50 Quotes I Am Learning to Live By

1. As we grow older and wiser, we begin to realize what we need and what we need to leave behind.  Sometimes walking away is a step forward.
2. You will never achieve what you are capable of if you’re too attached to things you’re supposed to let go of.
3. Sometimes there are things in our lives that aren’t meant to stay.  Sometimes the changes we don’t want are the changes we need to grow.
4. Growth and change may be painful sometimes, but nothing in life is as painful as staying stuck where you don’t belong.
5. The hardest part about growing is letting go of what you were used to, and moving on with something you’re not.
6. Accept what is, let go of what was and have faith in what could be.
7. Don’t be afraid of change.  Change happens for a reason.  Roll with it.  It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
8. It’s usually quite hard to let go and move on, but once you do, you’ll feel free and realize it was the best decision you’ve ever made.
9. Never let your fear decide your future.
10. Fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in your mind.  It’s difficult to follow your heart, but it’s a tragedy to let the lies of fear stop you.  
11. You can’t always wait for the perfect moment.  Sometimes you must let go and dare to do it because life is too short to wonder what could have been.
12. You’re not the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago.  You’re always growing.  Experiences don’t stop.  That’s life.
13. One of the most rewarding moments in life is when you finally find the courage to let go of what you can’t change.
14. Never force anything.  Give it your best shot, and then let it be.  If it’s meant to be, it will be.  Don’t hold yourself down with things you can’t control.
15. When you stop expecting people and situations to be perfect, you can start to appreciate them for who and what they are.
16. Live simply.  Love generously.  Speak truthfully.  Breathe deeply.  Do your best.  Leave everything else to the powers above you.
17. Giving up and moving on are two very different things.
18. Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting, it means you choose happiness over hurt.
19. Giving up doesn’t always mean you’re weak; sometimes it simply means you are strong enough and smart enough to let go and grow.
20. Stop focusing on how stressed you are and remember how blessed you are.  It could be so much worse.
21. Whatever is bringing you down, let it GO!  You don’t need that negativity in your life.  Keep calm and be positive.  Good things will happen.
22. Some people cannot stand that you’re moving on with your life and so they will try to drag your past to catch up with you.  Do not help them by acknowledging their behavior.  Keep moving forward.
23. No matter how you live, someone will be disappointed.  So just live your truth and be sure YOU aren’t the one who is disappointed in the end.
24. Love yourself!  Forgive yourself!  Accept yourself!  You are YOU and that’s the beginning and the end - no apologies, no regrets.
25. You are GOOD enough, SMART enough, FINE enough, and STRONG enough.  You don’t need other people to validate you; you’re already valuable.  
26. One of the most freeing things we learn in life is that we don’t have to like everyone, everyone doesn’t have to like us, and it’s perfectly OK.
27. Try not to take things other people say about you too personally.  What they think and say is a reflection of them, not you.
28. If you care too much about what other people think, in a way, you will always be their prisoner.
29. Sometimes we expect more from others because we’d be willing to do that much for them.  Keep loving.  You’ll learn who’s worth it in the end.
30. Not everyone will appreciate what you do for them.  You have to figure out who’s worth your attention and who’s just taking advantage of you.
31. Saying yes to happiness means learning to say no to the people and things that hurt you.  Be wise enough to walk away from the negativity.
32. What you allow is what will continue.  It’s better to be lonely than allow negative people and their opinions derail you from your destiny.
33. If you feel like your ship is sinking, it might be a good time to throw out the stuff that’s been weighing it down.  Let go of people who bring you down, and surround yourself with those who bring out the best in you.
34. Just because someone has been in your life for many years, doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a point at which you finally decide to let go.
35. One of the most difficult tasks in life is removing someone from your heart.
36. You have to understand that people come and people go.  That’s life.  Stop holding on to those who have let go of you long ago.
37. Sometimes we don’t forgive people because they deserve it.  We forgive them because they need it, because we need it, and because we cannot let go and move forward without it.
38. The first to apologize is the bravest.  The first to forgive is the strongest.  The first to move forward is the happiest.
39. Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone.  Don’t stress about the future, it hasn’t arrived.  Do your best to live in the NOW and make it beautiful. 
40. Be wise enough to let go when you should and strong enough to hold on when you must.
41. Don’t let dumb little things break your happiness.  True wealth is the ability to experience and appreciate each moment for what it’s worth.
42. Life is too short to spend at war with yourself.  Practice acceptance and forgiveness.  Letting go of yesterday’s troubles is your first step towards happiness today.
43. Worry gives small things a big shadow.  In the end, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart, or what’s holding you together.
44. Old worries are down payments on problems you may never have.  Let them go.  Today is a NEW beginning; take a deep breath and START AGAIN.
45. Smile, even when it feels like things are falling apart.  Smiling doesn’t always mean you’re happy; sometimes it simply means you’re strong.
46. There comes a time when you have to stop thinking about your mistakes and move on.  No regrets in life – just lessons that show you the way.
47. Remember the good times, be strong during tough times, love always, laugh often, live honestly, and be thankful for each new day.
48. You can’t let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones.  Don’t let the silly little dramas of each day get you down.
49. If you are diligent and patient, everything you truly need in your life will come to you at the right time.
50. Everything will fall into place eventually.  Until then, learn what you can, laugh often, live for the moments, and know it’s all worthwhile.

Why I Blog

I realized today that I have been posting to this blog for 5 and a half years now!  I love to write about my family and the things we do. I remember growing up we had a family newsletter that each extended family on the Frederick side would write each month.  Then my Grandma Frederick would compile them all and send them out to us all.  It was such a thrill to be mentioned in that newsletter.  I remember it made me feel important and helped me feel like an important part of my family.

Now I am a mom.  I really feel it is important for me to write about the activities of our family.  I don't have a lot of clear memories from my childhood, so I want to preserve as many memories as I can for myself and my kids. Blogging helps me and hopefully my family to remember the difficult times as well as the times we have been so incredibly blessed.  To me it is an important part of my family history.  My family means so much to me and I hope that I am able to express that often so that they know how much I love each of them!

I realized something else this week.  While writing about fun activities is easy for me, it takes me a lot longer to write about experiences that are emotionally charged.  I have been working since March on a blog post about the death of my father.  It has been hard to express that experience and yet I know I need to in order to deal with the loss I have felt and the gratitude I feel having him as a father and being his daughter.

I have also not yet posted about Adrienne's beautiful wedding!  I have been so excited to and I have so many fun stories and photos to share, but there were some very precious moments involved in that quick trip to Oregon.  I have put a lot of thought into my writing and will soon be able to share those experiences on the blog!  I just want my dear daughter to know I have not forgotten to mention her wedding, I just want to be sure my writing does justice to such a beautiful experience!

Gingerbread Fun

Joseph was sick for a couple of days, but once he got better he and Annalina got busy with their gingerbread house kits.  Somehow I did not get a photo of Joseph's when it was finished!  But it looked great!

Thrilled to finally be decorating his own Gingerbread House!

She totally would too...

Hard at work!

Enjoying working with sugar!

 

The final result!  Looks really good!

 

I never did see the appeal of gingerbread, but the kids seem to love it!

Yum!

Christmas 2013

This was our Christmas Morning!

Waiting for the all clear

Well, we weren't planning to get the kids DS's, but when I saw the black friday prices, that pretty much sealed the deal!  PS These will be the LAST DS systems I buy for the kids!!

 

Awww, a wife for his lion webkinz!

 

Red is a great color on Jacob!

The 3DS was already his, but the rest of it was fun Nintendo stuff he got!

After opening gifts, we had a traditional Christmas Breakfast.  Our tradition has become, something different from last year. So we had sticky buns and hash brown breakfast casserole.  We had the radio on most of the day and we did something different this year.  We listened to a country music channel.  They had a huge variety of songs we had never heard before.  It reminded me of my dad who loved country music more the older he got!  It was a fun day!

Christmas Minkie Blankies

Joseph thinks of his life in terms of what blanket means the most to him at any given time.  He was baptized in June and when I asked him last week about the special dessert I made him, he could not remember what it was, but he DID remember the new blanket Grandma Frederick had brought him.  My mother made him a 5 layer flannel quilt when he was born and he had it with him ALWAYS!  In fact, after several repair jobs by grandma, we finally had to hide it from him, it was literally in tatters!  I made a minkie blanket a few months back and he loved it so much he kept asking me to make him one.  So, starting in October, every couple of weeks I'd go to the local craft store and buy a 2 and a half yard piece of minkie fabric.  Soon I had enough for a blanket for Joseph and one for Annalina.  These blankets are so soft and warm.  I think even Richard and Jacob were eying them longingly this morning! 

I am not very good at sewing and these blankets took a lot of work.  Some of the seems are crooked and there are some other imperfections as well.  I am ok with that. I hope that if anything, my kiddos will know how much I love them because although I struggled to complete each blanket, I wanted so much for them to each have one, that even when it got frustrating, I kept going.  Christmas morning was well worth all the effort. The kids wore their blankets around all day!

   

Brown Zebra print on one side...

Giraffe print on the other side! In this photo, Joseph is rubbing the corner on his bottom lip, something he always does with his blankets. It looks like this one passed his test!

Genuine smiles...a rarity from Joseph!

Aren't they just the cutest??

Love my kiddos so much!

Christmas Star

Joseph got to put up the star on the Christmas Tree countdown this year.  Each year they take turns!Just three of them this year! 

Lights, lights and more lights

Temple square was absolutely breathtaking!  Lights everywhere!  I loved it.  It was very crowded, but we managed to get around to most areas and saw lots of beautiful things!  I had a hard time capturing what we saw on my camera, but here are a few photos that turned out okay!

 

 

 

    

I took this photo looking up from under the tree.  It was incredible.

 

 

 

  

  

 

Salt Lake City!!!

One of my happiest memories as a child living in Salt Lake City was going to see Temple Square at Christmas time.  A week and a half ago, I found a great deal on a hotel and booked it so the littles and Richard could experience the same joy.  The littles didn't, but that is okay. They have their own favorite memories, I hope!  We left on Saturday in what was supposed to be a terrible storm. We took the Jeep to be sure we'd get there safely.  It was foggy the entire drive, and we missed seeing the snow covered mountains. Even Lagoon was a bit tricky to see in the fog. We got there in the afternoon and decided to wander City Creek in search of food.  Wow, there were SO many people out, it was tricky to get around at times!  Guess that's what we get for going the weekend before Christmas! 

Outside the HUGE Deseret Book store.

Trying his best to escape the evil camera!

About to enjoy a late lunch of SUSHI!  (After being told the best gift he could give me for Christmas was not to hide from the camera!)

Ready to dig in, Japanese style!

My kids are so awesome, they eat such a variety. It is so fun to take them out!

He looks like a poor homeless child. He got mad when I told him we weren't at the toy store to actually buy something! 

We walked back to the hotel through temple square!  I love it!  I could spend hours on Temple Square, but my family usually gives out before I do. I love the sweet spirit on Temple Square.

A winter wonderland for sure!

   

Isn't she sweet?  Twelve and still not too old to pose for Mom and her camera!