Beautiful Sabbath and me vs the adversary....

Good Morning my beautiful Internet friends! How are y'all doing??  I have been working on a couple of blogs and I will be publishing them soon!!  BUT right now I really wanna talk about the adversary and just how much he is working against me......AND how I am retaliating and fighting right back!!! (which, is  NOT easy!)

 I believe I have mentioned my goals recently......anyhow, I am due for my interview to get my patriarchal blessing this weds.......OH NO!!  I am gonna have to change! my son has a football game!! SEE???  that's the stuff I am talking about! Anyhoo,  I have been busting my behind to do what I am supposed to do so I know I am worthy of it!!  One of the main things is to attend Church like I am supposed to, and I have! Has it been easy??? Heck no! Not at all!!!  I am gonna give u an example of how the adversary is soooo working against me.

I went to the Dr on Tues of last week.  My health isn't the best right now(blog to come) and whenever I get into Church, and doing what I am supposed to do, It's like the adversary uses my bipolar and anxiety to work against me.  I have been stretched soooooo far in running errands and being responsible for having everyone to work, practice, Dr's, etc I just don't have time for myself!  My Dr told me to take 30 mins a day for me.  And that doesn't happen. 

I got up yesterday (Sunday) morning at 630am, and my anxiety kicked in  right off the bat!!!  I had to have my daughter to work at 830am which means that my grandson had to get up and get ready for Church with me since I watch him!  All I could think was, Church is the ONLY thing I have that's MINE!  That's the 3 hrs a week I get away and learn and draw closer to my Heavenly Father! (I mean, minus scripture study and daily prayer) But, you get what I am saying!? Right??? Well, I hate when the adversary gets in my head like that!!  And when I feel rushed, it kicks my anxiety through the roof!!  He was playing so hard against me that I even said, "screw it, I'm NOT going!"  BUT, I took a moment and prayed.  I prayed hard too.  I prayed for a calm to come over me, I prayed that Heavenly Father would strengthen me to continue to endure......  and it worked, I had a calm feeling come over me and I said I'm NOT gonna rush, So, I proceeded to get ready and get my grandson ready.   We were running late, but hey......we were getting there!! lol

he cleans up nicely!

OMGosh!! He really reminds me of my youngest when he was little!! Let me see if I can find a pic!! hold on........

This isn't the picture I wanted, I have one of My son in a tie too.  I believe my son was about 4 in his pic and my grandson is only 2.  They don't favor that much in these two, Ill try and find a better one later......Now, where was I? Oh yea, running late to get to Sacrament.........

I love this kid and it is amazing how just saying a prayer can make you feel so much better about life and what is going on at that moment.

my companion and myself

I realized I didn't have much gas :/ lol, Its ALWAYS something.  He really works hard!!!  We made it to Church and I have to tell u, this blows my mind!  My grandson NEVER sits still and during Sacrament he did so well!!  I was able to hear all the talks! I was beyond proud!!  He doesn't go to Church with me.  but, now that his mom is working weekends, I have him.  That's why I was sooo amazed at how well he did!!  

After Sacrament I took him to nursery.  For the simple fact that he doesn't go to daycare nor does he go Church, I thought I would stay with him for a while.  I mean, who wants to make Church a bad experience? I mean, MiMi throws me in this room with a few kids and a teacher and leaves me?  No, I want him to WANT to go to Church with me, I want him to WANT to see his new friends in nursery!!  He was playing, and once again.......he sat in a chair and listened to the teacher!!  I was shocked!!  It makes me wonder if that is the Spirit playing a part??  I wonder??  If anyone knows, or has an idea, let me know!!

Getting to church, notice the mismatched shoes?

see how well he was doing?

I was still in shock

he WAS doing GREAT

Notice the last caption??  WAS??!!  This is where I feel like the adversary started working overtime since I HAD made it to Church.  The Bishop comes to the nursery and ask all the parents to step out so he could speak to us, Yup, that's right......I was asked to leave the room for a min!!  AND HE LOST IT!!  I could hear him just screaming!!  And see? that's what I was trying to avoid.  I go back in the room and there he is, tears streaming down his face, snot and spit bubbles, just a mess!  And of course he didn't wanna leave me after that.  I decided to just take him to SS with me.  Give it a try? Right?  And guess what??  He sat in my lap, I was able to participate in discussion, once again......proud of him, UNTIL.....

"Pee?"  really? I looked down and asked him if he had to Pee and he replied with "Pee...." and then it happened.  Before I could get him up and to the bathroom he peed in my lap!!  He was wet, I was wet, and I had no clothes.  So, I guess I can give the adversary this point!  I just hope he realizes I am going to come back that much harder!!!

In Oct 1987, James E Faust did a talk called "The Great Imitator"  In this talk he said,

I think we will witness increasing evidence of Satan’s power as the kingdom of God grows stronger. I believe Satan’s ever-expanding efforts are some proof of the truthfulness of this work. In the future the opposition will be both more subtle and more open. It will be masked in greater sophistication and cunning, but it will also be more blatant. We will need greater spirituality to perceive all of the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it. But the disappointments and setbacks to the work of God will be temporary, for the work will go forward (see D&C 65:2).

I believe this with all my heart.  And I feel that since he knows I am aware that this is him, trying to keep me from doing what I am supposed to do, that he is throwing cheap shots! Things that physically are hindering me now!  

I guess my whole point of ALL this rambling is this.......

"Be aware.  Hold on to the Iron Rod.  Pray.  Go to Church.  Do FHE.  Pay your tithing.  Do all of the things you're commanded to do.  I know that it is hard! I really do! I go through these battles DAILY! I promise u!  I also know that sometimes we give in to the anger, or the anxiety.  We are only human and that is why we have forgiveness.  I  know our Heavenly Father loves us.  And he is  always with us. Even during the times we feel all alone,  I want u to know to keep your head up!!  Jeep pushing forward!!  NEVER give up! If you slip and fall.....get right back up.  Endure until the end.  And ALWAYS know that some of us are going through similar situations.  And that is why I do my blogs.  Someone, somewhere, may feel a little better knowing they aren't the only ones that have the adversary trying to knock them back.  If you fall into this category(which we all should) Just know I pray for you daily!  I know that we will be blessed for following his commandments.  And sometimes, you might need to be still for a min, and think of the situation.  Our Heavenly Father allows bad things to happen to us to help us gain our testimonies and sometimes to even teach us a lesson!!  Many people say "God will not put on you more then you can handle"  But, if your read in the bible where he speaks of this (I believe it is 1 Chor 10:13), he is talking about temptation.  I read a cool quote that I will close with.

It appears that God will give us more than we can handle so that we will give Him the handle to steer our lives! "

So, I pray this has helped someone, somehow.......or at least made u laugh about me getting peed on!!  I gotta get to sleep, Its 1am and I have to be up at 445!!  Night!

                                                        
Muahs! Stay Blessed!

 

If you're obidient, blessings will come.......

Wow!!  It has been a VERY long time!! and for that, I apologize.  I have been crazy lately!!  I was really busy with my Jamberry business(which, isn't doing grand)  Then.....my baby, yes, my baby boy has started playing football!!  I will do a whole blog on that later ;) That has had me running crazy!!!  And then, I have been finding my place back within the Church. 

I have done a few blogs on my faith and some of the things I go through.  And today, with it being fast Sunday, I wanted to share my testimony on obedience.

I have become real active again!! (YAY)  and I have finally "grown up" I guess is a way to put it.  You know, as a Mormon.......LDS.......we have a TON of rules.  We are counseled from early on about the things we should and shouldn't do.  But I want to let yall know, we hear of the things we should do, but, until we do them, will we ever know for ourselves the blessings our loving Heavenly Father has in store for us!!!

In May of 1833, Joseph Smith had a Revelation:

“Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come. …

“The Spirit of truth is of God. …

“And no man receiveth a fullness unless he keepeth his commandments.

“He that keepeth [God’s] commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.”

What an awesome promise!!!??  I met with my Bishop back in June.  Because I want my patriarchal blessing!!  For those of you who aren't members,  a patriarchal blessing is a blessing or ordinance given by a patriarch to a church member. Patriarchal blessings are modeled after the blessing given by Jacob to each of his sons prior to his death. They are gifts of knowledge and strength of one's coming challenges and blessings.

So, you see why I need one!? Right??  I am 37 yrs old and I NEED this direction in my life!!!  I really do!!  Anyhoo, my meeting went real well.  We discussed what I needed to do and things to work on for the next 3 months to have me ready. and here are the top things I needed to work on.

1.  Being active in Church- This is a HUGE step BUT, I am thankful I am active again!!  I have only missed a couple of Sundays since my meeting with Bishop due to sickness and transportation issues.  Being active in the Church is so important!!  Main reason is to take Sacrament. Sacrament is so important.  It is the time that we can pray and reflect on the week we have had, a time of repentance, a time to remember our covenants we made to our Heavenly Father!!  A time to work on ourselves and make us better for the upcoming week.

                                              

2.  tithing:

Tithing has always been a BIG problem for me.  I do not work.  so, when I get money, I pay my bills and try to hold the rest.  Never been well off financially.  I knew in my heart I was supposed to and I always heard you would be blessed.  I live by the scripture Phil 4:19

                  

But, did I really have all the faith I needed to KNOW my Heavenly Father will provide a way?  I always thought I did, until I buckled down and started paying my tithing!!!  Ways have been made for me and my family for things I wasn't sure how it would've been taken care of.  really.  Let me share my experience recently:

2 years and 2 months ago, my car died.  She has been sitting in my dads back yard since she quit.  I have yet to get her fixed nor have I honestly had the money to fix her.  My son's dad had a ford ranger that I could use.  But, a family of 5 never could ride at the same time.  A couple of weeks ago, the engine locked up which meant we had NO means of transportation!!  I freaked, yes.....I doubted.....yes....did I pray....yes... AND  2 days later, I am in my new(to me) SUV!!  I know have a vehicle that my whole family can fit in comfortably! In 2 days!!!!  Do u see where I am getting at?? How things will happen if you are obedient?? lol I've been paying my tithing and my Heavenly Father has been taking care of me and my family!! 

So, do u see where I am getting at yall??  We can get told of all the blessings that are waiting for us IF we follow his commandments.  But the key word there is IF!!!  U need to make it WHEN, cause blessings do come WHEN we follow his commandments!!

I know our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to take care of us.  He wants to bless us.  I know when we pay our tithing and follow the council of our Prophet and Church Leaders we will also be blessed.  I know that this is the restored Church.  I know Joseph Smith was our 1st Latter Day Prophet!

and I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen

 

maybe? just sometimes......

Good morning y'all!  I just wanted to let u know that I have a blog I am working on for #thankfulthursday, I am so sorry it hasn't been published yet, but, it's from the heart and I want to make sure it's completely done before I publish.  I don't do a ton of "spiritual" or "religious" post.....I know it is a touchy subject, but......sometimes, its what I need at the moment.  Ya know??  sometimes its just a good way for me to reflect and a good way for my relationship to grow between me and Heavenly Father.  BUT I also know the Spirit works through us in ways that it does help others while it's helping us!!  lol  Funny how everything has a purpose......wouldn't you say!!!??  It is a cold dreary day here in Ga and I am not sure if Ill have anything to do for a #subscriptionboxsaturday (unless my jamberrys come today, fingers crossed!) But, how about a #spiritualsaturday?

*disclaimer*  Anything I post religious, Please.......I don't claim I know everything, nor am I a scholar in any way.  I am not a preacher and I am not trying to convert u into my religion (unless u feel in ur heart that u want to learn more) wink wink.

I just wanna share some of the things I feel and go through as an individual, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, friend in my everyday life experiences and/or challenges.  Or to maybe look deeper into the mind of someone who deals with multiple mental illnesses on a daily basis?  Dont get me wrong!  This will NOT be my everyday posts!  Ill continue with my usual subscription boxes, beauty, deals, and my adorable grandson......but, once in awhile, maybe this??

Anyhoo, comment......let me know what y'all think!!  Are y'all even interested in it??  I love y'all!!  I'll have a finished post soon! Stay warm and stay blessed!!!!!

my cozy lil set up for my Saturday

Muahs!!!

Santa Claus is coming to town

So.....we were cleaning house(it's slowly getting in order with my daughter and grandson settling in) When i was in the other room my daughter starts hollering "santa! Santa!" So, of course i had to see what was going on....lol as i got into the living room, my daughter was all in the window....my grandson was looking out the front door and i was hearing sleigh bells!! Looked outside and saw this!! Karsyn(My grandson) was dumbfounded!! I love this age....he is starting to get excited whenever he sees a fat man in a red suit lol anyhow.....santa came around the block a second and third time. Finally i decided to throw some shoes on Karsyn and take him out by the road to see him closer!! The fourth time, while we were by the rd....they invited us to come take a ride with santa! So, we did!! It was so much fun!! I got a few videos I'm gonna try and add to this post too!

My son riding up front with santa

This was really fun

Did y'all do anything fun this weekend?? Anything magical like this?? Lol

Muahs!

Melissa aka maduke

Fill the world with Christ's love

I just love to sit down at night before bed and reading the ensign.

December issues are my favorite though. I enjoy reading all the stories about helping others. It's such a change from watching cnn and stuff. That's so depressing.....

So, i just wanted to share something uplifting.

Muahs!

Melissa aka maduke

Happy birthday bubs

Man.....i swear!! The older i get, the faster it seems that time goes by.

12 years ago today, i was blessed with one of the best kids ever! He is gonna go far in life!!
Don't believe me...just watch
He is so smart and excels in all that he does!!
I'm so thankful that my heavenly father blessed me with Dakota
Everyday
Muahs!

Melissa aka maduke

Temple square

Have you ever been to the SLC temple??? In 2007, i lived in Orem Utah and got to visit temple square a couple of times.  My favorite trip there was the night they lit the Christmas lights. It was so beautiful. Magical....to say the least. And on top of that, the spirit was so strong. You can just feel it as you step onto the grounds.

If you live within driving distance.....GO! I don't care if your lds or not.....if you wanna get into the Christmas spirit, trust me...this will work😉

Sometimes i feel like some church members that live in Utah really take this for granted....but please! Don't!! Y'all are so lucky to be so close to something so great! I'd give anything to be able to go whenever i wanted, but that is impossible on my income and of course the fact that i live in  Georgia doesn't help! Lol just to be able to take my kids at least once during this time....would be perfect!

I may not be able to go as much as i like, but I'm very thankful that i can say I've been! And even my son got to go! I do have it on my bucket list to visit again at least one more time and to take my grandson.

In conclusion.....go! Mormon or not! I promise you will not regret it!! The lights will be lit until December 31.

*Fun fact about my genealogy*
My great great great great (you get the point) gpa worked beneath Brigham Young to hand carve the stars above the doors on the west side of the temple.  If i remember correctly(i need to go re read it) he even got paid with cheese.

Muahs!

share the gift/he is the gift

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has put this billboard up in times square!

how cool is this?? i am so thankful that as a church we are trying to get people to remember that Jesus truly is "the reason for the season"

these days it really does seem that people have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas! it is all about the "sales" or "deals". i mean..... families are even rushing through Thanksgiving dinner with their family or even going shopping instead of being thankful, and being with their families at all. it's really sad how commercialized all our holidays are becoming.

I'd love for you to check out the video the church has put out for Christmas. please, share this with your friends and family. lets try and bring back the true meaning of Christmas and the greatest gift of all, our Savior! (John 3:16)

mormonnetwork on instagram posted this^......i thought it explained it well and wanted to share it with y'all.
remember, HE is the gift!
muahs!
http://www.mormon.org/christmas

children look up to us

Good morning y'all!
This morning I just wanna talk a min about kids and how they mimic what we do.

My youngest son is 11, he will be 12 in about 2 weeks. I've always "taught" my kids right from wrong. They know...
I'm far from perfect.

I mean, who is??

But, in all my years of parenting, I've learned that the most affective way to teach our kids is not by lecturing....
Not by scolding...
But, by example!
This world is in shambles! And, my opinion is that it's up to us to raise our children with morals and standards to get this world back on track!
Over the years I've always told my kids what to do..... But, if your not doing the same things, it's somewhat confusing to children. I mean, at least that's my opinion....
Small children are very observant and see everything we do. And you know what?? They LOVE to play monkey see monkey do.

What are we teaching our kids when we tell them its not right to tell a lie.... But we spent 60.00 at the store and come home and tell our s.o. We spent 50.00?
Seems a little harmless. Right?
Maybe, but, your child just saw you tell a lie.

What about foul language?
We teach our kids not to say things. Things that can be ugly or disrespectful....
Yet, every other word out of our mouths is ugly...
That's disrespectful

We teach our kids to be responsible
Yet, we go spend money on something we don't even need and put off a bill..
That's not responsible

We teach them not to smoke, or drink... It's not good for them, yet, we do it

The bible teaches us to honor thy mother and thy father. It's one of the ten commandments. But, what about us as adults and parents? How do we teach our kids to honor us when we aren't honoring our Heavenly Father and his commandments?
Like I said earlier, I am so far from perfect
I make mistakes..
Just like our children will do.
But, I try to always honor my Heavenly Father and the gospel and my children see this. And if my children learn just one thing from me, I would want it to be that.

I want them To grow into good hearted, law abiding citizens who have morals and standards
Who love their Heavenly Father
And endure until the end!
Muahs

are we raising a gen of helpless kids?

So, I read an article yesterday on Huffington post that really got me thinking and made me even step back and reanalyze my parenting a little......

But why have parents shifted from teaching self-reliance to becoming hovering helicopter parents who want to protect their children at all costs?

"I think it began in the fall of 1982, when seven people died after taking extra-strength Tylenol laced with poison after it left the factory," he says. Halloween was just around the corner, and parents began checking every item in the loot bags. Homemade brownies and cookies (usually the most coveted items) hit the garbage; unwrapped candy followed close behind.

That led to an obsession with their children's safety in every aspect of their lives. Instead of letting them go outside to play, parents filled their kid's spare time with organized activities, did their homework for them, resolved their conflicts at school with both friends and teachers, and handed out trophies for just showing up.

"These well-intentioned messages of 'you're special' have come back to haunt us," Elmore says. "We are consumed with protecting them instead of preparing them for the future. We haven't let them fall, fail and fear. The problem is that if they don't take risks early on like climbing the monkey bars and possibly falling off, they are fearful of every new endeavor at age 29."

Psychologists and psychiatrists are seeing more and more young people having a quarter-life crisis and more cases of clinical depression. The reason? Young people tell them it's because they haven't yet made their first million or found the perfect mate.

Teachers, coaches and executives complain that Gen Y kids have short attention spans and rely on external, instead of internal motivation. The goal of Growing Leaders is to reverse the trend and help young people become more creative and self-motivated so they can rely on themselves and don't need external motivation.

What??? Wow, never in a million years. So, here is what I've concluded, it's time to go back to the good ole days! I never was inside, I remember as a little girl.... My parents MADE me stay outside!! Until dark!! Lol but, you know what? I had an imagination....i learned to be independent....i learned problem solving skills because my parents would always tell us to"figure it out"
Kids now days, idk, but....i know my son, sometimes, if he wasn't on his game it was "im soooo bored"
I honestly just told my son the other day I remember playing in the driveway with a bunch of hot wheels. We drew roads in the dirt and made different buildings out of rocks.
So, lets forget the norm.... Let your children be children. Don't be afraid to let them get dirty...
That dirt your child just ate, it's not gonna kill em
That scraped knee, it don't need stitches
Let your kid be a kid and be there if they need lifting up. Prepare them for the future.... Don't protect em from it.

Yea, he is playing with sticks! Lol

Just running!!

I do believe that smile says it all 😍
Muahs (read full article here)
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1249706

thankful Thursday

Good morning y'all!! Hope you woke up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle your day cause I know I didn't 😒
Once again I didn't hear my phone go off so, I woke up rushing(ugh, which is the worse thing ever!!)
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I notice people talking about things they are thankful for. This is great, but, I really wish people could do this everyday.... All year!! Not just in November, ya know??
Today I wanna say I'm beyond thankful for my family!!! If it wasn't for my family, I don't know how I would have made out through so many things in my life!

Me and my big cousin Rikki

Cousins

Me and my youngest

RIP gma Sept 2014

AND I'm thankful for anything pumpkin! I'm making pumpkin pie 🍰 and my house smells delicious 😋
What are you thankful for?
Muahs!