“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. “

1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla.

Our family life has been a little chaotic lately, so to help us feel more organized and team-like, my husband and I have started our own little “marriage council”. Each Sunday night, after the kids go to bed, we go over schedules for the week, our plans for date night, our budget, meals for the week, and what we need to work on together. It’s like our own personal pep rally, and we always end feeling ready for the insane days ahead…and excited for our date that Friday!

From the Trenches of the Studio: What I Learned From Recording

Recording an album has QUITE the learning curve, especially for a perfectionist like me. Especially when there are 3 of you, and especially when you have 10 kids and 3 husbands, and especially when you care SO MUCH about how the album turns out. I could make a huge list of the things I learned this time around, but I’ll spare you. Here’s just a taste.

I learned:

Pizza tastes REALLY good when you’ve been singing for hours (and you didn’t pay for it).

A comfy futon is only comfy for 157 minutes.

There are some things I can’t control. I can either let that drive me NUTS…or I can accept it and find peace.

Gas is expensive.

OK, so actually those are all things I already knew. BUT, there WAS something I learned that had never occurred to me. And I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. You ready? Here it is:

Life is like recording a song. (Cue lightbulb to go off in your head. Oh come on, don’t you have one of those?)

And here’s how:

I’m sure you know that recording is very “forgiving.” Meaning, if you make a mistake you can just go back and fix it until you have the song as perfect as you want it. That’s what Producer James calls, “the magic of the studio!”

Well, it occurred to me that our lives can be that way. Unfortunately we can’t go back and erase mistakes we’ve made in the past, but if we repent, the Savior has promised that He will “remember them no more” (D&C 58:42). So to Him, our mistakes ARE erased.

So, because of the atonement, and the chance we have to repent and do better and start over, we really CAN create a beautiful song for the Lord. Our lives may have many parts that need fixing…and there are probably moments we will always cringe to remember. But because of Him, all that counts–all He hears in the end–are the BEST parts of the song we’ve sung–the very BEST and most beautiful parts of our lives.

Isn’t that wonderful? Doesn’t it give you chills??

It’s as if we can watch a video recording of our lives and hit “delete” on the rough spots. That’s the “magic” of the atonement. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of that opportunity?

I am so grateful for a Savior who has offered this gift to me. The chance to leave the past behind me and face the future with hope for myself. The chance to see each morning as a “beautiful dawn”–to try a little harder to be a little better.

And ultimately, to one day present to the Lord the beautiful song that was my life.

Thank you, thank you, recording!