Tuesday, February 19, 2013

My talk from sacrament about "spiritual guidance"


Good Morning Brothers and Sisters for those of you who do not know me. My name is Morgan Archer. My husband and I moved into the ward the end of November.  My husband is attending school and I am a stay at home mom too our two little girls. I grew up in this stake and my parents are Kristan and Don Paoalacci so I’m sure if you don’t know me you probley know of me or my family. We are so excited to be a part of this ward family. I am so grateful for my calling and for all of you who have welcomed my family with open arms. I know without a doubt in my mind this ward will be such a great blessing in my family’s life as it has already.

Sunday after church brother Piper ran into me. We talked for a bit and as I was walking away he asked me to speak in church. I have not giving a talk in church since my sophomore year of high school. So n I knew that my turn would be soon.  I am so grateful to Brother Piper because I truly believe he was led by the spirit because this topic is one that I am truly passionate about and that pulls at my heart strings a little bit.

Today I am going to speak to you about a talk given by Richard G Scott. It is called “To acquire spiritual guidance”. First and foremost I hope that you all may be able to feel the spirit as strong as I did when I read this talk.

Elder Scott Begins his talk by explaining that the conditions of the world are changing and it is becoming much more difficult to listen to those promptings given by the Holy Ghost.

I believe Satan is working so hard on his most valiant children. He is constantly tempting us, making us feel weak, and puts so many other barriers in our life to stop us from having the spirit to guide us and better our lives and our family’s lives.

Yesterday my husband and I had the opportunity to attend the temple together. As most of you know the temple can get very busy on Saturday. As we entered we noticed it was one of those Saturdays. But despite how many people were there. It was so peaceful. Everyone was happy and helping one another and the spirit was so strong. I love the peacefulness the temple brings to me. Often times after a session my husband and I like to spend some time in the celestial room to pray and ponder on any challenges or questions that we may have. It is so great to me to know that no matter what is going on in the world we can enter the temple and all of that is forgotten.  Well as I sat and pondered that yesterday I thought of my own home. I wondered what I needed to do better so that I can bring that very spirit into my home. I want people to feel like my home is a safe haven from all of the in moral and ungodly things of the world. To do this we must truly give up all of our worldly habits and focus our thought solely on of savior while we are in the home. I was thinking am I doing this? Would I feel comfortable if my savior knocked on my door and wanted to come in? Just something to think about. I truly feel in my heart that that very spirit you feel in the temple and too be felt in your own home if you are striving daily to live the principals of the gospel.

We all knew before we came to earth that there would be much evil in the world but yet we all made the choice to come down to earth at this time. God gave us a challenge and that challenge was to go down and live in this world but to not become of the world. I like an analogy that was given by John Bytheway he said Go play in the mud, but don’t get dirty.” God has sent us here, but He sent us to be a light to the world, to show our brothers and sisters that it’s possible to be surrounded by mud but choose not to wallow in it.

There is temptation all around us. Satan knows how to get us to join his side. He intices us he know our weaknesses. “Elder Scott said Satan is extremely good at blocking spiritual communication by inducing individuals, through temptation, to violate the laws upon which spiritual communication is founded. With some, he is able to convince them that they are not able to receive such guidance from the Lord.” Although the world is in fact getting weaker we must take this as an opportunity to prove to our heavenly father that we are indeed strong and we know who we are and what are purpose is here on the earth.

I feel like we learn through our experiences. Unfortuanly often we seek the most guidance when we feel we may have hit rock bottom. I believe heavenly father gives us challenges so that we can learn to lean on him and decide to put our faith in his hands. Just like Satan knows our weakness so does our heavenly father. But we have to remember that our heavenly father also knows our strengths. None of us came to earth perfect. We came to make mistakes to go through struggle so we can learn and grow from them.

I myself have had some struggles in my life. I thought I could share with you one in particular.  When I was 18 I injured my foot and developed a rare nerve disorder called rsd my foot was discolored and huge. There were times when the pain was just unbearable. I would have extreme anxiety going out in fear that someone might accidently touch my foot. I had to attend physical therapy 4 times a week and had to do many exercises at home. It basically took over all of my normal daily routines. I became very bitter and frustrated that this was happening to me. My thoughts usually consisted of anger toward my heavenly father for allowing this to happen in my life. I was a senior in high school and I felt I was missing out on so much. I became very depressed and did not know how to handle the situation. I received many blessings but there was one in particular that changed my whole course of how I wanted to handle the situation. My bishop at the time was Bishop Dale Davis. I remember one night he came over with the bishopric to give me a priesthood blessing. In the blessing he said that heavenly father knew how strong I was and that I was very loved by him and if I would just lean on him he would take my hand and help me through this struggle.  That really was what I needed to hear. Through all of the anguish and bitterness I felt I hadn’t taken time to prayerful seek spiritual guidance. I remember going into my room and just praying for hours. I finally felt as though this huge burden had lifted. My heavenly father was waiting for me to come to him so that he could help me and give me the guidance I needed. I could not have received these prompting had I not put my faith in him.

Elder Scott had mentioned in his talk the inspiring influence of the Holy Spirit can be overcome or masked by strong emotions, such as anger, hate, passion, fear, or pride. When such influences are present, it is like trying to savor the delicate flavor of a grape while eating a jalapeƱo pepper. Both flavors are present, but one completely overpowers the other. In like manner, strong emotions overcome the delicate promptings of the Holy Spirit

We have to make it a priority in our lives to continually grow in the gospel so that we can be spiritually prepared for whatever life brings us. We have to have constant faith. Knowing about God, believing in God, and believing that He loves you and wants your happiness is a powerful foundation stone on which to build your life and plan your future. Not one of the trials and tribulations we face is beyond our limits, because we have access to help from the Lord

 

Elder Scott closes his talk by saying “Have patience as you are perfecting your ability to be led by the Spirit. By careful practice, through the application of correct principles, and by being sensitive to the feelings that come, you will gain spiritual guidance. I bear witness that the Lord, through the Holy Ghost, can speak to your mind and heart. Sometimes the impressions are just general feelings. Sometimes the direction comes so clearly and so unmistakably that it can be written down like spiritual dictation”

 

I loved this talk and I feel so privileged that I can share my feelings with you about it. I hope all of you take the time to seek the guidance that is given to us through our leaders and through your own personal prayer. Heavenly father is here for us and he wants us to come to him. He loves us more then we may ever know. If you feel like you may be lost in the world Elder Scott reminds us to make a total commitment to overcome it now. Find a quiet place; pray urgently for help and support. Be patient and obedient. Don’t give up

I bare my testimony to all of you that I know that this is the true gospel and that we can face those hard times in our life if we have faith in him. I am so grateful for the daily support my heavenly father gives me. I am also grateful for my wonderful husband who is such a great example of strength and desire to live the principals of the gospel. I would like to leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Friday, March 9, 2012


 Well it has been a fun week to say the least. I finally found a job! Hooray. I am so happy with it as well. We enjoy so much having Carson come and play with us! He and Malorie have so much fun together! They get along so well. I was amazed with how well he did. They have already become best friends.

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Carson is very fascinated with the baby. It is so cute. He is very gentle with her. (MAYBE this will teach Malorie not to sit on her baby sister. As this is her new thing if we ever take our eyes off her.) When I pick him up at the bus stop he says "hi Malorie" and she says "hi Carson" this goes on for about 5 minutes till we get home. It is so great to start up a routine again. At one point in the day now I have Lainie and Malorie down at the same time. Its great!! Lainie has been feeling soo much better! The doctor said she is sounding amazing. :) hooray. She is gaining weight like crazy. ( I'm only breastfeeding!) I love her so much and I'm so happy she is doing better.
Well the water table I ordered off of amazon FINALLY arrived!! I was so excited when it got here. I put it together all by myself.( Are you proud of me?) Malorie LOVES it (to say the least).  There is one side for water that has a drain and the other side you can put any thing. We have done sand and shaving cream so far. She has soo much fun and it keeps her happy for a long time. HOORAY!
We are doing good over here. Heading over to my aunts house this afternoon to get some pictures done with baby ducks. I think this will be the first actual year Malorie will know what these animals are. I anticipate full on excitement! I will post some pictures later. If you are interested in getting your pictures done with these cute furry things. Here is some more info. http://www.jamieharper.typepad.com
Hope everyone has a great week. I will most likely post again by Monday as we will have many new pictures to post. My aunt is getting married tomorrow. It will be a very exciting weekend.
So glad it has finally arrived!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Finally on the mend!

Well as most of you know Miss Lainie has been in and out of the hospital this last week. She was having such a struggle to breath and was wheezing pretty bad. They diagnosed her with RSV. Poor girl was so tired from everything they did.
They were constantly suctioning her nose, breathing treatments, and a little bit of oxygen.  In the end she stayed only a total of 4 days. We were lucky it could have been alot worse. It was so hard to see her like that i wanted to just wanted to make her all better. Anyways, while we were in the hospital !

Malorie had her first sleepover. What better place to have your first sleepover than Aunt Mayte and Uncle Travis's house! She was so happy to wake up to see some of her most favorite people! When her 2 days were up she was want to happy to come home. She just wanted her "uncle waaavia" aka uncle Travis! What awesome family i have for just taking her in with out question. We love you guys!!!! side note. When she got home she kept running around saying "no Nina no" Nina is there dog.. I'm guessing nina wasn't listening??

Well with all said and done the girls are doing great now! Lainie has a visit yesterday and although they heard some slight wheezing her lungs sound GREAT! yay!! Love being back home with my girls I enjoy every moment I have with them. I feel so blessed to be able to stay home and raise them. I am thankful for an awesome husband who goes to work (and school) everyday to provide for our family! Although money can be tight at times we seem to always make it work. THIS IS ALL WORTH IT!

IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW!
I have the cutest kids ever! Here is an update on there progress.

 
Malorie is getting so grown up. She is definitely speaking in little sentences now. She loves to play in her kitchen and eat at her big girl table! (Although instead of using her fork and plate she prefers to dump it out on the table and eat with her hands.... no sweat as long as she is happy and sitting right?)

Her new thing is telling us that she is "peeing". I thought this might mean that she was ready for a big girl potty. HA! it's a work in progress. When I told her one morning that she was gonna go pee on the big girl dora potty she acted so confused. I said "Mal push the pee pee out in the potty" so she began to push. Haha I guess push was the wrong word to say. Anyways, I am still gonna offer her to go pee on the toilet but hey I'm in no rush.

Delainie is getting sooo big!! I swear she gains a pound a week. (literally) She has reached 18 pound 11 ounces! WHA? I want to eat her. Why cant i?? She is so chunky and I love EVERY ROLL ON HER BODY! 

 She is just getting so big so fast. I can believe it. Her favorites include...tummy time, the swing, and talking to people! She has the cutest voice. It is very deep I just love it. She is sleeping like 6 hours at night. We are super happy about that.


MY DAIRY FREE DIET NOW CONSISTS OF THE NEW COOKIES I HAVE CREATED!! MALORIE LOVES TO BAKE AS WELL.
 LOOK AT THIS CUTE PICTURE. 
I need to get it framed and put it in my kitchen


yummmy!!!!

Well it is 9:30pm and both kids are asleep. I am ending this blog post! Are you proud of me for doing two weeks in a row??


thought I would end on a happy note.


GOODNIGHT!


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Yes I am going to blog AGAIN!

Well its been too long to count how long ago it was since I last blogged. I always felt there was never enough time in my day to blog.( that was when I only had Malorie) Well although it is true I do not have enough time in my day/week. I felt it was important to start blogging again.  I have two beautiful girls I get to update everyone about. I also wanted to blog about my Dairy free diet! (THOUGHT IT MIGHT HELP OTHERS WHO ARE HAVING TO CUT OUT ALOT DUE TO BREASTFEEDING)

My girls are doing great. We just made our first road trip to California. It turned out great. We all had a bunch of fun. The car ride there was a breeze. Malorie just got to relax. She ate her snacks and watched Dora for 5 and a half hours. YES, SHE WAS IN HEAVEN! We made it the whole way without crying. The crazy part about the car ride was Malorie didn't sleep at all.

We did alot in California. Here are some highlights
 here is a video of the whales!! MALORIE LOVED THEM!
 DADDY SHOWING MALORIE A STAR FISH!! SHE JUST WANTED TO HOLD IT ALL BY HERSELF (MISS INDEPENDENT)
LOVED HAVING MY MOBY WRAP! I GOT TO SNUGGLE THIS CUTE GIRL THE WHOLE TIME:)
 MALORIE BEING MALOIRE!!


 

OKAY  CAN YOU BELIVE HOW BIG SHE IS GETTING?? she is now 12 weeks and weighs in at 17 pounds!! oh we just love everything about her. 



loving the beach!!!!

the car ride home!!! oh she had enough!

Quick update on my diet! For those of you who don't know the story. I am a dairy free mommy! Lainie has had tummy issues from day one. We found multiple causes and one of those were me having to cut out all COW PRODUCTS. It is so hard but I know it's sooo worth it! 
 People tend to joke about how cheesy something is or how yummy their hamburger is. I am trying to not get easily offended. I has always loved eating and drinking anything that came from a cow. So yes it has been hard. But growing up my best friend Ali Waldrom was gluten free and I saw how hard it was for her at first but as the years passed I saw how awesome she was at maintaining that diet. 
Now I know how hard that was. 
Reading labels on EVERYTHING.  
Seriously you would be so surprised how many things have cows milk ingredients in them. Anyways, every time I think about how "hard" it is I think about how amazingly wonderful my sweet baby girl is. She is healthy and happy now! Thank goodness!!! I know one day she will thank me.

I found some awesome recipes online! 
I have decided that all my dinners will be dairy free. It is just too hard to create something different for everyone at dinner time. Here is my menu for the week. I will take pictures and post my favorites.

ideas's

Grilled chicken fajita’s and rice
Turkey Tetrazzin
Turkey and Colorful Veggie Chili
grilled chicken sandwiches
 Pulled Pork with Tangy Crisp Coleslaw
 Stuffed french toast

Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Herbed Goat Cheese & Ham


ALL OF THESE ARE DAIRY FREE! ALSO SOME ARE EVEN GLUTEN FREE :)

LET THE COOKING BEGIN....


Wednesday, June 15, 2011

She is 1

She is ONE
How blessed we have been since this precious little girl entered our lives



Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Vesicoureteral reflux

Last month Malorie developed a high fever and we found out she has a urinary tract infection. Because a UTI in an infant is usually a sign of a more serious problem our pediatrician ordered some tests for Malorie.
Yesterday we went to Phoenix Children's Hospital for a series of tests. She was a trooper. She had an ultrasound and a VCUG scan. It was determined that she has what is called