French things make everything better.

Day 4 of the Snowpocolypse.

School had been cancelled for everyone again.

Despite what you might think, we were not going stir crazy.

Good thing we brought some of my homemade wheat bread.  

It is full of flax seed, oats, and crushed almonds.

Yum.

We decided to try to make some homemade french toast with the wheat bread.

Here is how you do it:

This morning John left for his first day of school for this semester. I'm gonna miss that guy during the days.  The Snowpocolypse spoiled us.

I'm feeling a lot this morning as I think about what this semester might hold for us. 

I'm scared I might get bored.  This is the first time, since I was four, that I haven't been a student.  I feel like its hard to gain a sure footing right now.  I am faced with all of this time and the freedom to choose what I would like to do with it.

I have always been an extremely busy lady.  

I have prided myself on my "to-do" lists.  I went through school in a whirl wind of things to do, songs to memorize, assignments to complete, and places to be.  I had a schedule and places where I knew I had to be present.  Now, I feel like I am floating around in some sort of uncharted territory.  Although now I occasionally have work, voice lessons, and a grocery run, I find myself in possession of one of the most precious gifts: time.

My father-in-law encouraged John and I to read (this talk) from October General Conference again.  We did, and I am so grateful for that.  Here are some things that Dieter Uchtdorf said that spoke to my soul.

"Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives."

"It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Over-scheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks."

"Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.

Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace. "

I am very much looking forward to devoting my time to simplifying my life and emphasizing the basics of the gospel in my life.

I am looking forward to being a supportive wife while my husband soldiers through another semester of college.

I am looking forward to the next time I can make this french toast.

And I am looking forward to all of my precious time and turning it in to something wonderful.