Confession ...

I know you've all heard of sticker shock ... Well, my friends, I am going to redefine the term for you! As those of you closest to me know, I have some extra time on my hands right now. Because of this, I have been trying to reorganize my house. Out with the old ....and no more new! I need to do these things...really, I haven't seen the bottom of some of this crap since before I moved into this condo and sadly, I have been here for 8 and a half years! So, yesterday I decided to go through these containers that have been stacked on my craft table since I moved in.  Within the stacks I found spools of brand new ribbon, brand new glue sticks that had shriveled and died before I ever even opened the package and dust bunnies! I was  mortified by the dust bunnies!! They were dust bunnies on steroids at best! It was frightening, to say the least. However, the  most humiliating part of my mission yesterday was the discovery of boxes filled with aged stickers!  I have not minced words in the past of my serious addiction to stickers! I love stickers! I buy them when I don't need them ... I mean, who actually "needs" a sticker? I do use them, but unfortunately, I do not use them as quickly as I should .... kind of like food storage that never gets rotated! Anyway, as I was rifling through this sticker container I found a Hallmark sack full of stickers purchased when??? I found the receipt! They were purchased in Trumbull Connecticut February 1988! YES PEOPLE!!! I SAID 1988!!!! You do the math! That is a 23 year old bag of stickers!!! Not only did I waste $10.41 cents in 1988 ... They are stickers that have lost their stick ability! They can no longer fill the measure of their creation! So, in reality, I murdered the stickers!! They lost their lives because of my greed for " more " and my lack of organizational skill and discipline! Please forgive me!
I have now confessed ... however,I must leave you now, there is a sticker sale at Hobby Lobby and I can't miss it!

Because Of Him ... there is hope.

I was at a craft store yesterday ... there was a young mom with three kids, the baby crying, and two older children whining and fighting ... the poor mom looked frustrated, fatigued and helpless, like she was dangling on her last nerve. Then to top it all off, two older women were rolling their eyes at the fussing children and one said much too loudly to the other, " It's so annoying when you can't even shop without having to listen to this crap!" I was so annoyed with the two old farts that I said, (much too loudly!)  " It's so annoying when two old farts fuss about other peoples kids, what's she supposed to do with them?, It's illegal to tie them up like horses outside!" The young mom laughed, but I saw the tears in her eyes as she moved her little family to the door.

I was saddened, for the frustrated mom and for the lack of compassion from the older women ... I kept thinking about the incident as I drove away. I had been feeling the heaviness of my own burdens and trials all day. I was missing my bother who passed away a year and a half ago. I felt picked on and lonely. I felt this poor young mom was probably feeling a little picked on herself.

Life is interesting at best. There is always something ... something lonely, sad, frustrating or maddening, sometimes there's so much of it that it's overwhelming! ...

David Osmond sings a song called "The Loneliest Walk" ... I was deeply moved by the last verse ...

"He pushes up the board they've tied onto his shoulders
He bears, with dignity, disgrace
He hears the jeering and the wind is getting colder
Tastes the blood upon his face
His body bruised an back still open from the scourges
The consequence of wicked men
He knows no man on earth has ever deserved this
But still He bears it all for them
And He keeps moving up the hill to do His Father's will
With each step He takes there's another to follow
And one more ache, one more tear to swallow
We all stand by and watch as the price is paid
Through the loneliest walk of His life
So we don't feel alone in the night
We can have His hand holding the light
Through the loneliest walk of our lives.

Keep pushing through this lonely walk you're going through
'Cause some one's walked this way before."


Listening to this verse over and over on my CD player and very overcome with emotion. My heart was burning with gratitude that we  have a Savior who loves us so much that He would walk that lonely walk and feel the weight and pain of all the world so that no matter what we go through ...

The mom who is juggling fussy kids ..
The lonely gal with a cat and no job ...
the widow who misses her husband so desperately that she feels like the pain will never end...
the person who's health is spiraling out of control and just one more test seems like just one too many...

No matter what we are faced with ... because of the Savior, we have hope. The hope we need to get through all of the crud. The hope that is the umbrella that shields us from the rain, the blanket of His love that warms us when it is cold and lonely. But mostly, He is the light at the end of the trial! The warmth, the joy and the peace that are the gifts of his suffering. Praise Him for loving us that much.


"And what is it that we shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of His ressurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in Him according to the promise."     --Moroni 7:41

A pathetic cry for seasonal gifts...!

Awe ...cute!

written by: Jana Jeppson 2/2011 (adapted from popular song "Mr Sandman")


Mr Cupid,
Bring me a man
make him the nicest guy you possibly can.
make him a temple recommend holder
and tell him that his single days are over.

Mr. Cupid,
I'm so alone
I need a sweetheart that I can call my own
I want a guy with a really good job
and it would help if he wasn't a slob!

Mr Cupid,
A sweet valentine
It would be so great if he'd say, "Please Be Mine!"
Then top it of with some jewelry and cheers ...
oh, I've been dreaming of this sweetie for years!

Mr Cupid,
I've asked Santa Claus
and he ignored my sweet wish for  this cause.
I'm hoping  I don't sound sad and pathetic
or sick enough to call  paramedics.

So, Mr Cupid,
I'm counting on you ...
show me the magic I know you can do

please read my heart and send me a dream ...
Just bring me, Cupid, please bring to me, Cupid
Mr Cupid, bring me a dream!

Disclaimer: This pathetic peom was written in the wee hours of the morning, and though it does sound a bit whiney, it is humorous, and so I will keep it posted ... LOL ;o)

Whatever Happened To Snail Mail???

Don't get me wrong folks, I love a good e-mail along with the next gal! I really enjoy getting comments on my blog posts. Text messages from the nieces and nephews are a good thing, but I miss snail mail! I was rummaging through a box and found a birthday card sent to me by my grandma in 2001, that's the last birthday card I ever got from her.  She passed away just days before my birthday that year but had already written the card. I stared at her handwriting and it brought tears to my eyes. Do kids even realize today how valuable handwriting is? That it is an actual piece of someone that can be cherished? Does that sound corny? I don't mean it to but as I fumbled through the box further, I found more priceless treasures. and my heart was moved as I read notes from old friends and family members.

I read a note that a dear friend gave to me when I lost my job. I have read that note at least a hundred times over the last few months ... it gives me encouragement and hope.  It reminds me that no matter how frustrating and unfair my life seems right now, there are people who are with me, who care and pray for me.

I know that we all feel insignificant and alone now and again. Because of that I know how important those written notes can be to offer comfort and strength. I saw a news report and then read an article online about a man who committed to writing a thank you note every day for a year and how it changed his life. Perhaps I need to take a lesson from him and make a point to noticing and expressing gratitude to individuals in my own life. I also read an article by a girl who, after being diagnosed with a debilitating disease, was encouraged to step outside of her "poor me" attitude and do something for others in order to refocus. So she decided to give 29 gifts in 29 days.  She said it changed her life. I was thinking, I too need to refocus my energy. I could take this new found knowledge and use it to benefit someone besides me ... the possibilities are endless....hummmm ...
I think in order to see your world change, you must do something to change your world. Just a thought.