for the beauty of the earth

it takes a lot effort for me to just write what im feeling. i erase and re-write over and over until i finally feel like i've said what i wanted. in fact i just erased that last sentence five times. and even then i dont feel like its exactly how i want to say it.....but simply... what i want to say is i had an absolutely wonderful sabbath...and weekend.

yesterday i was so happy to make josh help me sweep all the yellow leaves off my driveway. this is the first time ive had to 'take care' of a 'yard'/driveway. and oh boy was i so excited yesterday. this may be the landscape manager in me or just the dunn in me but i miss yard work! so i was very excited to get out and work up a little sweat. while i did this a tree down the street caught my eye so afterwards i went and took a few pictures. i met a little old lady who decided to do the same thing and we stood next to each other marveling at this gorgeous tree. i tried to enjoy it as much as i could since the weather called for a storm and chances were it wouldnt be as beautiful the next day.

maybe i liked it so much cuz it matched my mustard sweater...

robert d. hales taught me today in stake conference that, 'its mortality, deal with it. you chose to do this.' haha in addition to that i dont even know how many times he repeated i am a child of god and he loves me. even after the closing song and prayer he got up to apologize for not being able to shake hands with everyone because of his health but that he loves us and wants us to know that we are children of god. what a sweet man. i hear the song 'i am a child of god' so often but do i really know it? do i really know i am a child of god? he said its the beginning of everything. he taught to look yourself in the mirror and say 'it is good enough to be lucy' so grow and cultivate what you have. what a great message! i left with such a high spirit today. i am so grateful for the mercy of the lord and the opportunity that he gives me to start over and to progress. i have hope for the future. i walked home today from visiting teaching enjoying the weather and playing with grasshoppers just thanking heavenly father for everything he has done for me. i cant even begin to express how blessed i feel.

today marks six years since i got my patriarchal blessing (yes i got it on halloween) and i have learned from it to enjoy the beauty the earth. today i took about 150 pictures of just stuff because i thought it was pretty.

i took a nap in the park and woke up to this

and this

and then i went for a drive and stopped to look at this little guy

and for some reason he did this

only after taking a bite of my skirt getting snot all over me.

then drove down to the lake to marvel at this

and this

and this

i feel so happy and so blessed. what a wonderful wonderful weekend!

the beginning of a new crafty lucy

I laid in bed this morning til twelve browsing tutorial blogs and etsy.

There are so many things I want to do!

I feel like my head is exploding with ideas of things I want to create.

--CREATE--

that word has been reeling through my head ever since i graduated and realized i have time to do what I want to do. i often think back on a talk president uchtdorf gave at a general relief society meeting.

"the desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. no matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we can have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. everyone can create. you dont need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. what you create doesnt have to be perfect...dont let fear of failure discourage you. if you...feel incapable of creating, start small."

so thats what i did. i started small. i pulled out a box from under my bed that i had mentally marked 'crafts to do' and got some fabric and thread that i had bought right after i graduated to experiment with. i played around with making fabric flowers. now i'm going to be honest i dont feel so great about how they turned out but like president uchtdorf said, it doesnt have to be perfect. so i plan on practicing a little more to get the hang of it.

ive started a book with all of my ideas. and if i really had it my way this book would have been one i created with the perfect type of paper with the perfect texture that included cutouts and sketches to help with my ideas. but my little notepad will just have to do for now.

and in all of this exploration i've decided i want a sewing machine to help facilitate some of my ideas. i'm thinking it will be the perfect christmas present. i cant think of anything else i want, i have everything already.

in other news i was happy when i got a random text saying 'theres something on your doorstep' from my daddy i immediately jumped up from my project to find a harry and david box on the porch. mom and dad sent me a halloween treat! yay for candy corn moose munch! the bag is already half way gone. haha but thanks mom and dad for thinking of me. i'm so blessed to have such wonderful parents.

time for work!

p.s. this blog is on my list of 'creative ideas.' hopefully there will be more to come. and hopefully i'll learn how to be cool and create my own graphics with a cool name that represents lucy.