Thornton Mom

I wrote part of this story the other day but I want to expand and finish it: In January I really wanted to make homemade bread.  I have a Bosch Food Processor that I got when I was married.  I have tried to make bread in it but it was just too much for the machine.  I looked around to find the mixer I wanted but the price was too great and I couldn't justify it.  8 months later I am using my 20 year old hand mixer and it breaks.  That afternoon my neighbor gives me an old mixer.  It is great, a KitchenAid Pro that has a huge bowl.  I am so excited to make bread and so grateful that my Heavenly Father was so aware of me that He gave me a mixer the day my hand held one had broken.  What more direct blessing could I receive? The day I try to make bread my new machine starts to smoke.  I realize it is not going to make 4 loafs of bread.  So I start the journey again of looking into the mixer that I really want.  I find some use...

Making Slime Derek stirred the ice cream with a paint mixer hooked to a drill Ice Cream made with liquid nitrogen Dry Ice with warm water candy hunt Warm water thrown into liquid nitrogen produces a rain shower JD made his own cake!! John Derek had the coolest party ever.  We had a friend of ours from church do a Mad Scientist Birthday Party.  It was a blast.  They watched things explode.  Froze leaves and rubber balls, even made ice cream with liquid nitrogen. It was a lot of fun. Patience  By Elder Neal A. Maxwell   "life, patience also helps us to realize that while we may be ready to move on, having had enough of a particular learning experience, our continuing presence is often a needed part of the learning environment of others." As I think of myself, who must still suffer through depression, and other...

The kids have started school (at some point I will talk about the first day :-) But she really wanted to have school lunch.  She was just so excited to be in kindergarten that she wanted to do everything she had seen her siblings do.  Finally I told her that if she would clean her room she could have school lunch.  Later when I went to check on her she had cleaned everything.  I had never seen her do such a good job before.  She was delighted to have school lunch and can't wait to do it again.  Our family did a good job getting marbles in our marble jar so they earned the Family Bingo Night at the YMCA with a special guest.  What a delight and surprise to discover that the special guest was a mermaid.  Maddie danced up and down "Mermids are real, mermaids are real, mermaids are real!"  Samantha and her had a delight getting a gold coin and following the mermaid as she swam around the pool. ...

Many times as I am trying to get dinner ready I put Michael in his high chair and give him some measuring cups and several marbles (pebbles pictured above.)  This has been a great way to keep him quiet and allows me to make dinner.  The other day I did this while Annelise was visiting us.  She noticed that he was putting the marbles in his mouth so I gave him the pacifier so that he would stop.   Finally he was ready to get down so I gathered the marbles and noticed several missing but assumed they had fallen on the floor and did not give it another thought until the next day when after a restless night I changed his diaper and found 7 marbles in his diaper,  I did not even dig through it they were just laying there on top.  The next diaper produced 8 more again, without even looking hard so there may have been more.  Elizabeth said, "Well aren't you going to wash them off so we can use them again?"  I told her if she wanted to go throug...

My sweet Samantha and Maddie made Family Home Evening treat.  I am delighted that they work so well together.  Such cuties!! Patience—A Heavenly Virtue Thomas S. Monson, October 1995 General Conference "Sometimes the tables are reversed. A dear and cherished young friend, Wendy Bennion of Salt Lake City, was such an example. Just the day before yesterday, she quietly departed mortality and returned “to that God who gave [her] life” ( Alma 40:11 ). She had struggled for over five long years in her battle with cancer. Ever cheerful, always reaching out to help others, never losing faith, her contagious smile attracted others to her as a magnet attracts metal shavings. While ill and in pain, a friend of hers, feeling...

Happy Birthday John Derek!!!  John Derek is officially 8.  He is so excited.  All week he was telling me  '. . . 'cause I turn 8 on Saturday," "When I turn 8 on Saturday . . . " ". . .  more days until I turn 8."  His official birthday party is later this week so he got a candle in his "daddy's favorite breakfast" (eggs, bacon, and grits) and then daddy took him to the sporting goods store where he got his first real bow.  He and dad had a blast shooting together. John Derek is such a great kid.  He loves to play with Michael.  He is a good friend.  He loves to hang out with his neighbors and play soccer, baseball, kickball, or anything else involving a ball.  We love John Derek. Of you look in the right bottom corner you will see where he hit the target for the first time. The Infinite Atonement (Illustrated Edition) by Tad R. Callistar Pg. 284--"As for these other gifts [the gifts of the spirit]--how often do w...

Cute Kids!!     Book of Mormon, Mosiah 24:11-16 "11  And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death. 12  And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts. 13  And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. 14  And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and th...

Michael was sooooo cute today.  We had to mow the lawn it had been almost 3 weeks and the grass was taking over the back yard.   At first Michael was afraid of the lawn mower and would go to the neighbor's house and hide until he heard me turn it off.  Then he would toddle beside me as I emptied the bag.  But as soon as I returned to the lawnmower he was gone again. Then he found a toy lawn mower at the neighbors and "borrowed" it.  He then was right behind me.  Mowing up any spots that I missed.   Michael helped mom mow the lawn!  He is so cute!!! I don't know who is more tired Michael or Mommy? Going . . . When I had about 20 min. left of lawn mowing he asked to go inside (I knew he was tired because he never asks to go inside.)  I put him in the swing and would push him when I mowed near him.   Going . . . .  Finally he fell asleep in the swing.  He was so cute.  I truly enjoyed Michael today....

Hungry Hungry Hippos Will it ever pop? We played Hungry Hungry Hippos as a family with balloons.  We would try to put the balloons in a basket, sometimes only using our feet, sometimes dancing like a ballerina.  Michael thought this was the best game ever and loved the reaction of his brother's and sister's when he would take the balloons out of the basket before the game was over. We then we had the kids pop their favorite color and waiting inside was a chore for them to do.  The only rule was that they couldn't use a pin.  I love John Derek's face!! I have been feeling a need lately to study patience.  As I have been listening to the Mormon Channel , different episodes have again and again reminded me of the word patient.  It comes up in our finances, it comes up with our children, it comes up with understanding gospel principals, growth, heartache, and the ever present trials.  If patience is a characteristic that is needed in so...

Today I was reminded of an experience I had last year that I need to write down.  I have a sweet and loving daughter who has fallen on some hard times emotionally.  Things were getting so difficult that Derek and I decided to seek help from a counselor.  We knew that if we did not get help now that when she hit her teen years we would have no way of helping her.  We wanted her to learn how to deal with these difficulties now so that when she was older she would know how to handle them.  She started to see a counselor and eventually was tested by a psychologist.  After the testing was done but before we knew the results I had an experience that made me realize how much the Lord is aware of us and loves us. We had to get our flu shots.  I had made an appointment with the doctor for all of my children.  As I waited in carpool line I felt very strongly that I should not tell the children where we were going and what we were going to do until ...

John Derek made cookies for family home evening.  He really wanted them to be snowmen.  Maybe he is hoping for things to cool down a little.  He is a good kid.  He turns 8 this week and will be baptized in September.  Derek has been reading a book with him about Baptism.  When asked at school what his favorite book was he replied: The Baptism Book.  What a great kid. I read this article about the Saints in Italy and their heritage.  I am just amazed at how the Lord has His hand in everything.  In the article Elder Snow talks of the Waldensians who did not conform to the beliefs of the Roman Church and hid themselves away in the Alpine mountains.  How some of these families joined the Church and migrated to Utah.  When I hear that people don't believe God exists and am amazed because I constatly see Him in my life and in the world all around me. Pioneers in Every Land Latter-day Saints in Italy—a Legacy of Faith By Lia McClan...

Maddie loves Aunt Annelise  My Sister Annelise surprised us with a visit.  She lives in Virginia a decided to come down and visit us while she is on summer break.  While she was here we went on an Atlas Quest (Really cool treasure hunt outdoors, click here for more info.)  We had fun finding the "treasure" and then enjoying the outdoors.  As we were leaving we spied a large puddle on the side of the path.  There were some cool bugs so we stopped to take a look.  Annelise gave us a random tip, "If you are lost and you need water it is better to drink water from a puddle that has bugs in it.  The bugs won't be in a puddle that has bad water that can harm you."  Good to know.  As we started to continue on I glanced over at Maddie who was squatted down next to the puddle and drinking the water.  I called out "Maddie, you can't drink the dirty water even if Aunt Annelise says you can."  Aunt Annelise making "animal tracks" ...

Elizabeth and Michael playing in the rain and with the hose. Have you ever seen a fuller diaper? It has rained all week.  Elizabeth took Michael outside when the rain had stopped for a few minutes.  They played on the slide and swung in the swing.  I was inside with the other children when Elizabeth came in sopping wet laughing and smiling.  "Come out, you have GOT to see this."  We all went running outside, the rain had picked back up and Elizabeth had the hose out and was playing with Michael.  We heard lots and lots of laughter.  It was such a delight.  Michael loved it and Elizabeth was happy. Chapter 14: The Gift of the Holy Ghost Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, (2013), 181–90 "Reyn confided that...

I went to the grocery store with Michael and Maddison.  We piled and piled the food into the cart.  When buying groceries for 7 people it feels like you are buying the whole store! When we got to check out the cashier couldn't fit it all into one cart so she split it in two.  I took the two kids out with the first cart and started loading it into my car.  Then the debate started: do I leave my kids in the car while I walk in and get the other cart?  Or do I have them both come in with me?  Before I answered this question there was a woman at my side asking if she could get my other cart for me.  (She had seen me going through the line with Michael screaming and Maddie "trying to help.")  I was delighted to take her up on her offer.  She brought out the full cart and even took the empty one back for me.  I whispered to Maddie, "I think she is an Angel sent from Heavenly Father to help us."  Maddie smiled and responded, "Let's say a p...