Look what I've become

I never thought I'd get to this place.  This week I've pears, apples, and applesauce.  This fall I've dried tomatoes, peaches, and apples.  I've froze peaches and raspberries.  I still have the quart jars of applesauce, pears, and apples all sitting on my table  because I'm so proud of myself . . . . or wait is it because no one has bothered to take them down to the storage room.  :)  After I cleaned up the kitchen from canning I decided I would make the pumpkin muffins that Ty and I wanted to try.  The first batch was good but I thought it could be better so I quickly made another with a few changes.  I sat down and thought, wow how did I get here.  I was the girl that hated to cook, wanted to have a career not stay home with my kids (that was until they were born), struggled to be a "fun" mom, etc.  Now I love being a mom, I adore my boys, I love to listen to them chat away and hear about their day, I love their humor and find such joy in it.  I love going to their baseball games, track meets, and soccer games.  I love watching them play together and laugh together.  I don't really enjoy when they fight but luckily it's not that often.  I feel so lucky that I got to start over with Mr. Spencer and just enjoy him while the others are at school.  I don't love to make dinner every night but I do love having fruit for my family that I canned, knowing what's in it and where it came.  I enjoy finding healthy snacks for my boys and just all around health.  I love having their lunches packed and ready for them each morning, trying to figure out things to put in them so they aren't boring. 
I'm grateful for the examples I've had in my life of great mothers!

From Mellonee:  I agree, look at you!!  I think my sisters are amazing at all they learn to do. I think it's a Grandma Ma and Mom legacy to figure out how to do something when you know it's possible but don't know how to do it.  This also reminds me of that quote about how the more you do something the easier it gets, not that the nature of the thing has changed but our ability to do increases.  That's what happens when we become mother's, our ability to do increases and it's a good thing because there is a lot to do!

The View From Above

I drove through Sardine Canyon today.

The colors were so vivid and vibrant.
There's something amazing about green leaves turning red and orange and yellow as fall approaches. It's breathtakingly beautiful and incredible every year. Then I noticed there were also junipers in the mix. Then I thought, I'm like the juniper, green all year, no explosion of color, so plain amid the other hues, not nearly as splashy or impressive as a ravishing red or a golden orange. But as I continued driving I realized that the places where there weren't junipers weren't actually that striking or impressive. The sameness was dull and boring.

What created the beauty wasn't just the vibrant colors but the contrast between all the colors. The junipers looked a deep, jade green against the oranges and amber while the reds looked all the brighter when placed next to the dark of a juniper.

Some of Heavenly Father's daughters are like the vibrant orange, others a dazzling red, while some are like a quiet yellow and still others a steady juniper green, but each providing contrast and each looking more beautiful and shining brighter because of the contrast around her. There is no perfect color, each daughter is who she is meant to be, who He has created her to be. He sees the much larger picture and the beauty such contrast brings. So whether you're a splash of red, a tangy orange, or any of the colors in between, be your own kind of beautiful and enjoy the view!