Another Feast

Yesterday, our family enjoyed another feast! We have been reading The Book of Mormon every morning this year and studying from the Come, Follow Me manual. At the beginning of November we added a couple of extra chapters each week so we could finish by the end of the month (as we love to read from our daily Christmas book in December). Yesterday we completed our goal and finished The Book of Mormon again! To celebrate our spiritual feast we ordered a temporal feast from Mumbai Masala Grill.

I LOVE The Book of Mormon! Just like the Old and New Testaments it is another testament of Jesus Christ and his gospel. Reading it helps me feel the love of my Savior for me and my family more deeply. Spoiler alert- this book does not have a happy ending. I usually prefer books with a happy ending, but this one ends with the complete destruction of the Nephite people as well as the Jaredite people. This is heartbreaking to me, but I believe this book was written for our day- that we might learn from history so we aren't doomed to repeat it, and if we do that we can have a very happy ending indeed!

We have also started memorizing scriptures as a family. Our scripture this month is from 2 Nephi 31:20, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

If you would like to read The Book of Mormon, I would love to send you a copy! Just let me know!

 

#GiveThanks- Bonus

Today I am most grateful for the beautiful Christmas season (as today it officially starts in my world)! I love everything about Christmas, especially the music. To quote The Christmas Waltz, "It's that time of year when the world falls in love." That line makes me swoon! Can't you just feel the whole world loving each other a little more? I sure can and I adore it! Click HERE to listen to a beloved Christmas song that I think is most appropriate for this year, Maybe This Christmas by Ron Sexsmith.

Our family loves to sing Christmas songs and I recently compiled our collection of carols into a three-part book (the songs we sing with our Christmas book that we read from December 1-24; the songs we sing on Christmas eve; and the songs we sing on Christmas day), so each of my children could have their own copy of all the words. I'd love to share it with you! Leave a comment or send me a note [reil(dot)fun(at)gmail(dot)com] and I'll send you the digital file. #GiveThanks and Merry Christmas!

 

#GiveThanks- 7

Today I am most grateful for Thanksgiving! I love it so much I get to celebrate it twice! This year I have been studying the Old Testament and I've been surprised at how many times the Lord commanded the Israelites to feast. I love to feast! It's not just about eating good food though, it's about being thankful for my blessings, and recognizing that those blessings come from a loving God. I hope I always get to celebrate the big holidays- Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter; the smaller holidays- New Year's, Valentine's, St. Patrick's, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Canada and Independence Day, Halloween; and all the other celebratory days- birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, babies' births, school graduations. Life is good and it's so wonderful to enjoy it, not just endure it! #GiveThanks

(I've also been grateful for the many #GiveThanks posts I've read this week. Thanks for sharing your blessings!)

 

#GiveThanks- 6

Today I am most grateful for friendship. I have moved a lot in my life. I am so grateful that everywhere I have lived I have found sweet friends that have enriched my life. I'm grateful for my friendships from childhood that are still an important part of my life. I'm grateful for my local friends that have become like family as we are so far away from ours. I'm grateful for all the friends in between from the USA, to England, to Taiwan, to India, and to Canada. I'm grateful for YOU! #GiveThanks

A couple of my favorite friends from my childhood in Las Vegas.  We've known each other since 1987!

Some of my favorite friends from adulthood.  I've now lived the longest period of my life in Ottawa and am so grateful for my friends here!

I'm so grateful for all of my favorite friends that aren't pictured here, but are still in my heart!

#GiveThanks- 5

Today I am most grateful for the humanities. I love them all!- music, dance, theater, literature, architecture, sculpture, painting, photography. Someday I hope to follow in the footsteps of my talented sister-in-law and start painting every day (after my youngest child is in school). This art is called Totem and it's by Michelle Allen. She is one of my favorite contemporary artists. Her work is bright, colorful, whimsical, and a little quirky. I'm grateful to all who create beauty in this world and I hope I can create many beautiful things in my life too! #GiveThanks

 

#GiveThanks- 4

Today I am most grateful for the families that Leonard and I were raised in. I'm grateful I was raised by mom and step-dad, and my dad. I'm grateful my dad remarried after I was married and I got another family. I'm grateful for the family I married into too. I'm so grateful for all six of our parents, our siblings and siblings-in-law, our nieces and nephews. I'm also so grateful for all of our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Family is everything! #GiveThanks

#GiveThanks- 3

 

Today I am most grateful for the beautiful planet we all get to call home and its lovely seasons. After the long, cold winters here, my soul rejoices when spring finally comes and the beautiful flowers bloom. My favorite thing in the summer is to visit the roaring ocean (my name means white wave, so I LOVE the waves!). Living in the east, we have the most amazing falls where all the leaves come out in all their glory. Winter is hard on me (seasonal affective disorder is real), but I do love the first snow fall when everything is covered in quiet serenity. I'm so very grateful for the beauty of the earth! #GiveThanks

#GiveThanks- 2

Today I am most grateful for this precious family of mine. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband who is so loving and supportive of me. I am so grateful for each and every one of our children. I love each one of them as if they were my favorite! Could you believe we struggled with infertility for three years before we became parents? I never imagined then I would be this lucky!

Click HERE to watch the video where I accepted this gratitude challenge.

Please join us with what you are thankful for this week and share with #GiveThanks!

 

#GiveThanks- 1

This week I'm taking a gratitude challenge. Today I am most grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ. I believe he is the son of God. I believe he came to earth (so excited to celebrate his birth this Christmas season), walked with man, and blessed many. I believe he was crucified and died atoning for all the sins, including mine. I believe three days later he was resurrected on that first glorious Easter morn. I believe that because of him, I too will be resurrected someday after I've passed away. I believe that because of him, I can repent and be forgiven. I believe that because of him, I can return to live with my Heavenly Parents and my earthly family someday. I know that Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth, and the life, and that no man cometh to the Father, but by him. I am so grateful for him!

#GiveThanks

 

August Outside

In August we had a lot of rain which was good for the thirsty grass.  It also meant our temperatures were noticeably cooler which signals summer is ending which is always so hard for me.  I like it warm!

The trees and sky were both so lush!

I love the tall, skinny birch trees.  So unassuming, but still so beautiful.

The goldenrod is waist high now.

And the Black-eyed Susans are out in all their glory.

Do you notice some of the leaves are already turning orange?  Sigh.  Summer is never quite long enough here, but it is so cherished while it visits.

I was so excited to catch this sunburst through the tree leaves.  Summer please come again quickly!

August Inside

August brings more enjoyment of flip flops, popsicles, lemonade.

And all the colors of wildflowers!

The Beachconers

During our walk down the Ottawa River, we discovered this snazzy microcreamery ice cream shop.  We first saw it on a Sunday, and we don't like to shop on Sundays, so we made plans to go back later in the week.  That day came and off we went (it's in Britannia Beach, so quite far from our home).  Soon after we got there it started raining!  That didn't deter the kids though, they wanted some ice cream.  Kaleb went with some friends to get milkshakes downtown, so he missed out.  This ice cream was quite superb!

I wish it hadn't been raining- I wanted to sit in that rainbow of Adirondack chairs!