archie looks so mad right now, sitting beside me with his ears all the way back looking into the distance.  i missed his soft, furry, plump, obstinate, persistent self.  there is food in your bowl archie!  GO EAT IT.

we got back last night.  i stayed at jordan and tracy's long enough to find out the new baby's awesome name and to be part of the general melee of story telling and disney reporting.  but i had to get home to my fatties and i had to teach sharing time today so i left and drove home.

whinnie spluttered a little before she started up.  she missed me.  plus she needs a new battery.  my phone greeted me from the cup holder where of course, i had forgotten it.  what greeted me at the door was the smell of an overflowing litter box. ugh! i took care of that unpleasentry and gave the well fed well watered, (thanks to my friend leilani) some pats and rubs and squishes.  i had two birthday presents waiting for me.  one was a book from karey, photos that changed canada or something like that.  thanks karey!  it looks really interesting.   the other was from myself.  it's a book called lit and it is full of beautiful artsy photos and the lighting set up for each of them.  i'm excited about it.

mother's day at church was really nice.  the primary sang and were exceptionally cute as usual and all the men sang the armies of helamen song with few words tweeked for mothers.  i think it's always powerful when the men sing together like that--especially when they are honouring women.  brother woolsey's talk was my favourite.  he was emotional and so of course i was emotional in response.  he talked about keeping the 5th commandment--to honour your parents, in this instance your mother and he talked about how a mother is a sacred calling and part of the divine role of women and he pointed out something i've noticed myself.  how adam names eve, eve because she is the mother of all living before she ever had any children.  that's special to me because as a daughter of eve, i too am a mother even though i don't have kids of my own right now and i need to remember to develop and exercise my mothering gifts as best i can with what i've been given.

sharing time was about joseph smith.  it went especially well with the little children.  i sat them on the floor all around me and we told the different stories surrounding the restoration of the gospel.  after that i put them all under a blanket and got them to close their eyes and we talked about what the world was like before people knew that Heavenly Father and Jesus existed and that they cared about us and answered our prayers and as each knowledge was revealed we let a little more light under the blanket and when we got to the holy ghost i took the blanket off  to let in all the light. with the older kids i was worried about going overtime and so i didn't teach it as well but that's life.  after the closing prayer, a priesthood boy brought me a bright sunny yellow begonia.

i was stacking the chairs and evelyn came up to me and hugged and kissed me and told me how wonderful she thinks i am.  she said such nice things and then tami walked by and she told us how great she thinks our presidency is and she kissed me again.  i left in the glow of her praise.  i really should be more free with my praise like her.  it feels so good when someone genuinely praises you.  why do i ever ever critisize anyone?  it beats me bub.

when i got home i placed my begonia in the big peony pot by my front door.  when what to my wondering eyes--i bent down and squinted.  sure enough on my twice non-blooming peony plant there was the beginning of a BUD.  i'm so excited about this.  this gladdens my heart.  i will have a blooming peony this year!