This one goes out to the ones I love

I have two great loves (in the photo above),

One great lover (wink),

and roughly 3.58 billion little loves.  

By little loves, I am of course referring to all of those little things that make my life sparkle and cause my heart to swell and burst.

There are far too many to list in a letter to Santa, or even write in a gratitude journal!  I couldn't even begin to shout them from the rooftops, or sing them in an anthem of favorite things.

Life is brimming with love.  Things, people, experiences, places.  God knows how to show me love.  He is the teacher of eternal love, and the giver of every good gift.

I like to picture him smiling down on me as I savor the things that bring me warmth and offer me peace.  I'm sure he is there when I pull my favorite sweater over my head and around my shoulders.  A wool embrace intended to comfort me in my moments of bitter cold.  

I can sense him there as I walk down the quiet roads of my desert home, my eyes lit up by morning sun, my cheeks touched pink by the fading chill.  I am alive and I know my life is due to his undying need to create life and encourage life.  He eagerly seeks to teach me and then send me down the paths of my greatest purpose.

I know he waits patiently as I interact with my many, many loves.  He waits as I lose my patience, my trust, my passion and then he waits as I work to rekindle them over and over again.

I have found when it comes to love, it is difficult for me not to love God above all other things, because, after all, he is the one who makes it possible to love everything else.

Wind

The wind has been fierce out here in the west desert, and when it rattles and shakes I lay awake because I can't sleep through the the creak and groan of our poor little home.

Our house tries it's best to stand up straight, being pushed and whipped by this threatening movement, but try as it may, it's weakness can't stand up to the forces of nature.

This frail structure provides shelter and comfort, but it has no foundation and not much stability.  It's walls and windows are thin and wobbly and it flexes and shivers against the cold night wind.

I wanted there to be a lesson in this somewhere.  A message about sure foundations and real integrity, but I think all I am really trying to say is...I feel for my home.  I know how it feels to be weak and miserable in the cold and I think both of us are anxiously looking ahead to the warmth and renewal of spring  sunshine and warm rain.

Here's to a new season!

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From Our Home...With Love

Watch Adeline's eyes in the following photos.

too cute!

Here's to a magical & meaningful Christmas!

Serenity (My First Ever Give Away)

As much as I love motherhood and the joy of being with my two little girls day after day, I must admit that there are moments I feel like I can't go on.

There are days when I feel void of patience...when facing their bickering, whining, and temper tantrums feels like more than I can handle.  

I have, on occasion thrown things.  I have yelled and carried on, scaring my children and adding to the chaos of those moments.

Then there is the inevitable regret that overwhelms me, and tempts me to label myself as a horrible, unfit mother.

The truth is I am  not horrible, nor am I unfit to care for these precious little girls.  I AM weak, and I am learning how to love and nurture both myself and my family, but the learning is not without mistakes.

Along with prayer and a few minutes to myself, I have discovered some amazing essential oils to help calm these feeling, and allow me to deal more peacefully with those I love.

There are three main oils I have used in these situations.  They are doTERRA blends, and they have become dear friends and a real support system in the middle of the occasional madness.  Elevation - a joyful blend, Balance - a grounding blend, and Serenity - a calming blend

The way I usually apply these oils is a drop or two of Elevation and Serenity on my chest, over my heart and then a drop or two of Balance on the bottoms of my feet.  It does wonders to calm me and it helps in my desire to be gentle with myself and with my children.

I have used this same combination on my girls when they are having a temper tantrum or wake up crying in the night.  Applying these oils to my girls and even my husband has helped them feel loved and nurtured.

My girls love having Lavender and OnGuard (another oil blend) applied every night before bed.  We have been learning how to incorporate these oils into our daily routine and they are blessing our family, and even improving our outlook on life!

So...I have decided to share the doTERRA experience and give away one of my favorite oil blends...Serenity!!

You can use this calming blend in any situation that causes you stress!  First day of school, or a new job.  You can apply it before giving a presentation to a group of people, or before a big test.  Use it for anything and everything, and then let me know what you think!!

In order to get in on this giveaway here's what you do...

Become a follower on my blog

Share the giveaway on twitter or Facebook

Leave a comment, sharing your own experiences with doTERRA essential oils

Leave a comment with your name and email address

You will be entered once for each of the above entries.

I will be choosing the winner on December 31, New Years Eve, and will mail it out to you on Monday January 2nd!

Here's to a new year filled health and wholeness!

Love, Michelle

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*doTERRA*

Cardigan Empire

It has been over a month since I was featured on Cardigan Empire, and I totally forgot to post it on my own blog!  Sheesh, I must be distracted by a million other equally awesome things. 

So even though it's old news, I'd love for you to follow this link and check out Reachel's beautiful blog and support her weekly celebration of beauty!

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Like a Queen

Tiny shoulders wrapped in fairest skin.  The lightest wisps of wavy hair.  Clear eyes and rose bud lips flutter and twist with the wonder of excitement.  There are dreams in these hearts and big ideas in these little heads!

I sit day after day watching this beauty of girlhood whirl all around me, and I hope with great confidence that one day these little infant goddesses will find a man like their father who will recognize who they are and treat them like a Queen!

I remember as a teenager feeling so angry and embarrassed when my dad would give my boyfriends that "disapproving" look.  What I didn't fully grasp at the time was this innate sense of protection and desire for your daughter to have "only the best". 

One of my very fondest, most tender moments with my father was in the Salt Lake Temple after I was sealed to Tyler for eternity.  He took both of us in his arms, and with tears in his eyes, told us how proud he was of us that day.  I could sense the difficult surrender of handing my care over to another man, but I could feel even more, his respect for and confidence in this man who just covenanted with God to treat me like a Queen!

While we were dating, Tyler handed me a note in church one day that said, "If you marry me, I will make all of your wildest dreams come true".  It was a funny note, but I knew he really meant it.

We just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary and my sweet husband surprised me with tickets to see Andrea Bocelli in concert!  A dream of mine for 13 years now!  I first heard him sing on a PBS special while I was a nanny in California.  I was 20 years old at the time, and my young adventurous heart was spell bound by the powerful voice of a man who could not see his audience.  The beauty of his performance was not only in his voice, but in his presence.  He is blind, and if you've ever seen him sing, you will know that his disability is a part of what makes him great.  He is not a theatrical performer.  He stands in one place, hands to his sides and simply sings.

Being there in the same space as Andrea Bocelli was exactly the dream I envisioned it to be.  It was an experience, a witnessing of greatness -- something I will never, ever forget.

After the concert, Tyler and I sat in a romantically lit restaurant, surrounded by our fellow concert goers.  There seemed to be a collective reverence and excitement for what we had all just experienced.  I heard a gentleman sitting next to us whisper to his wife, "I hadn't expected to feel the emotion I felt as I heard him sing."

Our perfect evening was punctuated with the most perfectly delicious meal we have ever shared, and I knew, as I looked across the table, that my dad's wishes for his daughter were coming true.  Not just in fancy concerts and fine dining, but in a heart that is willing to give and sacrifice for my happiness.  A heart set on keeping his most sacred promise to love me, protect me, and "make my wildest dreams come true."

Happy Anniversary My Love.

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Christmas Light

I have many memories of squeezing into a minivan filled with teenagers from my church youth group, cruising I-15 to the SLC, and laughing all the way there and back.  It was our holiday visit to the Christmas lights at Temple Square.  It would happen every year, and it was the event I looked forward to more than any other youth activity we had.  

I would wander around with my friends in the frosty air, surrounded by crowds of people smiling and laughing beneath the millions of twinkle lights, and every year there would be that moment my heart would swell with complete contentment.  It was the familiar feeling that told me it was finally Christmas!  

When cheeks were ripe with winter rosiness, and every site had been seen, we would load back up and beeline it to Crown Burger for cheese burgers, french fries, and my favorite part...fry sauce!

 The ride home would always be slightly less comfortable, but only because our bellies would be stuffed full of fast food and our toes were in that tingly defrost mode, but the warmth...ahhhh...the warmth was so comfortable.  The warmth of sitting shoulder to shoulder with my friends.  The warmth of belonging, and the warmth of having something to look forward to, something to celebrate, and something to believe in.

I love that Christmas is so full of tradition.  These traditions are little gifts wrapped in memory and filled with light that we can't wait to open year after year.  Even though we know what's inside, the surprise of how we feel never gets old.


What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

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