Counting Blessings, Not Sheep

I can't sleep. I am haunted by my whining, and by how much I whine, and by how little I have to whine about.

The news is full of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I am safe in my home in my little Midwestern town, with all my family healthy and accounted for. But it's more personal than that.

The afternoon after our Pi Party, we were out gleaning corn with friends. And off in one corner of the cornfield, my oldest daughter and her friend were working and joking. And then her friend collapsed. At first, we thought she was joking. Then we thought she had fallen and broken something (it was pretty muddy). But later, after they got her to the hospital, and then transferred to the children's hospital, it was discovered she had suffered from a stroke.

She is eleven years old.

Who sees that coming? How dare I complain about uncooperative children and a messy house and a sleep headache when our friends are in the city at the hospital tonight with their little girl, wondering if she will walk again?

I am blessed. That's why I keep this blog. To help me remember how blessed I am. God forgive me for being ungrateful. I am blessed, I am blessed, I am blessed.

I will count blessings instead of sheep. I will pray for our friends and their daughter and her recovery. I will quit whining.

What are you blessed with today?

Good Idea

The first time I heard of pi parties was from my brother-in-law, who is an uber-gifted computer programmer. The company where he works has a Pi Party every year on March 14 at 1:59 in the afternoon (get it? pi=3.14159, pie party = 03/14 @ 1:59...). Everyone gets together, eats a couple slices of pie, recites pi, and then goes back to work.


I love it so much, I vowed to have my own the next time Pi Day rolled around. Only I didn't have to. Someone else caught wind of the idea, and asked if they could host it. How could I say no? I didn't have to do anything but bring a pie and show up!


We had another Pi/Pie party the next year. And this year, I put the idea out into the Blue Ethereon, just to see if anyone was interested, and sure enough! We had a pie party this afternoon. Good stuff.


I am not very full of original ideas. But I am an idea sponge. I soak up ideas everywhere I go, never knowing when it might come in handy. Not if, but when. Because it does. I love good ideas. I love people who are willing to share. That has to be my favorite part of the Bloggosphere: it's like a world-wide show'n'tell, just waiting for me, and I can peek in on someone else's amazing skills and crafty applications any ol' time.


I am grateful for good ideas, particularly good ideas that help bring people together for a good time, like eating pie! 


What are you blessed with today? (besides pie...)

Yummy Things

Tonight was Priesthood Preview. Because my husband is the Young Men’s president, and my oldest son is president of the Deacon’s Quorum, both of them were “on duty”. 

So it was just me, the girls, and the little ones.  I knew the men would be getting plenty of goodies at the Priesthood Preview, we decided to make yummy things for ourselves. Plus, it’s sort of a Sunday evening tradition: sugar cravings kick in every Sunday afternoon, so we placate our collective sweet teeth often enough it has become a tradition.

I have an inheritance of amazing recipes. They have come to me from sisters, my mother, friends and neighbors, the Internet. When it comes to making something sweet, the hardest part is choosing. We usually choose cookies. Everyone is a fan of chocolate chip. But we love the oatmeal option, too. And lemon bars. And white cake. And caramel popcorn. And fudge!

I am grateful for yummy things. It’s the main reason I am so soft and fluffy. I am also grateful to be able to cook and bake with my children. I love that they are getting good enough to say, “Mom, can I make cookies?” and then go into the kitchen and do just that. All on their own. I am thankful for self sufficiency. And for good recipes. And for yummy things.

What are you blessed with today?