Wisdom, Humor, and Inspiration in April

I told this to myself often when the boys were younger when I had days that felt unproductive. 

"Thru cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me" is something I've said and continue to say to myself a lot, especially when times are tough. I've said it to myself through torrents of tears, when trying to calm down in a stressful situation, when going to sleep at night, and for things like taking a particularly lovely walk in the woods. It's a comforting and peaceful refrain and it has become one of my personal mantras. It helps center me and focus me on what really matters--my Savior and the teachings and truths of His gospel.

Deep breaths aren't as profound, but they're good, too! 😤

I really do swear by the Pomodoro Technique for getting big projects done. You can get anything attainable done in 25-minute increments, whether it's 25 minutes once a day or several times a day, or 25 minutes a week, or whatever.  

I'm looking forward to the prophesied day when this will happen. I'll be ready for it, with my proverbial lamp full of oil. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ can't happen soon enough. 

James E. Faust was one of my favorite church leaders when I was in my young adult years. He had some very good thoughts and teachings, like this one. He and I have the same birthday too. :-)

Get that lymph moving!

This was a good, thought-provoking article about how it's okay to be uncomfortable sometimes.

"Being uncomfortable is part of being human. Our attempts to eliminate and prevent any situation that might lead to discomfort are worse than futile: they're a waste of energy that deprives us of the impetus for growth."

"Our efforts shouldn't be in condemning discomfort, but rather in building and honing our skills for managing it with greater skill, awareness, and self-compassion...Ultimately, feeling uncomfortable is an opportunity to grow and evolve--to change and become more resilient and stronger." 💪

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

It's on my To-Do List. And my Figure-Out-How List.

Inspiration found on t-shirts in a Harry Potter shop at Universal Studios in Orlando. 😄

These are all wonderful qualities that I love and appreciate in myself (not perfect, but always striving) and in others.

Helpful Facebook comments that I could relate to that accompanied an article about marriage and divorce. 

More than ever before, I appreciate articles about frugality and simplicity and how to be smart with money, both because of the floundering economy and because of my changed financial situation due to the upcoming divorce.

Life really is wonderful, and this is one of my favorite movies!

This was cute 😊

These two were my personal faves, and I'm not being sarcastic!

Crazy Times Scrapbook, April 2022

 Well the good thing about my Crazy Times posts if for some "crazy" reason you don't enjoy them 😁 is that they're getting shorter since my time to peruse the news has been getting shorter because of work. I changed my Wall Street Journal subscription this spring to only getting the print copy once a week instead of six days a week. I miss it, but unfortunately I don't have the time to read it every day anymore. I still get it every day on the app, but it's not the same. If I don't have a physical paper, then I'm less likely to read it. But of course, I still follow the news and I'll continue to do these posts because the times we live in continue to be crazy and (not to be a pessimist) I believe they're going to get worse.

April's post is especially short because of what a busy month it was!

Good for Oklahoma! 

And good for the Supreme Court to finally right the monumental wrong that was done 49 years ago. I'm overjoyed by their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The incredibly tragic irony of this when you think of the Democrats' positions on racial equity, social justice, and abortion rights is jarring.

Don't get either of them! They're not worth it.

This silly mask mandate got struck down in time for our Florida trip, which we were able to enjoy entirely mask-free. 🙌

This is totally appropriate. And contrary to popular uninformed opinion, the bill doesn't mention the word "gay" at all. What is wrong with people? I'm very disappointed, though not surprised, by Disney's reaction. 

This makes some very interesting points about Ukraine, Russia, and American imperialism.

April Hair Selfies

 I was liking the messy bun in April!

Right now my hair is in fact pulled back like it is in the above pictures as I assemble this silly but fun little blog post. 

I was still liking the barrette, too!

I am currently in a state of mourning for the loss of this barrette. It was my favorite one and it matched everything and I can't find it anywhere. I rarely lose things and so when I do, it hits deep. 😭

Above is me in the morning. Below is me in the evening. See the difference? 😄 For this and other reasons, I'm definitely a morning person! 

Finally a headband! 

Side note, this is the last time I wore this particular sweater. I liked it but pale blue is not a great color on me. Pastels wash me out too much; I'm too fair-skinned for them. 

Back to the barrette! And to navy blue--my favorite color to wear!

Around the House in April

Sourdough bread made with my starter. We eat it up!

Violet before her very bad month began.

Sam pretending to flip the bird.

The view from my chaise lounge chair, where I read my scriptures every day.

If you look closely, you'll see that Violet is wearing one of my necklaces. Sam put it on her. What a pretty lady!

More fake bird-flipping by Sam

It hailed a few times on a weird-weather Saturday afternoon.

My aunt and cousins being silly. Well, mostly just my aunt. 😆

My favorite cousin Kassy came out to visit from the Berkshires for a few hours with her cute twin daughters.

I took a picture of my car to send to my friend who was helping me out with transportation for the Orlando trip. She picked up my car at the bus station and kept it at her house for the week. My friends (and family) are so helpful and I love them!

A cute little assembly of random Easter decorations. I've had the Anne Geddes bunny baby in the chocolate egg ever since I was in high school!

Here's Sam in his most-frequented spot.

And doing his most-frequented gesture. Again! 🙄

And again and again and again. As you can see this was a theme for Sam in the spring!

He was wearing my dad's hat. 😄

I mostly ignore it. If it becomes the real thing, then we have a problem. He's a stinker!