China, Centerpieces, and Red Satin Sheets

I served on the Enrichment committee for a few years. This was a “stretch” calling for me. I loved working with the other women on the committee. I did not love Making Things Beautiful. I stink at it, and yet it’s a hallmark of Relief Society. Ask me to speak in church with ten [...]

Noise

My house is currently yelling at me. There are shouts coming from every corner. The floor is yelling “Pick that board game up off my hardwood!”, the laundry is yelling, “Fold me now or iron for three hours later!”, the kitchen is yelling, “I can’t last much longer under the weight of all these dishes!”, [...]

The Cult of Art

There is nothing sexier to me than a man who would build a house. With me. Someone who would listen to my ramblings about design and then (breathe deeply here) help me figure out a way to implement them. And who would know what went under floors and behind walls so that [...]

Whitney Awards Recap

So by the end of last week I was too pooped to pop, as they say. The week had been crazy–Easter preparations, a one year old with a mysterious rash, baseball practices galore, throwing a birthday party for my daughter involving 12 giggling girls, body glitter, and silly string–when what to my wondering eyes [...]

The Hourglass Theory

It looked like an egg dissected down the middle. But instead of a slimy and shapeless center, the yolk was beating.
Hump. Hump. Hump.
“Fast and healthy!” said Katie as she moved the ultrasound baton over Lucy’s belly.
My baby had a male appendage, and Lucy’s had a heartbeat. All was well at the doctor’s office that [...]

Third Time’s a Charm

This is a post by Merritt, who lives with her family near the ocean in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. When not filling out preschool applications, she is a sometimes blogger, an expert tutu maker and very happy mother to her sweet little Stella Clemetine. She is also Brooke’s sister.
Today it happened not once, not twice, [...]

Figuring it all out

I know I had it all figured out when I was twenty. I know, because I remember. I was at BYU, my 1980’s hair as big as ever (and beautiful, mind you), my mind filled with the fire of great political philosophers, my heart filled all brimming to the top with youthful pride. The world [...]

Summertime!

The last snow melted from our yard Friday afternoon. It got up to around 50, and spring definitely felt close. The kids got home from school — giddy and bursting with excitement. “The snow’s gone! The snow’s gone! The snow’s gone” They all chanted.
Then they all suddenly disappeared downstairs.
Five minutes later they all re-appear — [...]

Holy Week Awareness

I confess, I was barely aware of Holy Week before my mission. I had heard of Good Friday, Maundy Thursday, Ash Wednesday. But growing up in Utah, I was completely unaware of Holy Week’s deep significance to much of the Christian world. All that changed in Loja, Ecuador. For Holy Week, but especially Good [...]

Children of God

Today is Maundy Thursday, the commemoration of Gethsemane. During these evening hours and throughout Good Friday, please post your reflections on the atonement of Jesus Christ.
(A version of this post originally appeared on my personal blog on October 19, 2006.)
It’s a given that childbirth is painful. Even with the pain relief measures I’ve accepted [...]

Award Season

March is the month for celebrating excellence in LDS lit. Not only did the Association for Mormon Letters recently hand out citations in multiple categories, but the Whitneys, a great new awards program sponsored by LDStorymakers, will take place this weekend. I want to highlight the 2007 nominees and award winners here on Segullah, [...]

Life Is Messy

This is a guest post from Colleen. Here’s what she says about herself: “I am an experienced (humbled) mother of seven who wrote a book about the whole process, It Takes a Mother to Raise a Village. Right now I blog about the History of China , but I am looking forward to finishing [...]

Let it Be

This is a guest post by Chelle, who lives in Salt Lake City with her handsome husband and four children, ages 10, 8, 6 and 4. They consider this stage of life the parenting “sweet spot” and plan to enjoy every second of this “Our Parents Are Really Cool” phase of their children’s lives. [...]

Article discussion: Keeping my Passport, or Sorry, you’re stuck, sister!

This is how I interpret the essay Keeping my Passport, by Lee Ann Setzer. Life is tough, and you gotta stick with it.

Spoiler alert

The other night we were finally nearing the end of Alma in our family scripture reading (I’m not even going to tell you when it was we started), when my eight-year-old suddenly burst out anxiously and with affection, “Helaman doesn’t die, does he?”
Shhh. I won’t tell him if you won’t.

Women

Women’s History Month. Wow. How’s that for a heavy load of words? I’ve been asked (directly or indirectly) several times already what woman from history has most influenced my life. Now that’s a question that requires a lot of thought. I’m not sure I’ve got time for that kind of thought. I’ve got too many [...]

Will Work for Food….I mean, Feedback

“I do not want to frighten you by telling you about the temptations life will bring. Anyone who is healthy in spirit will overcome them. But there is something I want you to realize.
It does not matter so much what you do. What matters is whether your soul is harmed by what you do. If [...]

Ask nine women

Some time ago I was gathered around a table with a group of my blogger friends for lunch. We were discussing a certain situation that had occurred involving one of us. I loved how naturally each woman made the events personal to herself, admitting how she would have felt in such circumstances and considering what [...]

Breaking up is hard to do

Today’s guest post comes to us from Elizabeth. Elizabeth grew up in a fun-loving household of practical jokers. She earned a degree in social work from BYU, and later earned a master’s in social work from some other place. She is often overwhelmed by guilt because she loves working two days a week. She also [...]

BROKEN

This is a post by Jill. You can read more from her at her blog, Sweet Happy Life.
This morning I wiped down the counter top while listening to one of my favorite bands from my college glory days, Moonpools and Caterpillars. I was singing along with Kimi, identifying with her lyrics, and lamenting my [...]

Too Big to Hold

Today I conquered the deli counter.

New Friend

This week I’ve been getting to know Susa Young Gates. The daughter of Brigham Young and Lucy Bigelow, his twenty-second wife, Susa was no ordinary woman. The following excerpt from Mormon Sisters, by Claudia Bushman, describes, some of her accomplishments.
“During her lifetime of seventy-seven years, she was a prolific writer, musician, genealogist, teacher organizer, [...]

Why yes I’m happy to donate, or HA HA, now it’s YOURS, suckers!

Almost every week we get a little envelope with a bag in our mailbox. This envelope has some kind of charity listed on the front, with a plea for donations of knick knacks, clothing, what have you to help the vets, the children, the starving of the world. This week, in true Fly [...]

Naturally

Lucie (age 4) came in the the back door with her hat wadded up in a ball, looked up, and whispered, “Mom, I’ve got NATURE in here!”
“Nature?” I asked, “What kind of nature?”
“Black Nature.”
“Oh. Is it a black stick?”
“No, it’s a black ant. /Nature/. Can I take it inside?”
“No,” I said, “Nature like that stays [...]

The Funny Pages

Cleaning out a bookcase yesterday, I stumbled across an old Erma Bombeck book. I actually found several before I was done. I picked it up with a vague fondness and started perusing its pages.

If the shoes fits (and I hope it does)

My oldest child is a girl, and she just recently turned seven.
Ahem. I guess what I want to say is this: What happened?
Sometimes she comes to me with issues that I have no encyclopedic (or logic, or base, or silly) answer for. Sometimes she still sobs as she climbs into my lap, the [...]

Sometimes well behaved woman do make history

You probably don’t know this about me, but I am a product of what has been dubbed “one of the most heartbreaking episodes of in the annals of Mormon polygamy.” Or something like that.

I was a teenage redhead

Today’s guest post is courtesy of a fabulous redhead named Rochelle (Thanks Rochelle!). You can read more about her on her blog, Rochelle’s Ravings, but here’s part of the rest of her story:
Raised in South Eastern Idaho. Have lived in North Texas with an awesome hubby for 10 years. Have a Bachelor’s [...]

It’s a hard knock life

My third daughter, 7, comes home from school in tears. She melts in a puddle on my bed, and I sit next to her to try and get the details of her travail. It comes out, slowly, with many tears.
“I’m just having so many problems at school! (sobbing, and hair thrashing) So many problems…! Brian! [...]

Analyzing No Time

I’ve got ten minutes until my kids’ show ends, ten minutes to write about Johnna Benson Cornett’s poem, “No Time.” And I want to do something a bit different–I want to talk about some stylistic things in the poem that I just love. So go read it here, or scroll to the bottom of the [...]

AML acknowledges Segullah for its contribution to Mormon Lit

I can brag about this because it has absolutely nothing to do with me and everything to do with the amazing women who create Segullah, the journal. Haven’t read it yet? Well, you’re missing out–subscribe already!
AML, The Association for Mormon Letters, has recognized Segullah for its contribution to Mormon literature in general and women’s voices [...]