Marian's Birthday

Well, this isn't so much about her birthday as it is about her cupcakes. Marian really, really wanted to bring cupcakes to her class. And she wanted to have confetti cupcakes. So we made cupcakes and frosted them. But this was not enough for her birthday! She wanted CHEETAHS on top of the cupcakes. I told her there weren't any cupcake toppers that I knew of that were cheetahs.

Undaunted, she made them herself. She made 30 of them.

Yep. 30 individual little cheetah drawings. She colored them too. Click on the first picture to enlarge it and you'll see that each cheetah is different, too! Then she taped toothpicks on the back and poked each one in a cupcake.

Here are the adorable finished products. I was really impressed with her work! Marian proudly carried them into class and shared them with her classmates and teachers. Such a great girl! She's 9 now.

Gratitude Challenge Day 6

I am grumpy today. Tired and grumpy. So I guess today's challenge is more of a challenge! And a blessing, because now I can focus on the good stuff. Well, once I get thinking....

10 Things about Today I am Grateful for:

1. Joshua reading a book and listening to it on audiotape and being really excited about it.

2. Delaney being so silly and making me laugh. She just told me, "I'm going to be silly every day!"

3. Dan being awesome and hanging out with the kids all day long while I was gone.

4. Being a part of the oldest and largest women's organization in the world! Happy Birthday Relief Society!

5. Getting to go to the stake center to make 200 backpacks to fill with sundries for homeless shelters. (And the backpacks were super-cute!)

6. Cupcakes at lunchtime!

7. Getting to stop by the thrift store on the way home.

8. No dishes in the sink- at least right this very moment.

9. Friends to sew with and chat with and laugh with.

10. Quiet time to sit down and read a book.

Gratitude Challenge Day 5

10 Things about Nature I am Grateful For:

1. Gerber Daisies.

2. Beautiful blue skies with clouds so perfect they look painted up there.

3. Sunshine.

4. Green grass. I especially love the smell of fresh cut green grass!

5. Mountains.

6. Those perfect crisp days where the sun is out, and there's a little chill, but it still feels great to be outside.

7. Trees with lots of branches for climbing.

8. Running on the levee in the fog and you can only see a little way in front of you and the moisture isn't quite rain, and actually feels good.

9. The Ocean. I'm not a fan of swimming in it, but I love to watch it and hear it and see it.

10. Sequoia- those magnificent trees are amazing!

Gratitude Challenge Day 4

10 Deceased People I am Thankful For:

Honestly, I'm not a fan of the people lists. It seems unfair. And I do have lots of people I'm grateful for. How about categories? 5 groups of people I am grateful for:

1. I'm grateful for the founding fathers of our nation.

2. I'm grateful for my ancestors who made it possible for me to be where I am today and who I am today.

3. I'm grateful for the pioneers and all they went through to allow me to be a part of the church.

4. I'm grateful for the prophets who wrote who words of scripture we have today.

5. I am grateful for writers and authors who have given us classic literature to enjoy.

Delaney

Delaney is an entertaining child. And lots and lots of fun! I sent her off with a plate of cookies to take to her friend Mikey's house the other day. She was gone for nearly an hour. When she came back, she grinned and said, "Mikey's mom letted me eat 4 cookies!!"

The next morning, as I was ushering Delaney out the door to go to Story Time at the library, she stopped for a minute and looked at me and said,"Um, remember when I said Mikey's mom gave me 4 cookies?"

"Actually, it was five!"