Getting the most out of Pumpkins

Last night we carved our pumpkins.

I always enjoy carving pumpkins. One of my favorite parts of carving though, is getting to eat the seeds. If you have never toasted pumpkin seeds, you should! They make a yummy snack!

You basically want to cook them slowly until they are crispy. I don't think I do it the same every year, but this is what I did this year. I put a bit of oil and seasoning salt on them. Spread them out on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250° for about 40 minutes (stirring half way through). Then turned up the heat to about 350° for another 20 minutes or so. Once they are slightly browned and crispy, they are done! Enjoy!

Another thing we have done the last couple years, is carve out some of the inside flesh, cook it, puree, and freeze. Then we can make pumpkin pie or some other yummy treat later on!

Things That Make Me Smile

• fall colors
• fog
• rain
• rainbows
• flowers
• baby giggles
• baby toes
• music
• making music
• hearing my 3 year old sing all day
• hearing my husband sing to my boys
• taking long warm showers
• listening to the logic and stories of my 3 year old
• watching my baby scoot all over the floor
• flowers
• watching my boys be sweet to each other
  
• getting good deals and bargains
• snuggles and cuddles and kisses from my boys
• going fabric shopping
• going fabric shopping while my husband makes dinner and dessert, feeds the boys, and gets the boys bathed...

I'm sure I could go on, but that will do for today!

Wow, It has been awile!

I have really gotten out of the habit of blogging lately. I have been keeping up with my family's blog, so grandma's can see pictures of my boys, but this one has been a bit neglected.

Besides just being busy, I have been trying to decide what I want to do with my blog, trying to decide what my blogging "niche" is. I will still post on this blog random thoughts I have about life and motherhood. I have also started another blog.


It will basically be a log of all the projects that I do, both my projects and projects I do with my preschooler. My hope in sharing is that I can inspire someone else's creativity. If you stop by, leave me a comment, and don't forget to subscribe to my feed!

My Bathroom Smells Like Little Boys...

But that means my little boy is using the bathroom!

I think it is safe to say that Big Brother is potty trained. He still hasn't gone a whole day without an accident, but he is wearing underwear all the time. He even wore them to bed last night with no accident!

I'm am so excited for this, so happy that he has finally decided he can use the potty. It has been a long process. He started getting interested in the potty before he was even 2, but nothing I tried to do to motivate him to be trained ever really worked and we would back off for a while. Now that he is over 3, he has had a lot of practice, and just finally decided he could do it. I mentioned in my last post that I was reading the book " Toilet Training in Less Than A Day." I actually didn't even get through the whole book. I did get some ideas from it, though. I think what finally worked for us was being patient, letting him decide if and when he wanted to wear underwear or go potty, trying to "inspire" him to want to go, instead of pressuring him and asking him to go. I also tried to get him to know how to do it himself (which is what the book teaches). That really has been key, because I can't always be right next to him for him to tell me when he needs to go. He knows he can just run to the bathroom and do it, and then ask me to help him wash his hands when he is done. The other thing the book teaches to do, which I did, was to emphasize staying dry. I started giving him treats every so often for staying dry, which reminded him when he needed to go. It works a lot better than asking him if he needs to go potty, which he always just responds with a "no" without even thinking about it. Now I just have to wean him off the treats. :)

Now that he has gotten the hang of going most of the time, he wants to stand up, which is why my bathroom smells like little boys. Now I need to train him to clean up after himself. :)

Yay, a Blog Post!

I have been very uninspired to write any blog posts lately. No real reason, I guess life just gets busy.

A few things we have been up to lately:

• Enjoying this:
• Spontaneous trips here:
• Enjoying a few of these in our yard:
• Eating lots of:
• and:
• Reading this in hopes of trying, once more, (hopefully once and for all!), to get rid of these (at least in the bigger size):
• Planning our trip to see my Sister married here:
• Enjoying some free days at home with no errands or preschool to run off to.
  
• And mostly enjoying an increasingly independent 3 year old and lots of baby giggles.
  

Happy Mother's Day

I hope you all had a happy Mother's Day.

Saturday, my husband stayed at home with the boys so I could get my hair cut. Although not technically a mother's day gift, it was really nice to get it done. It has needed it for a while and we haven't really had a free Saturday recently that I could go. It feels so nice to have it shorter again.

Despite being woken up at 4 am and again at 5:45 by a stuffy little baby, I had a pretty good day Sunday.

When Big Brother woke up, he was excited to show me where my presents were hiding, in "Grandma's room" (our spare bedroom). He had picked out a balloon for me with flowers on it, and helped Daddy pick out a bouquet of flowers. They also gave me a book and CD. My husband also helped the boys make me a card (and gave me one from himself.) So sweet!


We went to church as usual. They gave all of the moms a carnation. My husband also bought some caramels the young women were selling as a fundraiser for girl's camp. Yum!

After church, my hubby got Big Brother to take a nap, and then took Baby Boy for a while so I could get a nap. Then, he made us a super yummy dinner. Roast and potatoes, carrots and homemade rolls, and a fresh fruit salad. Mmmm!

Since I know I can't expect a total day off, I'd say I got pretty close!

Thanks to my husband for giving me a special day!

Testimony

If you are interested, here is the talk I gave in church yesterday:

How We Gain a Testimony

In the book, True to the Faith, (178–80) it defines testimony as “a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost.” It goes on to explain, “The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves us; that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel; that we are led by a living prophet today; and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior’s true Church on the earth. With this foundation, a testimony grows to include all principles of the gospel.”

So how do we gain such a testimony? When we think about gaining a testimony, quite often we think of stories where someone had some miraculous experience that lead them to believe in the truthfulness of the gospel. But, we do not have to have a spectacular experience to be able to gain a sincere testimony.

True to the Faith, (178–80) outlines four steps that we can follow to obtain and strengthen our testimonies.

1. “The quest for a testimony begins with a righteous, sincere desire.”

As it explains in Alma 32, we need to first “exercise a particle of faith” and “desire to believe” for our testimony to start to grow. Faith is not only a feeling, it is a decision. We need to choose faith. (Nov. 08 Ensign, p 14)

2. “Testimony comes through the quiet influence of the Holy Ghost.”

In October General Conference last year, Elder Carlos A. Godoy of the Seventy, gave a talk about gaining testimony. He told of an experience he had visiting a Sunday school class where they were discussing personal testimonies of the gospel. The teacher was asking the class if they had spiritual experiences that lead to their testimony of the Church. Elder Godoy wanted to be able to share an experience with the class, and felt they expected that he, as an Area Seventy, would have something impressive to share, but he was not able to think of anything. He did take the opportunity to share his testimony to them. Although he did not have a remarkable experience to share, he shared sincere testimony of the truths of the restored gospel.

Elder Godoy went on to explain that the spirit speaks, not loud or harsh, but gently, as a whisper to our souls. (Ensign, Nov. 08, 100-102)

Also, great events are not a guarantee that our testimony will be strong. Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon, saw an angel, but very shortly forgot and questioned the will of the Lord. The great spiritual experience they had did not give them a testimony.

I like how the story of Alma the Younger illustrates this. Alma was visited by an angel. This experience was so powerful that Alma was “struck dumb” and “carried helpless to his Father.” After two days and two nights, Alma again received strength, and immediately bore testimony of the atonement of Christ; that he had repented of his sins and been redeemed of the Lord. This experience totally changed his life. He went from persecuting the gospel and those in the church, to being a great missionary and spreading the gospel. (Mosiah 27)

But, later in his life, Alma explained that his testimony was not based on this experience alone. He asked the people he was preaching to, “And how do ye suppose that I know of [the] surety [of these words]?” (he was speaking mainly about the atonement of Christ.) He then answered, “Behold I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.” (Alma 5:45-46)

Alma could have based his testimony on the miraculous appearance of an angel to him. But he didn’t. He made sure he knew for himself the truthfulness of the gospel. He fasted and prayed and received a witness from the spirit.

To quote Elder Godoy, “A testimony then, for some people, may come through a single and irrefutable event. But for others, it may come through a process of experiences that, perhaps not as remarkable but when combined, testify in an indisputable way that what we have learned and lived is true.”

“The results of a testimony can be miraculous and life changing, but the gift of testimony usually comes as a quiet assurance, without spectacular displays of God’s power.” (178-80)

3. “Your testimony will grow gradually through your experiences.”

Also in last October’s General Conference, Elder Neil L. Andersen explained that, “Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know everything in the beginning or even along the way. Our conversion comes step-by-step, line upon line. We first build a foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We treasure the principles and ordinances of repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We include a continuing commitment to prayer, a willingness to be obedient, and an ongoing witness of the Book of Mormon. (The Book of Mormon is powerful spiritual nourishment.)

We then remain steady and patient as we progress through mortality. At times, the Lord’s answer will be, “You don’t know everything, but you know enough”—enough to keep the commandments and to do what is right.”

4. “Your testimony will increase as you share it.”

Growing up in the church, I never really doubted that Joseph Smith was a prophet. But, I wouldn’t really say that I had a sure testimony that he was, either. My testimony of Joseph Smith was solidified while I was on my mission. The story of Joseph’s first vision was my favorite part of the missionary discussions to teach because the spirit was always so strong. Each time I told a new investigator about Joseph seeing God and Jesus Christ, the spirit would witness that it was true. My testimony increased as I shared it.

I have gained my testimony gradually through experiences I have had throughout my life. I never had a big life altering experience, but through many small experiences gained my testimony. Through small prayers answered, I know that God loves us and listens to us. Through learning of and testifying of Jesus Christ, I know that he is the Son of God, and that the atonement works. Through the spirit that is manifested when I hear or tell the story of Joseph Smiths First Vision, I know that he did see God and Jesus Christ and was called as a prophet. Through the witness of the spirit while listening to our prophet today, President Monson, speak, I know that he is called of God.

I know that the church is true. I know that we can all gain or strengthen our testimony of the gospel if we have a sincere desire, pray to know, listen to the whisperings of the spirit, learn from the experiences we have, and share our testimony with those around us.