My "5 Sense"

Ok, so my friend, Angela, has decided to do a giveaway of a few blog headers made by her in exchange for "5 sense."

"The sense should pertain to the maintaining of the home or the preservation of the homemaker’s welfare (aka sanity).
President Kimball advised, “Whatever your circumstance, let your premises reflect orderliness, beauty, and happiness.”
Working, working from home, staying at home, whatever the circumstance, how do you keep order, beauty and happiness within your abode?The “sense” could be but not limited to… positive affirmations, recipes, helpful websites, solace, household tips, advice, products, patterns, hobbies, books, whatever."

So...
here are my 5 sense:
1. Digital Scrapbooking- I usually find time to be on the computer every day, & I have really come to love the time I spend scrapbooking. It is time that I can unwind & the projects are on a small scale, so I can complete at least one page in the time I've chosen to sit at the computer, giving me a sense of accomplishment that I often find lacking when I look at the piles of laundry, stacks of dirty dishes (or even clean dishes needing to be put away), floors needing mopped or vacuumed & all sorts of other small things that tend to pile up if left too long. Scrapbooking helps keep me sane, & also accomplishes a commandment to keep a record

2. Christmas Playlist- I will admit with no guilt whatsoever that I have over 600 Christmas songs on my iPod, & I listen to them year-round. That doesn't mean that I only listen to it all the time, but I like to sneak it in every couple weeks or so, just to get my fix. I love the feelings & memories that come when listening to my Christmas music.

3. Prickly Pear Jelly- Unfortunately I missed most of this fix this year, due to the early arrival of one aforementioned wiggly youngster (which we are very happy about now), but I really enjoy the time of year when prickly pears come ripe. It gives me so much satisfaction to take a totally raw fruit product, then through lots of work & steam & smashing, wind up with an end product as tasty as prickly pear jelly (& it doesn't hurt that other people like to buy it as well).

4. Cloth grocery bags- I am by no means a "green" person, but I really love these cloth grocery bags, & have made a few for myself & others. They are exactly like plastic walmart bags, but cloth! They hold so many things & are so cute. It also gives me opportunity to break out the sewing machine, which I consider part of my zen. Ok, maybe not zen, but at least part of my weekly sanity check.

5. The Book of Mormon- After a year & a half of reading, I finally finished the Old Testament just before Christmas, & then started on the Book of Mormon again. After the OT, reading the Book of Mormon felt like coming home. The language is easier to read & understand, the principles are sound & speak to the soul, the writers feel like old friends, & the spirit I feel brings a sense of peace & comfort to my life & home. I love it when I read the Book of Mormon over again & I find something totally new that hadn't touched me in a previous reading, as if it wasn't there & then suddenly was written in when I needed it most. It's like that every time, though always different. It truly is written for our day, & I can't wait to share my love for it with my daughter!

I'd like to thank Angela for this idea, as it has helped me to look at my life & see some of the good I do, no matter how unorganized my home may be today, & realize that I can always do a little more each day. Thank you! Oh, be sure to stop by Angela's site to check out the rules, & you can participate as well by posting a link to her site & sharing your 5 sense.