Tag Archives: family

My Favorite Thanksgiving Tradition

I grew up in a big family. My parents have ten children and nine of the ten are married currently and all ten of the children have children of their own, and some of those children have children of their own. In fact at present my parents have a total of 70 something children and […]

What Matters Most

“They do not love that do not show their love.” – William Shakespeare I can hardly believe that it is Thanksgiving this week!  I feel like the past few months have been a bit of a blur in which time has both stood still and yet been flying by. As odd as that description is, […]

Only 48 Days Until Christmas – Let The Countdown Begin!

Can you believe there are only 48 days until Christmas??!!  It’s just so exciting!  So because it takes so much work to decorate the house for Christmas and put op our 13 foot tall Christmas tree we decided that from now on we are going to enjoy those decorations as long as possible, which is […]

Have you cheated the man in the glass?

When you get what you want in your struggle for self And the world makes you king for a day, Just go to the mirror and look at yourself  And see what “the man” has to say. For it isn’t your father or mother or wife Whose judgment upon you must pass. The fellow whose […]

Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker

You gotta love Halloween. Free candy and fun costumes…what could be better? Growing up as a kid at Halloween time we used to always look forward to watching “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.” One of the best lines from that movie is: “Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker.” – […]

Accept things as they are, not as you wish they were, then focus on your wishes for the future

“When you struggle against this moment, you are actually struggling against the entire universe. Instead, you can make the decision that today you will not struggle against the whole universe by struggling against this moment.  This means that your acceptance of this moment is total and complete. You accept things as they are, not as […]

Moments That Matter Most

Rather than writing much tonight I wanted to share a really short 3 minute video that has a message that is sure to inspire you today: And that says it all….perfectly…. Have a great day everyone! ~Amy Rees Anderson

Take A Walk Down Happy Memory Lane

“Don’t wait until your life is almost over to realize how great it has been!” Today I had to pull a bunch of old photos from years past together for a project and as I was sorting through years and years worth of photos I couldn’t help but be pulled into a walk down memory […]

Treasure Every Precious Moment

Today was the baby blessing of my grandson Flynn Dalton Anderson. When I saw him in his little white outfit I was amazed at how much he looked exactly like his father, my son Dalton. I remember my son Dalton’s blessing day as if it was just yesterday. I remember getting him into his cute […]

The Town Of Don’t You Worry

Okay, the last two days I have posted awesome poems that I found about Put-Off Town and Gossipville, only for me to then find the poem, The Town Of Don’t You Worry. I figured your week wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t share all three poems of these poems with you! Especially because once we’ve […]

Gossiptown – Where Rumors and Falsehoods Abound

Gossiptown Have you ever heard of Gossiptown On the shore of Falsehood Bay, Where Old Dame Rumor with rustling gown Is going the livelong Day? It isn’t far to Gossiptown For people who want to go, The Idleness train will take you down In just an hour or so. The thoughtless road is crowded, you’ll […]

What’s not to love about Labor Day? We get to celebrate work by not working! Perfect!

I mean really…you gotta love Labor Day – it’s the day we celebrate work by doing absolutely no work at all!!! YAY for Labor Day! I love holiday weekends. I love holidays period. I love that everyone else is willing to stop working at the same time so you don’t have to have guilt that […]

Leave it all on the ice

These last few months have been a roller coaster for me. Between my family and both our extended families we have experienced some of life’s highest highs and some of its lowest lows all within a matter of just a few months. In those months there have been days of being happier than I could […]

“We have not yet the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us…”

Do you ever have times where you feel you have already been through so many hard trials in your life, and you’ve already overcome so many hard things, and worked to improve yourself in so many ways that surely you deserve to have a reprieve from life’s difficulties because you feel you’ve fought through hard […]

I am a Glam-ma! Some things are so perfect they are impossible to put into words.

Early last Friday morning my cell phone rang. It was my son Dalton letting me know that his wife Alexis was in labor and they were heading to the hospital. I jumped out of bed feeling a mixture of joy, excitement, disbelief, and wondering if this was really going to be day we welcomed our […]

Do Parents Have Favorite Children?

I have two children, a 24 year old son and a 21 year old daughter. They are the best of friends until it comes to one particular argument that they have been having for the last 19 years since they were both old enough to debate it….who is Mom’s favorite child? And regardless of how […]

That Moment You Realize That You Are Watching A Video of, Well, Yourself?

Last week we were preparing to host a group of people on our houseboat down at Lake Powell. I was running around like crazy trying to make sure every throw pillow was perfectly positioned and every bit of dust was off the floors so that everything would look absolutely perfect for our guests who were […]

Fireworks, Freedom, Fun and Food. Just four of the reasons I love the Fourth of July!

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You […]

Bring on the BBQs, the pool parties, and bust out those flip flops!

I LOVE JULY! The month of July is literally one of my very favorite times of the year.  The weather is amazing, the BBQs are fired up, the swimming pool is open, summer vacation is in full force, there are fireworks galore, we watch fun parades, our families get together, there’s rodeos and picnics and […]

We are the only one who can make our dreams come true

“I want to remember that no one is going to make my dreams come true for me…it is my job to get up every day and work towards the things that are deepest in my heart…and to enjoy every step of the journey rather than wishing I was already where I want to end up.”   […]

The Head Doesn’t Hear Until The Heart Has Listened

“I have learned that the head does not hear anything until the heart has listened, and that what the heart knows today the head will understand tomorrow.” – Jones Stephens Communication. It sounds like such a simple word but the reality is that communication is one of the most complicated things we do in life. […]

We are all equal in the only way that truly matters

One of the greatest stories of all time is the story of the Sneetches by Dr. Seuss.  In this story we read about these creatures called Sneetches. There were two groups of Sneetches, one group had stars on their bellies and the other group had plain bellies without any stars.  The Star Belly Sneetches were […]

“Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a Mother”

“When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in […]

Spring Cleaning For The Soul

Sunshine, warm weather, birds chirping…I LOVE Springtime and for the first time all year we have finally gotten warm, spring weather here and that just makes me HAPPY!  However, with the warm weather finally beginning I am reminded that it is also time to do our Spring Cleaning! And the truth is that I don’t […]

Making Our Life Into The Masterpiece It Is Meant To Be

As I shared in yesterday’s blog, my son Dalton’s Commencement of graduation ceremonies from Brigham Young University was today and tomorrow is his actual Graduation Ceremony where he will walk across the stage and receive his Bachelor’s degree. This is a huge milestone in the life of a child and the life of a parent […]

One Guaranteed Way To Feel Happier

Did you know that being nostalgic can make you a happier person? Well studies show it can! Recalling happy memories from the past can literally make you happier. At the end of an incredibly busy day when I was feeling a bit stressed out and slightly grumpy, I sat down to finish one last to-do […]

They may be myths but they are still a lot of fun

Myths, old wives tales, superstitions, legends…they are all kinds of fun to read about even if they turn out not to be true. We are 20 weeks in to the 40 weeks it will take to have our very first grandchild come into this world. Since the moment we found out our daughter-in-law was pregnant […]

Everything Can Change In A Single Second

Saturday morning I awoke to a phone call alerting me that my son Dalton and his pregnant wife Alexis had been in a car accident on the freeway. Getting that phone call was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I rushed to the Hospital Emergency Room where I spent the rest of […]

Tale As Old As Time

Last night I went with my husband and my kids to go and see Disney’s new movie, Beauty and the Beast. If you haven’t yet gone to see this movie GO SEE IT! I don’t just say that because I happen to be obsessed with all things Disney, which I totally admit to being…I say […]