The first Christmas night

I was thinking, as I so often do, while I was lying in bed, trying desperately sink into the sweet oblivion of dreamless sleep.  I was thinking about that first Christmas and the angels and the shepherds.  Mostly about the angels.  Their song and how joyful and triumphant it must have been.  How loud and engaging it must have been.  Then I had to stop and think,  if it was really as many angels as I imagine, it would have been a song that rang around the world.  How could people not hear it. How could it not be heard by every ear...and my thought was disrupted yet again. Every ear.  You must have ears to hear and a heart to understand.  That song, that I imagine rang around the world, would have been heard by those with a believing heart.  Those who heard the song, that sweet song of triumph, were paying attention.

That led to more thinking, yes I think a lot at night, what sweet songs of the angles am I missing, are we all missing, because we are distracted.  Distracted by our search for money, or recreation or ANYTHING.  I feel like if I"m not doing three things at once, I am wasting time.  At work I have music playing in the background, while I do three other things.  Even right now I'm watching a moving, chatting with my husband, surfing the web and writing on my blog.  Where is the time for silence, for listening to that quiet voice.  You know the still small one that tells you right from wrong and gives you direction.  We..I need to set time aside for quiet meditation. For listening. For reading peacefully. For my Heavenly Father, so I don't miss out on any more choirs of angles singing, and heralding  the  miracles of our day. 

06 January 2011

101 Things updated

Wonder where I'm at with this?

1. Learn to play all of the hymns in the hymn book Working on it
2. Pay Tithing on every paycheck 0/72 (if my math is correct) Have to start over on this one
3. Finish my novel My computer crashed so I have to start over and I haven't yet.
4. Paint my windows for each major holiday (Christmas, New Years, Valentines day, Independence day, St Patrick's day, April Fools Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving) 1/20 My windows are no longr visable so I think I'm cutting this one out.
5. Learn to play all the songs in the Children's Hymn book
6. Attend the temple at least once a month 0/35 Changing this to attend church every week. 
7. Write on my blog once a week 1/143 So we all know I'm not doing this one so well :)
8. Exercise three times a week each week. Two words....EPIC FAIL
9. Keep a journal daily 0/1001 Time to start up on this again
10. Daily personal scripture study 0/1001 Time to start up on this again
11. Daily family scripture study 0/1001 Time to start up on this again
12. Make pillows for my couch Took a couple of sewing lessons from my mom. I think I'm ready to try this one. 
13. Try a new recipe every week 0/143 I've tried a lot! Sadly I haven't kept track of how many new  recipies I've tried. I'd bet it's at least 60 though.
14. Reach my goal weight
15. Get a family portrait Two thirds done. Gone one of the Smith side and the Gale side (thanks to the weddings) Now I need one of Adam, Herc and I. 
16. Get new chairs for the dining room not done yet. Luckily this is only a once thing.
17. Get a dresser DONE! Thanks Mom and Dad for your help on this one
18. House train my puppy He knows where to go and tries REALLY REALLY hard not to have accidents. 
19. Practice Piano daily 1/1001 Our keyboard is in Storage...no place for it. We need to find a place!
20. Spend at least 20 minutes a day cleaning house (excluding vacations) 0/1001 Epic Fail. Time to start trying again. :)
21. Read 100 new books 0/100 I think I'm at 6.  I need to read shorter books. 
22. Read the entire Ensign every month 0/35 Need to do this too!
23. Pray each morning 1/1001
24. Take my nieces and nephews sledding Looking forward to that with 2 feet of snow. 
25. Quit swearing I think I've gotten worse! I need a swear jar. 
    
26. Prepare 72 hour kits for each member of the family (0/2)
27. Fill all the soda pop bottles that I have been saving with water  Threw them all away in the move. 
28. Put $5 into a jar for me for every task completed (0/101)
29. Submit a picture I've taken to a magazine for publication
30. Get eyes checked
31. Print and frame at least one of my own nature photographs
32. Piece and tie a quilt
33. Start a Gratitude Journal
34. Visit a new state
35. Wear makeup daily 1/1001 Forgot how much better I feel about myself when I wear it! Gonna start again. 
36. Go camping for a weekend
37. Do something for a neighbor
38. Donate to friends of scouting
39. Plant a garden with different kinds of veggies than I've grown before  Corn and watermelon cucumbers! It was awesome! I miss gardening. 
40. Make a list of 100 things I like about myself
41. Make a list of 100 reasons I love my husband and give it to him
42. Tell Adam I love him every day 1/1001
43. Complete a "100 Things that Make me Happy"list.
44. Write Jeremiah every week for the rest of his mission 0/35  Jeremiah's home. Think I can do makeup?
45. Make 3 new friends
46. Put away part of each paycheck into my savings account
47. Get a new car
48. Do my hair every day 1/1001
49. Have PERSONAL prayer on a daily basis
50. Get out of Debt
51. Learn a new language Working on Spanish and fixin to start learning sign language. 
52. Start a business have a website...and a facebook page. But I haven't done a lot with it. 
53. Create a website for my business
54. Start a photo blog and post to it daily
55. Go on a romantic weekend getaway with my husband
56. Sew something I can wear
57. Try a new restaurant every month or until we have eaten at all the restaurants in Cedar City(0/35)   We moved from Cedar City but I've tried all but one of the restaurants in heber,
58. Read books by 15 new authors 0/15 Workin on it! Three!
59. Have a fireworks display with my family
60. Go to a parade with my husband  4th of July parade in Cedar City.
61. Go on a hike with my husband
62. Watch 10 inspirational movies 0/10
63. Send out Christmas cards
64. Donate 100 items to DI
65. Only drink soda once a week
66. Take a vacation
67. Complete and frame a cross stitch
68. Go to a play
69. Do something I'm scared of
70. Send a Christmas letter to family and friends
71. Bake and decorate 12 cakes 0/12
72. Attend a renaissance festival   Briefly went to one in Cedar City it was fun
73. Give $5 to charity for each goal I don't complete
74. Get a hutch and display the wedding stuff we have
75. Submit a poem for publishing
76. Have a family home evening lesson twice a month 0/71
77. Have a picnic at a park
78. Go to the kings feast at Excalibur in Las Vegas
79. Comment on 3 blogs a month that I read 0/105
80. Have 3 Girls Night Outs (0/3)
81. Learn a new word a day 0/1001
82. Build a snowman  Last winter with Link Shaunie and Gager
83. Have a snowball fight Last winter with Link Shaunie and Gager
84. Take a daily multivitamin 1/1001
85. Put my blog in a book format
86. Go snorkeling
87. Clean bathroom once a week
88. Get bookshelves and display Our books (this may take mroe than one set of bookshelves)
89. Call my sisters once a week (0/143)
90. Write a letter to each of my nieces and nephews letting them know why they are special to me.
91. refinish my vanity and get it out of my parents house
92. Go on a bike ride with my husband
93. Learn how to play chess
94. Have an outdoor movie night
95. Bake a pie from scratch  Pumpkin Pie this thanksgiving!  It was yummy apparently
96. Take a picture for each letter of the alphabet I'm up to U!
97. Learn to say thank you and your welcome in 10 languages
98. Donate 5 gifts to toys for tots
99. Have Kendra and Golden and Mom and Dad over for a game night three times 0/3
100. Learn how to make jam
101. start the whole mess over again

01 January 2011