By His Grace I Can.

Click here for Video. **I just need to clarify, I am NO Psychologist!! (My degree is actually in French Teaching)  I am just sharing things that I have learned that have to do with psychology in hopes that the principles will enlighten others.** I was intrigued when my therapist told me that I had grown up with attachment issues and explained the 3 main proponents that contribute to a healthy attachment.  I think it was especially enlightening to me because I have four young children and hope that I can help to create a healthy attachment with each of them. The video  goes in to more depth about the A.R.E. of attachment, but I'll at least break it down visually for you here: A-Accessibility R-Responsivness E-Engagement Also, in the movie I mention using Venn Diagrams as a way to connect with my kids.  When I first started meeting with my therapist I felt SO much guilt each day.  If I was doing the laundry I felt guilty for not being wi...

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009 Truths & Lies It's always relieving to me when I read an article in the Ensign on a topic that applies to me and realize that I'm not the only one that is dealing with such things. I just was skimming through the October 2009 Ensign and came across such an article, "Truth & Lies"...the author, Jennifer Nuckols, identifies lies that satan uses to bind us down and burden us. Lies that make us feel inadequate, insecure, anxious and depressed. BUT then also include the TRUTHS that can bring us feelings of hope and peace and love. If you want to read the article for yourself online click here . In any case, here are a few quotes that I wanted to share: "the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be (Jacob 4:13, Book of Mormon)." "LIE: Because of my weaknesses and failings, God is continually disappointed in, frustrated with,...

SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2013 Kitchen Floors and Repentance. Lately as I've been sweeping, I've been thinking about how my kitchen floor and repentance are similar.   If I don't give my floor a good scrub each week, it gets dirtier and dirtier until we're sticking to it...and there are more dirty spots then clean floor.   Definitely know this from personal and recent experience ;0)   BUT, the weeks I do mop and get it sparkly clean, I am much more apt to spot clean when minor accidents and spills happen.   Not only can we enjoy a cleaner floor throughout the week, but it doesn't take so much Saturday scrubbing to get it back up to speed.   It got me thinking that it's similar with us and repentance.   It gave more meaning to being prepared to attending church and partaking of the sacrament each week, and the importance of "spot cleaning" throughout the week when we make mistakes. Many Saturday mornings we work together with the kids to get our a...

Click here to watch The Gift of Grace. The Gift of Grace by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf On Easter Sunday we celebrate the most long-awaited and glorious event in the history of the world. It is the day that changed everything. On that day, my life changed. Your life changed. The destiny of all God’s children changed. On that blessed day, the Savior of mankind, who had taken upon Himself the chains of sin and death that held us captive, burst those chains and set us free. Because of the sacrifice of our beloved Redeemer, death has no sting, the grave has no victory,1 Satan has no lasting power, and we are “begotten … again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”2 Truly, the Apostle Paul was correct when he said we can “comfort one another with these words.”3 God’s Grace We often speak of the Savior’s Atonement—and rightly so! In Jacob’s words, “Why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him?”4 But...

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009 Journeys. Wow, the weather has been beautiful lately! Monday I decided it was time for Brie to have her first experience with Spring by way of a little "nature walk" around the yard. And thanks to Tyler and Tiffany we had the perfect outfit for the occasion :0) The summer before Bryan and I got married, my dad put a great little bench swing in the backyard. Brie and I of course had to take a little break before wandering on around the yard. She looked so cute just hanging out. (I wonder what she thinks of all these new experiences!) Speaking of journeys, I wanted to mention how grateful I was for General Conference. I had been thinking about several of my needs and concerns beforehand and felt that the Lord addressed them all. My "theme" (the area in my life that I want to focus on) as of late is self-mastery. Now, when I say self-mastery I don't mean perfection. Oh no :0) I just mean that I really have the des...

(When I have the time, Monday will be my day to share thoughts on Motherhood .  I think I'll start by going back to the beginning of being a first time mom and work forward.) SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2009 As I have loved you. Brie was having a hard time the other day. She was really fussy and I just couldn't seem to help her out. I finally decided it was time for a chage of scenery and a "field trip" up to visit grandpa and grandma. As I walked into my parents' room the song, "Love One Another" started playing. As I have loved you, love one another. This new commandment: love one another. By this shall men know ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another. As I listened to the words and held Brie I started to tear up, thinking of the love that the Savior has shown me, and the fact that His love is endless, even on my "fussy" days. I was grateful for the gentle reminder to continue loving my little daughter, esp...

Click to See Video . What started as a very frustrating experience became a sweet lesson for me & my kids about the love, tenderness, care and cleansing power of Jesus Christ.  He doesn't belittle or abandon us when we stray from the path, He removes the remnants of our sins and makes us clean.  And He invites us to come and come again, every time that we need to be made new. (Watch above linked video to hear the story) We are here on Earth to learn to become like God.  That is no simple task.  God KNOWS that we will stride & strive yet struggle, stray and sin. It's all part of our mortal experience and thus He lovingly made provisions for cleansing.  He sent us a Savior who truly can & WANTS to make us clean, no matter how far we've wandered, no matter how long it's been. One of my favorite songs about the Savior beckoning to us to come back is Come As You Are by Nathan Pacheco. (Click to Enlarge Lyrics)

Click here for Video. After hearing that CHILDREN and teen suicide rates have greatly increased in the social media era--in large part because of the often unrealistic, perfect-seeming and unobtainable standards that are portrayed & shared--I made this video in an effort for me to personally be more authentic on social media for the people in my sphere of influence.  Recording in my PJs with a day old hairdo and makeup and giving a mini tour of my MESSY house contributed to those efforts ;0) As I mention in the video , I LOVE beautiful things.  I love designing cute invitations, throwing themed and coordinated events and decorating my house for each holiday and season.  It's easy for me to only post the beautiful, "perfect"-looking parts of my life.  But I desire to make positive waves with authenticity, to liberate myself from unobtainable standards and feel comfortable & confident in my skin AND to allow allow others to do the same. If you t...

Click here for video. After using the Momentum Tracker for several months and seeing SUCH big changes in my daily living, overall happiness and excitement for life, I started sharing it with friends and family. The more I shared, the more I learned (I love how the Holy Ghost can teach us truths as we talk & teach!). This video is to share the insights that I had and also gleaned from family and friends. (If you are interested in getting a copy of the Momentum Tracker that my therapist designed, for personal non-commercial use, please let me know!)

Click Here for Video. If I took a look at my life it essentially had all the elements that I would handpick, yet I was constantly trying to escape my reality.  Usually I escaped through endless, mindless, insatiable scrolling on social media and by eating junk food.  But nothing seemed to fill the void.  I was almost always tired, irritable, easily angered and annoyed.  I loved spending time with my husband or by myself, but it was never enough.  I did things I enjoyed but felt like I was stealing the time or being selfish.  In spite of my extremely supportive husband, each day felt like an uncontrollable vicious cycle with no way of changing things.  Showering, getting ready, and exercising didn't feel like priority or even possibilities.  Regardless of my efforts I chronically felt behind in everything.   My kids seemed more burdensome than anything else, with never-ending messes, requests, tantrums, fights, whining and compl...

I'll be honest, although mental illness runs in my family and definitely played a role in my upbringing, I wasn't keen on the idea of looking in to my own mental health.  The societal stigmas kept me stressing over all of the "what ifs" instead of seeking for answers & solutions.  Finally in the Fall of 2017 my mental health was negatively influencing my physical health to such a degree that I felt sick and debilitated most days.  It was unsustainable, especially as the mother of 4 young & active children and a new puppy.  Something had to change.  I ended up doing a Facebook Live (see video here ), sharing an impression I'd had regarding my mental health.  Little did I know that the comments I received would be more important than what I shared.  They were a springboard for finally being brave enough to officially face my dragons.  I say officially because I'd done my  best to deal with my anxiety for years and I KNOW that God has b...

(Image from special need parenting.net) “Jesus doesn’t make up the difference. Jesus makes all the difference.  Grace is not about filling gaps. It is about filling us.” ― Brad Wilcox Several months ago in the early morning, the thought came to me again to start an inspirational blog. I got out of bed, came down here to our craft room office.  I knew the first thing I'd need was a title for my blog.  Grace has been a theme of mine for awhile and I thought something with Grace would be fitting.  I wanted to pick By His Grace I Can Do All Things, but it was already taken.  But I like what it left me--- By His Grace I can. By His grace what can I do?  What can I become?  What can I abandon?  What can I intentionally make a part of my life? I can___________ overcome an addiction. become a better parent. learn to love difficult family members. better follow the Savior. create joy each day. reach my greatest potential. see m...

“The Atonement of Jesus Christ does not just provide a way to clean up messes; it provides the purpose and desire to avoid making more messes. The Atonement doesn’t allow us to ignore our appetites or pretend they don’t matter, but to educate and elevate them.” ― Brad Wilcox, The Continuous Atonement Before sharing my journey, I'd like to give you a glimpse of where I was at.  Many moments I felt like I was on an emotional roller-coaster, trying to escape the monotony, discontentment or stressors of my life through social media or food.  I was insecure, unsure of my strengths, my choices and who I should be.  I kept waiting and reaching for something else to bring me fulfillment and happiness, but rarely felt it.  The redeeming element in all of this was that I had a firm testimony of a loving Heavenly Father who had sent His perfect son to live & die for us AND who had given me another precious gift of the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  It is th...

Around the time when blogging was big, I started a blog to chronicle the adventures of our growing family and the lessons I was learning along the way. I kept it as a private blog for fear of my children's safety---dealing with general anxiety, a lot of my life revolved around fear & trying to feel safe. Ten years later I feel inspired to start this blog as a way to share with you a part of my journey toward greater mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. My greatest hope is to provide a safe place of insight, pondering, sharing and growth.  Thanks for stopping in!  Feel to feel to share and to subscribe so you can stay up on all the latest posts.