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Welcome
Easy as pie? Is pie really easy? It's easy to eat, but not always easy to make. Excellence is easy to appreciate and enjoy, but getting there takes a while. Join me in my Pursuit In Excellence. It won't be quick , but it will be worth it!
For me excellence revolves around motherhood and grandmahood. It is central to my many interests which I use to help my children develop their talents and have fun.
I share my journey here, The Homemaking Cottage and Arizona Mama. Be sure to see what else is cooking!
Contact Me
Email me at raejean@raejean-easyaspie.comCheck it Out!
Category Archives: Writing
Slices of April
The good news is I’m recapping April earlier in the month than I recapped March last month. The bad news is this is only my second post since my March recap. Without further ado, here’s how April sliced.
1 – Blog post written (yep, March’s recap)
1 – Article written. My one month off from the Homemaking Cottage, slipped into two. I did have a lot of fun with my Airman Family Book Club article though.
1 – Book read – The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. I’m so behind in my Goodreads goal!
1.8 – Pounds lost
3 - Projects complete. At least they were big projects.
4 – Social events, from writing club, to book club to Relief Society and Pack Meeting
7 – Potential employers spoken to at a job fair
14 – Speed interview tables – you know, like speed dating, but for a job. (No, I didn’t get it.)
27 – Countries visited Easy As PIE
47 – States that visited Easy As PIE. Apparently I’m very popular in Nebraska!
76 – Words added to my book (pitiful, I know)
1112 – Page views. Thanks for your support!
April’s Top Posts
- Family Home Evening: Joseph Smith’s First Vision Revisited
- Book Theme Party Decorations
- Family Home Evening: Joseph Smith’s First Vision
- Sweet Shop and Nerf Top Shot Invitations
- Family Home Evening: Adam and Eve
Don’t be shy, tell me how your month sliced up!
Posted in Books, Writing
Tagged April, Arizona Mama, job hunt, Top Posts, weight loss, writing
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Slices of March
I survived tax season 2013! I know it’s pretty sad to be summing up March in the middle of April, but better late than never. Here’s the numbers behind how my month went.
.8 – Pounds lost. It’s not much, but it’s better than last month!
1 – Article written. I took a month off from the Homemaking Cottage and still only managed my Paper Bag Kite article for Arizona Mama. I am on pace to double that this month.
3.14 – Day we spent at the Science Center. Yep, we are that kind of nerdy.
4 – Saturday weigh ins with my friends. It’s amazing how some girl time makes standing on the scale a lot more fun, even on the bad weeks.
5 – Books read, and I’m still four books behind on my Goodreads goal. I think my favorite for the month was Airman by Eoin Colfer – and we had a fun family book club after everyone finished it.
6 – Projects completed.
8 – Ladies dining for our girls night out. I even talked them into going to Frost Gelato afterwards.
11 – Days logging the food I ate. I need to get back in that habit this month.
24 – Hard boiled eggs to dye, although one of my kiddos opted to leave one white.
28 – Countries visited Easy As PIE (at least people from 28 countries).
46 – States represented as Easy As PIE visitors. Apparently I’m not very popular in Montana.
812 – Words added to my book. I am going to finish it this year! (unless I keep getting distracted)
1228 – Words added to my short story. I actually finished the rough draft and read the first couple of pages to my critique group. Now to decide on where to focus my attention, finishing my book or editing my story? Actually I just need to focus on writing 
1261 – Page views. Thank you for visiting!
March’s Top Posts
- Book Theme Party Decorations
- Family Home Evening: Joseph Smith’s First Vision Revisited
- Native American Blue & Gold
- Sweet Shop & Nerf Top Shot Invitations
- Family Home Evening: Joseph Smith’s First Vision
What goals did you meet or miss for March?
Posted in Books, Celebrations, Education, Exercise, family, Womanhood, Writing
Tagged books, family time, Girl time, March, month in review, weight loss, writing
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Friday Favorites on Saturday
I was hoping to get back on track with posting Friday Favorites on Fridays again. Obviously that didn’t happen this week. Since there’s too much fun stuff to do on a Saturday, here’s a quick run down of this week’s favorites.
- We finally saw Wreck It Ralph at the dollar movies. It was a nice family evening of food court food and
cruising the mall. - After five stores, I finally found a short sleeve white dress shirt.
- I finished my short story! It needs a lot of polishing, but there’s still a sense of accomplishment in finishing.
- Pi Day at the Arizona Science Center.
- Pie on Pi Day.
- Book Club. I didn’t even read the book; I was there for the social time.
When I list it that way, it looks like I have plenty of reason to feel like we had a full week. How did you fill your week?
Posted in Books, Celebrations, family, Writing
Tagged Arizona Science Center, Book club, Favorites, Pi Day, Wreck It Ralph
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Family Home Evening: Teaching with Stories
Welcome to this week’s Family Home Evening. 
Opening Song: I Love to See the Temple
Prayer
Scripture: In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of His precious children. Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. Stay focused, just like the honeybees focus on the flowers from which to gather nectar and pollen. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before realized were possible.
President Thomas S. Monson has taught that in many instances Heavenly Father answers another person’s prayers through us—through you and me—through our kind words and deeds, through our simple acts of service and love.
And President Spencer W. Kimball said: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other” {Be Anxiously Engaged, Elder M. Russell Ballard, October 2013 General Conference}
Lesson: Stories Help Lessons
It’s easier to listen to talks or lessons with stories. I think that’s how most people’s brains work. I personally remember church history so much better after I read the Work and the Glory series because I could relate to the family’s experiences as the church grew.
We all came up with a family or personal story and tied it to a gospel principle. Here’s a few examples of what we came up with.
- Nerf war – Life is a battle and the gospel is a safe place to reload
- A group of women from church eating lunch in the same hotel as a child beauty pageant was a lesson showing the contrast between the world and the gospel.
- The gift of a milkshake to a homeless man was an example of thoughtful service
To help us have personal stories to use in our teaching, it’s helpful to record them in our journals. We were challenged to write a detailed personal story in our journals.
Activity: Studio C
Closing Song: Book of Mormon Stories
Prayer
Treat: Hello Dolly Bars
Posted in family, FHE, Sprituality, Writing
Tagged Family Home Evening, Journal writing, service, Stories, Teaching, Temples
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