Scatter Sunshine...

10 things i love today…

2012-01-26T15:56:00.001-07:00

1. Daves Killer Bread

It’s to die for, I’ve only found it at Fred Meyer & Winco… I ♥ the story behind it all too. Dave is an ex convict who has turned his life completely around. Cool right?!

2. Good Mail

I got two packages in the mail today! My new JoTotes bag & my adult size Minky Couture Blanket came today. YAY!

3. I got a new camera for Christmas. I love it.

I have wanted a good quality camera since Braxton was born, but after researching them all could never find one that fit my needs. I wanted one with a glass lens, but I wanted it to be compact too, I knew I wouldn’t take pictures if I couldn’t lug it everywhere or if it was too bulky. Let’s be honest too, I have TOO many hobbies and didn’t need one more to consume me, I needed one that was simple & one that I wouldn’t have to spend hours trying to learn to use. So the Nikon 1 was the perfect fit for me. My husband rocks- he totally surprised me with it. ♥ him.

4. Can’t wait to finish this project! I’ve wanted silhouettes of my kids FOR-EVER!

5. Shrimp Scampi,

I’ve eaten it for lunch & dinner the last two days! My cute sister in law introduced this recipe to me, and it’s quick and YUMMY! Go HERE for the recipe.

6. A FUN blogger friend introduced this i-phone app to me. It’s for kids, and I think it’s SO cute!

It’s called CAKE FUN. they get to bake a cake and decorate it, then eat it too! Brooklyn is also loving the apps, MAGIC PIANO & Fancy Nancy Dress Up.

7. Project Life

I’ve been a fan of Becky Higgins for AS LONG as I can remember! Her new scrapbooking system is to die for. Have you dreamed of keeping your scrapbooks caught up but just never thought you could? Check it out. Right now. I am in LOVE. All my scrapbooks are caught up through Christmas! For real!

8. I’m totally lovin’ Instagram totally keeping me up to date with my

Project Life! ♥ it!

9. Took pictures of this SWEET little guy. Can you believe we caught a smile?! EEK. He’s scrumptious.

Did I mention I’m over the top baby hungry?! I find myself strolling down the baby isle just to browse in about every single store I go into! I’m sewing new blankets & burp cloths for a baby I don’t even have yet! ha!

Did you know we are trying to adopt again? Feel free to pass our profile on to ANYONE and EVERYONE… you just never know! wink. wink.

Check out our profile by clicking on the picture below.

How was that for shameless self- promotion! ha! ;)

10. Sweet Valentines from Brooklyn to each member of our family. Ahhh. Love that girl.

Isn’t February the best? the month of LOVE! What are you loving in your life today?

YW Manual 1 Lesson 2

2012-01-06T18:03:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick handout you are welcome to use that I made for a friend teaching the Young Women Lesson this week. Click on it to make it larger and then copy & print. (it would be super cute to stick inside a journal etc.)

Slow Down. Have Fun. Create.

2012-01-03T15:49:00.001-07:00

Things are slowing down a bit. Brooklyn is back in school. Life is returning to a schedule. We had a great Christmas! The kids and I made a list of things to do while they were out of school so they wouldn’t get bored… we only got through two of them! ha! And I promise we were never bored! :) I think we will continue to work through them!

Our List:

Click any of the pictures for more info.

Make Puff Paint Snowmen

Play dough Monsters

Winter Bubbles

If it’s cold enough outside they fall to the ground and shatter!

Stamping with Pencil Erasers

Online Story Time

Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Rapunzel Wig for Brooklyn

The tooth fairy made her first appearance to our house too! :D

I’m still working at figuring out my New Years Resolutions for 2012.

Here is some of my inspiration:

This article on the Joy of Quiet
and this video. LOVE! Happy 2012 friends!

December. In a nutshell.

2011-12-23T11:33:00.001-07:00

The last few months have been Crazy… with a capital C! I never imagined I could be so far behind on a to-do list. ;) I’ve never felt so much chaos but at the same time so content & happy with life. It’s full of everything I love. {and I’ve only had a couple of break down’s, a few monster stress zits, and two migraines"} ha! Really. It’s a beautiful life. I am so grateful for my many blessings.

I guess it doesn’t help that I’d rather spend my nights sitting in front of the Christmas tree watching the twinkling lights.

I think I’ll just try to recap our month of December. On December 1st, Zach & I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. Love that boy SO much. He makes all my dreams come true.

It was also the day my dad had surgery. It was a day of miracles. He is doing SO great. He is cancer free right now! That feels so good to say! :) He will do 12 more rounds of chemo after Christmas. He is my hero. I don’t know that I could fight like he is fighting. Truly he is amazing. It has been hard. We have had so many tender mercies. Very grateful.

We were able to visit with Braxton’s birth mom Shanna and her sweet family for an afternoon as well. What would I do without these sweet girls who made it possible for me to be a mom?! Love them and that is an understatement!

We made a quick trip to Dallas where we were wined and dined. Seriously. Limo, 8 star hotel, breakfast in bed, the works. Can you believe I didn’t get a single picture? ha! {that is so unlike me}

We helped host an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party. SO fun!

this cute girl got a hair cut, and it was all her idea!

Welcomed a new niece! Rylin Kate Davis. She is SO tiny and I am SO baby hungry. Mmm. Nothing better than a sweet little one straight from heaven! So happy for Josh & Amber!

We celebrated my mom’s 50th Birthday. She is so beautiful. Really inside and out!

She's the kind of mom, who when you become a mom, somehow gets even better. You slowly start to realize what it must have taken to have provided the childhood you were blessed with, and wonder how you're ever going to do what she did, and be what she was. With every additional year of my own my mom becomes more amazing.

We’ve had preschool parties-

I am LOVING volunteering in Miss Brooklyn’s kindergarten class once a week too. The kids make me laugh. They are so fun!

We’ve been caroling, visiting the Senior Citizen’s home, Pedicures & Personal Progress, Studying Christmas with the Prophets for our Young Women Christmas lesson. Awesome book btw.

We have had SO much fun with our Elf on the Shelf Frisbee… my kids almost don’t want Christmas to come (I said almost)… because then Frisbee will have to go back to the North Pole. CUTE! Here are just a few of the things Frisbee has been up to! We love you too Frisbee!

Here is our Christmas card. We wish each of you a Merry Christmas filled with the love of our Savior, peace in your hearts & all good things as 2012 approaches.

Thanksgiving 2011…

2011-11-28T23:11:00.001-07:00

We made a few Turkey day treats to take with us to Thanksgiving Dinner….

Recipes found HERE.

This Butterfinger pie was to die for

and so with this Feta Dip… my mouth is watering just thinking about it. mmm.

We had the perfect Thanksgiving. Hope you did too!

So much to be thankful for.

I’m looking forward to the magic of December.

In fact meet our new Elf. Frisbee. He’s full of magic! Just ask my kids! ;) wink. wink.

Happy December!

Thankful Hearts & a New Surgery Date…

2011-11-23T14:48:00.001-07:00

As we approach Thanksgiving tomorrow, we want to tell each of you who visit us here, at home, in prayer, in service and many other ways,how very, very grateful we are that we have you in our life. Supporting us through this difficult trial. We love you. We can't wait for the day when it is our turn to give back. We say it again and again, but we are humbled by the wealth of blessings we see each and ever day. Though the road has been extremely difficult, we have hope & we feel slivers of peace throughout each day.

They have bumped dad's surgery up to this Tuesday the 29th. Mom & dad will travel down to Huntsman's on Monday for the MRI & pre-op anesthesia and then they will decide after studying the MRI what the best plan is for dad's leg. We will keep you updated here as we receive more information from my mom on that day. We are holding a fast this Sunday for those who feel so inclined to participate with us for dad, that everything will go smoothly for him. Thank you so much. We truly feel the strength your prayers and fasting bring. We post most of the updates for dad HERE.

We leave you with a beautiful inspiring message.

Happy Thanksgiving. We truly have so much to be grateful for.

Fall, Adoption Month, GIVE AWAY WINNER!

2011-11-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

Micaela #17 chosen by Random.org contact Karen HERE with your choice of scensty burner & bar. If you want to order from my online party go HERE. Remember Karen is throwing in a free Scensty Bar for anyone who places an order PLUS FREE SHIPPING!!!

My house smells like Cinnamon & Pumpkins & I have already broke out the Fall/Thanksgiving decor! ♥ I LOVE the Holidays!!!

It's also National Adoption Month! We LOVE adoption! If you are new around here, you can read both of our children's adoption stories HERE.

Brooklyn's birthmom Bri came to visit this week and Shanna Braxton's birthmom will soon be visiting this month too! How lucky are we?!

I’ll be sharing more on adoption later this month. Including why we have chosen open adoptions.

Young Women in Excellence 2011…

2011-11-01T23:16:00.001-06:00

The theme we chose:

Invites:

Decor:

Tutorial on how to make flower poms go HERE.

{we have AWESOME YW!!}

We had the girls each make their own poster with tidbits & pics all about themselves, & what they had been working on for personal progress.

We also had their parents write letters to each girl to set by their frames.

The pics looked like this:

Refreshments:

Homemade Oreos with value color frosting in the middle;

find recipe HERE.

& Rainbow Fruit Kabobs

I wish you could have seen it in person my darn pictures don’t do it justice at all. :)

For our program we had an awesome speaker in the ward come talk to the girls about seeing themselves through Heavenly Father’s eyes.

We sang this song to the girls:

Beauty Is
From the CD “Arise and Shine Forth” by Jenny Phillips
Has the world ever been so confused
About what beauty is?
It’s not the girl on the magazine
That you were sent here
To try to be
A focus on body image
Is not what true beauty is
Beauty is found
In the girl who believes
In the power of her divinity
The light in her eyes
Shows her goodness inside
She is honest and kind at all times
When you care more about
Living the way Christ did
That’s when you’ll know
What beauty is
Just like a temple that shines
Cared for on the outside
The beauty inside the doors
Is the thing that matters
A million times more
So magnify the holiness within you
Let purity dwell inside

Also used this video clip:

Also for anyone that has or is going to place a SCENTSY ORDER from my party, Karen is also giving you a free scentsy bar of your choice with your order, you just need to e-mail her HERE.

with the bar that you would like! How generous right?! Thanks Karen!!!!

Plus you still have time to enter her Scentsy GIVE AWAY

RIGHT HERE. Good Luck!

Catching Up…

2011-10-30T13:13:00.001-06:00

Last night I couldn’t sleep. I ended up going back through some of my older blog posts, it’s like a journal for me. I read THIS post, and thought WOW, I had no idea how much more the Lord wanted me to STRETCH & GROW. I definitely have some edges that need some major polishing. Life seems to be handing us trial after trial right now. Sometimes I’m strong, sometimes I’m not. One thing I’m learning for sure is that I can endure, I really can DO HARD THINGS! I can keep trying and giving it my best. I can be grateful for this very moment, for each and ever day. For all the little things in my life that REALLY matter.

My sweet friend Christal posted this on her blog today. I thought I’d share it here too.

Paid In Full A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.
As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.
Angry, he shouted at his father and said "with all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house.
Many years passed and the young man had become very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father now was getting old, and thought perhaps he should go see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.
When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt.7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?"
As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had wanted. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.
How many times do we miss God's blessings because we can't see past our own desires?

Last week I got to go to Southern California to visit my little sister. I helped her pack up since she will be moving a couple of times this year for her husband’s schooling. We did manage to cram some fun into the mix too! We went to The ELLEN show. SO fun. oh my word. The dancing on the set- hilarious & fun! Ellen is seriously SO funny & sweet.

The guests were L.L. Cool J, Jonah Hill & Jason Duerllo- he performed this song & had some MAD dance skills! -

We ate at so many unbelievable restaurants- but I think my favorite was Wurstkuche & can you believe I was hesitant to try it? I thought a Wurst was just a glorified hot dog, and I don’t like hot dogs. Ick. If you share my opinion you better eat here & see what you are missing out on. The atmosphere is really fun too!

We have been squeezing in as much Halloween fun as I can handle too. I really want to simplify Halloween & every year I think I will- but it seems like with Trunk or Treat, school parties & carnivals plus the actual DAY of Halloween, I’m unsure on what to cut out?! We have been so busy & crazy we haven’t even had time to carve pumpkins, make sugar cookies or go to the pumpkin patch this year. I would honestly rather do those things then the more commercialized part of Halloween? Do you agree or disagree? I’d love to hear your opinions. Do you Trunk or Treat or do you Trick or Treat? Our little lady bug and our dragon too.

This took me like 2 minutes to make. That’s the kind of craft I’m loving these days! Bought an old book at the thrift store, spray painted it, covered it with spooky paper and my sister printed the {Book Of Spells} vinyl out for me! :) I love it! I think Next year I’ll add some more embellishments or ribbon to the spine.

Miss Brooklyn is a huge BARBIE fan these days. Her birthday is coming up and she has requested it be the theme for her party, she has already made up her mind {3 months ago} that she would like a bigger doll house for her barbies from Santa! {Makes my Christmas shopping a little easier} wink. wink. We watched Princess in a Charm School last night. I know many are against Barbie because of image issues etc. but I do like that the movies almost always have really good morals to them. This song caught my attention. The words are SO great! “Trying is Easy… Discipline is Hard, but nothing can defeat me, if the change is in my ♥.”

If you made it all the way through this extremely long post- don’t forget to enter the give-away for a free Scentsy Warmer & bar below! I’ll be drawing a winner next Friday! :)

Happy Halloween Friends!!!!!

A Few Young Women Handouts, A Few Favorites & a GREAT big GIVEAWAY…

2011-10-19T21:53:00.001-06:00

Just thought I would share A Few of My Favorite Things to snack on right now… I always like to try new things- some are a hit others aren’t- so when I find something I love I do like to share!

And a Give-Away…

Karen is one of my friends from high school. She has the cutest smile, and is always cheerful. I just recently found out she was a Scentsy consultant. I LOVE Scentsy. I thought I would host a party for her. It’s online- so there is NO pressure at all, don’t you LOVE that! I do. If you want to get some of your Christmas shopping done, and HELLO- have it shipped right to your front door- you might want to check it out. ;) RIGHT HERE.

She is also SUPER generous and is going to let me do a give away on my blog. So head on over to Karen’s Scentsy website, come back here and tell me which warmer and bar you would pick if you win the give- away! Thanks Karen!

Hope you are all enjoying this BEAUTIFUL week!

2011-10-15T18:30:00.001-06:00

Wow. What a week. It's been crazy, hard & I never want to repeat it but- you know what we made it through it! On to the next adventure right?! My parents are on the way home from Salt Lake as I type this & we can't wait to have them closer & back in the comfort of their own home. It's hard to be in a hospital. I have learned so much about the person I want to be through this. I want to be more caring, giving, concerned with others. It's so easy to just go about our lives living them and looking out for ourselves, while we hardly notice how many people are suffering, sad, lonely or in pain. It makes my heart ache.

Did you know that October is Cancer Awareness month? Through some wonderful friends and family we came across this awesome song-

and this inspiring video. I hope you will take the time to watch them both. It's worth it.

Enjoy your weekend.

Caring Bridge...

2011-10-11T13:07:00.002-06:00

Things seem to slowly be looking up for dad. He got quite a bit of rest yesterday. He is still having spasms and they have taken the spinal block out, but he seems to be tolerating the constant pain better, it's just those darn spasms that are hard. He even got up to do physical therapy and sit in a chair for about 20 minutes yesterday. We couldn't believe it! We thought it would be impossible, yet he rose to the challenge! We are SO proud of him!!! They started his chemo treatment today. We just hope and pray that it goes smoothly!

One thing that is great is dad still has his awesome sense of humor. He smiles when he can & makes us all smile too, one nurse came in and asked him if she could get him anything, he quickly replied "Some hair!" He is the best, we love him SO much!

My sweet Aunt Kathy, also set up a site where we can post more regular updates for you, and you can actually write a note of encouragement or well wishes to my mom and dad. :)

I may post here and there on this blog of important milestones and updates but for more regular updates check HERE. You just need an e-mail address and password. It only takes about 30 seconds to log in. You can sign up for e-mails or text messages to get notices as we add updates as well. Thank you again for all of your kindness & support.

Seeing the Positive...

2011-10-10T16:03:00.003-06:00

I wanted to post some positive news! Last night they got dad's pain levels down and he slept really well! Krystal is staying down with my mom this week, for some support {which we are SO grateful for!} and she texted me and said he even falls asleep in the middle of eating. That is AWESOME! They got him moved & settled up at Huntsman's and started hydrating him for his next round of chemo. His doctor was very positive and couldn't believe he is even enduring the pain this long- He is SO tough! My mantra today has been "WE CAN DO HARD THINGS!" I say this in my mind over and over again.

I loved this quote I saw on my friend Jen's blog who has been coping with trials of her own:

"Faith in God includes faith in His timing." Elder Neal A Maxwell

We are also working on getting a blog of sorts just for all of dad's updates, thank you to my Aunt Kathy for working on it, as soon as we get it going, we will share the link, we think it will be easier for you to pass comments on to my mom, dad & stay more regularly updated. :)

Sunday Update...

2011-10-09T13:16:00.000-06:00

I'm sure many are waiting for an update on dad. I am tempted to mince words, but then what good would an update be? It has been a rough couple of days. Full of pain for him, full of heartache for us watching him as he struggles with the pain. He cries out and we watch helplessly wishing we could trade places with him. They have him on the best pain meds & have also put a spinal block in so he can hopefully find some relief. It lessens the pain but doesn't seem to get rid of it completely. The plan is to try to get the pain under control and start hydrating him tonight so they can move him up to Huntsman's and start another round of Chemotherapy. The more chemo he gets, the better the chances are of avoiding amputation. The more the swelling goes down & the more the tumor dies, the better the chances are of the doctor being able to reconstruct & do a hinge knee for my dad. We pray that dad can tolerate the pain, so he can get through these next rounds of chemo before surgery. Thank you for your kindness, your prayers & support.

Al ot of things are up in the air still, we will play it by ear and see what comes next.

We are still seeing the tender mercies of the Lord around every hurdle and block we must go through.

Plans Change & Prayers for Dad…

2011-10-08T00:05:00.001-06:00

Well this was my original post and update on my sweet dad.

Grandpa’s hair started falling out because of the medicine he takes. It was itchy and he was tired of seeing it come out on his pillow and in the shower, so he had grandma shave it off. We took you over to watch so you wouldn’t be scared when you saw him with no hair. We colored pictures of Grandpa without his hair. :) We also explained to you that it is a good thing his hair is coming out. That means the medicine to help his leg is working! :) He is cute even without hair, just look at those dimples! We love you Grandpa!

As I write this I try not to let my tears start flowing again. It has been a taxing and emotional day. My dad spent all week on his second round of chemo treatments. He was doing great. He got to come home on Thursday afternoon. We took him dinner and went over to see how he was doing, he was in good spirits and other than being a little cold & tired he looked awesome! I left filled with much hope.

Friday morning I called to check in with my mom to see how things were going. She said he was feeling great. He was even planning on going in to work for a couple of hours. Well as most of you know we had an early Christmas in Idaho and it had snowed all night long. We woke up to a winter wonderland. On his way into his building he slipped and broke his leg, right in half above the knee. The cancer is in his left femur and has made the bone porous & weak, Dr. Jones his specialist warned us that would be the worst thing that could happen, his exact words were “whatever you do don’t break your leg.” before we left his last appointment in August. There are just so many complications. They rushed him to the hospital then later this evening they flew him & my mom to Salt Lake to the University Hospital.

His doctor will do an MRI tomorrow morning. We need the swelling to go down. What happens to his leg all depends on the amount of pain he can handle and where the swelling is. The soonest they feel like they can do surgery is Sunday night.

We are now waiting for his doctor to come in and tell us more of what to expect in the next couple of days, when the surgery will be etc.

I came across this talk by Susan Tanner- If you are interested in reading it all go HERE.

Sister Tanner said this: “As we search, pray, and believe, we will recognize miracles in our lives and become miracle workers in the lives of others. “{That is

where you come in-

would you please pray

for my dad?}

We believe in the power of prayer, we expect miracles, we know the Lord is aware of my dad and each one of us. He loves us. We don’t know why this is happening, but have faith that just as in D&C 98:1 Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, ... all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good

All Things Shall Work Together for Your Good

I love to read. But I can hardly stand it if a novel gets too intense—if the hero’s life is too dangerous or sad or complicated. So I have to read ahead to the end just to make sure that everything will turn out all right for the main character.

In a sense all of us are in the middle of our own novels, our own life stories. Sometimes our stories feel very intense, and we would like to read ahead to know our own end, to make sure that everything is going to turn out all right. While we don’t know the particular details of our life’s experiences, fortunately we do know something about our futures, if we live worthily.

We are given this insight in Doctrine and Covenants 90:24 [D&C 90:24]: “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly.” This stunning promise from the Lord that all things shall work together for our good is repeated many times in the scriptures, particularly to people or prophets who are suffering through the trials of their own life stories.

I sense that this promise comes from a tender, caring Father who desires to bless us and give us reason to hope through our earthly journey. Knowing that eventually all things will work together for our good will help us endure affliction like the faithful people from the scriptures who knew of His promises and trusted in them, “having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them” (Heb. 11:13). We too can embrace this promise.

We are smack in the middle of our book, we would surely appreciate all the prayers you can utter.We will be holding a special fast for him on Sunday, you are welcome to join us. We feel your prayers, they buoy us up. We know things will work out, it will just be pretty rough for a minute. Thank you for your continued support & kindness- I wish I could reach through the computer and hug each one of you, tell you how much we love you, and how we couldn’t do it without you.

I’ll try to give you updates as I can.

It’s the Little Things…

2011-10-04T14:31:00.001-06:00

I woke up to the smell of rain- sometimes I wonder if that is what heaven smells like. It’s been a low key day here at our house, staying in PJ’s until we absolutely have to get ready for kindergarten & lunch time. :)

I had a little mug of hot cocoa with some pumpkin spice marshmallows in it that I picked up just yesterday. If you like pumpkin pie- you will probably want to snatch some up while they are in season. {YUM}

I also read this in some headlines today. The NBC’s controversial new fall series “The Playboy Club”, cancelled after only three episodes. Hooray for good people, standing up for what they believe in.

I saw this at a local boutique and knew I had to find a place in my home for it. LOVE what it says!

Life Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to be Wonderful!

I honestly need to read that a couple of times a day. Am I alone?

I keep stealing black jelly beans out of the candy jar- my only hope is I eat so many I never want to eat them again- ha!

True Random Number Generator

Min1:Max:9 Result:9 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Winner of the spider clippy is #9

Miss Shannon & one of my most favorite people ever.

We also decided to make some “Lip Gloss” Paint {that’s what Brooklyn named it, because it’s so shiny! I loved it!} It really dries glossy too!

Lip Gloss Paint

used sweetened condensed milk with food coloring

Just pour the milk in muffin tins or ice cube trays and add drops of food coloring in the separate compartments.

I also heard this song while flipping through the radio stations in the car the other day- these words caught my attention.

“Maybe it didn't turn out like I planned
Maybe that's why I'm such, such a lucky man”

I really feel like this. My life- has not turned out the way I had it all planned out in my head- but I’m SO glad, so very glad- because now look at all that I have. Two beautiful kids. An amazing man that makes me proud every single day to be his. I’m surrounded by the support of loving, caring friends and family. Life is good when we let go and let God figure out the details.

I have a fun give away in the works- and an update on my cute dad coming soon.

Will you make today great?

Our River…

2011-09-28T16:35:00.001-06:00

I feel like the days rush by like a crazy wild river. A river that is filled to the brim and bubbling with things like going to the zoo a few more times before summer says goodbye.

Decorating for Halloween.

Here is a little 4x6 printable for you.

A little spider to decorate Miss Brooklyn’s hair. You can get the pattern for yourself HERE.

Go HERE to learn how to curl ribbon (for the spider legs)

Or leave a comment- and I’ll draw a random winner in a few days for one that I made. :)

cute young women

These glasses went with a handout that says

Here are a few handouts I’ve made in the last little while. Nothing spectacular- just super simple.

Temple Marriage Manual 3 Lesson 36

{atatched to a white hanger}

Dating Decisions Manual 3 Lesson 35

new recipes from my sweet friend Jodene

{click on the picture for the recipe}

Inspiring Books

Sunshine to my Soul

Watched the Relief Society Broadcast- to read President Uchtdorf’s uplifting words go HERE.

Words of Wisdom

“Every one of us is either a plus or a minus in people’s lives” John C. Maxwell What are you?

Christmas Shopping- call me crazy but I think I’m about finished!

Looking forward to Conference this weekend!

Speaking of Conference I like to put a little something together for the girls I get to visit with.

It says:

Conference Listening Kit:

notebook & pen: to take notes during conference

kleenex: for those emotional talks

highlighter: to highlight memorable talks in the ensign

popcorn & m&ms: because conference should be just as good as a movie (if not better)

My dad goes in this Sunday night for his second round of Chemo. Thank you to all who have been so kind and keep him in your prayers. We appreciate it more than you will ever know. Those prayers give us strength.

Have a great week!

Adoption, Quilts & young women handouts…

2011-09-14T16:34:00.001-06:00

If you know me you know I’ve always got some kind of project going on. The past few weeks I’ve been working on a few baby quilts. I found a new twist on a rag quilt. I loved how they turned out! If you want to give them a whirl you can follow this tutorial.

I have also been working on 72 hour kits. Oh my word. Lots of work. I’ve had them at the top of my project list for months. I’m almost done. Here are two lists I combined to fit the needs of my own family. If you are wondering what 72 hour kits are GO HERE. :)

Enjoying this little snack as of late. A cute blogger shared one of her favorite indulgences. Don’t wait to try it- it’s to die for!

Coffee Mate Coconut Crème Creamer + Fresh fruit = very happy taste buds!

Also here is a handout for the Young Women Lesson #35 Manual 3

Dating Decisions. As always you are welcome to download it onto your desktop and print. The 4x6 size or smaller works best. :)

I found my gummy frogs at Broulims & at Winco & I am just going to attach some to each handout in small clear party bags.

Here is a GREAT resource for this lesson as well. The April 2010 New Era was a special issue all about dating or you can order magazines for $1.50 each as well. If I had planned further in advance I would have done this! Great info in there.

Oh and one more thing! Our adoption profile is now live online. If you want to check it out or SHARE it please do!! :) We are so excited to see where this journey takes us!

Zach & Holly’s Adoption Profile

Update on Dad…

2011-09-13T15:42:00.001-06:00

My eyes well up with tears at your kind response from my last post. My dad started chemo and is a little more than half way through his first treatment. He will get a 3 week break until the next treatment. He is doing SO great! He has had a little problem with his port that they put in last week, and not being able to draw blood from it, but other than that his only side affects right now are being tired & a little bored. (We think those are AWESOME side affects!) :) He is in good spirits. We are grateful for little things like a big window in his hospital room that overlooks a beautiful park and lets the sun come streaming in! We are grateful for happy nurses and doctors. For friends and family who are so thoughtful. We are truly blessed.

Cancer…

2011-09-08T22:30:00.001-06:00

It’s such an ugly word isn’t it? You never really think about it until it touches someone you love. Well it did just that. This month has been filled with more than a few ups and downs. My dad has cancer. ~~(I can finally type that without shedding a tear or two~~) First let me say THANK YOU to all of you who have sent us messages, texts, e-mails, phone calls, dropping by, so much service has been rendered on our behalf. We have been reminded over and over again how incredibly kind & good people are. My dad is really an amazing man (amazing is an understatement), and so many people love him. As a family we can’t keep up with updating everyone with what is going on- so we thought this might be a good place to try.

My cute dad has been limping for a few months now and had some pain in his left knee. He had a family doctor check it out and they assumed it was probably tendonitis. He did acupuncture, he did cortisone shots, he tried a bunch of remedies but nothing was helping. So they went in to a specialist who thankfully saw what it really was.

Without going in to too much detail, he has high grade Osteosarcoma of the left distal femur. It is a type of bone cancer that is normally found in teenagers. He had a biopsy 2 weeks ago, that confirmed it. It has not spread- a huge blessing. He will start chemo this Sunday night. We are so lucky that he can do his Chemo treatments close to home, just up the road, in Rexburg. They have excellent doctors there that have been trained by the Huntsman clinic in Salt Lake City. He will do 3 day cycles of Chemo, so he will be in the hospital until Wednesday morning. He will most likely do two rounds of chemo then go in for surgery in Salt Lake to remove the tumor in his knee. Then a few months later he will start another chemo regiment when the Dr. feels that he is ready.

We have been praying for miracles, and we believe we will get them.

We have already seen SO many “tender mercies” from our Father in Heaven. Two scriptures that have been of great comfort

Mosiah 23:27-28

Mosiah 24:14-16

Another sweet reminder that our Heavenly Father is walking along side of us. {Especially the 2nd & 3rd verse}

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said—
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

In every condition, In Sickness, in Health
In poverties veil, or abounding in wealth;
At home or abroad, on the Land or the Sea
As thy days may demand, So thy succor shall be

“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.”

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.”

“E’en down to old age, All my people shall prove
My sovereign, Eternal, Unchangeable Love;
And when hoary hairs, shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be bourne.”

“The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I can not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!”

Even in trials the Lord is with us. We can do hard things. We love you dad!

Young Women Back to School Breakfast…

2011-09-01T17:41:00.001-06:00

For our young women’s activity this week, we hosted a Back To School Breakfast for them. It was really so much fun! We ate a big breakfast & then the girls all brought clothing & accessories that that had outgrown them or they didn’t use anymore and switched! As a handout we gave them these Back 2 School Survival kits. You can see the downloads at the bottom of the post. As usual, just right click on them and save to your own computer then print. :) I got the idea from HERE.

Each kit includes:

M&M's- Be a Member Missionary!

Pen-You are writing the story of your life daily

Now & Laters- the decisions you make will effect you now and later

Eraser- Sometimes you will make mistakes

Almond Joy- just remember the cleansing principle of repentance

Smarties- Study hard!

Gum -Stick to your principles even when things get hard

100 grand-remember your great worth

Hershey Kisses-you are greatly loved!

Snickers -It’s important to laugh

Picture of Christ-remember you are a Daughter of God

Sealed on top with a tag that reminds them to remember who they are and that we LOVE THEM!!

{Example}

Download this subway art HERE.

Gak or Flubber or Home Made Slime…

2011-09-01T16:20:00.001-06:00

I’ve heard it called a lot of different things, but whatever you call it- it’s sure to be a hit with your kids! My mom used to make it with me and this is her recipe. Make some while the glue is still on sale for school!

GAK

Supplies: 1 cup white glue, 2 tsp. Borax, food coloring, warm water

Pour glue in a bowl.

Add 3/4 cup warm water and food coloring (to your liking!), and stir.

In another bowl, mix 2 tsp. Borax (find this in the laundry section) and 1/2 cup warm water. Add this mixture to the glue mixture. Then, watch the mixtures glob together. Reach in, pull out globs, and work it with your hands until all is combined. Play! Play! Play!

Just Popping In…

2011-08-22T14:28:00.001-06:00

Here are a few things I’ve been up to lately. Picking peas & harvesting strawberries from our garden! I LOVE fresh produce!!!

This was a project I did a week or so ago- I took my old nasty knife block and spray painted it black, roughed up the edges & cute vinyl for it. Now it’s not such an eye sore in my kitchen!

Finished reading this book: wow. I recommend it. Opened my eyes & my heart. It’s a beautiful read.

After finding this guy only a couple feet from my laundry room door I sprayed for bugs! EEK!

It was one of the biggest spiders I’ve seen. Ugh. I’m pretty sure this picture is life size.

I’m kind of addicted to thrifting! Here were some of my recent finds. I have been wanting a glass cloche for a while now and I scored 2 in the same day one was $1 the other .75 cents! YAY! Are you wondering what I’m going to do with those ugly plates?

This is what they look like now:

(minus the water spots from the sprinklers)

Don’t you love spray paint?!

I’m still trying to decide exactly where I want them in my kitchen though.

Here’s a reality check for you. This is what my house looked like last week in the middle of preparing for Youth Conference & packing up for our family vacation @ the Salmon River Lodge (I’ll spare you the gory details, and only share the worst spots! EVERY SINGLE ROOM in the house looked similar to this! Now don’t ever tell me that my house is never a mess ha! Because lately it is more often than not) ;)

This was my motto -

(image found on Pinterest)

We enjoyed this beautiful scenery all weekend. It was perfect.

We got home unpacked a bit and headed back up to the mountains to pick huckleberries!

Only 10 more days left of summer around here. We are going to soak it in and then back to a more scheduled life- hate to admit it but we need one around here. We have given up on bedtimes, eat way to many snacks & have absolutely no clue what we are going to do when we have to get back into a time frame around here.

Another motto we’ve adopted this summer-

(image via pinterest)

Change of Heart Handout…

2011-08-22T11:32:00.001-06:00

For the lesson on Sunday I made a few handouts. As always you are welcome to use them. Just right click on the picture and save it to your desk top- the best size to print these are 4x6.

I gave them out with some heart gummies but if I would have had time I would have made heart shaped sugar cookies to go with them. :)

There were a lot of scriptures in the lesson, so to help keep track of them I made this little banner to go with it.

I also typed up some fun quotes to go with the lesson.

I printed this as an 8x10.

Five on Friday…

2011-07-29T21:10:00.001-06:00

Well I won’t even tell you how long “blogging” has been on my to do list. Today I have had more on my plate then I can handle… but sometimes that is when you get the most done. Don’t you think? How five things on friday.

1. New pictures of my kids, ordered and hung on my walls! I LOVE them! Thank you Natalie @ Excursion Photography

2. We have been busy busy working on adoption paperwork- yes we are wanting to add another little miracle to our home. We have started praying every night for our sweet birth mom. We have already had some beautiful experiences. :) We won’t officially be up and running for a month or so.

3. I have been changing this cute tray out with each new season/holiday. I love it.

4. Found this Forever Family burlap picture @ Real Deals. Makes me very happy. (I still need to do some rearranging on the shelf and actually hang it up, but you get the idea)

5. Summer time with the kids… more trips to the zoo. water park. lots of hat days cuz we don’t want to fix our hair! :)

We are gearing up for family reunion galore this week! It will be non-stop fun! Hope you are taking time to enjoy your summer too!

Forgiving Ourselves Handout Idea

2011-07-16T11:40:00.001-06:00

I thought I would stick this up here, in case anyone needed a quick handout idea.

Young Women Manual 3 Lesson 27 Forgiving Ourselves Handout idea:

We made these pencil's with Sweetarts in the long package & a hershey kiss wrapped in tinfoil. Then we wrapped paper around it for the yellow & eraser. (you could also use Rolos, or Necco's whatever is cheapest.) Then I am attatching this quote from the lesson {that I changed a little to fit - you could also buy pencils or cute erasers to put with the quote too.

“God’s Forgiveness is often nullified because the sinner does not forgive himself. What good does it do for God to ERASE our evil from his mind, if we continue to let it dominate our thinking by rerunning it in our own?” Repent. Let it go and forgive yourself!

Monday Update…

2011-07-11T14:12:00.002-06:00

In list form because heaven knows I LOVE my lists! ;)

1. Repentance Handout for Young Women- you are more than welcome to click on the picture to enlarge it & have it printed- this is a 4x6 size. Super cute to attach to a real orange or the mini orange slices.

2. Tried to “clean up” the look of our blog. (see top right under the blog banner) Still working on it- but LOVING the new PAGES feature on blogger. Here is a simple tutorial if you want to try it on your own blog.

3. Won a photo session with the talented Natalie of Excursion Photography- you can check out some of the pics HERE.

More to come when I get my disc! SO FUN!

You can’t tell me these two aren’t brother and sister! ha! Crazy how much they look alike!

4. Had fun decorating for an Ice Cream Social for the women at our church.

to make your own bunting banner go here for a free printable pattern.

also a cute tutorial on how to make ice cream cones from balloons. Go HERE.

Our summer has been full of fun.

trips to the splash park &

sleepovers with cousins.

Smore’s with neighbors.

drive in movies.

Fro Yo @ Kiwi Loco!

trips to the zoo.

a day out with old friends- Kate & I have been BFF’s since 1st grade!

Lunch @ Gator Jack’s YUM! we also checked out a new botique & picked up some bling.

Attended my 10 yr. High School Reunion! SO MUCH FUN!!!

4th of July Fesitivites

treats! click on the pics for the recipes.

Summer is wearing me out- but in a very very good way! We’ve got more fun planned! Sunshine, popsicles, swimming, gardening – I just don’t think life can get much better! Are you enjoying your summer?

4th of July FUN…

2011-06-28T12:56:00.001-06:00

Need some 4th of July inspiration? All these came from Pinterest! click on any of the pictures for tutorials & recipes!! I am SO in love!!!! Hopefully in the next day or two I’ll show you what I’ve been cooking up for my family! :) Enjoy your day!

Picnic Ideas:

Decor:

Oh my word! SO patriotic & fun… definitely should have started on this stuff a month ago! ha! :) And this is just the beginning of all the ideas I’ve come across! I’m telling you. Pinterest is where it is at! :)

Jabber-walkie…

2011-06-17T14:24:00.001-06:00

So when I was little my mom used to call me her Jabber-Walkie, because I never stopped talking, I always had something to say! My husband would say things haven’t changed. Recently I nicknamed Brooklyn my Jabber-Walkie, for obvious reasons. Like mother like daughter I guess the saying goes right?

Well it seems like sometimes I just have a lot to share. And I do love to share. Doesn’t it make it 100 x better to watch a movie, share a joke, go shopping or find a killer deal with another person? I guess that’s how I feel about sharing. It makes everything more FUN! :)

Like today, me were driving down this country road, and we have to stop because all these baby skunks & their mommy are crossing it! AHHH! CUTEST thing EVER! SO much more fun because my kids were in the car & I was on the phone with my mom! Fun to share. So I also want a de-scented skunk for a pet now. Seriously. CUTE!

Okay first off super excited about this. Did you see my post a week or so back about the Play Boy Club airing on prime time television this fall? Remember to make your voice heard if you want to help stop it you can see full details here.

Well my sweetest friend Lynn, e-mailed me and told me that already progress is being made… in Utah, KSL will not broadcast it, to see the full article go HERE! How great is that! Lynn reminded me that we can make a difference. Success starts somewhere, and I do hope our local NBC station will follow suit!

Okay, how about this- do you all love a cute font? well I found a couple tonight. and even better. They are free.

Download SF Happiness HERE.

and Ma Sexy Here.

(doesn’t it look like Heidi Swapp’s handwriting?! loving it.)

So miss Brooklyn had a birthday part to go to this week, we put together a little beach bag for her friend… I went to the dollar store and picked up a little beach bag, flip flops, sunglasses, a water bottle, beach ball, threw in some lip gloss and some cute treats. You could also put sunscreen, a beach towel , nail polish etc. for a fun & inexpensive gift.

I thought it turned out pretty cute.

Another little idea for birthdays:

Give a single cupcake and a card to your neighbor or friend. They also sell individual pieces of cake in most bakeries in the grocery store!

Here are the handouts I made for the lesson this week on Eternal Perspective.

Getting my VT teaching done- Here’s a cute idea I stole from Pinterest!

Enjoy your weekend!

My Thought Train, want to ride it with me?

2011-06-16T00:24:00.001-06:00

Here is some randomness for you. These are some of the thoughts going through my mind right now.

This WIND is driving me CRAZY!!!! Absolutely insane. :o/

Does it make me weird if I vacuum at least once a day? It honestly makes me feel like my whole house is clean if I have vacuum lines in my carpet! :) From the looks I got I can tell that yes, yes it does make me a little psycho.

I’m starving and I can’t wait to try this for dinner:

{EDIT: It was completely AMAZING!!! This is my new FAVORITE sandwich! YUM YUM YUM} Recipe HERE.

I seriously love trying new recipes it’s almost like going on vacation- it’s something new & out of the ordinary- it makes cooking dinner not such a chore!

Mmm… those Poppy seed pancakes last week were pretty amazing too! Recipe HERE.

Do I have all the stuff ready to go for YW tonight? Pop bottles check, glue dots, check, scissors check, treat- oh no I didn’t even think about a treat- it would probably make their hands too messy anyway. Right?! We are making these for a Father’s day gift for the men at church: but we changed the quote on them to say

“Some People don’t believe in Heroes but they haven’t met my “POP”

If you want a copy of our ties- e-mail me at sunshineinmysoul_33(at)yahoo

Wonder what my sisters are doing right now, I sure miss them. Wish they were here to do a craft with me or just sit around and talk, and laugh, and laugh some more!

thinking about family. my little family. Mmm. Sure do LOVE them.

lol.

great reminder- LOVE that mom that jumps in the rain with her kids! That is the kind of mom I want to be!!

Do you ever feel like this? Sometimes I have to grit my teeth so I don’t hurt them! ha! ;)

Zach dies laughing at my thought trains that run through my head. I am a complex person I guess. Haha, NOT! My brain literally jumps from one thing to the next constantly. He calls it Randomnimity. Do you have it too? Please tell me I’m not the only one. :) Happy Thursday!

Become…

2011-06-13T13:12:00.001-06:00

With all the rain we have been getting I am trying to remember this: :)

So lets take a look at life. This week I’m preparing a Young women lesson (lesson 22 manual 3) on Eternal Perspective! Such a great topic. Do you know how fantastic the youth is today? I’m so impressed. I’m also in the presidency with the most amazing women. Seriously. Learning so much from all of them. Feeling so inadequate. The Lord lifts up those he calls right?! Praying for that.

I am using this as my handout just in case any of you want handout ideas too:

It’s from Rebecca Cooper, I’m going to print it at Walmart and then either make these cookies, click on the pic for the recipe.

or do something with the Rainbow Twizzlers.

Haven’t decided yet.

Do you know what else I want more of in my life right now?

LESS of me. More of God. Truly, the closer I get to Him, the better everything else is in my life becomes. I am amazed at His love for each of us. Do you know what I am talking about? I want that love for everyone! It is so incredible. I am realizing that we are constantly becoming. Becoming more like Him, or becoming more like the world. Sometimes we don’t even realize what we are becoming, we can get so caught up in comparing, in wanting, in needing approval from the world and just going about our days lost in the race. Well I’m here to say I DON’T want that. I DON’T want to be like the world, I don’t want my self esteem or my daughter’s or my son’s or anyone around me for that matter to have to feel like their self esteem has to come from approval from the world. Does it really matter what I wore yesterday? Does it matter if I don’t wear make up today? Does it really matter if I don’t look like a super model every time I walk out of the house? Is that what God wants? People to look and stare and need approval from each other? Absolutely not. By the way I’m not saying we don’t need to take care of ourselves, we most definitely do! I’m not saying don’t brush your hair and be beautiful. We should. We just shouldn’t obsess or compare. Which is such a horrible trap we sometimes fall into.

I feel like I am on this journey because I very much struggle with approval from those around me. I struggle with insecurities of every kind. I am finding that it is normal! I am on this journey, a journey that is taking me to places I have never been before. I am seeing things in myself that I despise. Things that aren’t right with my heart. I have some dark and ugly pieces to my soul that I want to get rid of, but I am also seeing parts of me that I love, reasons to let God take over my life and live through Him. I want nothing more than to be content in Him. I am learning. It hasn’t been easy, but I feel like He is slowly peeling back those ugly layers and making something more out of me, something I could never do on my own. Today I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves me. Who loves all of us. I am so blessed to know what I do. Do you want to know more about what I know? Go HERE. Or feel free to e-mail me, I’d love to hear from you. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being better than you were the day before.

Today I will…

2011-06-08T17:39:00.003-06:00

Well hello. It’s nice to meet you all again. Lucky for us I have the sweetest neighbors alive (all of them) but one in particular today that saw me out push mowing my acre + lawn and came and finished it for me with his riding lawn mower so it didn’t end up taking 3 hours and now I have a little extra time to catch up on my blog! Note to self: MUST BUY RIDING LAWN MOWER!

I have been wanting a fresh herb garden forever. So I finally got one planted, I will have Cilantro, Spearmint, Rosemary & Parsley. The cilantro has already sprouted! We also planted a garden. I’m so new to all of this, we’ve never had the space to do one. My strawberry starts look great & I’m hoping my rhubarb start gets going too! I’ve got corn, pumpkins, peas, onions well the works! Giddy I tell you.

oh, and don't forget about my flowers... I am SO in love with the cute bird cage I picked up @ Real Deals! It makes me happy. Don't you find that it's the smallest things that make you the most happy?

I am trying this recipe tonight: 15 minute Creamy Avocado Pasta… I’ll let you know if it’s good!

(click on the picture for the recipe)

These are honestly all the books I am in the middle of right now. Sheesh, I keep telling myself to just pick one and read it start to finish!

Our cat Yummy had baby kittens, so we have gone from 4 sweet little kittens (who were all white when they were born… did you know that if your cat has Siamese in her then they are like Dalmatians and don’t get their coloring until they get older?!) It was super fun to watch them all get different markings!

Then there were three…

and now we have one left… does any one want a kitten? She’s potty trained and ready to go! They are seriously some of the sweetest most mellow kitties ever. I guess they would have to be to put up with my crazy kids! ;)

Getting a few projects started around the house too…

these are in my wash room. LOVE my vinyl lady! She can do anything!

We will see if I can get a few more done to share with you in the next day or two.

Just a Few Things On My Mind…

2011-05-25T12:59:00.001-06:00

My sister Krystal is selling these darling vintage window panes. You can do so many cute things with them. I thought I’d post it here on my blog because she is posting them on Craigslist soon!

For all the info on them go HERE.

Also just so you are aware. I sent out an e-mail to some of you already, but I’d love to stop this awful show from ever debuting.

I don't usually take such a stand on issues, but I feel like this is important. We need to learn to stand up for our beliefs and rights.

It has been brought to my attention that this fall NBC will be bringing out a new prime time television show called "Play Boy Club", it is sickening to me that they would even consider projecting pornography and it's horrific affects into each of our homes and such filth so it can be so easily viewed. Here is a link to the show and it's description. www.nbc.com/the-playboy-club/

It is my hope that we will take action. Please e-mail your local station. If you are local here is the info for our General Manager Shelly Goings please e-mail her at sgoings@kpvi.com with a short message asking her to please take action against the shows debut this fall. Here is the e-mail I wrote, you are welcome to copy and paste it into your own e-mail & forward this so we can get the word out. Let's protect our children & our families.

To Whom It May Concern,

I must say I am sickened by the new Play Boy Club prime time show that is set to come out this fall. Is this what we call good entertainment? I will no longer support NBC if this show does in fact make its debut. I will not put my children at risk to being exposed to pornography by having such filth in my home. I do not believe that our community needs a show like this, especially on prime time. Please take action.

Sincerely,

You may also write them a letter if you wish to do so.

KPVI Channel Six

956 Lincoln Avenue
Idaho Falls, Idaho 83401

I am struggling to find a healthy balance in life right now. I must admit I am a bit overwhelmed with things I have volunteered myself & time for. I guess it’s time to get back to the basics and focus on my little family. My head spins as I sit her trying to multi task and figure out what should come next. Do you have a hard time saying no? I truly admire those who can keep their lives in balance, but it seems like mine is either a little on the boring side or filled to the brim with a constant stream of to-do’s. I keep repeating the mantra “You can not do everything, but you can do something!” Life is good! :)

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Campfire Eclairs & a Super Hero…

2011-05-18T11:56:00.001-06:00

So you know when you get super comfortable with your life and things are going just fine, and then Heavenly Father realizes it’s time to make you stretch and grow?! Well that’s my life right now. I guess it’s a good thing, but man, sometimes growing hurts a little. I bet you can all relate. To tell you the truth it’s my own fault, I have been praying for Heavenly Father to mold me into the person He wants me to be, to bless me with patience, compassion & more humility. Looks like He has a plan. I hope I’m ready.

I just got called to be back with the Young Women (the youth group in our church) I’m a little nervous. I serve with the most amazing women & I already feel very inadequate, not to mention I don’t know how I will ever have the energy to keep up with these incredible young girls! ha!

We had our first activity, and I already learned something new and YUMMY for that matter!

We made Campfire Eclairs

recipe & picture from {family spice}

Pre-soak your large sticks in water for 20 minutes to prevent burning
Cover your stick with butter, to prevent sticking.
Open and unroll:
- 1 package refrigerated biscuit dough
Stretch out and flatten one biscuit round in your hand.
Stretch the dough over your stick, smoothing out any creases. For quick and even cooking, make sure dough is about 1/4-inch thick,
Place dough covered stick over the flames and cook until evenly browned, about 5-10 minutes. Rotate stick continuously to prevent burning.
Biscuit shell is done when all sides are browned and inside is cooked through.
Carefully, remove biscuit shell from stick.
Fill inside with:
- pre-made chocolate and/or vanilla pudding
- strawberries, sliced
Top éclair with:
- whip cream
- chocolate sprinkles or candies

Trust me just, GO HERE & look at THIS it’s beautiful! I love the reminder!

Do you or have you ever dealt with Infertility? I came across this beautiful post and had an AHA! moment!! Go read her blog. I think you will probably be able to relate. Some people just have a way with words.

Particularly this part:

Dear (insert your name here),

You are a good mom. You love your children.

Heavenly Father knew that you could handle this trial.

He CHOSE you.

It is hard.

You can do hard things.

Sometimes when you feel your blood boil, and you want to scream at the top of your lungs,

"IT'S NOT FAIR"

It's ok.

Because it's not fair.

Life is not fair.

And that is what makes it all so beautiful!

You are right, it would be far easier to have a body that works.

But yours does not.

And even though you are learning and growing so much because of it,

sometimes the pain feels like it might suffocate you.

But your infertility is not about you.

It is not an attack of your character.

It is not a punishment for something you have done.

It is not because you are incapable of being a great mother to many.

You are not broken on accident.

Heavenly Father did not skip over you because you were undeserving.

You were not forgotten.

Instead, He hand chose you out of the crowd, and precisely changed you to be the person you are. I believe he took you aside, put his arm around you, and with tears streaming down his very own face, knowing it will break your heart, asked if you if could carry this burden.

He promised you would never be alone. And he would bless you!

But, he would need to make you differently.

Not to break you.

But to create miracles for your eyes to see.

Every day.

You were not stripped of the most sacred act of multiplying and replenishing to your hearts content, because you were not worth it to be made whole.

You may feel broken, and forgotten, in your divine right of motherhood.

But you were made from scratch!

Everything you have been given, has been given by God.

"The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Cry until your soul hurts. Because it is hard.

But don’t ever feel broken.

I am feeling grateful today. I truly am blessed. I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He is there waiting for us to reach out and ask for His help. I’m always amazed at how He is right here, involved in the big miracles and in all of the little details in our lives as well. We must trust in Him, we must have Faith in him. We must look around and notice that He is directing our paths. We must realize that we are enough & He will take care of the rest. He is in charge, and I’m okay with that, more than okay, I find great peace in those words. I am not alone, and I don’t have to control all the details (which is often hard for me, but I am working on it!)

And is this not the cutest little super hero EVER? Seriously. ♥ I turned my head and you stole a piece of my heart. – unknown

This little guy told his teacher @ church that his dad makes money and his mom makes cookies! I've laughed all day about it!

Two Great Excuses…

2011-05-13T11:35:00.001-06:00

It is a BEAUTIFUL day! I’m frantically trying to catch up on my to do list so we can head outside for the rest of the day! I’m pretty behind on well everything in my life, but that is the beauty of this season I’m in. I’m a mom and I have TWO great excuses of why I’m never caught up with anything right now! Pretty great right?!

Here is something else that took up a good chunk of my time. We obviously have been bitten with the travel bug!

We took a week and went to Puerto Penasco Mexico. Oh. My. Word. It was SO much fun! We stayed at the Casa Blanca.

I highly recommend it! It was BEAUTIFUL!

(I fell in love with the barrel ceiling in our condo!, Maybe in our next house?!)

We made these darling butterflies for Mother’s Day. Found the idea HERE. The kids loved making them.

The poem:
This isn't just a butterfly as you can plainly see.
I made it with my hand which is a part of me. It comes with lots of love especially to say,
I hope you have a very Happy Mother's Day!

I also celebrated a birthday!

I have the cutest husband EVER. This is what I woke up to:

My day could have stopped right then and there and been perfect. (Notice the mint, and the fork, I always eat my cereal with a fork because I don’t like milk, the fork let’s it drain right out!, he’s so thoughtful!) LOVE LOVE LOVE that guy!

I honestly didn’t need a thing. But I thought I’d share a few things that I am loving with and that are on my wish list right now.

I think this would be SO fun and if money grew on trees, I would totally buy one for all the ladies I love! Wouldn’t it be fun to get such a fun gift every single month?! Click on the picture to see the video!

I also fell in love with these cute purses! EEK! Crazy cute they are! The problem is she posts new one in her etsy shop all the time, and so I can’t choose which one I like the best! Here are a few of my faves. Find them HERE.

I want this knife to cut up my watermelons this summer too! My mom saw it first, isn’t it CUTE and it’s extra long to get through those thick watermelons! ♥

Well, I’ll try to be more consistent in posting, I love sharing! That is why I keep on blogging! I’ll leave you with my new mantra-maybe you’d like to use it too! ;)

California + Pinterest = one happy me

2011-04-16T21:07:00.001-06:00

This post is for Miss Kelie- who told me exactly what she thought of me going so long without a post. ;) No really, I had no idea it had been a couple of weeks. What is filling my time? Well a little trip to California,

which was bliss. Our kids have been begging to move there… WHERE IT’S WARM!!! haha. We hit up beaches galore!

& Disney Land

Can you believe this is the ONLY picture of Mickey Mouse or any character we saw! We were TOO busy riding rides! Brooklyn was a maniac & LOVED all the rides! Her favorite was probably Soarin’ Over California @ California Adventures! Crazy thrill seeking girl! haha!

had a girls shopping day, had a few too many cups of yogurt land,

golfing, Jazz vs. Lakers game… you name it we packed it into our week!

Not to mention we enjoyed my little sister’s resort-like home! {THANKS ANGIE for letting us all crash at your place!}

If the kids weren’t at the beach, they were at the pool! We had a blast!!!

What else is consuming my time? A little thing called Pinterest- It’s beyond addictive! I love it and am totally hooked! It’s

There have been so many times I wanted to bookmark a particular website or photo from a website without saving it to my computer. Well, Pinterest solves that problem! You drag their "pin" button to your bookmarks tab and then anytime you're on a website and see something you want to save, you click the pin button and it'll save the photo and link it back to the website on your boards.
You can create different inspiration boards in categories. I've got a style board for Party Ideas, Style & Fashion, and boards for things like recipes, home design, books to read, Places I want to Travel & a bunch more! Here are some of the things I've pinned:

Use a muffin tin to dye Easter Eggs! Idea from Parent Hacks

Cirque, Italy

EeEK! Aren’t these so Stinkin’ cute for 4th of July?!!!

You can find all kinds of goodness through Pinterest, from food to photography to shoes and everything in between. But to get on Pinterest you have to sign up for an invitation from them, or be invited via e-mail from an existing user. So if you're interested in signing up, just leave me your e-mail address and I'll send you an invite! Once you're on, you can follow me here: http://pinterest.com/scattersunshine/.

LA-LA-LOVE it!!!! I can’t hardly stand all the inspiration on there! I’m afraid I’ll be pinning much more than blogging from now on! ;)

What if Your Blessings Come from Raindrops...

2011-03-29T17:42:00.000-06:00

Heard this song on the radio today. LOVED it! Wow! The chorus is my favorite! Isn't that true?! I have had so many of my friends & family on my mind today, and when this song came on I thought, this applies to us all! Praying for each of you in your trials that seem like mountains, God is with you. ♥

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

Trying to pretend it’s Spring…

2011-03-28T14:54:00.001-06:00

Put up my Spring Wreath… well Spring in Idaho is a JOKE! ;) Crazy weather!!! Good thing we are headed south at the end of the week and will hopefully enjoy some sunny California weather!

Well it’s a good day to get some things done around the house. First on the list: Make a new batch of this tasty granola!

Zach likes Crasins in his.

I like Blueberries in mine.

Zach & I moved to Texas for a little while before we had kids. When we finally decided to make the move home, we took a detour and stayed in this darling little beach house on the coast of California with some very dear friends of ours. It was there, watching the sunrise & the dolphins dance in the waves off the coast that I was introduced to this granola. I knew I had to have that recipe. We have been making it for years now. It’s healthy and delicious. I give it a definite 10 in my book!

Even though Mother Nature would disagree with us, we are starting to bring Spring to us! Go get your new eighteen 25 Spring Download! EEK! I love when they come out with new Subway Art! Download it HERE.

Aren’t these darling? Get your Sweet Tweets download HERE.

I have shared this before, but I thought I’d share it again. I made this Peep cake a couple of years ago. I still think it’s darling! Go HERE for the recipe.

My cute friend Nancy hosted a darling Bling Out Baby Party. I am loving these cute Tulle & Silk flowers she made. Check out her tutorial HERE. ♥ them!

Here are a few General Conference Packets to print out for your kids. I love how they have EVERY age covered this year! I know these are a life saver for us so we can enjoy conference, and so can the kids!

Also a friend of mine shared this family’s need for a little sunshine in their life right now. Ashlee lost her husband a few weeks ago, we are doing a little service project for her and her 5 young kids. If you think you might be able to help this beautiful mother of five go HERE.

The Joy of Motherhood- Real Life...

2011-03-26T12:38:00.000-06:00

Don't we all need to hear this message once a day? Or maybe even 10 times a day on those hard ones! ;) Thanks for sharing Annalee~

BHS Class of 2001…

2011-03-21T10:20:00.002-06:00

Here’s a blast from the past! Hard to believe our 10 year class reunion is this summer!

We are trying to track down any of our classmates that are not on Facebook, so if you know of any, please let me know, you can e-mail me through FB or at sunshineinmysoul_33(at)yahoo(dot)com. We need info like mailing addresses, e-mails, & phone numbers. Or just direct them to our BHS Class of 2001 Facebook Page. All the updates & info will be posted there first. Go HERE, if you have not already joined. Looking forward to sharing some time reminiscing with all of you!!!!

Facebook, Picaso, & a Healthy Snack…

2011-03-19T21:23:00.001-06:00

Can I share something I learned a week or so ago? Do you facebook? I love facebook, I think it’s a fantastic way to keep in touch and communicate with friends & family. I try to share happy positive finds, ideas, quotes, things I love, much like I do here on my blog. Sometimes FB is more convenient than blogging. However, one of my pet peeves on FB is those people who can’t seem to find the good in their lives, they are constantly posting and sending negative energy out. Well I have to admit, last week I had ONE OF THOSE DAYS. I felt the need to vent, so I hopped on FB and said something like… “I officially HATE today!” I’m not even sure why I felt the need to put that out there, but I did. Well you know what, I got a couple of sympathy comments and then the kicker for me, a sweet friend posted this comment “Holly! I just hopped on FB & your status was the first thing I read this morning, I’m so sorry you are having a bad day!” oh my gosh. I promptly deleted my status. How horrible that my negativity was the first message that someone saw to start off their day! I know, it’s not the end of the world, but I still feel bad. I let my own negativity take over and infused it into my friends day!

Please don’t get me wrong, I hope you KNOW I have bad days, like ALL the time, I’m not afraid of appearing imperfect. Heaven knows we all are. But don’t you think it’s always better to look at life like the glass is half full? I have noticed that gratitude is the key to life & seeing things in a positive light. There is too much negative in the world already, so why would we want to add to it?

Just a little rant I have had running around in my head for a while. Thought I might share, and also apologize if you saw my post. You know what… that day that I officially hated, well it turned out to have a fairy tale ending. My darling husband took me to the Bodies Exhibit at the local museum, and it was FANTASTIC! We then ate at this quaint little restaurant with the most amazing food! And we ended up with a little make out session up on the hill gazing out over the city lights! TMI?! Sorry. ;) It was perfect & I realize constantly how much I take for granted.

Aren’t my little lucky charms the sweetest?!

We have been taking it easy, trying out some new art work, we painted with noodles the other day, I think the little boy ate more noodles than he painted with, but it was fun!

We made a batch of these granola bars, my kids can devour a box of granola bars in no time, and there is SO much sugar in those little things! So we tried this recipe from Becca @ Make Your Taste Buds Dance, the kids loved them & I loved how healthy they were!

Recipe HERE or HERE.

St. Patrick’s Day ♥…

2011-03-14T23:10:00.001-06:00

Loving this wreath, probably not going to happen in just the 3 short days until St. Patrick’s day, but you never know? Tutorial HERE.

Are you a Room Mom? I’m not yet, but when I am I know exactly where I’m going to find all the good ideas!! Check out Room Mom 101

SUPER cute ideas for every occasion! Like this one- Taste the Rainbow, I think my kids would like it even more if they were Skittles!

Totally in love with this healthy treat too from Gluesticks.

Rebecca Cooper has done it again- her printables make me happy! SO darn cute!

Our St. Patrick’s Day Menu

Breakfast: with Green milk of course! Or maybe these darling rainbow waffles from Wife Mom Woman.

I’m getting carried away but these rainbow pancakes are SO cute too! From I am Mommy

Snacks:

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars from Amanda’s Cookin

Rainbow Jello Desserts from The Mommy Playbook

Green bread, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese- anything you want just add green food coloring!

I’m really loving the “rainbow theme” this year as you can see.

How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Serving Others & Emergency Preparedness Idea...

2011-03-13T19:29:00.000-06:00

Over the last day or so, I have had a huge awakening. I realized how selfish I’ve become. I am surrounded I mean literally surrounded by good deserving people. People who need more. I want to do more to help! There are little and big opportunities surrounding all of us. Here are a few things that have inspired me this week-

The other night Zach & I were out to dinner, Zach noticed a ~~sweet~~ (okay maybe she was a little crabby, she was 80 years old for crying out loud!) who had just finished her dinner and was having a hard time getting out to her car. He jumped up to help. My heart swelled with love for him. In that crowded little corner resteraunt he had taken in his surroundings and noticed someone in need. Do we sit back and wait for opportunities of convinient service to come to us or are we pro active and seeking out what good we can render to our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in need?

These are wonderful people! We have known them for years. Are you an organ donor? It’s a simple way to help.

Can you spare a prayer? A dollar or two?

adopt rinah from VsTheBrain on Vimeo.

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. So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving mundane help with mundane tasks-- but what glorious consequences can flow from mundane acts and from small but deliberate deeds."

--Spencer W. Kimball

Just thinking that in the grand scheme of things I have eternity to do the things I want to do. Wow, then with everything that is happening over in Japan, my heart aches for those people, who must be just terrified right now. Wondering how I can help. Sometimes all you can do is pray. And really that is good enough.

The Lord can do much more than I can anyway.

I also checked an item off my to do list for the month! Yay! I wanted to get Emergency Car Kits completed for both of our vehicles. I can tell you these have saved me more than once. It’s usually not a huge emergency, but they sure make my life easier. We’ve had kids throwing up in the car or wet underwear, and immediately we can change them into a new outfit. Have you ever ran into town and realized you forgot the diaper bag? Well no need to worry, diapers and wipes are already packed. Needed an extra snack in town? Taken care of. These Car Kits are so easy to put together, and I am betting you have most of the items on hand! I did! I got my list of what to put in mine HERE.

Emergency Car Kit List

A box to hold everything

Water

Snacks

Flashlight & batteries

Wet wipes

Toilet paper roll

Basic first aid kit

Blanket/towels

Change of clothes

Diapers

Feminine products

Umbrella

Scriptures, or a book

Jumper cables

Hand sanitizer

Pen & paper

Pocket knife

$5-20 cash (and change)

Next Project to Tackle our 72 Hour Kits! What are your Spring Projects going to be? Have you started on them already?

Adoption is Beautiful...

2011-03-08T12:49:00.002-07:00

adopt rinah from VsTheBrain on Vimeo.

Relief Society Birthday Party & a Napkin Flower Tutorial…

2011-03-05T16:02:00.001-07:00

First off, I’m sorry, I know I promised a few of you I’d get this tutorial up quickly, well it wasn’t as quick as I thought it would be. ;) Second I’m flattered! {blush} at how many e-mails and phone calls I’ve gotten to post a tutorial on the napkin flowers and the details of the party. I think it’s super hard to plan such a big party at the church, not that you don’t have room, it’s just it has to be in the cultural hall, and to me it’s so cold and unwelcoming! I only took a few pics, because the sweet sisters in our ward were streaming in, and I was embarassed! lol.

So it is what it is and this is how it went.

The Menu:

We had Johnny Carino Bow Tie Festival, the simplest recipe ever. But SUPER yum! You can get the recipe HERE or HERE.

We then had sisters in the ward sign up to do garlic bread & salads.

Cupcakes for dessert.

Simple.

The Program was fantastic too! We have such talented sisters in our ward!

Huge thanks to all that were involved!!!

They used the Parable of the Princesses by Jenny Philips

more on that HERE. it would be a great young women theme too!

Decorations:

We set the tables up in a horseshoe shape, just for something a little different & out of the ordinary. We had a limited budget too, so we kept everything to a minimum. I got all the fun colors of napkins that we used at the Zurchers Party Supply store. The square yellow plates were from Walmart.

We displayed the cupcakes like this, and I bought a mixed flower bouquet at Sam’s Club to stick in the tops of a few of them. An amazing sister in our ward did all the cupcakes for us, Niki actually has her own baking business called Deserts on Demand, so if you need something call her or check out her facebook page! ;) I’m not lying when I say everything she makes is DIVINE!!!

So if you are feeling up to it here is the Napkin Flower Tutorial:

My cute friend Melanie taught me how, Thanks Melanie!!

Step one:

Take 4 napkins, any color will do, it’s even cute to alternate the colors.

Pull them all apart like this.So you have 8 thin napkins to work with.

stack them all in a neat pile.

begin folding them like an accordian or a fan.

tie the center with a piece of ribbon

or string. (You won’t see it at all so color does not matter)

Next cut the edges of the napkin, you can round the edges for a romantic look or clip them into a triangle for a more edgy look. I did some of both.

Next peel the layers of napkins upward like this:

Repeat on both sides. Your flower will look like this when you are finished:

Tip: One set of 50 napkins will make 12 flowers

Good luck! Let me know if you have questions. I think these are just darling, for birthday parties, baby showers, a summer BBQ!

What’s on my mind…

2011-03-02T12:56:00.002-07:00

Favorite song this week: It’s addicting!

New FAVORITE Organization Blog: Click on the picture to go there. SO MANY great ideas!

Back in January, when we had our Organization Class at church, Lori an AMAZING mother and woman taught one of the classes for me! We were so lucky to have such great teachers! ALL of them were just incredible! Here are her tips:
Lori’s Tips & Tricks on organizing your time: -
1) Whenever a paper with a date and time comes home from school, church, sports, practices, etc. I immediately write it and all of the fine details on the family calendar, then I toss the paper. That way we don't have paper clutter anywhere and we always remember where we are supposed to be and at what time. This way, I am never left trying to find a practice schedule 10 minutes before practice starts, or trying to find that little primary paper that tells what talk a child has to give on Sunday.
2) Delegate responsibility to your children. No, the chores may not be done perfectly at first, but keep teaching them. If you give them some ownership in the role of keeping the house clean and tidy, it will eventually cut your organizational time in half and give your children a good work ethic.
3) I sit down once a month for a couple of hours and plan out my menus for the entire month. Then I take a night where my husband can watch the kids and I go grocery shopping. I get a lot of comments from people at the grocery store when they see my cart, but it saves me time and money all month long. Rather than trying to come up with something to cook every night and running to the store for last minute ingredients, I have a list of 30 dinners that I have items for already at home.
4) Every week, I write a to-do list and post it in a visible place. First, I write the days of the week and fill in the blanks for the things I need to do that week that are date specific, ie. visiting teaching on Tuesday, Ian to preschool on Thursday, Tanner student of the day presentation on Friday, etc. Next, I write my weekly to-dos. These are items that aren't specific to any particular day, but need to be done for the week, ie, laundry; bathrooms, pay bills/ balance check book, etc. Next, I write some long term goals. I may not get to these this week, but if I find that I have extra time then I work on them, such as scrapbooking, painting a room, organizing a closet or space, etc. And finally, but most importantly, I write a list of my "want to-do's" for the week. It is essential to make time in the week to do something that I want to do, or else I get burned out and bummed out. I have to write my want to-do's down or else they don't become a priority.

Also here’s a plug for my cute friend Nicole! Her darling little girl Oaklyn is in the Parents Magazine top 10 for cutest baby of the year! And believe me she IS the cutest little thing! If you have a second would you go HERE & vote for her?! It only takes a couple seconds, no signing up for anything or logging in, just a quick push of the button. Thanks friends, I really do have the best friends ever!

A few more fun projects I’m hoping to get around to for St. Patrick’s Day

These projects are all free printables from one of my favorite blogs 1825

LOVING these- but searching high and low for those cute rainbow licorice- Anyone out there have any tips? You can download your cute tags HERE.

Totally in love with this cute printable and the quote! Get it HERE.

Right now this is what my bedroom floor looks like! Yikes! I think I put together around 150 of these cute napkin flowers in the last two weeks!

We have a big celebration for the women at our church tomorrow. Should be fun. ~~When it’s over that is.~~ teehee. I’m just kidding. It really is fun for me to plan parties, I do love it. I just hope it runs smoothly, and I can calm my crazy nerves! ;) I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Here’s to a great week! We are craving tulips & sunshine around our house! Major Spring fever!

Organization Part II

2011-02-16T12:40:00.001-07:00

Winner of my little blog give away is SueAnn who said

“I also love the Bath and Body works summer vanillas the berry and the coconut...mmmmm! I think I'll go make me some hot chocolate right now!”

(I wish I knew how to post the random number generator picture, I tried but just can’t figure it out- Any tips?) I hope you love my random obsessions just as much as I do. :)

So a friend of mine, reminded me that I hadn’t finished my Organizational post series! See… no one is ever as organized as they would like! :)

We actually had sunshine & 60 degree weather here yesterday! It was such a nice break from all the cold & gloom!!! I got so much done yesterday! I actually started on my Spring Cleaning List & knocked out a bunch! Good Luck with yours! Here is another part of our Relief Society Workshop that we had back in January.

Simple Steps to Organize Your Life

Assess the situation- Walk outside your front door, close it and take a deep breath. Now pretend you are someone else, and this is your first visit here. Open the door and begin walking through the house, seeing it through different eyes. Go ahead, snoop! Look through closets & cupboards. What do you think? Be honest now!

Purge- pick a room. Then choose a drawer or closet. Remove everything, and sort into piles.

1. Throw away

2. Put away

3. Give away

4. Sell

5. Keep

To keep or toss? Ask yourself, “Does it enhance my life or the life of others?”

If you answer no, then toss it.

Put back only the things that you love!!!

If it takes 60 seconds or more to decide, toss it.

Organize- Now that you have freed up space, it’s time to organize! Use common sense, put things where you will need them. Be creative, use boxes, crates, buckets, and baskets to organize. Find a home for every homeless thing, and then you never have to waste time trying to find it.

Maintain- easier to keep up, than catch up. Periodically purge throughout the year. Make the decision NOT to bring something into the house, and you won’t have to make the decision about what to do with it later.

Helpful Organizing Websites & Blogs:

www. Flylady.net

http://declutteryourhomes.blogspot.com/

http://orgjunkie.com/

http://creativeorganizing.typepad.com/

http://diyorganization.com/

http://organisingtips.blogspot.com

www.organizedhome.com

Just do the best you can, but be sure it is your very best! – Pres. Hinckley

Random Obsessions…

2011-02-09T10:35:00.001-07:00

In the dead of winter, I get a bit stir crazy. Here are a few things that are adding a little sunshine to my life right now.

This bottle of leave in conditioner is saving me & my daughter countless morning meltdowns!!! ;) Highly recommend it!! Thanks Krystal for introducing it to me!!

LOVING the 2011 Nail Polish Trends-

This is one of my favorites that I just happened to paint my toes with last night.

To see all the 2011 Nail Polish Trends go HERE.

The new Bath & Body Works Vanilla Berry scent has me craving summer. And the Butterfly Flower spray mist is lovely too.

Catching up on my pile of magazines, I read a fitness article. It said that if you hoola hoop it up for just 5 min. a day, your abs will look great in no time. Well I’m on day 4. I’ll let you know how it goes. :)

Me and my kids are enjoying this every. day. for lunch.

Cracked Pepper Turkey sandwich with fresh alfalfa sprouts & THE. BEST. BREAD. EVER.

Grandma Sycamore’s Sunflower Seed & Honey Wheat Bread. YUM. (The cracked wheat is also divine)

This is a new product that just came out in January from JD Premium.

It’s called Adapt Energy. I’ve never even tried a regular energy drink, like red bull etc. I know alot of people use them though. My concern is just how much sugar, calories & caffeine are in them. Well the Adapt Energy is a healthy alternative. The ingredients are all natural. It won’t give you that high and then crash on you. It’s a steady healthy energy, and only 6 calories per serving.

To read more about Adapt Energy Drinks go HERE .

Let’s not forget my on going hot chocolate obsession. I was freezing cold last night, so I had a little bed time snack. The Vanilla Creme peeps added just the right touch to my French Vanilla hot cocoa. Warmed me up & put me right to sleep. I am in love.

Well, I totally want to share some of my sunshine with you. It’s GIVE AWAY time, just leave a comment, and I’ll draw a winner for a random package of a few of my obsessions right now.

Have a HAPPY Wednesday friends!!

FAQ’s about Donating Blankets…

2011-02-06T13:52:00.001-07:00

Question: Does the Blanket need to be a specific size?
Answer: No, it can be any size you want.

Question 2: Does the Blanket need to be made out of a certain material?
Answer: Nope, as long as the material is new and unused, it's good to go.

Question 3: Does the Blanket need to be made, or can I buy a blanket?
Answer: You can buy the blanket, or make it, which ever you prefer.

Question 4: Where do we send or drop off blankets? Is there a deadline of when the blankets are needed? Answer: *Mail them to Neal and Angie PO Box 5963 Fullerton, CA 92838-5963 {We will be donating the blankets on May 30, so if you could please send the blanket(s) with enough time to get to us by then}

**Drop them off at my parents house if you know where they live. (If you don’t know where they live but know you live close, email us and we can send you their address).

***Drop them off to me.
If you are dropping the blankets off, will need the blankets by March 31, 2011.
We will be bringing Angie & Neal the blankets in April.

Question 5: Where do we send our pictures with the blanket?
Answer: Email them to nealandangie@gmail.com

Hopefully this answers the most common questions you might have. If you have any other questions.
Please write to us at nealandangie@gmail.com

Grab A Button...

2011-02-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

We are already seeing blankets come in for Neal & Angie’s “Calling All Angels” service project. We are overwhelmed by the love & support from family, friends & complete strangers. Do you know what? People are incredibly good, SO good. THANK YOU, for spreading the word and for getting involved. It feels good to make a difference in some small way.

Here is just one more way you can spread the word. My sweet friend Shaela, designed a blog button for us! THANK YOU Shaela!!! So now it’s your turn, you can have this cute button too!

Just copy and paste the code {on the right side of the blog} and it’s yours!

"Heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind." Jeffrey R. Holland

Calling All Angels 2011...

2011-02-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is very personal to me. Most of you have heard me talk about my sweet angel nephew Jayden. My sister & brother in law are incredible people, just watch the video you will see what I mean! I am honored to be apart of this service project. Will you join me? If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to contact me.

A Little Valentine Post…

2011-01-27T12:41:00.004-07:00

Look what I finally finished-I’m LOVING it!

This is the first year I’ve ever really wanted to decorate for Valentine’s day. Do you decorate? I have to admit I prefer simple holiday decorations. Sometimes I wish I were one of those mom’s that went all out for every holiday. But I’ve come to realize, it’s just not really my style. So here are a few things I picked up this year to help us celebrate the LOVE.

You can print out your own cute subway art, like the one in my black frame HERE.

I also made this cute little heart banner, I’m not sure where to put it yet, maybe on a mirror over my front entry way table? I actually saw THIS heart banner after I made mine, and now I might just have to start over again, it’s SO cute!

Start off with a folded sheet of 5.5" x 8.5" piece of cardstock or scrapbook paper

Cut the cardstock into half-inch strips.

Next turn the open ends inward and staple.

For some reason I was in the mood to try a couple of new recipes this week, I love trying new things! All these recipes and more can be found on Life Should Be Delicious.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Pepper & Lime Fries

Buttermilk Pie

Orange Cranberry Dip

They were all super fun & YUMMY!

What are your plans for Valentines Day? Do you go out to dinner? I’m kind of thinking it might be nice to just stay in this year. Maybe some chinese take out.

I think this looks dreamy too.

And I just love these valentine cookies! Beware they are PG-13

wink. wink. I am totally making these for the hubs this year! Want to make some too? Go HERE.

YES…

2011-01-24T10:46:00.001-07:00

For some reason, last week was crazy. Crazy not in a good /great kind of way. I didn’t have much patience by the end of the week with anyone in my little family. Today I’m feeling really badly about some of the things I said & did. Does that ever happen to anyone else or is it just me? It’s a good thing kids & husbands are so forgiving! I really am SO blessed beyond measure! I am so thankful for my little family who loves me despite my weakness & shortcomings.

I did read this quote just when I needed it:

“it’s not the fingerprints on the wall that need my attention, but the people who put them there.”

Don’t you love that?! Tender mercy. A message for me straight from my Heavenly Father. ♥ wow. miracles. How does He do that?!

Well in order not to repeat such a week as last, here are a few of my goals.

This week I say yes to 6:30am.

I say yes to good thoughts that energize, uplift and encourage me.

I say yes to getting on the elliptical and exercising, & filling our meals with healthy ingredients!

I will say yes to God, & sincere prayer. Yes to reading my scriptures every single day.

I say yes to getting out of my house and into the sunshine!

I say yes to getting things DONE. To staying with a job, until I’ve seen it through to completion.

I say yes to learning about things that make me joyful. Yes to a good book!

I say yes yes yes to gratitude. YES to saying THANKS.

I say yes to encouraging others and being a supportive wife and friend.

I say yes to LIFE.

Yes to ME.

Yes to the people and things that energize, inspire and fill my soul with JOY.

I say yes to that trip to the library with the kids, Yes it is still on my to do list. ;)

Yes to listening to the soft promptings of the Spirit.

Yes to serving those around me!

I say yes to more organization in my life.

I say yes to having a really FANTASTIC week!!!

What do YOU say yes to this week?!

{I saw this list HERE, and it resonated so much with me I added and subtracted what I needed to make it my own.}

And you know what? I have not for the life of me been able to pick my ONE WORD for this year!!! It has been driving me crazy for the last month and a half! I think the problem was I had TOO many options, too many things I need to work on!!! Well when I read this

post I realized YES is my word! Yes to ALL of this and

whatever other adventure this year might take me on. Yes to being more disciplined, Yes to being healthy! Yes to building my confidence level, YES to nourishing my life with things that I love and what matters most to me! YES to the awesome possibilities this year has to offer me!

Beauty Redefined…

2011-01-20T13:36:00.001-07:00

I read this article just last week in LDS Living Magazine, then I looked down at the author(s) & realized I knew them! These two darling twin sisters are spreading a very important message! I think ALL of us women can appreciate their message, and hopefully take it to heart. Realize, we all have so much to offer, not just the way we look. We must change our own standards of beauty if we want to change the worlds. Read the article HERE.

Check out more articles on Redefining Beauty’s Facebook Page Here.

What Matters the Most…

2011-01-17T10:43:00.001-07:00

I absolutely LOVE this website.

Cute stay at home momma, that gives you fun little tips and activities on ways to be a better mom and more every single day!

So I’ve been thinking allot about what is really important, we all know how much we love our families, but how often do our actions say something differently? Do you take the time to read endless bedtime stories every once in a while instead of picking just one SHORT book to get through? Will you sit down and play barbies with her because it’s her favorite thing ever and not just for 15 minutes, as long as she wants you to? Will you take them on that library trip you’ve been promising them for a couple of weeks? These are things that I need to be better about doing. Not rushing, just being there present with my children.

On Friday we had friends over for a sleepover, we played in the snow for hours that day, making snowmen, sledding.

We just enjoyed being together. I loved watching their faces light up when I pulled out the sugar cookies from the oven to decorate,

or when we made a little craft together. It was a simple day, not one that I got much accomplished in the standards of the world, but I felt more alive, more energetic, & I slept good knowing that my children today knew exactly how much I loved them. Okay I didn’t really sleep that good, because after all we were having a sleep over and at 1:00 am we finally had to “turn the lights out” wink. wink. ;)

By the way we made these cute little snowman plate crafts! SO easy, the kids ages 3-5 all loved them. I loved that every single one was SO different, just like the kids themselves. CUTE!

All we did was take paper plates, hole punch and tie them together with yarn. Add any embellishments that you want, it can be as simple as you make it.

Have a great week, and spend a little extra time with your kids or someone you love.

Winners of the Shabby Shack Give-Away…

2011-01-14T19:12:00.001-07:00

Let’s get right to it, I was SO excited to see who won the

Shabby Shack Give-Away!

I used Random.org the winners are

Amanda from Shabby Shack will be contacting you shortly! Thank you everyone for entering! And a HUGE thanks to Amanda for letting me host such an AWESOME give-away!!!!

I have lots to post, more from our organizational class coming up and some cute winter crafts!

Have a great Weekend!!!

Eleven Things…

2011-01-11T13:46:00.001-07:00

Here are 11 random things I am loving today. Happy 1/11/11 .

1. Did you know that TODAY is National Clean Your Desk Day?! Got to love that. Want to get motivated or inspired? GO HERE.

2. LOVING this song today. YOU ARE MORE.

3. Already lost that motivation to Move More Eat LEss in 2011?

Check this out. Inspiring for sure. We can do it!!!

4. I think this Snowman Party is ADORABLE! Click on the picture to see more! Wouldn’t that be so fun for a little January get together?

5. This blog has me motivated to try new things concerning FASHION. FUN!

(CAUTION: This blog will keep you busy for a while! SO don’t click unless the kids are down for a nap, or in my case cleaning her room which is the one time I’m grateful she DOES NOT like to hurry! lol.)

Articles like HOW TO DRY SHAMPOO

How to wear cute ACCESSORIES

FASHION Trends. What to wear all year long.

How to line the waterline of your eyes with eyeliner.

Moving ON now-

6. One of my goals this year is to get my FOOD STORAGE all caught up and nicely organized. this site. is fantastic for giving me inspiration.

7. When Miss Brooklyn decides it’s time to get an Easy Bake Oven- which she will I’m sure, what little girl doesn’t want one at some point in her life?! I want to remember THIS site, it is full of recipes to make your own easy bake oven recipes, so you don’t have to pay $5 to make two baby chocolate cakes. :)

8. She makes me laugh, cute cute sense of humor. My SIL told me about her blog actually it was around Christmas time, I’m sorry I held out on you all for so long. She is DARLING. She is local, well sort of an implant since she is going to BYU I you know? ANd well I WISH I had the guts to wear fashion like she does. I don’t , so I’ll just keep on a wishin’. Check it out HERE.

9. I wanted to make this valentine wreath last year, well I didn’t get around to it, so this year it’s a MUST! I DO NOT like having something on my to do list for that long! That being said, don’t judge me if it really doesn’t get done because I may or may not still be in my PJ’s and it is after noon.

10. I REALLY want one of these. I think they are SO stylish, I would feel like I was straight out of Anthropologie if I owned one. *wink

Wouldn’t it be cute sitting in my kitchen with a little cupcake under it – ( I saw one at the Lion House Pantry and fell in love.)

11. Don’t forget to enter the GIVE –AWAY from Shabby Shack ALL THE DETAILS are on the next post down. The pictures don’t even do these hair pieces justice. Seriously. In person, you will die! They are SO cute & SO affordable!!

GIVE AWAY!!!!

2011-01-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

The first week of every month is well to say the least a bit stressful for me, it just seems like so many activities fall in the first week. When it’s all said & done, I really wouldn’t have it any other way. We had Recipe Group- YUMMY FOOD!!! Check out all the Cookin’ Mama’s Recipes HERE. It really is so fun, we have 10 girls in our group and we rotate hosting each month. Who ever hosts is in charge of the main dish, and usually the drink. They assign all the dishes out and have it at their home. Here’s a look at the party!

I finally had an excuse to make the cute Snow Man Kisses! My dad actually made these up in photo shop for me! ♥ On the back it says

Snowman Kisses

He’s cute, cuddly & full of good wishes. He wants to give you these snowman kisses! xoxoxo

I also had the cute girls in my group e-mail me their favorite cookie recipes- and made these books up for each of us. Super Simple. Can’t wait to try all the cookie recipes out! Thanks girls!!!

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The very next night we had our Relief Society Workshop- (a group for women ages 18 up at church) We had mini classes on Organizing and Simplifying our Lives plus Being Frugal & Fabulous. It was perfect. The teachers that taught were AWESOME! Do you want the 411? (that means information in cool teenager language) I sound stupid saying that. heaven knows I’m not “cool”.

ANYWAY-

I learned SO MUCH and was totally inspired by the sisters in my ward. Why am I even surprised? I am always inspired by them!!!

There was SO much information, I think I’ll just post a tiny bit of it tonight. Watch for Part II in the series in a couple of days.

The first thing you need to do is

Identify YOUR Clutter Personality.

Which one are You??

The stasher- this individual is surface clean, but open their closets or cupboards and watch everything fall on your head!

The packrat- this is the ultimate hoarder! They hold on to everything for like fifty years. “I might need that someday.” Or “so and so gave that to me.” (then they display it when that person comes to visit)

The messy- these people make messes wherever they go. You can find them just by following their clutter path.

The procrastinator- quite often a perfectionist, this individual is afraid of not doing it right, so they don’t do it at all. Or they are waiting for the right time, or the perfect organizing tools, and… well you get the picture. It never happens.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

So last but NOT least, I bet you are wondering what the GIVE AWAY is right?! Well Amanda, from

Shabby Shack Creations

offered my cute readers a chance to win one of FIVE customized hair accessories! That’s right FIVE lucky readers will win!! That’s a pretty good chance. She sent a couple of clips over to me already, and I’m telling you they are CUTE, not only that but they are a steal! I’ve seen girls selling these all over the place, but no where near the price Amanda is selling them at! Here are just a few of my favorites- but there are SO many to choose from!!!

So there are a couple of ways you can win.

one entry if you become a follower on the Shabby Shack Blog, one entry if you like Shabby Shack on facebook, one entry if you blog, facebook or tell a friend about the giveaway.

Just leave me a comment for each entry.

I will also be picking one winner from the list of followers on my blog.

The giveaway starts today and will close next Friday.

Control Journal Downloads...

2011-01-06T13:17:00.001-07:00

You should be able to right click on any of the Control Journal Pages, save them to your computer and print them out. I am happy to share these pages for free, & hope you enjoy them
for your own personal use only.
Also, the digi kit I used to create these files is called Chit Chat by Shabby Miss Jenn Design
{Front Cover of my Binder}

{Back Cover of my Binder}

{1st Section in my Control Binder is my Address Book}

The Next Section in My Control Binder is called {My Weekly Focus}

Monday :: Order

1. FHE

2. Clean House

Wash bedding/clean toilets etc.

3. Meal Plan for the Week

4. Make Weekly Goals

5. Grocery Shopping & Errands

Tuesday :: Happiness

1. Free Day

2. Laundry

3. Craft with Kids

4. Organize Something small

Wednesday :: Beauty

1. Paint toenails

2. Zone Cleaning

(I downloaded my zone cleaning lists HERE.)

3. Read from the Ensign or other inspiring books

4. Light candles and make dinner a little more special

5. Take a bubble bath

Thursday :: Peace & Serenity

1. Paper work/ bills etc.

2. Look ahead to next week, prepare birthday cards etc.

3. go through the house to see if you can make it more welcoming in any way

4. if you feel like it try a new recipe

5. think about serving those around you

Friday :: Abundance & Joy

1. Any errands that need taken care of

2. Look at your budget: What are you spending??

3. Plan Movie Night/ date night or family activity with the kids

4. Make sure you tell your family you love them! Leave a spical note or do something nice for your husband or one of your kids.

Saturday :: Freedom

1. Yard work/ Large jobs

2. think about dinner for sunday

Any last minute trips to the store?

3. Set aside time to play

4. layout church clothes, diaper bag etc.

Sunday :: Spiritual Focus & Love

1. Make it to church on time!
2. Relax

3. Think about issues that our family needs to discuss for FHE on Monday

4. Think about the blessings in your life

5. Visit family

Monthly

1st day of every month:

Menu plan & look ahead for birthdays of special events

Plan one big project to accomplish during the month

Get visting teaching done

Loot at what you are spending!!

The Next Section in My Control Binder is My {Project List}

Right now on my list of projects I have:

Work on Food Storage

72 Hour Kits

Make a chore chart for my kids

Get a will completed

In the next section

{What I Want}

I keep a list of things I want to buy sort of like a wish list, this reminds me to save my $ for things I really want instead of buying small little things here and there- It's also a great resource around my birthday/Christmas or mother's day for my hubby. Wink*

Riding Lawn Mower

Food Storage Shelves

Outdoor Patio Set

Window Washing Set

New Bedroom Set

Valentine Wreath

Mindy Gledhill Anchor CD

etc.

I also included a page just for a list of Books I would like to read

Books 2 Read

Next Section would be my perpetual list of Birthdays

I also like THIS birthday calendar if you want a more condensed version.

The last section in my Control Journal is called my

{911 Section}

I use this template to put phone numbers like building your contact list for emergencies

my pediatrician's phone number is on it, Poison Control, Our Home Address, and then I have a list of all of our closest neighbors & relatives labeled just as said. I pull this out when I hire a babysitter, that way she has people to contact just in case she can't get a hold of us, she can look at this in case of an emergency and see our home address if she needed to tell the 911 operator etc.

I also leave out a basic first aid paper like this:

Basic First Aid

Nose Bleed: Sit quietly, head forward, press nostrils for 5 mins. If still bleeding, pack nostrils with gauze. Lie down with head up and use cold wet towel on the face. DO NOT BLOW NOSE.

Scratch: Wash using sterile soap and water. Disinfect & use a sterile bandage.

Cut: Control bleeding! Wash, disinfect, bandage, get help if needed.

Puncture Wound: If wound is penetrated deep (nail) make it bleed. Wash disinfect, bandage, tetanus shot.

Fish Hook Puncture: Push hook through skin until hook is visible, cut off hook, pull remaining wire out. Let bleed, wash, badnage, tetanus shot.

Lacerated or Torn Wound: Wash, disinfect, bandage, if a body part has been separated wrap it in steril gauze & keep cold. Seek medical attention for stitches of wound is deep & lacerated.

Bee Sting: Remove stinger with tweezers. Apply calamine or Benadryl lotion. Watch for anaphylactic shock.

Chigger Bite: Don’t scratch area. Use calamine lotion, Benadryl cream or clear fingernail polish to help with red itchy bumps. Prevent by wearing long pants while walking through tall grass & weeds.

Tick Bite: Grasp tick with tweezers & pull gently. Check all body parts. Wash with soap & water. Watch for signs of illness. Prevent: long sleeves, long pants tucked in foot wear.

Poisonous Spider Bites: Get help. Treat for shock, ice pack over bite, keep airway open, resuce breathing if needed. Constricting band.

Animal Bites: Wash bite with soap to remove saliva, disinfect, cover with sterile bandage, consult a doctor for possible rabies.

Snake Bites: Seek medical attention! Treat for shock, wiash bite, wrap bite snug, but not too tight. Have victim lie down with bitten part lower than the body. Be prepared to give rescue breathing. No long use venom extractor or constricting band.

Poison Ivy, Oak, Sumac: Wash immediately with sopa many times with a thick lather. Do not brush or scrub to prevent further irritation to skin. Use Calamine or Benadrul lotion to decrease itching.

I also have a Child Identification Sheet for each child that I update every 6 months or so.

You can get a free download HERE.

There you have it. All the downloads needed to make your own Control Journal.

Happy Organizing!!!

2011-01-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Are you feeling a little like this?! lol.

I have to be honest I HATE diets! The only thing that has ever helped me loose weight is eating healthy & exercising! I'm just not a big fan of fad dieting or yo yo dieting for that matter.

This is the first diet I think I can actually live with! It's all natural & if you want to know more ...

You've got to come to the launch meeting tomorrow to see what JD Premium is all about, and how you can make money, save money, and enjoy healthy, life-changing products you will love!!! The meeting is tonight, Thursday at 7:00 at the Hampton Inn: 2500 Channing Way, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83404.

Some of the things they will be presenting are the new B-Slim weight management system: the corporate staff (as in my husband Zach) tried it out over the Christmas holidays and they all lost lots of weight, while still eating foods they loved, and not feeling hungry or tired.
Also, the Adapt Energy Drinks--sample them at the meeting! They are delicious, and give you energy that is natural and won't crash you when it wears off.
Also, Premium Tax Advantage--an online computer software program that saves you thousands of dollars each year in legitimate tax breaks for home-based businesses. The day you sign up for JD Premium, and use this program, you can increase your take-home pay from your current employment by HUNDREDS of dollars each month!!! This program was submitted to and approved by the IRS!
I am so excited about all the new products at JD Premium! We will see you tonight at 7:00 at the Hampton Inn!!!

If you aren't from around here, or are curious about JD Premium check us out at www.jdpremium.com/avalanche

Also for the record, I NEVER want to make anyone feel obligated to buy anything that I promote here on my blog. I just like to share the things in my life that have made a difference, or products that I really love. ♥ I promise never to promote anything that I do not 100% believe in & love.

What a Great Day it WAS going to Be…

2011-01-04T20:55:00.001-07:00

What a great day it’s going to be! I know I’ve said it before but the fresh start of a new year is so energizing & full of possiblities!

Well the truth is I started writing this post on Monday, today Tuesday started off with a dead car battery, a little girl one hour late for preschool & throw up in the back seat of my car on the way into town. Life is so crazy and full of ups and downs, but I guess that’s what makes it beautiful.

I wanted to share a few projects that we got done over the holiday. Me and my sisters. {Who I miss already} made these cute necklaces-

want to make your own? I bought a couple of the kits HERE.

Also, I might as well share my new website obsession: A Side of Peaches. They feature one product a day, like funky one of a kind jewelry, handbags, hair accessories, & more at up to 50-80% off! I like to check it early, since once the product is sold out, it’s gone.

We also finally finished the little boy ties, they turned out SO cute! My little guy wore the one in the middle to church on Sunday! ♥

We also got all of the Christmas taken down, I am always ready for it to be put away. The house feels a bit bare without all the bling. I think the things I miss the most are of course the tree & it’s sparkling lights, I also love the pine boughs on my stair rail.

But in a close second, I miss our wall of greeting cards. It makes me happy to look at so many of our favorite people! And it makes getting the mail so much more fun the month of December!

To fill up some of our already setting in winter blahs, because for the record I am so over this FREEZING cold weather! I found these cute little snowmen! I bought mine, but you can make your own using this tutorial HERE. They make me happy just looking at them! I want to get this quote printed out in vinyl, to set by them. Just like the one in the tutorial.

“May the Sunlight of Faith ever warm your Hearts.”

Gordon B. Hinckley

Here’s to 2011…

2010-12-30T00:04:00.002-07:00

I really want to try out this recipe for a New Year’s eve appetizer.

I’m still trying to sort out my One Word for next year. I have a couple I’m toying with. If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about go HERE.

Happy New Year! May 2011 be our best year yet!