Shell's Diaries

What is it about Christmastime that prompts us to give more freely to others less fortunate?  I think that desire is instilled in us all to some degree, don't you think? I love that Thanksgiving comes right before Christmas, because it provokes us to really ponder on our many blessings, and then influences us to act with compassion towards those that need a lift, a pick-me-up.  It causes us to reflect on how WE might be instruments in God's hand in helping His children here on earth. Although the following experiences I will share have a monetary value, it is not the money that mattered, but the heart of the giver. Many years ago while John and I were living in St. Louis at the Ronald McDonald house awaiting for a double lung transplant for our daughter McKenna, we were such recipients of love from others.  I remember coming home one evening from a long day at the hospital and checking our mailbox we found a Christmas card that simply said, "Merry Christmas" wit

For the past few weeks I was hopeful. I tried to remain positive and have faith that Romney, a very decent human being, who gives 30% of his income to charity, would be our next president. I went to bed in despair, shedding tears mainly for my children who will most definitely not grow up in the America I grew up in. I shed tears because we are self employed and I now see how devastating the re-election of Obama will be to our livelihood. He said our health ins. would not go up. Ours just went up $200 a month. Thank you Mr. President. We are unable to hire any employees because of that law that was forced upon us. I shed tears because of the values of marriage and life I hold dear to my heart are compromised, as I do not see the leftist views of those social matters in alignment with what God wants for His children. That is my opinion, and I know I will most likely receive negative comments about it, but I will not shadow my beliefs because of what part of t

In light of the 2012 election upon us, there has been much news concerning the faith of the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney.  He is a Mormon.  So am I.  The official name of the church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Mormon is just a nick-name, coming from  an ancient prophet living in the Americas who compiled the history of the people the Savior came to after his resurrection, and also the history of the people hundreds of years before he came. For some reason, our religion is "peculiar" to some. We are different.  We stand out.  Some even consider us being part of a cult.  I would refer anyone who questions the possibility of us belonging to a cult to this  article:  Seven Reasons Why the Mormon Faith Is Not a Cult . I have always believed the most honest way to find out about our religion is to simply ask someone who IS a member of our faith.   Recently, our church held a large conference for all its members, and anyone else wh

I remember when Hunter was just a toddler, and we had just come out of either The Home Depot or some restaurant that gives you balloons to children as they leave, and he was given a balloon.  Probably blue.  I remember making it all the way home with child and balloon safely in the car until the door opened.  And then the balloon escaped, floating serenely in the sky taking its sweet time ascending up to the heavens.  As beautiful as that blue balloon looked making its way towards the sky, my sweet little Hunter wasn't as thrilled.  But then it came to me, or John, not quite sure exactly who said it, that THAT balloon was making its way to McKenna, his big sister who died just a few short years earlier.  So that is what we told him; that we were going to share the balloon with McKenna, that she would catch it and know we were thinking of her. Three children arrived after Hunter, and that has been the tradition, especially from Reagan and Hailey, that every balloon

In my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , we are given assignments, or callings, to fulfill to help run the various organizations within the church.  The callings change from time to time, and at the moment I am the Primary Music Chorister, for the children ages 18 months to 11 years old.  There was a time when I prayed I would never be asked to fulfill this role.  But when I was asked to do it December of 2010, I was excited. I was ready. There is plenty of music in the airwaves that can influence us for good or bad.  But what I appreciate most about the music found within our church are the messages of faith, hope, love of and from our Heavenly Father.  The music I am able to learn, study and then teach to these children each week can give them strength to choose the right, help them feel their Savior's love for them, appreciate the beautiful world God has created for us, teach us the importance and value of family.   Music can touch the soul at ti

My blog is not normally dedicated to the happenings of my family; however, we have had some excitement in our home with Reagan turning 8 years old.   This particular party, however, I may have gone a little overboard. But it was fun to plan nonetheless. The theme was "I Am The Cake Boss".  I came across this idea through Pinterest, on a blog where I credit all the ideas.  I knew when I saw this I totally wanted to do this for Reagan. But, of course, it would help if she wanted it too.  She did, thankfully. It was so. much. fun. to plan. I've never spent so much time planning and preparing for a birthday party, and now need to repeat the same theme for Hailey when she turns 8 since I overheard her say to her big brother... "Reagan gets the best party ever."    She was content with that.  Gotta make sure we're not playing favorite's here.  A big shout out to my sister Emily who helped make the pink and purple strips for the aprons.  Sewing isn&#

Take a read..... I couldn't have said it better myself.  I will post again another time, from my own words, why I feel this man is set on destroying America.  But this is worth reading for now. (Snopes is claiming this was not posted in the Washington Post, however, it is still worth reading.  I'm not convinced  that Snopes has the answer to everything either.  So take what you will from it; it makes no difference to me where it was published,  what is said is more profound than where it was said.) By Matt Patterson (columnist - Washington Post, New York Post, San Francisco Examiner) Government & Society: Years from now, historians may regard the 2008 election of Barack Obama as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, the result of a baffling breed of mass hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the Middle Ages. How, they will wonder, did a man so devoid of professional accomplishment beguile so many into thinking he could manage the w

Today, in our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) we celebrate July 24th as Pioneer Day.  A day when men, women and children arrived in the Salt Lake Valley after months of traveling the plains by foot, pushing handcarts.    They took all they had, which wasn't much,  left their homes to be able to practice their religion in peace, after being driven out by mobs.  Thousands of them crossed the plains (and oceans too) to come to the Salt Lake Valley, pushing handcarts; some dying along the way, full of faith in God that he would lead them to a land where they could live in peace.  Their trials were many, their joys were sustained as they sacrificed time, health, and sometimes their lives to be able to worship how they may.   289 youth in the Oregon City  area from our church had the opportunity to experience a tiny fraction of what they went through, for us, for all of us, last week as they ventured to Bing Canyon to push their

Yep.  That's right. It was nothing like what I had expected.  It was BETTER.  I had the privilege of being asked to speak to 130 young women age 12-18 at their annual Young Women's Girls Camp this week.  This is a time when the girls get to go camping for 5 days, each summer, with the peers in their church within their community, and are able to bond with one another, while at the same time, learn valuable skills of survival in the outdoors, as well as draw closer to their Heavenly Father while basking in the creation of this beautiful planet.  They are also able to have leadership responsibilities as well as opportunities to be an example to each other of Christ-like living.  It really is a wonderful opportunity for them to learn and grow and define who they are. And what they are, is amazing.  I witnessed that first hand. I was asked to speak on a particular subject, in what is called "Destiny" where the girls, in small groups at a time, come to hear words of

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Oahu has nothing to do with the sun we soaked up on the sandy beaches, or the many beautiful sights we partook of. Strangely enough, it had to do with meeting a young mother of two small boys. It was also one of those instances where we realized, yet again, what a small world it truly is.  But meeting this particular woman, had a great impact on me and my husband. And she will forever be in our prayers, as well as the other many individuals out there who are now living the same life she is, who are dealing with the same cards that have been dealt to them. It was our last night in Oahu, the boys were swimming in the pool, which was about to close.  As we were about to leave, this young lady and her two boys were entering the pool.  My husband, the social bug that he is, introduced himself and asked where she was from. She replied, Northern, UT.  We said we had lived there too, and told her where.  John then mentioned that he had a friend

Don't they? I sure think so. Let me start off by saying that this blog post is unlike all my others.  I don't blog about recipes, what I like to make for dinner and why.  Cooking, for me, is a chore!  My husband can vouch for that.  Poor guy, he is deprived of so much by my lack of cooking, and ability of it as well.  Perhaps on the other side, I will be blessed with the desire to do more in that  domestic area of wife and mother.  One can hope, right?  That is yet to be determined. I know that my husband certainly wishes I would devote more time to it in the here and now. Back to my cookies.  While on Pinterest, I found this recipe, for these amazing chocolate chip cookies; officially called BEST-EVER Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Now I will admit I am quite the skeptic whenever I come across a recipe that claims to be "best ever".  Many times when I've attempted such a task at duplicating one, it usually falls short of what I was expecting.  But no

After all the drama the past week about Ann Romney not having worked a day in her life, and sharing my own opinion on Facebook of the matter, I was going to let this go. Let's move on.  But then, I saw this. http://nation.foxnews.com/roseanne-barr/2012/04/16/roseanne-barr-rips-ann-romney   and I KNEW I could not let this go.  Just when I think it couldn't get any worse after hearing the remarks from the very so called "funny" Bill Maher, Roseann Barr decided to join the ranks (although I think she has been there with them already) of the others who put down stay at home moms. I do not consider this a war on women. I have never bought into any of that. I do not consider this a war on working mothers, and actually, I don't even really think it's a war on stay at home moms either.  I look at this as pure politics. I see one side of the isle a tad bit worried that the current president just may not get a second term, so lets just poke at whatever we can to distra

To me, Easter is just as religious a holiday, as Christmas.  After all, they are both central to the life, more specifically the birth and then death & resurrection of our Savior.  Yet, as I look around at the local grocery store, there is nothing evident to that fact.  It's obvious as the years go on, these holidays, and Christmas in particular, has become more worldly, secular to be more accurate. As Easter has crept upon me, I have had little desire this year to gather the Easter baskets and fill them with goodies, trinkets and what not.  I cannot recall in the scriptures, where gifts were given at the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior.  Don't get me wrong, in years past I have fallen in the trap of purchasing for my children toys and candy on this sacred holiday.  But for what purpose? That is what I find asking myself now, more than any years past.  I did away with toys a while ago, but the candy still finds its way in the hole to be filled from the basket