House for sale

 

Beautiful home with over 3500 square feet on a 1/4 acre corner lot. There are 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms with a bonus room upstairs and a theater room in the basement. There is a ton of storage in the basement as well. Email if you have any questions at heatherhamm@me.com

 

 

                                    

 

 

 

 

 

Devotional from Tuesday, February 17, 2015

“You have been blessed with a set of skills, abilities and gifts that are unique to you and you alone. Furthermore, you have an obligation to find out what those are and then figure out how you can express them — in other words, how to imprint your uniqueness of self on the world

“Your challenge is to discover the set of gifts that are distinctly yours and find ways to give expression to them,” Hart said. “I strongly encourage you to remember that there are multiple and sometimes subtle ways to fulfill your potential as one of Heavenly Father’s children.”

 In order to be healthy and happy in this life and the next, we need to fully develop ourselves. This reflective process should be guided by the Spirit.

“The world would have us believe that ‘finding yourself’ is a self-centered journey without consequence. You do not want to rely on what the world tells you that you should do with your life — your potential is yours alone, and it is your sacred obligation to figure out what that is and to purse it,” 

Here are five suggestions to help in coming to “know thyself.”

1. Be engaged. 

Being engaged means giving one’s whole and best self to whatever one is doing.

2. Increase self-awareness. 

We need to know ourselves first and foremost.

“In short, you have to know who you are before you can figure out what you are going to do with yourself,” 

“My suggestion to you is to build absence into your lives. Set aside times to unplug, remove distraction and let your mind wander,”  “Build spaces of quiet into your lives, be patient, and I think you will be surprised by the results.”

3. Be awe-full. 

Not in the horrid sense, but in the amazing sense.

“So my third suggestion to you is to be awe-full. Or, put another way, be full of awe. Make a conscious effort to find awe and wonder in the small and ordinary of everyday life.”

4. Be selfless. 

“The gospel of Jesus Christ is completely grounded in selflessness. The Atonement of our Savior was the ultimate act of selflessness. The Lord voluntarily took upon himself the sins of the world so that we can return to the presence of our Heavenly Father,” Hart said.

He referenced the Gordon B. Hinckley quote, “Forget yourself and go to work.” Being selfless will help keep us grounded as we seek to find and exercise own personal excellence.

“The Lord challenges us to lose ourselves so that we can have the attitudes that will keep us grounded, humble and open to learning. In losing ourselves, we learn about ourselves — and that insight provides invaluable perspective in finding our excellence,” Hart said. 

5. Be compassionate. 

“Being dialed into your feelings of empathy and acting on them is also necessary in finding your excellence. Compassion is an indispensable part of personal growth that will reveal much about your distinct set of skills and what types of situations will allow you to better the people and environment around you,” Hart said.

“Spend some time learning about who you really are and preparing yourselves to have an impact on the world. Then, go and do. Be excellent, and make a difference,” Hart said.

*adapted from http://universe.byu.edu/2015/02/10/david-hart-be-excellent-becoming-who-you-are-in-todays-world/#sthash.fqIYIlL3.dpuf

Devotional from February 12, 2015

Who do you look like?

We don’t have to try to look like our parents. Whether it is our mother’s hips or our father’s nose, we inherit many of their physical features automatically. But how closely do we resemble our Heavenly Father? When people look at me do they recognize me as His child?

Scripture says there is one thing that identifies us as followers of Christ – our love.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)

People will identify us as Christians, if our lives reflect our Father’s love. What does this love look like? It is resting in God’s peace during times of stress. It is forgiving our enemies and praying for them rather than seeking revenge or harboring anger. It is being kind and patient with others even when they are not. It is putting the needs of others before our own.

1 Corinthians 13 paints a clear picture of this type of love in action.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

When we exhibit this type of love, people notice these qualities because they are not the world’s typical responses. These behaviors do not originate from our sinful natures. On our own, we could never love others as God does. This type of love can only come from the Holy Spirit. 

It is when we love others the way that Christ does that we most look like Him. Do others see Jesus in us? Let’s try to live our lives in such a way that others will say, “You look just like your Father.”

*adapted from http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/Devotions/elliott_looklike.aspx

Devotional from February 6, 2015

"You are loved. You are dear to your heavenly parents.

The infinite and eternal Creator of light and life knows you! He is mindful of you. Yes, God loves you this very day and always.

He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer. He knows of the times you have held onto the fading light and believed--even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And still He loves you.

And God knows of your successes; though they may seem small to you, He acknowledges and cherishes each one of them. He loves you for extending yourself to others. He loves you for reaching out and helping others bear their heavy burdens--even when you are struggling with your own. He knows everything about you. He sees you clearly--He knows you as you really are. And He loves you--today and always!”

Do you suppose it matters to our Heavenly Father whether your makeup, clothes, hair, and nails are perfect? Do you think your value to Him changes based on how many followers you have on Instagram or Pinterest? Do you think He wants you to worry or get depressed if some un-friend or un-follow you on Facebook or Twitter? Do you think outward attractiveness, your dress size, or popularity make the slightest difference in your worth to the One who created the universe?

He loves you not only for who you are this very day but also for the person of glory and light you have the potential and the desire to become. 

And once you realize this it is then that you will discover your best self—your real self. You will discover what it truly means to be a daughter of the everlasting God, the Lord of all righteousness.

*found here https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/living-the-gospel-joyful?lang=eng

Devotional from February 5, 2015

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren”1 John 3:16

I find it impossible to lose sight of the fact that Christ not only died for our sins, but He also endured everything we would have to endure, so that we could never say that He didn’t understand our problems.

In the verse above, we see how Jesus shows His unconditional, undeserved love through His willingness to die for us in order to give us life. With this action on His part, He has every right to request that we offer the littlest portion of such a gesture for someone else. This verse doesn’t only talk about showing love by losing your physical life; but also about setting aside your own agenda in order to help, reach out to, and love others.

If you think there are no people on earth today that are willing to die for their fellow man, look again! All you have to do is take a look around your community—from the policemen, firemen, and emergency crews to members of the military. 

We see that such a love for others is all around us. It doesn’t have to be as glamorous as the secret service in their dapper suits and earpiece communications to be a life-saving profession. We all witnessed countless heroes on 9/11 and during other tragedies who did their all to save the lives of others. 

We see accounts of heroism on some level just about every night on the evening news. People are seen laying their own lives on the line for someone else. How much more should we be willing to lay down our lives for others since we have the example of Christ being sacrificed once for all men!

If you ask any of these people (servicemen and women, firemen, policemen, etc.) “why” they do what they do, they may not be able to tell you, it’s just something in them—a sense of duty that makes them willing. It’s the same with our faith! With the Holy Spirit in us, we will just be walking in the Spirit, willing to do what we should as we love each other.

The picture of love that Christ showed us is perfect. Love in its simplest form according to Christ is obedience. Christ was obedient to the Father and became the ultimate sacrifice, a greater example of love does not exist! 

*found here http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/Devotions/devlin_love.aspx

Devotional from February 3, 2015

Well folks, it’s that time of year again; you know - red hearts, pink roses, balloons, cards, candy, and animals that sing songs of love. 

Store shelves overflow with symbols of love. They began the day after New Year's to get ready for Valentine’s Day. Do you know that more roses are sold on that day than any other day in the year? All over the world, it is the day that people show their love for someone special. 

Most mothers and wives hope to receive a loving momento, perhaps dinner in a nice restaurant, or to have a meal cooked for them. It is a great occasion to express love and appreciation for any of your loved ones, but it is just as important to show little acts of kindness the other 364 days of the year.

I can do without a dancing gorilla singing Love Me Tender, but I sure would miss getting that hug or kiss from my daughter when she says, “I love you Mom.” Or my son’s nightly ritual when he says, “Good Night Mom. I love you.” 

It means a lot when family and friends want to spend time with you, share a meal, or just talk. God tells us in His Word how much He loves us. He promises never to leave or forsake us, to answer us when we call, day or night. He never slumbers nor sleeps. We need to tell Him how much we love Him 365 days a year as well.

Flowers will die. Candy gets eaten. Balloons will pop. Stuffed animals may stop singing. Cards may get lost or thrown away, but the love that is shared with one another, and God’s love for us, will never pass away. 

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.Isaiah 54:10

May you find little ways to show some acts of kindness to those you love before and after Valentine’s Day this year.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

Let Love be in the air at all times!

*found here http://www.cbn.com/SpiritualLife/Devotions/Irvin_loveintheair.aspx

Devotional from January 30, 2015

Perfection. P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N. Ten little letters forming a word that should be thrown out of the human vocabulary, for no one has the ability to obtain it. The dictionary defines ‘perfection’ as:

the condition, state, or quality of being free or free as possible of all flaws or defects.

The funny thing about this definition is that it asserts that being perfect brings freedom from something.  Now, I want you to stop and think of a time when you felt the most free. What was that like for you? Who were you with? What triggered that feeling inside of you?

Unmasked and unashamed

Altering ourselves to fit a standard of perfection set by someone, other than God, can actually trap us and prevent us from truly being the women God had designed us to be. True freedom can come from knowing that who we are is not dependent on who others say we are, or whether or not we measure up to someone else’s ideal physical standard.

What we need to realize is that who we are depends on who He says we are.

There is such a freedom in knowing that we are loved and accepted by a Heavenly Father who sees me for the real me. It is freeing to know that we do not have to wear masks around Him or present some false advertisement of ourselves to get Him to continue loving us.  

What to truly value

• Have you ever felt the need to please others by living up to their ideal of perfection?
• Are you struggling with breaking free from trying to obtain perfection ? If so, I would encourage you to see the contrast between what Hollywood values and what God values.  Here are just a few differences between the two.

1. Your body

Hollywood says... that women should do whatever it takes to be as slender as possible.

God says... He created your inmost being and knit you together to produce something wonderful (Psalm 139: 13-14). This means that the shape you have was picked out for you and you, alone.

God did not intend for people to be cookie cutter images of one another. No, of course not! He designed your body to be different than your mother’s, your sister’s, and your best friend’s. He has given you this body and wants you to enjoy being uniquely crafted! People come in different shapes and sizes and all are beautiful and all are WORTH loving. Embrace whatever shape you are and know that  you are one of a kind!

2. Success

Hollywood says... success is having a fancy job and making a lot of money.

God says... success is when we are using the gifts and passions He has given us to make a mark on this world for Him. Colossians 3:17 says, “and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord, Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”.

What are you passionate about? Do you enjoy writing? Dancing? Basketball? Art? Business? Whatever it is, work hard to bring Him glory and honor. Give thanks for what He has provided for you, and don't rely on worldy measures of money or status to define your success.

3. Your Beauty

Hollywood says... beauty comes from products such as eye-liner, mascara, lipstick, powder, and perfume. The advertisements we see constantly stress this idea and assert that women who wear these products will land the perfect job, be quicker to catch that certain guy’s eye, or somehow be of more worth than those who do not.

God says... Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)

Although I don't believe there is anything wrong with wearing make-up, perfume, etc., I do believe that they have the ability to become a distraction from us working on who we are inside.

The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

This verse tells us what God is truly concerned with - our hearts. It is okay to want to look your best - there is nothing wrong with that! However, what's more important is your inner beauty. He would rather us focus on being women who are completely in love with Him, which manifests itself in our daily walk with Him.

Who will you follow?

So… it’s up to you. Who will you follow? Will you look to the unrealistic standards of perfection set by Hollywood to define yourself, or will you look to God? 

Want to know how to scrap the ideals set by Hollywood and live with a healthy mindset based upon God’s truths? Here it is: you must start living in light of the fact that God’s opinion about you matters more than anyone else's. By focusing on God’s opinion of you, you will be breaking the chains of bondage you were once in and running in freedom to a life of perfection—God’s way. Now, doesn’t that sound like a life worth living?

*adapted from here: http://fervr.net/teen-life/are-you-looking-for-perfection

Devotional from January 29, 2015

In tennis, the term love means nothing. It's the only place I know where love is empty and scoreless. The proper way to describe a score of zero to zero is to say love-all. With our Savior, it's different; love means something. It means a lot. Jesus teaches us to love at all costs even if we don't get love back; we love because He first loved us.
The Jews despised the Romans because they oppressed God's people, but Jesus told them to love their enemies. Such words turned many away from Christ. Jesus, however, led by example. Jesus loved the whole world, even though the world was in rebellion against God. And Jesus asks us to follow His example by loving, no matter the cost.
Love means action. One way to put love to work is to take the initiative in meeting needs. This is easy to do with people who love us, people whom we trust; but love means doing this even for those who dislike us or want to hurt us. Let us not allow an empty version of love to dictate the the way we treat others. Love should mean something, not nothing. Let us love how Jesus taught us to love: sacrificially and without expectations.

*not sure who to credit for this one. It was posted on a Facebook feed and I thought it was to good not to share. If anyone knows where this comes from I would be happy to post the proper credit.

Devotional from Friday January 23, 2015

When was the last time you had a really good belly-aching, tear-dripping laugh? Or just some plain old fun? For that matter, what is your theology of fun? Perhaps you’re thinking it’s not spiritual to have fun, or that it’s not important in a Christian’s life, so you don’t make the time. I believe God created fun and humor because He knew that we would need the soul medicine it would provide in a fallen world.

There’s something that God built into creation that is enjoyable. Imagine the fun God must have had when He created all the animals. Next time you’re at the zoo just look at all the zany creatures; there can be no doubt that we have a fun God and that there is a purpose for laughter in our lives. Since we are created in the image of God as Genesis 1:26 says, then having a sense of humor is part of how we’re wired.

If you have a hard time discovering fun, surround yourself with those people who live life joyfully. My life has been lavished with people who enjoy life. And they are contagious! Even when there has been nothing to laugh about, God has helped me to find the humor in some small thing. 

If you look around, there is always something to laugh about or enjoy. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” We have the “time to weep and the time to dance” part down, but unfortunately not necessarily the “time to laugh.”  

Fun is simply having a sense of humor or lightness; taking a recess from the responsibilities of life through recreation and relaxation. It’s making time for ourselves and others. Play and rest need to be given a proper place of dignity because we have been designed by God with a need to play. 

How can we enjoy life when it seems like a never ending stretch of work? All work and no play makes for a very heavy existence. God fashioned us with a need for enjoyment and fun. He not only gave us a weekly day for our bodies to rest and relax, but on top of that He declared it “holy.” So give yourself permission to have some holy fun!

A Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

I know there are a ton of blog posts out there about painting your kitchen cabinets, but I'm posting this anyways cause I'm just so darn happy with how they turned out!

 Our cabinets were not horrible, but they were just your standard builder grade oak. Plus there are a million different wood finishes throughout the house so it was driving me CRAZY!!! There is also not a lot of natural light in our kitchen so I knew when we moved in they would need to be white to help reflect for light.

This is after the first coat of primer. Can I just tell you how terrified I was? I mean look at that! It's horrible!!! 

 After like 3 or 4 coats of primer, I realized this was going to be a lot of work. This is when I took a break and made french fries. I told myself I was being an awesome mom to make homemade fries for my kids while doing the kitchen cabinets, but really it was just for me. I was already "over" this project and needed some serious comfort food to keep me moving forward.

 And no I did not take my cabinets off to paint them. I had 1 week to finish this project and that would have slowed me down. It worked out just fine and my kitchen didn't look completely disheveled when I wasn't working on it. This is about the worst that it looked. And I'm ok with that!

 After the primer it took about another 4-5 coats of paint and a million episodes of watching Bones while working and it was done! I LOVE how it turned out and my house feels so much cleaner and brighter. My only recommendation is to make sure you add Flotrol to your paint to help eliminate brush strokes. I used a cabinet roller, but it will still leave some texturing behind, but the Flotrol gets rid of that! Don't forget the Flotrol!!!

Devotional from Thursday January 22, 2015

Oh my goodness I say as I walk into a friends house. “Look at her super clean house? Why isn’t my house always this clean? No one will want to come to my house cause its not as cute!”

I’ve always struggled with comparisons. We might have a sister we've adored and wanted to be just like her. We might have had a friend with cute freckles on her nose and we wanted freckles too. We played tournament tennis and we wanted to perfect the backhand and make it look like my Wimbledon idol.

It’s so easy to look around at the friends we have and find an inordinate desire to walk like them, talk like them, witness like them, pray like them, and know the scriptures like them. But be careful! It's a trap! A comparison trap- and unfortunately I have found myself all to often caught securely in it. Have you?

For me, half of the problem was my own insecurity. Another piece of my problem was a sincere desire to be the very best for God, and when I saw someone doing that, I tried to copy her. Comparisons usually lead to copying and that is not all bad if you copy the principles and not the particulars.

You can’t copy spiritual gifts, however, even if you have gifts in the same area. God has made us uniquely and intends for each of us to be ourselves. Escaping the comparison trap is a question of being sure of your own identity.

The most freeing thought for me has been, “If I were them, who’d be me?” Why would God make me one of a kind if He wanted me to try being a clone?  No matter what, just smile and insist on being you!

*modified from http://justbetweenus.org

Camping

We had such a fun time camping with a few of our homeschool friends at the end of August. We actually slept in a tent. If you know anything about me that is quite the feat. I'm not a big camper. But we ended up having a really good time.

 In the morning, our two oldest girls decided to go exploring without telling mom and dad. They came to the tent slightly giggling calling for us to come help them. When I opened the tent door this is what I found. I was less than amused, especially since we didn't bring extra clothes!

The mud was SERIOUSLY CAKED ON!!! 

The mud had to be scraped off!

This is the creek they decided to explore...

And this is where they got stuck! Thankfully a nearby camper heard there cries for help, got a stick and pulled them out.

 Once they were all cleaned up there was no shortage of snake hunting . . .

 and frog hunting. SO MANY FROGS!!!

 Porkchop shot his first bb gun.

I think he liked it! 

 We were sad we couldn't stay the full weekend with our friends, but the hubby had an international flight he had to get back in time for. But on our way home I was able to snap this shot of the Manti temple. So beautiful! Can't wait till we can do this again. Hopefully we can stay the full time!

Devotional from Tuesday January 20, 2015

We all have good days and bad days.  Often, a really bad day follows a really good day.  God, however, is always the same, whatever our days may bring.  David found that out.

One day young David had arrived at the battle scene where he heard the giant Goliath, from the Philistine city of Gath, defying God’s people.  So David bravely killed him (1 Samuel 17:32-51).

King Saul took David to his palace as his servant, but became madly jealous of David and tried to kill him (1 Samuel 19:9-10).  So David became a fugitive.  He traveled to the camp of Achish, the king of Gath, and threw himself on his mercy.  The servants of King Achish did not trust David, and David was afraid.

David had killed the king’s giant, yet he was afraid of the giant’s king!  How can we do so well one day and so badly the next?  I know, don’t you?  David gives me courage to know that I don’t kill a giant every day.  Some days the giant gets us, and we fail badly.  Then we may feel like running away.  We may lose all sense of focus and feel so down that we have no energy to do anything.  As with David, our days will be filled with victories and defeats.But remember, God didn’t give up on David, and He won’t give up on us.  So we mustn’t give up!  We need to repent, redo, regroup – whatever it takes – but not let the giant drag us down.  God loves us, even in our failures.  Don’t ever forget that.

*found on http://justbetweenus.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=316793

A Wedding!

This past summer my amazing sister got married! 

I'm so happy for her and her new hubby! They are perfect for each other and can't wait to get to know my new brother in law better.

The decorations at the reception were perfect! Most of what we used to decorate with came from the company my sister used to work for Lights for all Occasions.

And everyone got to take their glasses home as a thank you favor.

 And it's a rare moment when my kiddos are in coordinating or matching outfits so I tried to take the opportunity to get a picture, but our youngest kiddo was full of attitude that night.

 See what I mean!

My sister asked if I would make her cake and cupcakes and this is what I came up with. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

 She also asked if I would make cupcakes. They were SUPER tasty! And the role brownie bites with caramel frosting weren't half bad either. Not bad at all! :)

 And even though she was being super spunky, at least I got this super cute picture of these two! They danced the night away and ate more sugar than I want to know about. It was the perfect day!