Easter Hunts...

On Friday we started are Easter celebrations by hosting a hunt for our family at our home.  Unfortunately I was to busy hosting to get pics of all the cute kids running around finding eggs, playing in the sand box (which was mostly the older boys) and tossing balls throughout the yard.  But is was a fun celebration.  Normally I would then do the Easter Bunny to our home on sat, but I was to tired Friday night to 'hop' around.  So Sunday morning the girls searched for their Easter baskets around the house.
I had to entice Kalyee to go to her basket by putting a bottle of milk in it.  She got the bottle and was done.

Lily needed some assistance to reach hers.

And Erin had to go digging through a corner full of blankets to get hers.

After church and naps we went out and found the eggs the Easter bunny left.
Erin was very meticulous in her searching.

Lily literally ran the whole time from egg to egg.

Kaylee picked up 2 (one for each hand) and was happy to sit there and shake them.

Then Kaylee got one of them to open.

Erin was very happy with her find.

And Lily made out like a bandit.

It was a fun Easter for the girls.  And I am very grateful for the thoughts of life and beauty that come with Easter.  I am grateful for my Savior who knows me personally and has made it possible for me to live with my beautiful family for eternity.  I hope you all had a wonderful Easter as well.
 

My Craft Blog Giveaway

 As you probably know I have a little craft blog called Busy Lizzy's, that I love and have a lot of fun with. I really try to keep my craft blog separate, but I am turning to you who I love the most to help me reach a goal.  I am getting  close to 100 followers and the thought is super exciting to me.  When I reach 100 follower I am giving away something super cute.  I have only done sneak peaks  but like I said, since I love you most I am going to show you what it is.  (Doesn't the chair make a beautiful model?)

So if you want a chance to win this go follow my blog and help me reach my goal.  Thanks a million. 

You can also start entering to win right now by referring people to follow my blog as well.  You can find details on that here.

Learning from the Scriptures and Prophets

So I am generally a very easy going person.  I usually try to look at things from others points of views and I try to assume the best out of a person.  But I am human.  You see awhile ago my feelings were hurt and I was offended.  And I was justified in my offense.  But I did not respond the way I ought to have in my emotions, thoughts or even actions.  Even if 99% of the world agrees that I was justified in my offense, I should not have been offended.

"When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else." -Elder Bednar "And Nothing Shall Offend Them"

So not only did my initial offense hurt me I was hurt because this put me in a downward spiral.  More things and smaller things started to offend me.  And I was not happy.  The funny thing is I don't even remember what it was that offended me, I just remember it happening and it is still hurting me today.

I remember the last time I read through the Book or Mormon reading the story of Pahoran and admiring him and resolving at that point to do better.  Well I just reached the story of Pahoran again and I don't think I have done much better since then.  You can read this story in Alma 60 and Alma 61.  Here is basically what happens. Moroni has written to Parhoran asking for more soldiers to help defeat the Laminites and Pahoran does not send more soldiers.  This is because Pahoran has been overthrown in the government and does not have the power but Moroni does not know this.  So Moroni writes again to Pahoran and tell him the he is being idle and not following the commandments of God.  Moroni tells him that he is sitting on his throne in a "state of thoughtless stupor" and that it is his fault that many have fallen and died.  Then he goes on to tell him that if he does not repent he will come against him.  I would think that if any ever had the right to be offended it was Pahoran.  But Pahoran was not offended, no he found joy in Moroni's words.  He rejoiced in the greatness of Moronis heart.  And further more he found answer to his concerns and I am sure his prayers in Moroni's rebukings. 

Wow if we could all take Pahoran's response what a different world we would live it.  So here I am again resolving to do better and not be offended.  A friend of mine shared this quote on her blog the other day and it feels very appropriate here. "Charity is assuming the best."  

In assuming the best we are not allowing ourselves to be offended, we are doing our best to see each other as God sees us.

April Fools Dinner

I have never really "celebrated" April Fools day.  I find the line between mean and funny too thin and I just haven't dared it with my children.  But then I saw this idea of making dinner silly and I thought that, that was a perfect way for our young family to celebrate so this is what we did.
I made up these "menu's" for everybody.  But instead of food there were pictures to circle.  We circled 3 items for our appetizer, 4 items for dinner and 2 items for dessert.  And I had a master list of what each character stood for.

Snow White= fork
Mickey Mouse= spoon
Tinkerbell= knife
Goofy= bread
Sleeping Beauty= juice (I made the kool-aid that is clear and looked like water)
Rapunzel= pasta
Tigger= chicken
Mini Mouse= water
Bambi= napkin
Lady= dessert (a box of chocolates)
Ariel= carrots
Cinderella= broccoli

I gave everyone their menus (I let them help with mine so I couldn't cheat) and we ate.
Appetizers looked like this

Dad: bread, pasta and a napkin
Erin: spoon, pasta and carrots
Lily: juice, carrots and broccoli
Mom: spoon, water and pasta

Dad was a trooper using his bread to eat his pasta.  Lily dug right in using her hands.

Main course:
Dad:  fork, juice, chicken and broccoli (he was happy to get water but then surprised when he tasted it hehe)
Erin: knife, bread, water and broccoli
Lily: pasta, chicken, water and napkin
Mom: spoon, napkin, dessert and carrots
Not to bad.

Dessert:
Dad: water and a knife
Erin: fork and a napkin
Lily: spoon and a fork
Mom: knife and bread
Some people were not very happy about their dessert.

We all got a good giggle though.  At the end I let every one have dessert.

It was a fun dinner and I think we will have to make it a tradition.