Hi, I'm VW

I grow kids and flowers. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am a stay at home mother of four. I love reading, eating cookie dough, kissing my children after they're asleep each night, and spreading composted manure on my flower beds with the help of my kind husband. I started a gardening blog in 2008, and writing a weekly post helps me feel like I'm still using my Horticulture degree. Garden blogging got me into photography, which is a great new adventure.

Why I am a Mormon

I was born into a Mormon family, but knew as a teenager that I needed my own witness of Christ's gospel and my family's church - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I spent a lot of time studying the gospel of Jesus Christ and church doctrines in the scriptures and at church. Then I prayed to ask my Heavenly Father if what I was studying was true. It took many prayers before I received my answer - a buoyant happiness in my heart that was the Holy Spirit's way of telling me that these things are true. As I continue to study and try to live Christ's gospel, I feel His love for me. I am filled with joy as I teach my children of Jesus and His plan for us.

Personal Stories

What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?

Home is the most important and the most difficult place for us to follow Christ. Living the gospel of Jesus Christ means being kind, considerate, patient - never irritable or selfish or just plain grumpy. As my husband and I try to teach our children to follow Christ's teachings, we all have good moments and not-so-good moments. So I'm grateful that Christ's gospel also includes forgiving and being forgiven. We never fail as parents until we stop trying, so I figure we're doing OK as long as we keep getting up each morning to pitch in and work together to become better. In quiet moments, I can see that we are making progress, little by little.

How I live my faith

Currently I serve at church as the secretary of the children's Sunday school, which we call Primary. I wouldn't have expected to enjoy this work so much, but I've found that the Lord helps me to love the children and find fulfillment in teaching and encouraging them. I'm trying to learn all of their names, which is a challenge since we have nearly one hundred kids at church each Sunday. We teach them about Jesus Christ, and also help them to have fun together and build friendships. Sometimes I cry because their singing makes me so happy. I also work as a volunteer on the landscaping committe for our nearby temple.

What is the role of the husband and the wife in the family?

Katie answered...

Husband and wife in a marriage are meant to be equal, partners. The husband is the head of the household and is responsible for the temporal welfare of his family. His role is to support his wife. The wife is also to support her husband and to nurture her family both spiritually and emotionally. Husband and wife are meant to work side by side in providing a safe haven from the world for their family. Their roles are different, but equally important and essential to building the family and the community.
Jocelyn answered...

The role of husband and wife in the family is to first and foremost love each other! Wow, revolutionary!!!
I have found that when there is love and complete commitment between my husband and I, there is no problem that we cannot face together. It is much easier to teach the children with love and to handle life's challenges.
My husband and I are equals. I feel loved, respected, and appreciated by him. I hope he feels the same things from me.

Do Mormons practice polygamy?

Marc (Bo) answered...

Absolutely not!! This is one of the many myths about Mormon's that hollywood and the media continue to propogate. It is true that the early memebrs of the church did practice polygamy, but the church oficcialy denounced the practice 150 years ago!! If any church member today practices polygamy they are excommunicated. There are people who leave the LDS church and start their own religion base loosely on LDS beliefs. Some of them practice polygamy. They are NOT memebrs of the LDS (Mormon) chruch, nor do they have any affiliation with the LDS church.