Tonight as I thought about my day, a story came to mind. It's the one of the father who spends his weekends working on an old car with his son. Someone asks him why he spends so much time working on an car that will probably never really work like it used to. The father's comment is perfect...he says something like 'it's not about building a car, it's about building a son.' I love that! And as I thought back upon my day today, I felt that same way.
This morning aunt Whitney and uncle Russ came up to get our old oven and microwave to put into their basement kitchen. Aunt Whitney was so thoughtful and brought us Cafe Rio dinner to show her gratitude for the appliances. We chatted for a while and they were off to work on their basement...leaving their boys to hang with our boys for the day. Yay!
As Whitney and Russ left, I noticed Ashlyn in the kitchen beginning to make cinnamon rolls. I had made a comment earlier about making cinnamon rolls and she decided it would be a good thing for her to try. It was her first time making them and as I watched her, I noticed she was stirring it all by hand instead of using the Bosch. I asked a few questions and learned that she hadn't put in the yeast until the very end, which didn't let the yeast rise like it should. I noticed the time and realized I needed to be at a Stake Women's Conference that I had been planning on all week, but I also realized that Ashlyn needed some guidance and I needed to be there for her.
We worked on those cinnamon rolls for the next 40 minutes as we moved all the ingredients into the Bosch, mixed it all together and let it try to rise. She rolled out the dough, buttered it and prepared the cinnamon mixture, then we rolled the dough up and cut it with the string into perfect circular rolls. I could tell she was a little sad, because they didn't look like my cinnamon rolls usually do, but I kept telling her they would taste just the same with all that sweet cream cheese frosting on top. I think her confidence was a little shaken and she wasn't so sure. We put them in the oven and I jumped into the car and drove to the stake center.
The first class I attended was called 'Raising Royalty.' Sister Maxwell, from the stake YW's, began by telling of a class she once attended where the woman talked about her 2 year old son that had passed away. She spoke tenderly of an evening when she knelt in prayer and asked Heavenly Father a simple question..."Heavenly Father, are you taking care of my child?" She felt an immediate impression and a voice asking her "Are you taking care of my children?" She felt peace.
I immediately was brought to tears. Each day I try to take care of my children, yet some days I'm not the mom I always wanted to be. I'm not as patient and long suffering as I know my Heavenly Father is with me. I'm not as kind and forgiving as I know my Heavenly Father is with me. I'm not as tender and soft spoken as I know my Heavenly Father is with me and yet each night as I kneel in prayer and give thanks for my blessings and each night as I ask forgiveness for my shortcomings and my weaknesses and my faults, I feel His tenderness extended to me and I feel forgiven, every night!
I sat there today thinking "I made the right choice to be home with Ashlyn this morning...that's where I was needed most." I rushed home after my meeting, anxious to see how Ashlyn's cinnamon rolls turned out. Half of the plate was gone, so I knew the boys must have liked them. I found Ash and asked her what she thought...she was hesitant and said she didn't think they turned out to well. I thought they looked great. That's when dad walked into the room and corrected her...he is so good to make the kids feel confident. He kept gushing about how they were his favorite cinnamon rolls ever and she would tuck her head and say "Not really, dad" and he just kept saying it over and over...he's a good dad!
I'm so glad I took the time to be a mom today!
We worked on those cinnamon rolls for the next 40 minutes as we moved all the ingredients into the Bosch, mixed it all together and let it try to rise. She rolled out the dough, buttered it and prepared the cinnamon mixture, then we rolled the dough up and cut it with the string into perfect circular rolls. I could tell she was a little sad, because they didn't look like my cinnamon rolls usually do, but I kept telling her they would taste just the same with all that sweet cream cheese frosting on top. I think her confidence was a little shaken and she wasn't so sure. We put them in the oven and I jumped into the car and drove to the stake center.
The first class I attended was called 'Raising Royalty.' Sister Maxwell, from the stake YW's, began by telling of a class she once attended where the woman talked about her 2 year old son that had passed away. She spoke tenderly of an evening when she knelt in prayer and asked Heavenly Father a simple question..."Heavenly Father, are you taking care of my child?" She felt an immediate impression and a voice asking her "Are you taking care of my children?" She felt peace.
I immediately was brought to tears. Each day I try to take care of my children, yet some days I'm not the mom I always wanted to be. I'm not as patient and long suffering as I know my Heavenly Father is with me. I'm not as kind and forgiving as I know my Heavenly Father is with me. I'm not as tender and soft spoken as I know my Heavenly Father is with me and yet each night as I kneel in prayer and give thanks for my blessings and each night as I ask forgiveness for my shortcomings and my weaknesses and my faults, I feel His tenderness extended to me and I feel forgiven, every night!
I sat there today thinking "I made the right choice to be home with Ashlyn this morning...that's where I was needed most." I rushed home after my meeting, anxious to see how Ashlyn's cinnamon rolls turned out. Half of the plate was gone, so I knew the boys must have liked them. I found Ash and asked her what she thought...she was hesitant and said she didn't think they turned out to well. I thought they looked great. That's when dad walked into the room and corrected her...he is so good to make the kids feel confident. He kept gushing about how they were his favorite cinnamon rolls ever and she would tuck her head and say "Not really, dad" and he just kept saying it over and over...he's a good dad!
I'm so glad I took the time to be a mom today!
