Gray or no Gray, That is the Question!

So my younger sister came into town last Saturday and we've spent some time together!  This sister has decided to let her hair grow out and no longer color it.  She looks so cute with it natural.  I on the other hand have been coloring my hair every 2 weeks for the past who knows how long and now I am questioning if I should let mine go and just get it over with and go aunatural. 

A little history.  My paternal grandmother colored her hair until she died.  I didn't even know she had gray hair until I was sixteen and saw her hair once when it had grown out.  It was a very rare event as she always kept it colored and in very nice condition.  She always dyed her hair a dark brown.  More recent, my own mother has colored her hair since I was very young.  She is almost 70 and is still blonde.  So I really come by coloring honestly. 

My husband gets tired of me coloring and has asked me on various occasions to just let it go.  I've just always felt that being as young as I am that gray hair would make me seem older and I didn't want to seem older than I am or than I felt. 

So today I made the leap.  I went to my hair stylist and she is helping me transition.  We colored my hair back to my natural color and she did a lighter color weaving through my hair.  She will continue to do the light weaving until my gray and the weaving blend and then I'll just let it finish growing out.  I told her that there might be times that I panic and call her, but she laughed and said she will talk me out of coloring it so that I can go to my natural color.  I'm excited and a little scared.  Yet I feel it will be a bit more freeing not having to pretend that I'm something I'm not.  However if things get out of hand and I can't handle it I will let you all know!!

So how do you feel about hair color??

Spring Colds

I woke up yesterday with almost no voice and a stuffy head.  I was hoping that this year I would get by without catching what everyone else in my family seems to have had.  But no such luck!  So today I am relaxing, and doing what I love when I'm ill.  I'm watching Pride and Prejudice and drinking warm citrus drinks to soothe my throat.  My husband would roll his eyes if he knew I was watching Pride and Prejudice as he seems to think I watch it way too often.  I think I watch it about once every six or eight weeks.  It is one of my favorite movies.  I don't know if it's the manners they seem to show or just the lovely story of a unique family that I love so much. 

I hope this will pass quickly as I have alot of projects that I want to begin now that the weather is cooperating.  We will be putting in a new sprinkler system on Saturday and I want to get my garden in soon.  I'm also going to re-paint my bedroom (I'll post pictures) soon.  When we moved in a little under 2 years ago, I painted one of the walls in my bedroom red and put black and gold on top with glaze.  It looks very vintage french, or perhaps old italian.  Which would have been fine in a kitchen, but I don't know what I was thinking of putting it in a bedroom.  So I am planning on more soothing colors.  I also have alot of sewing to do.  Thus I feel that there is a lot to get done and so I need to be feeling better quickly, but for now I'm going to enjoy the day and watching my favorite movie!

What is your favorite thing to do when you're not feeling well?

Girlfriends

This has been a busy week.  And I've enjoyed it.  One thing I found out this week was how grateful I am for good friends (good girl friends!). 

A few years ago, I had a friendship that went south.  I can't blame the other person totally as I know it takes 2 to make a relationship work.  But since that time, I've been very cautious as to who I talk to about my personal life and what I'm going through.  I guess you could say I've become a more private person, but I've also not been the happy person that I used to be.  I used to be totally outgoing and was friends with everyone.  I've been very scared to do that again, because my heart was so hurt last time. 

Well, this past week I had some disappointments in my life.  They weren't earth shaking or devestating, but they were disappointments none the less and I was pretty stressed out about them.  I went to bed on Tuesday night with a headache, (I never have headaches).  When I woke up on Wednesday, I could barely open my eyes my headache was so bad.  I hated it.  I didn't want to move.  Well, I finally pulled myself out of bed and got going for the day, but the pain persisted.  Late in the afternoon, I received a phonecall from a recent friend.  She told me that I had been on her mind and she wanted to check on me to make sure I was ok.  What a blessing.  I broke down and told her what had been going on this week.  She was there for me.  She knew what I needed to hear and let me vent.  She didn't judge, she didn't think I was totally off the wall, she loved me for who I am.  It helped to have someone to talk things over with and to feel safe in doing so.  I've missed having a friend to talk to and I really have needed a good girlfriend in my life.

I hope that I can be a friend like this friend has been to me.  She was a great example of a Christ-like friend showing Christ-like love.   My life has been blessed because of her. 

Next day, things were back to normal and I was back at life.  Thanks to the stress relief of her friendship!!  I am blessed!!

Last Minute Details

Today began as a normal Saturday, doing odds and ends and running errands.  Then my youngest daughter who had been asked to the last dance of the school year decided that she didn't have shoes that would match her dress. 



Original shoes



My husband and I had errands in Ogden all day and so I just didn't know how we were going to find new shoes in time.  Then I had an idea - why not refurbish her old shoes that were comfortable and wouldn't give her blisters.  So while I was in Ogden, I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some ribbon and this is what I did:

I took her original shoes and cut the bow off of the front.  Then I took the ribbon and gathered 4 sections.  I needed 2 for each shoe.

Then I hot glued these onto the shoes.  I folded the gathered pieces to find the center and then I began in the middle and glued each piece moving to the outside.  I did the top piece first and then added the second piece underneath it.  That way I was able to see how much ribbon would show beneath the top one.

 Then I added a bow that was made of black ribbon with pink polkadots to finish off the look.

They turned out to be just right for this dance and especially for a last minute fix!

Hannah and her date JJ! 

She looked beautiful in her dress and the shoes matched perfectly!!

Sisters

This last week has been a little hecktic.  I've been playing catch up because we went to Page, AZ over the weekend and didn't come home until Monday night.  So I missed a day this week, and that means adding to the other days to make up for it. 

So the reason we went to Page was to see my sister and her family.  She moved a little over 2 years ago to Page and boy can I tell you I sure miss her.  It was wonderful to see her and the family.  Her second oldest son just got home from an LDS mission in California and so we went to listen to him speak in their church.  He did a wonderful job and was a great success. 

We had a fun time talking and catching up and I can't wait for her to come up and visit us here in Utah.  She is the kind of sister that has always been there for me.  If I had a problem, she would listen and then she would help me by not fixing everything.  She would let me figure it out - although if I needed she would help fix it.  She's just that kind of sister.  She is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day!!  She is always positive and happy, so it really makes me feel bad when she is saddened by anything. 

On Sunday after our great visit, her oldest son and his fiance had to leave.  I kinda took this for granted, because I see them all the time.  They come and play games and have dinner at our house and we are able to be with them.  So when they went to leave, it broke my heart to see her hang on him and cry because she wouldn't be seeing him for awhile.  I got tears in my eyes and I wanted to fix this for her ( because that's the kind of sister I am.  I try and fix everything), but knew I couldn't (but I so wanted to).  He is getting married in a little over a month and so she will be coming up to help plan everything out in a couple of weeks and I can't wait.  Maybe it will help lessen the heartache a little for her to see him again. 

We had a wonderful weekend and I miss my sister.  I was blessed with 2 beautiful sisters who are wonderful women that I am grateful to have them in my life.  I can count on them for anything.  They are better than best friends, because they are always there, no matter what!  I am grateful and truly blessed!!  And I have to say SISTERS ARE THE GREATEST EVER!!!!

Temple Blessings

This morning I was up early.  I got my exercise in, my scripture study, my breakfast and felt I was doing good.  Then I went to my facebook account and my day got even better.  I read an incredible blog post by a woman that made my day.  You can read it here. 

This past week was a struggle for me.  I am the RS President in our ward and one of my counselor's had asked to be released.  So on Tuesday I headed to the Temple to receive the inspiration I needed to know who my next counselor should be.  (Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe Heavenly Father will lead and guide us if we strive for His spirit to be with us.) So by going to the Temple I was seeking this guidance.  I had asked the sister that serves as my secretary if she wanted to go with me as we often have gone to the Temple together with our husbands.  So on the way over, she also asked to be released.  What a shock!  And yet as we talked, I knew that this was the right thing for her and her family.  I'm so grateful for the Spirit that leads and guides us.

As I sat in the Celestial room at the Temple I was so blessed to feel the Spirit of our Heavenly Father there.  I knew of His love for me and that He was aware of the struggles I was going through.  I felt a calm assurance that everything would be okay and that it would go according to His will.  That peace and calm that I felt was such a blessing to me.  I was grateful that I had the Temple to go to as a place of refuge from the worldly cares that I had been bogged down by.  I felt renewed and like I could face the world again.  It's wonderful to have these Temple blessings.

Blessings

So the last week has been a little crazy.  I've been taking classes required by the state and nationally to get my Mortgage Originator's license.  It's been a little overwhelming, but still it's been fun.  I am trying to get my license so that I can work for a neighbor.  I will be doing his loan processing and I think it will be a very good fit for me.  I will be able to set my own hours (as long as I get the work done) and still be able to do my church calling and be a mom and grandma.  This is what I've been looking for.  I feel very blessed that my Heavenly Father is watching out for me.  He seems to know when I need His watchful care.  He opens doors and pours out his blessings. 

I've also been blessed to go and spend time with my daughter and grand-daughter.  It's been fun watching her grow.  And my how she is growing.  It seems like I see her and within just a couple of days she is changing.  Today she was cooing at me and smiling.  I love being a grandma.  I never thought I'd like it this much but it's a blast.  I can't wait to take her and do things with her it will be such fun and it's something I'm really looking forward to.

So for now, this is my life and I'm really enjoying it!  I am blessed!