulness God has intended for us....we are all going to have to reach out with our hearts and let down some barriers. Most of us protect ourselves from pain--hurtful experiences and words that come from our friends, our enemies, and sometimes within us--by building walls, emotional defenses around our hearts. But the same walls we build to protect ourselves can also isolate us.... Can we let down a few walls and find that we are in the embrace of God?"   Patricia Holland A Quiet Heart pg 3 

It is human nature to want to protect what we value. Whether it be physical or something intangible. For example, most of us keep our homes locked and the windows shut when we are not there, our cars locked, and our wallets and purses always close within sight. We try to keep out harmful substances from our children and out of our homes that would damage it just as much, if not more, than a burglar taking what would be profitable to him. We also choose to put a figurative wall around our bodies to keep out unhealthy things that would limit our growth and capacity, mentally and physically, to do things.
The walls, mentioned so far, are good. But, as there is opposition in all things, there are some walls we build that are harmful to ourselves and to others. A friend of mine told me a story that shows a type of wall that we sometimes build, "When I was in Kindergarten, I moved to a new school. I didn't have any friends so one day, as our class was walking to the library to watch a filmstrip, I went up to a kid and said, "Hi, do you want to be my friend? He said, "No, I already have one." And that was that." My friend relayed this story comically but I am sure when the event happened he was not laughing. This is the wall I wanted to talk about today. As Sister Patricia Holland stated, sometimes the walls we build to protect us are the the ones that create our own isolation.
I once had a friend(I really don't remember who) tell me that they just wanted to have friends that were "like them". She said it was "too hard to find something to do or to talk about with someone who is different or likes other things than she does". I felt so sorry that she really thought that good friendships only came from those that were similar to herself.
Sadly, she missed the whole point of what friendship is. Friendship is not looking for what you get out of the relationship, as both these people in the stories thought. It is not about trying to find the right person for you to be most comfortably friends with. Friendship is what you can give to another person. The best friendships I have had in my life are the ones who are so different from me, the ones that take work to understand and to relate to, the ones who I learn from because we are so very different.
If we could take down our walls a little sooner, take them down for anyone within our reach, we would find that we are surrounded by people who will be blessed by our friendship and we will discover our lives being blessed in return. I know that God puts people in our lives that will forever impact us but sometimes our actions or inaction keeps them from influencing us. I know that as we strive to include others in our lives and in our social circles that it will help us and them become our best selves. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Change

My dear sisters, I have a simple faith. I believe that as you are faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, as you draw closer to Him in faith, hope, and charity, things will work together for your good. I believe that as you immerse yourselves in the work of our Father—as you create beauty and as you are compassionate to others—God will encircle you in the arms of His love. Discouragement, inadequacy, and weariness will give way to a life of meaning, grace, and fulfillment.

As spirit daughters of our Heavenly Father, happiness is your heritage.

You are choice daughters of our Heavenly Father, and through the things you create and by your compassionate service, you are a great power for good. You will make the world a better place. Lift up your chin; walk tall. God loves you. We love and admire you.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness, Your Heritage,” Ensign, Nov 2008

My family and I recently moved to Vegas, to live with Glenn's mom. Thank goodness she is so wonderful otherwise this post might be about me learning patience and unconditional love (haha) but fortunately she has tried to make this as easy as possible on me. Still, it is a huge adjustment. I have moved four times in the past 4 years. Each time was an adjustment but it was always relatively fast to make friends when you live in Provo, Utah and most of your neighbors are around your age and situation. Vegas definitely doesn't afford that luxury. In fact, two nights ago we had 2 cop cars and 2 security guard vehicles at our neighbor's house...so it is a little different. : ) This is a small part of Vegas, but actually Vegas has some really great people and oddly enough 10% of the population are mormon, which is kind of amazing! I know that I am going to make really wonderful friends here, it is just not as fast. I really like Vegas I just can't wait to make friends to hang out with during the day. I know this will come as a shock to you all, but I love people. I love making friends. and I love keeping busy with service to others and planning activities to do things together. When you don't know anyone and you live in a place where really no one in your neighborhood stays home except for a few retired people, it makes all of that a little trickier. We have only been here for 2 1/2 weeks. I know I am impatient. I have a Relief Society activity this week(which I am seriously SO SO excited for!) and we have a ward party next week. I know I will meet friends soon, it is just hard to wait and makes the everyday, all day long, part of my life a little harder. I have been trying really hard to just trek through it and mostly it has been just fine, but it is taking some effort. Yesterday I decided that I needed to set some goals so that I was using this time to progress in other areas, for example, family history and extraction work, listening to  talks, plan more specific activities for Savvy and Judah, work some more on learning geography, carry pass along cards, finish losing the weight I need to, work on spiritual goals and so on...I felt like I needed to do things more with a purpose than just going through the motions of each day. And just as Pres. Uchtdorf said it will create a way to a life of meaning. I hope this doesn't sound more dramatic than I really feel. I know I am really blessed and I will have opportunities to meet lots of people soon. Until then, I will work on my goals and I know it will make my days less of something to live through and more of something to live for.