We stepped through high grass, with our recent studies of Robin Hood in mind; grasping bows and arrows and a feeling of anticipation for adventure. The target: a cardboard box set up on two yellow chairs. The goal: hit the target. Teaching little hands to pull back the arrow (not the string) [...]

A while back, I spoke at a stake YW event designed just for Laurels, entitled, “Bloom where you’re planted.” To start the lesson {and to wake everyone up a bit}, I asked attendees to stand on one foot for 30 seconds. Most wobbled a bit, but everyone in the group made it to the 30-second […]

The more I learn, the more I realize I know nothing … and the more I clean, the more I realize my house is filthy. Filthy. I kinda wish I could hire someone with a stopwatch to follow me around for a day and track exactly how much time I spend cleaning. … but really, […]

Mothers’ Day … it can come with great pain for many. It also comes with great joy. And sometimes, it comes with a heavy dose of both.  Oh, how clearly I remember giving birth to my second baby girl, and then being in the hospital to recover and snuggle my new baby bundle on Mothers’ [...]

A colorful spectrum of stunning flowers lines the markets today – and will be placed in the tender hands of mothers tomorrow. Flowers came to Mothers’ Day back in 1907 when the holiday’s founder, Anna Jarvis, distributed white carnations in honor of her mother’s favorite flower… but there [...]

When my cousin Kristin walks into the room for a warm welcome, we instinctively lunge towards her belly. Of course, we were all thrilled to see her glowing face too … but that belly … that baby we haven’t met but love so much … pulls us in with magnetic charm. Our hands glide over […]

Hiking out of trees to the rivers’ edge, I spotted a mother duck surrounded by a happy group of toddling ducklings. Their fluffy yellow down and mini-waddles melted my heart instantly. One, two, three … it was difficult to count them all as they mingled and meandered … 7, 8, 9 … TEN! Ten babies [...]

Time for chances First of all, thank you. Thank you for coming! Thank you for giving these little words a chance … It’s that time of year, you know: Time for chances … for experiments … for growth. It’s time for Spring’s seed planting. We’ve been softening soil, forming lines and mounds, [...]