What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate!

This meme made me laugh!! 😂

[Photo credit: www.facebook.com/MyHusbandIsMyBestFriend]

Okay so we all know that this picture is exaggerating... but it's true that husbands and wives need to realize that their brains may process things differently! In my personal experience, I've found that my husband will focus on one idea at a time and I'll be bouncing all over, making connections, seeing a big grand picture in my mind. And it's so exciting! (so I go on...) "And this! And that! And the other!!"

But then I suddenly realize that he hasn't said anything for awhile and stop to ask him what he thinks. Turns out that he had formulated a response for the first thing I brought up and was waiting to say that, but it was now irrelevant because I have gone through ten more subjects since then. 🤣 So at this point he has ten different possible responses, and he's trying to decide which one to comment on. (silence... thinking... silence...)

In my excited enthusiasm (and lack of patience) I see his hesitancy as not having a response at all, so I start up again to fill the void... and leave him in the dust again! And the cycle repeats. Or at some point I may stop and be like, "How come you're not interested? This is exciting!!" But the poor man is just trying to keep up with the topic changes!!

As Jed Clampett once said on the Beverly Hillbillies, "What we have here is a failure to communicate!!" (This is one of my husband's favorite quotes. For context, just watch this funny video clip from 1:00 to 2:30. )

When communicating with my husband, no matter how enthusiastic I am, if I want him to participate in the conversation, I have had to learn to slow down and WAIT (and even count to ten in my head!) and patiently give him time to comment, one subject at a time. (It's so hard!!!) But it's amazing how much better we communicate when I do this! And he has had to learn to comment OUT LOUD, not just in his head haha. 🤔

It's a process! But it's worth it to take the time to learn how your spouse communicates and help him understand how you communicate, and then work hard on improving your interactions. Mostly it just takes understanding, love and patience. 💖

What can you do to better understand your spouse today?
Make it a priority for #FamilyFriday!
~JS~ 🌞

LDS General Conference October 2014

I had an absolutely WONDERFUL weekend listening to the live October 2014 session of LDS General Conference this weekend! During this religious gathering, members of the LDS church come together every 6 months, either in-person or virtually through internet & TV broadcast, to hear counsel of the church leaders. It is a wonderful group of meetings - open to the public - in which to feel the comradeship of sharing faith and testimony with others throughout the world.

Birds-eye view of the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, which seats over 20,000 people and hosts this world-wide religious conference every 6 months.

Why General Conference?

Everyone needs a refreshing break from the ¨daily grind¨ to renew and rest the soul from the cares of the world. LDS General Conference provides such a break for me. On Conference weekend, there are no meetings in the local church buildings, so my kids (and me) love the fact that we don't have to get dressed up and go to church! In fact, we can watch conference in our PJ's if we want to! And we usually do. :)

Here's my family listening to General Conference as broadcast on BYUTV through Direct TV - Sunday Oct 4th, 2014. Notice the spot with the BYU football pillow? That's the space where I was taking notes on my laptop before I got up to take the picture. :) Starting on the far right, Steven and Melissa are playing with Legos while we listen, Christianna is crocheting slippers, Joshua and Joseph are playing mindless games on their devices to help themselves not fall asleep, and Katilyn's braiding a hemp cord bracelet. This type of church is ¨heaven¨ for a family!! :) Note - Lonny is upstairs in the kitchen (probably killing flies) to keep himself alert while he listens. Jessica is in Salt Lake City watching the session LIVE at the Conference Center!

Live-Tweeting #ldsconf

This year I ¨live-tweeted¨ all through conference using #ldsconf, and there were so many great quotes and pictures that I was able to share and have shared with me through this fun social media outlet! Currently, General Conference weekend is one of the only times I actually use Twitter - but it's so fun that I just might try to make a habit of using Twitter a little more often. To see my Twitter feed and all the great quotes and photos I shared during the 2-day conference, visit: https://twitter.com/jumbledsunshine

Because I Have Been Given Much...

Here's just a very small 2 minute sample of one of the most powerful conference addresses from this weekend by Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Grab a hanky! And remember - because we have been given much, we too must give.

I can't begin to tell you how many great and motivating messages we heard this weekend. And so much of it applies to life no matter what religion you are. If you want a real treat, then take some time to listen to, watch, and read the recorded talks as they become available over the next few days here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014/10?lang=eng

LDS General Conference Memes

Lastly, there are always hundreds of memes created for all the great quotes that happen during the six 2-hour sessions that comprise General Conference. Here are a few of my favorites from this weekend:

Jumbled Sunshine Review: "Once Upon a Time" TV series

I thought I'd start a series with my take on various shows, movies, books, etc. I'll just do it as they come up in my life, no rhyme or reason in particular. It's more surprising that way! ;) So - here's my take on the ABC TV series, "Once Upon a Time" which premiered on ABC TV in 2011. Season Two is currently being aired on ABC TV (as of 1/31/13), and all of season one is available HERE on Netflix.

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Official Rating: TV-PG
Jumbled Sunshine Rating: TV-12 (for disturbing themes, intense fantasy violence, and mild/rare suggestive content). 

Plot Synopsis (by imdb.com): 
"Emma Swan gets the surprise of her life when Henry, the son she gave up 10 years ago, arrives on her doorstep. Returning the boy to his adoptive mother becomes complicated when Henry reveals a stunning theory to Emma. Everyone in Storybrooke, Maine is a fairytale character under a curse, and Emma - as the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming - is the one who can save them all. The story unfolds; interweaving scenes of the drama in the sleepy New England town and the inhabitants' past lives in the world of fairy tales. The timeless battle of good vs evil is ready to begin again." 

Jumbled Sunshine Review & Parents Guide: 
This sounds like a kids show, but it is NOT. It's like a fairy tale story for grown-ups. I really enjoy the plot and the twists and turns, but I would recommend it only for adults and teenagers and perhaps some tweens, depending on their maturity level. There are intense scenes of fantasy violence and some disturbing twisted plotlines that, in my opinion, make it inappropriate for younger audiences. I would suggest that parents preview several episodes before deciding which of your children can handle a show like this, taking into account your child's understanding of the difference between fantasy and reality and whether or not they have a tendency to nightmares. That said, one of the main characters, Henry, is a boy about 11-ish who is a big part of the storyline and a pretty good hero-character. The show has a lot of happy charming moments, but it really is a plotline intended for mature audiences. At our home, my 8-year-old son is not allowed to watch it, and my very mature 11-year-old daughter is watching it while supervised by me so we can discuss anything as needed. The older teens watch it on their own and they all love it. Me too. :)

Are You a Little "Jumbled" Too? - Part One

So now that you've had a few minutes to look over my blog, you may be thinking, What exactly does "jumbled sunshine" mean? Or maybe even. . . "Am I a little jumbled too?"

Let me explain by telling you about my past 24 hours and see if you can relate. . . This started out as "the short version" (NOT!) Honestly, I don't think I'm capable of a truly short version of this topic, so here's the long version of the short version which is actually the full version. . .

• Tuesday started with a realization that there was absolutely no more time left to procrastinate Christmas. So my day consisted of online shopping. . . all day. It was exactly 1 week before Christmas, so of course I found myself paying extra for expedited shipping. Oh well, as the French say, "C'est la vie!"

• So, 5 hours later . . . (yes, really.). . . I finally finished shopping (which I must admit was a ton of fun!) and added the final touches to the Christmas present spreadsheet I had created to keep track of who was getting what, complete with color-coded text fields showing me what was ordered (green), what was wrapped and under the tree (red), what was not done yet (white) and what needed to be urgently attended to (yellow). Those two yellow fields meant that I would be crocheting a LOT over the next week! Which is okay, because I love to crochet, and I will save a lot of money, but I really should have done this last month. Famous last words, right? haha.

• Once that was finally finished, I stumbled out into the main rooms of my home, my eyes burning from too much screen time, and looked around me to assess what was going on and what needed to be done. The kids may - or more likely may not - have done their homework, but I'd have to check on that later, because everyone needed to be fed! 

• So I made a quick dinner of spaghetti while listening to Sirius XL Holiday Music on my Dish Network TV. It was great. I found my toes tapping and my hips bouncing as I listened to the old familiar carols play. . . anyone who walked through the kitchen joined in (or ran away in fright! haha!) I had only about an hour before family members needed to run out the door to attend the various activities of the evening. As the family gathered around the table, I threw together a quick salad with the veggies I picked up Saturday from Bountiful Baskets, and enjoyed the novelty of shredding some rainbow carrots into a bowl. As we dished up our plates, I spent time strongly encouraging everyone to put a few freshly sliced radishes and crumbled cauliflower florets over their salads. It didn't matter if you like them or not, they are good for you - so at least try a bite or two. (That's my philosophy and probably a good topic for another post. . .)

Photo courtesy of:
Karah Fredricks Photography.

• Once everyone was fed, satisfied, and headed out to wherever they needed to be, the rest of us who were left quickly cleaned up the kitchen (with the promise of some TV time when we were done) so it would be ready for my husband to come back and do a planning meeting with his Scouts. (Thank goodness it's the week before Christmas break, so there was little homework to be done! At least that's what they told me and I didn't argue because I was exhausted!)

• Then we settled into the den for some nice relaxing TV and fiber arts time. I got busy finishing the gift I had made for my Dad and step-Mom last week, which I was fixing because I had made an error on the last 7 rows and needed to re-do them. . . My 15 yo daughter was working on her sewing project that had to be done by the end of the week or she would fail her sewing class, and vehemently complaining "I hate sewing! I don't know why I even took this class! It's all my soccer coach's fault because I had to take advanced conditioning, and so then I had to change my schedule, and ended up with sewing!" Hahaha. . . I knew she was exaggerating because she loves her teacher, and her coach. And she's a decent seamstress considering how little guidance she has received from her mother on the subject. And I also knew that she was really just upset because she kept making mistakes and had had to unpick her stitches at least 3 times last night (any seamstress knows how frustrating that is!) . . . In the meantime, my 18-year-old daughter was busy in her corner spinning roving into yarn . . .