Our March Goal

I am sorry but a few things are not going to be completed in March but a few day into April. We are going home this weekend and getting our 72 hour kits. We will then up date them. Our water storage will be changed this summer, but our apartment water storage is new. It was dad's job to get the car kits up-to-date so that is all I have to say about that!!! We have added to our food storage at home and in the apartment and we did cook at least 2 meals with just stuff from our food storage. Dad did go into the scary pit in our basement and came up with 4 quart jars of Orvil Redenbacker's popcorn that has been there for at least 20 years and we opened it and it is really still good, so canned popcorn last a long time I guess!! For the financial goal, we are pretty set with that, but we decided to look into nursing home insurance. I did read all I could of Suze Orman's book on the net, but I cannot get anywhere to get the book. Thanks Leesa for the challenge. It gets one going on the things we are supposed to being doing!!!

April Goal

I wanted to post the April goal a bit early so that you will all be prepared to have the full month to complete the goal. For the past few months I have been thinking of different goals that could benefit us. As I read the March Ensign I felt that this goal would be the best out of all the other possibilities I had.

First of all, I would like you to read 2 articles from the March Ensign. They are, "Two Words That Can Change Lives" (p. 42) and "The Value of Experiencing and Expressing Gratitude" (pp. 44-49). While I read these articles it spoke of the many health benefits of expressing thanks. There are a few key points that I want to emphasize.
1. The expressions and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature.
2. Practicing gratitude can also lead to increases in optimism, vitality, happiness, a sense of
well-being, and a greater satisfaction with life.
3. Gratitude can be defined as a coping response to challenging or difficult circumstances.

At the end of the second article there is a section called 'What can we do to Cultivate Gratitude in Ourselves and Others?' For your goal I want you to 1. Keep a DAILY gratitude journal for the entire month AND 2. Make a gratitude visit OR write someone a gratitude letter and send it to them. These are the first 2 things mentioned in this section, but there are also 7 other options and I would ALSO like you to pick 1 more and work on that throughout the month.

This is something that each one of us can do (husbands included) and greatly benefit from. I also encourage you to share this with your children and maybe have them write down things they are grateful for too.

I feel this is a good goal for our family because of the many spiritual, physical, and emotional benefits that can come about by being more grateful for all we have instead of focusing on what we don't have.

p.s. I suggest buying a new notebook of some sorts for your gratitude journal so that you can look through it when times are hard in the future.

March Goal Results

Like Ronda, we worked on many goals throughout the month, but there are a few that still haven't been completed all the way. We did change our food and clothes in the 72 hr. kits and started one for Preston. I never knew graham crackers could taste so bad. I guess that is what happens when they are 4 years old. We started car kits but have not finished them. We are hoping for some things to go on sale before too long. We did buy more food storage from the cannery and cooked homemade flour tortillas with refried beans (Leesa's recipe) for dinner one night. We are still working on our financial packet. I have lots of copies to make, but our copier isn't working so I've been lazy about taking it to the office. We have also been reading through a first-time home buyers guide, which I'm counting as a financial book. So thanks Leesa for all these goals to work on to try and help us be more prepared. I know that as we try and follow the guidance of our prophet our families will be blessed.

Brynja Update

We went to the doctor yesterday and found out she had gained 1 pound in the past month!! It doesn't sound like a lot but her doctor was very excited and it put her on the chart at the 3% mark which is good. She did have to have a lot of blood drawn again which is very painful to watch and be a part of so we will wait for those results in the next couple of days. Thanks for the prayers and keep praying she will want to eat.

Hey Everyone

Hey Family, I want to post my April goal a few days early so that you can all be prepared when April actually starts. So, maybe we could start posting our results for Leesa's March goals.

A Cry for HELP!

This happens quite often. Poor kid has to fight his sisters to get to wear their 'dance' outfits. This outfit is definitely the funnest. Emmee got it for her dance recital last year.
Apparently Adam sees his sisters playing like this all too much. His little brother is not coming soon enough.
We need those capes soon, Aunt Jill!!! Save us all from the 'little boy princess'.
Anyone who finds a play outfit for little boys (Spiderman and the such would be great, cowboy stuff too) let me know. We need to invest in some boy dressups!

Baby Andrew's middle name vote

We are having a hard time deciding on a middle name for this kid. Here's the list. Vote on your favorite. Say each to yourself with 'Jones' after it.

1. Andrew Lee (after Dad's middle name)

2. Andrew Perkins (Lindsay's middle name, also his mother's maiden name, both of Dan's brothers have used this middle name)

3. Andrew Riker (a great-grandma's maiden name on Dan's side) (Yes, we know this is your boy name you've picked forever ago, Ronda. We don't have to use it)

4. Andrew Harold (after grandpa)

5. Andrew Raymond (after the other grandpa)

6. Andrew John (after great-grandpa's) (a little too close to the brother??)

7. Andrew Jens (after a famous pioneer grandfather on Dan's side)

8. Andrew Adams (Dan's middle name) (a little too many Adam's in the family??)

9. Andrew Kumen (great-grandfather on Dan's side)

10. Andrew Corry (another Gr. Grandfather on Dan's side, this one played BB for BYU!)

11. Andrew Evans (Chris's maiden name) (maiden names on my side are just not middle name material!)

12. Andrew Lee Perkins (is it bad to give him 2 middle names??)

Everytime the Blackwood kids come over Natalie and I play with the dolls. We especially pay attention to Perry the cabbage-patch doll.

A Baby Belly for Nana

Sorry it's sideways. I guess you'll have to turn your heads.
This is my six month belly that Nana needs to see. Yes, I really am pregnant!!
Little Andrew still has 3 months left to cook!

A New Mexico Snow Day

So, apparently this is enough snow to cancel school for the day here in NM.
All this snow fell during the night and early morning of Feb. 22, 2010.
Here is the back yard.


Here's a few from the front door.

It can be slick on the roads in the morning, but by 2:00 pm, the snow was all gone! At least we don't have to make this one up!!
Pretty funny to someone who grew up in North Dakota!

Cousin Law

So this is what I found printed out on my desk this morning in Addisons spelling.

Cousin Law

All of Ben and Nicks hunting junk will be thoren out
The house bolangs to us. we must looak up all
People who are the folloing
1. who are not cousin
2. who do not clean.
3. who do not follow the law.
4. who dis obye the cousin
always show respet to the Braden. The olyn man or boy in the club. Cousins sta y on trak.

sighed, Addison, Kylee, Braden, and kair

For those who do not know this is in reference to the old house that they love to play in. They started this club one summer when it was just the 4 of them there. So sorry Preston, Sam and Adam no respect for you. But looks like it is open for other respectful cousins to join this summer!

Is anyone working on the March goal?

Is anyone working on a goal this week? Dan is reading a book called, "Investing Without a Sliver Spoon". It describes how to invest directly with large companies and starting with small amounts of money.
I am reading "The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom". It''s a great book about budgeting and saving.
Hopefully this weekend we will finally fill the water barrels that have been sitting empty in our garage since we've moved!!

Of course February was my goal but still as Mom said as soon as I posted it as a goal it became harder to do and I was so much more crabby than normal. So Satan was trying hard to get in and destroy my goal here too. We read the article again on Sunday night and I just have one final thought that really stood out to me.
"The joys come from putting the welfare of others about our own. That is what LOVE is. And the sorrow comes primarily from selfishness, which is the ABSENCE of love." That really stuck me as it is not just being selfish or spoiled brat or whatever but includes the absence of love. That makes me want to try hard to love Ron more and be less selfish and make his happiness more important than my own as that is what I have promised to do.
Brynja update: her doctor just called all her tests came back negative so no CF, thyroid, or Celiacs but there is a problem just not sure what it is yet. She will call Primary Childrens Liver spec. and get back to me. Something called Alkaine Phosphatase is at a 5000 count when it should be under 350 the normal level. So she said that could be a problem with the liver even though the other 3 liver enzymes were at normal levels (where Kylee had 2 that were elevated) she said it could also be her bones breaking down to provide more Calcium and Vit. D to her body since she is considered mal-nurised. So we will continue to look into and ask for contiuned prayers in her beahalf, mostly at this point that she will want to eat and provide nurishment for her body and of course that Ron will get a raise so I can contiune to buy ped-sure!! So Steve your extra assignment would be to look that crazy word up and see if there is more to know.