Happiness Is Never Stopping To Think If You Are

Super Bowl Sunday

2012-02-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of sleeping over on Saturday night is getting to have Papa’s famous Texas waffles for breakfast. The kids look so cute in their jammies.

We lounged around and talked for a while and then Lexie had to go get ready for church. I watched Jackson, but didn’t snuggle and love on him b/c I’m still sick. Of course as soon as Autumn heard Lexie was going into the bathroom to do her hair and put on her makeup, Autumn was right there as a little shadow just soaking in the girly-ness of it all.

Here they are all dressed up in their church duds. What a good looking group.

Autumn & I went home and got ready for church ourselves. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay all 3 hours or not b/c of being sick. It was fast & testimony Sunday and the missionaries got up and talked about listening to the Holy Ghost. They were riding their bikes to an appointment and they had their helmets on their heads, but didn’t have the straps done up under their chin. Stupid, I know! Why even bother putting on a helmet if you’re not going to strap it on. Anyways, one of the Elders said he had an impression to strap his helmet. So, he did. Then the other Elder saw that and felt like he should strap his on, too. Not 2 minutes later, they were riding along and the 2nd Elder got hit by a car! He said his head hit the car first and then banged into the ground when he fell off the car!!!

They each compared how the Spirit is like our helmet in life to protect us, keep us safe, etc. It was really touching and made me think back to my car accident and how differently that could have ended. I was feeling OK, so we stayed for all 3 hours.

After church, we went home and changed and then went to Mom & Dad’s house for a Super Bowl party. I honestly didn’t care at all about either team and couldn’t even told you who played. I edited pictures and blogged while it was on in the background. Then during the Half Time Show Autumn suddenly became interested, and got up on the fireplace and did her own Half Time Show. That girl has moves.

Even though the Cowboys or Colts weren’t playing, Dad & Autumn were sporting their NFL jerseys. Very festive of them.

I found a recipe for an orange julius recipe in that 1984 Relief Society Homemaking book that I wanted to try. So, we tried it out and it was OK, but I think I used too much Mexican vanilla. Autumn was drinking hers and got a big foam moustache. So, we all gave ourselves one too even though you can’t see it very well in this picture. But, it was still fun to try it and make a great memory. Nick was lucky b/c he got the “special cup.” That’s what Dad used to tell us when we were little and got to drink out of the can that the concentrate came in.

For our Super Bowl dinner we had mini pizzas to make it fun for the kids. We also had veggies and dip, puppy chow, and other snacks.

At 7:58, Lexie & I picked up the exer-saucer w/ Jackson in it and rushed into Mom & Dad’s room to watch the newest episode of Downton Abbey. I think that Lord Grantham is getting too friendly w/ that maid who’s husband died in the war. I hope nothing shady happens there. It was such a good episode (just like they all are) and I can’t wait for Tuesday when the 2nd season will be delivered to my door. I pre-ordered it on Amazon.com a few weeks ago.

It was a great night and I don’t even know who won the Super Bowl. Downton Abbey is WAAAAAAAAAY more entertaining than the Super Bowl anyways and that’s saying a lot b/c I love football.

Downtime Watching Downton

2012-02-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

This morning Autumn & I slept in, which was nice. She asked to watch Downton Abbey while she played w/ her dolls and we snuggled on the couch. I worked on my spreadsheet for figuring out which POTD (picture of the day) I wanted to use for my 2010 PL. Then we finally got dressed and ready to go for the day. We went over to Mom & Dad’s b/c Lexie & the boys were driving up to spend a few days. Autumn has been counting down the days on the calendar for when they would get here.

They got here and Autumn & Andrew went straight into the back room to play. I was backing up my pictures from my laptop to my external hard drive, and then backed them up onto Mom & Dad’s external hard drive. Lexie and I were talking and catching up while that was doing it’s thing and I started telling her about Downton Abbey. She said she wanted to see it b/c I made it sound so good. I warned her that it’s addicting and each episode is an hour and there’s 7 episodes on the first season. But, we started watching anyways and of course she was hooked right away. We pretty much spent the rest of the day watching Downton Abbey w/ breaks here and there to feed the kids or take a potty break.

Dad took the kids outside when he got home and they tried flying kites in the backyard, but it wasn’t windy enough. So, he did some yard work while they rode their bikes up and down the driveway.

After a while, the kids came running in the house to show us something Papa had discovered. It was a big, fat, juicy, wiggly worm. We were so shocked that Andrew was holding it, b/c he usually doesn’t like dirty things in his hands.

Autumn wanted a turn holding it, too. I love that she’s holding a worm while wearing a pink jacket and pink Barbie helmet…that’s my type of girl. She likes to be girly, but isn’t afraid to be outside and get dirty and have fun and try new things.

This is pretty much how we spent the whole day. It was nice to just relax and stay hydrated. I am glad that I just have a cough and sniffles instead of a fever or the full blown flu. We stopped the show to make taco salad for dinner and it was so good and hit the spot. We haven’t had that in a long time, and will have to put it back into the dinner rotation.

We had the kids put on the PJ’s and put on Wall-E for them. I didn’t realize how late it was, but it was already 10:00 when we finished season 1. So, Lexie & I put the kids to bed (Autumn & I slept in one of the guest rooms) and then Lexie & I stayed up until 3:00 am watching Season 2! But, now she’s all caught up so we can watch the new episode tomorrow night. I can hardly wait.

Feeling Sick Friday

2012-02-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today at work it was steady but not too busy. Around 3:30, I started coughing and my eyes started to get hot. Mom always laughs at me when I say my eyes get hot, but it’s true and that’s how my body is telling me that I’m getting sick. It was really slow after lunch, so I asked if I could leave at 4:30 b/c I didn’t feel good. I was going to stop at Sonic and get a drink for my throat, but decided I needed something more than just soda. So, I went to Smoothie King and got an immune booster drink. It was expensive ($4.97 for a small), but so worth it and it actually did help my throat a little bit.

I went and got Autumn and we went to Mom & Dad’s house. We had leftovers for dinner and then Nick had rented 2 movies from Redbox. We watched Mr. Popper’s Penguins first and I didn’t have very high expectations for that one. However, it was really really good and I was pleasantly surprised. Then we watched Cowboys vs Aliens and that was pretty good, too. Not one I would every go out and buy but it was entertaining.

Autumn loves doing this puzzle and enlisted Papa to help her with it. I’m glad she likes doing puzzles b/c we are a puzzle doing family, especially around the holidays.

It was getting late by the time the 2nd movie was over, so Autumn & I packed up to come home. It had been raining and lightning and thundering, which I love. When we left to go home, these huge storm clouds were off to the East and kept lighting up. I tried to get a picture, but this was the best I could get. I love nature and seeing Heavenly Father’s creations.

Autumn’s First Official GNO

2012-02-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Liz sent me a text last week saying we needed to get together and have a GNO. I completely agreed, especially when I stopped to think about the last time I saw her. It was back in December when we had our Pest Control Peeps get together! I can’t believe that much time has passed since I’ve seen her. Anyways, we decided tonight was the night. I told Autumn she could come w/ us and she was so excited. She got all dressed up and I even let her wear a little lipstick for the special occasion.

We went to Olive Garden to try their 3 course meal for $12.95. It was good food, but the desserts were way too small. The best part though, was getting to sit and talk to Liz. I just love her so much b/c she’s so funny. It’s fun to hear her talk about Baby Jacob and dealing w/ the joys and hardships of motherhood. I remember being in the phase of life and I miss it, but at the same time am glad Autumn’s in this perfect stage where she’s sweet and innocent but is old enough to have a sparkling personality. She was so well-behaved during dinner. I told Liz we definitely need to do this more often, or at least get together more often. It’s such a refreshing and rejuvenating thing to get together w/ girl friends.

Autumn & I came home and watched the last 1/2 of Project Runway. Then we read in the Book of Mormon and I put her to bed. I watched 24 Hour Runway, filled out my PLife journaling cards from yesterday and today, then watched TMZ w/ Nick and now it’s time for dreamland.

Extreme Weather Wednesday

2012-02-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

This was on the news tonight, and it’s funny b/c I was just thinking of this today. It was freezing and icy this time last year and then today it was 72! It’s crazy how extreme the weather difference is from this day last year.

For our YW activity tonight, we decorated sugar cookies and wrote thank you notes. The original plan was that we were going to have a hair stylist come show us some fun hairstyles. But, that fell through and this plan was just put together today. Luckily I had made all those cookies that I was able to bring. I struggle w/ knowing how much to push the Laurel’s class presidency and how much to step back. I have always been the type of person to plan and get things done, so it honestly makes me a little nervous/worried when things aren’t planned. But, I have to keep reminding myself not to do it for them and that they have to struggle through it. Half of them will be out on their own in 6 months, and possibly the Relief Society president of a BYU ward. So, even though it’s hard to watch them mess up and I want to step in and do things for them, they have to learn.

It was like when Autumn was learning to walk. I didn’t want her to fall and get hurt, but she had to learn through trial and error. She had to fall and eventually she learned. So, I’ll just keep reminding myself to be patient w/ these girls and just be there to help and support and encourage them. Autumn was such a good girl through the whole activity. She was a cute little bug and helped me gather up all the butter knives we used for spreading the frosting, washing them, drying them, and putting them away. I was so proud of her and how much she’s growing up.

We came home and I gave her a shower and then braided her hair so it will be wavy in the morning. Then we read in our Book of Mormon and I put her to bed. I edited some pictures, blogged, watched TMZ with Nick and now it’s time for bed. Sweet dreams to me.

Frog On A Walk & Soft Sugar Cookies

2012-01-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

When I called Mom after work to see what the plan was, she said that the missionaries were coming over for dinner. She went all out and made an incredible meal of Ollie North chicken, grilled yellow squash, creamed potatoes & peas, crescent rolls, olives, & then had peach pie filling w/ raspberries for dessert. I felt bad b/c we had to eat and run since my visiting teachers came over at 6:30. They were here when we got home and we just sat around the table and talked while her kids at their dinner. She brought them along b/c her husband is out of town, and bless her heart she’s 37 weeks pregnant. It was a good visit & they didn’t stay for long.

Since it was such nice weather outside, Autumn & I went for a walk. We brought along my iPhone and jammed to music while we walked. Autumn stopped short & let out a yell and I wondered what the heck was the matter. She pointed out this big toad/frog (I never know which one is which) on the sidewalk. I was impressed w/ how great this photo turned out b/c I just took it w/ my phone. We looked at him for a little bit and then kept walking.

When we got home, I turned on the last 1/2 of the Biggest Loser. It was on in the background while I made sugar cookies! LOL! That’s one of the many reasons that I need to try out for Season 14. Anyways, the reason I made sugar cookies is that I found a new recipe I wanted to try. I like recipes where I don’t have to wait for the dough to chill. I’m too impatient for that. Autumn was so excited to help me roll out the dough and use the cookie cutters.

She’s such a good little helper! I love her being this age. Her personality is really shining through. I love seeing how independent she is. Yet, at the same time she’s still dependent on me for the important things.

The cookies aren’t the best recipe I’ve ever tried, but they were easy and pretty soft. It also made a LOT of cookies, which is good. I found the recipe in this Relief Society Homemaking Booklet from 1984 that I found on Mom & Dad’s bookshelf in the back room. I was looking for the family Book of Mormon and found this at the same time. Anyways, here’s the recipe if you want to try it:

Soft Sugar Cookies

1 c butter or margarine
2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
4 1/2 c flour (level)
1/2 tsp salt
nutmeg & sugar

Cream together butter and sugar.
Add eggs & beat well.
Add sour cream and vanilla.
Sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.
Roll on floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness.
cut with large round cutter (2 to 2 3/4 inches in diameter).
Place on greased (sprayed)cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and sugar (optional, and I didn’t do this step).
Bake at 350 degrees for 14 to 17 minutes or until very lightly browned.
(I only cooked mine for 12 minutes b/c I used smaller cookie cutters than what they recommend.)
Cookies should be large, soft, and thick.
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Project Life Tuesday ~ Week 4

2012-01-31T23:26:00.000-07:00

Here’s the layout for week 4, along w/ some little notes of what is happening in each picture.

On the 3rd journaling card for this week, I just took the box that her Barbie Puppy Water Park came in and I cut out the words and stuck them to the top of the journaling card. I like how it made that card really stand out w/ the pop of yellow color.

I did 3 collages on this page b/c I had a lot of pictures I wanted to include. I also included a receipt from getting the oil changed. That will be fun to look back on in 20 years to see what the price of an oil change was.

I was thinking all week about what I wanted to write in the empty space on the filler card. I decided to write down some of mine & Autumn’s favorite songs that we listen to on the radio. We both love singing along to these songs. I know again, that this will be really fun to look back on in years to come and remember what songs we liked at this time period. I’ll do the same thing the 1st week of April when this filler card comes up again. It will be cool to see what our favorite songs are every 8-9 weeks.

This is my extra Design C page from last week. I went back and added this card b/c the extra page didn’t stand out enough as being Autumn’s birthday. This was a card she got that I just cut down to be a little bit shorter than the 4x6 journaling card so anyone looking at the page would see there were words behind it to be read. I just traced a 4x6 journaling card on the back of it and cut it out w/ scissors. Super fancy, huh? LOL! Sorry again that the pictures are so grainy and blurry but my living room light is less than stellar for photography.

I’m linked up over at The Mom Creative.

Out With The Old, In With The New

2012-01-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to point out Autumn’s funny grape juice moustache. Not her best look, but she’s still a cutie. Mom found this sweet doll at a kid’s consignment store for only $4.99!!! It’s a really nice and really heavy doll. Autumn was so cute w/ her doll and took good care of her and kept carrying her around and covering her up and making sure she wasn’t “crying.”

Mom also found these adorable heart pj’s for $2.99! You can’t even buy the fabric for that. I love good deals. Plus she looks adorable. She had on her “slippery socks” which basically means they don’t have the non-slip rubber stuff on the bottom. So, she asked me to slide her through my legs and slide her across the floor. It’s one of her favorite things to do. I did that for a while and then Mom & I watched Season 2 Episode 1 of Downton Abbey online so she can get caught up.

At 8:30, Autumn & I ran to WalMart so I could pick up my PL pictures that I had printed. We also ran (sometimes literally) around the store and did some super fast grocery shopping. Autumn saw a scanner and wanted so scan something out of the cart. She looks like a homeless child b/c she was wearing her new pj’s w/ a pink tutu and her normal clothes. Oh, well. She’s a kid and it’s one of those things that really doesn’t matter and it’s not worth arguing over. It makes her happy and doesn’t hurt anything, so why not?

We rushed home and I put her to bed and hurried and had Nick help me put away the groceries. Then I rushed over to Christine’s to watch the Bachelor. I am so disgusted w/ Ben & that he went skinny dipping w/ Courtney and that he didn’t tell the girls he did that. He kept talking about how he wants to be open w/ them and he wants them to be open w/ him. Yet, he’s going out and doing just the opposite. Whoever he picks at the end (if it’s not Courtney) will probably break up w/ him after she sees what he did w/ Courtney. I thought it was interesting that he said the next day that he regretted what he did. When they were showing previews for the final episodes, I gasped when I saw the scenery. I’m hoping that they go to Slovenija since that is where his ancestors were from. That would make me so happy yet homesick at the same time.

Anyways, Mom said that I HAD TO get rid of my purse b/c it was falling apart (see picture below). Luckily, I know what I like and had a 2nd purse that was the same (but new) so I switched all my stuff over to the new purse.

I’m hard on purses, shoes, and watches. That’s why I don’t spend a lot of money on those things. I didn’t realize that this purse was in such bad shape, so I’m glad Mom insisted that I get rid of it.

Manly Jell-O & Our Tongue Depresser Family

2012-01-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe it, but I slept in until 8:00 this morning! That’s 10.5 hours of sleep! I’m either going through a growth spurt (which is not likely since I’m way past that stage), or I was just super tired and my body needed that much rest. Anyways, we woke up and had breakfast and watched Princess Diaries (Autumn’s pick) and made brownies. Then we had some lunch and got ready for church. Autumn looked so cute in her new yellow dress. I think it’s so funny that you can see all of Autumn’s dolls lined up on the coffee table behind me. She did that b/c she said they wanted to watch the movie w/ us.

Church was really good today. The sacrament talks were about temple worship and not just temple attendance. It made me so thankful that I went yesterday and felt such peace and power when I left. Then in Sunday School we talked about the Liahona and what the Liahona (or spiritual guides) are in our own lives. It was really good and gave me some spiritual insights into my own life.

For the 3rd hour we all met together b/c it was a 5th Sunday. The Bishop had 7 different people stand up and share their favorite scripture from the Book of Mormon with us and tell us briefly why that was their favorite scripture. It was really powerful and the Spirit was really strong. He then reminded us of the challenge he gave us to read the Book of Mormon this year. He had a bunch of lima beans in little zip lock bags. He said each person in the ward should get a zip lock bag, and for every 50 pages we read, we could put a bean in a jar that he is going to keep on his desk in his office. He even met w/ the Primary kids and told them about it. Autumn was so excited to get our 2 zip lock bags of beans after church.

We have been reading every night in the kid’s Book of Mormon reader, and when we finish that, we will start reading this family version of the Book of Mormon.

It’s still the actual words of the Book of Mormon but there are pictures and explanations of what words are or what things mean, so it’s easier for kids to understand. I’m excited to start reading this w/ Autumn.

Mom made a double batch of manly jell-o today b/c she knows how much we all love it. It’s one small box of orange jell-o and 4 cans of mandarin oranges! That’s how Dad likes it…just a little jell-o holding together the oranges. I wanted to get a picture of it to include in my Project Life b/c it’s a standard Sunday snack, and I wanted to document it.

Autumn discovered a tongue depressor in the pocket of Papa’s scrub top, and so he got out a pen and started drawing a face on it.

His is the one on the left. Then he had to leave for work b/c the clinics called and were backed up. He left some extras for Autumn to draw on. She did the one of me next and I knew it was me b/c of the curly hair. Then she drew herself and I knew that was her b/c of the long straight hair. Then she drew the one of Nick & Mom and I had no idea who they were supposed to be, so I wrote names under the picture she drew to indicate who was who.

She had enough sticks to draw Nate, Jon, Lexie, Andrew & Jackson, too! They kept getting less and less recognizable. Oh, well. She had fun drawing them and got to express her creativity, and that’s what matters most.

After dinner we watched Downton Abbey b/c I’ve gotten Mom addicted to it. Autumn said she was cold, so she snuggled w/ Mom and next thing I knew, she was asleep! She will be SO SAD when she wakes up, b/c Deckers offered to have her come over to play while I went and did drive bys. Drive bys are where we go visit each of the Laurel’s and they come out to the car and update us on how they are doing w/ Personal Progress. It’s also just a chance to talk one-on-one and get to know the girls better. I brought the brownies I had made earlier.

I had two great visits and the other 4 flaked out. Oh, well…next time. When I got back to Mom & Dad’s house, Autumn had just woken up. She was DEVASTATED when I told her it was too late to go to Kylie’s and that she had missed going over there b/c she had been asleep. I told her I would text Sis. Decker to see if Kylie would be free to play sometime this week on another day.

At 8:00, the new episode of Downton Abbey was on, but Dad wanted to watch sports in the living room so Autumn & I went in their room and watched it. I definitely shed a few tears at the end of the episode. I also want to punch Vera (Mr. Bates’ wife) in the face for being so rotten. But, it was a really great episode and I’ve already placed my preorder for Season 2 on Amazon.com and it will be delivered on the release day, Feb 7th. I can hardly contain my excitement!

Temple, Oil Change, Bike Riding & Early To Bed

2012-01-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was leaving the house, this was what the sunrise looked like. It was so gorgeous!

I went to the temple b/c I haven’t been since November. I made it a goal to go twice a month last year and I got pretty close to that goal, but then fizzled out at the end of the year b/c of the holidays and the temple being closed for cleaning. But, I still count it a success b/c I increased my temple attendance from the year before. It was a good session and I enjoy the Spirit and peace that come from being in the temple. I liked these white and purple plants (I call them cabbage plants b/c it sounds like Cabbage Patch) in the temple flowerbeds.

I came home and Nick said Autumn was a good girl and they had watched Peter Pan & Sleeping Beauty. I brought home some breakfast burritos from Chick Fil’A b/c we were all hungry. I changed clothes & Autumn and I went to get the oil changed in the car. She looked so stylin’ in her sunglasses while playing her “iPad.” I was glad we had that to keep her entertained while we waited for the oil change.

After that, we went to Mom & Dad’s house and just had some sandwiches for lunch. Dad went to work so Mom & Autumn & I watched the first 2 episodes of Downton Abbey so Mom will know what’s going on when we watch the new episodes. We would have watched more but they’re so long and Dad got home and they needed to go grocery shopping. While they were gone Autumn & I went on a walk around their neighborhood. I walked & she rode her bike. She’s getting really good at it, but I’ve noticed that she favors the right side on her training wheels. Now that she’s comfortable riding a bike I’ll have to take the training wheels off and help her learn to ride w/out them.

We came home b/c it was getting too cold and was starting to get dark. Mom & Dad brought back some cartons of strawberries, which are one of Autumn’s favorite treats. I cut them up and put agave nectar on them for her. It was funny to see them all lined up on the couch watching TV and Dad feeding them strawberries.

We came home and watched the new Johnny Lingo. It’s such a good movie and has a good moral to the story. Plus, it helps me get my Polynesian fix. I was super tired for some reason, so we both went to bed at 9:30! I haven’t gone to bed that early in a LONG time.

Autumn’s Going To Hollywood

2012-01-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

We had a really low key Friday night. We had dinner and then Dad got called into work. So, Mom & Autumn & I watched a few recorded episodes of American Idol. I always love the auditions b/c of how bad some of the singers are. It just makes me laugh. Anyways, at the end of the episodes I told Autumn it was time to go put on her shoes so we could go home. Out of nowhere she stood up and started jumping up and down and yelling, “I’m going to Hollywood!” It was so unexpected and made Mom & Dad & I laugh so hard! Then as we were walking out the back door she started singing, “Who Let The Dogs Out?” Again, we all busted up laughing b/c it was so random. I didn’t even know she knew that song. What a kid…she always keeps me guessing and always keeps me laughing. Just one of the many reasons that I love her so much.

The Music Man Magic

2012-01-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Autumn looked so cute this morning before we left for school. I love it when she lets me do her hair in pigtails and put these cute matching bows in. I am also loving the coat Mrs. Claus got her for Christmas.

After work/school, we went over to our favorite Italian restaurant for dinner. I have been craving it for a while and it completely hit the spot. Anything that rich and buttery has got to be evil, but yet it tastes so heavenly. We even had enough left overs for Nick & I to have for lunch tomorrow.

After dinner, we loaded in the car and went to one of the high schools in the area. They did a production of the Music Man. I had really high expectations going in b/c of how well done Beauty & The Beast was done back in 2008.

But, I was also worried b/c the Music Man movie is one of my favorite musicals and I knew I would be comparing this performance to the movie in my mind. I am happy to say I was more than just impressed, I was blown away. It was absolutely incredible. I got goose bumps so many times I lost count. The cast was large and each and every costume was amazing. The set was beyond stunning. The acting, dancing, and singing were phenomenal. The Barbershop Quartet, Marian & Professor Hill were beyond fabulous.

It made me think back on my days in theater in high school and made me miss it so much. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to participate in plays, even though I wasn’t 1/2 as talented as these kids.

I was glad that Autumn was so well behaved and was actually watching and enjoying the play. Her favorite part was when Marian & Prof. Hill kiss in the library. I’m thankful that Mom & Dad enjoy and encourage us to attend events like this. They were always so good about taking us to plays and encouraging us to enjoy the arts when we were younger. I will never forget how they took us to see Phantom of the Opera, Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Miserables and others. Thanks to them I have a great love for cultural and artistic things.

Puppy Water Park & Human Battleship

2012-01-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

We didn’t go over to Mom & Dad’s tonight b/c they went to see a movie. So, I stopped and got Little Caesar’s for dinner b/c it’s such a cheap yet good way to feed all 3 of us. When we got home, there was a surprise package waiting for Autumn. Mom had ordered a few Barbie dolls for a great deal and Autumn’s came in the mail today. It’s a Puppy Water Park.

So, after dinner we went in Nick’s bathroom to try it out. I didn’t notice when I took the picture, but I noticed when I was putting it in this blog post that there’s a perfect drop of water w/ ripples in the tub. The Barbie is fun b/c she squirts water and the waterslide and waterfall actually work when you fill the little box behind the pink house and pull the pink flag. We had fun playing w/ it.

I had to leave for Young Women’s and Nick was nice enough to watch Autumn for me. We had a YW combined activity and the Beehives were in charge and we played Human Battleship. They put up the volleyball net and clipped blankets to it so neither side could see each other. The first time we played it, the girls sat in groups of 4 or 3 or 2 just like the real game of battleship. Then a person from the other team would throw a ball over the net and if they hit someone, it was like putting a peg in the ship. Once all the people in that “ship” were hit, they were out. This is the 2nd time we played it and everyone was their own ship and we had them lay out spread eagle so the game wouldn’t take so long. It was a lot of fun and they had bowls of fresh mixed fruit for dessert.

I came home and put Autumn to bed and tidied up the kitchen and then started a load of laundry. I got some blogging done while watching Downton Abbey. I worried that I wouldn’t want to watch it a second time since it’s a series and not a movie (like Sense & Sensibility or Pride & Prejudice which I could watch over and over and over). However, I was wrong and it’s just as good (if not better) the 2nd time around. Although, I do have to watch it w/ the closed captions on b/c sometimes I can’t understand what they’re saying. I know a show is worth it’s salt if I want to watch it a 2nd or 3rd (or in this case 20th) time. I’m hooked.

Raspberry Fingers & Spiritual Inspiration

2012-01-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Mom told me about this website and they had this under their freebies section and I LOVE IT! I will for sure have to use this in Young Women’s some time. It will be my new dating motto, too.

After work/school we went to Mom & Dad’s house for dinner. Mom had Sonoma Chicken from Costco and some fresh spinach. We eat a whole huge bag by the time it’s all cooked down, b/c we all love spinach. For dessert, we had raspberries, which is one of Autumn’s favorites. It makes me happy that Autumn likes fruits and vegetables as much as the rest of us do.

The raspberries were so perfect and big and beautiful that Dad put them on Autumn’s fingers (like we do with olives) and she just ate them off her fingers. They were super juicy and sweet and hit the spot.

We had to leave after I did the dishes so I could go visiting teaching. I love my new partner b/c she actually shows up and even did a great lesson. We kept the visit short b/c the lady we teach had just gotten home from work and needed to make dinner and take care of her husband who had back surgery earlier this month. It was pouring cats and dogs on the way home and the sky completely lit up a few times and was beautiful b/c of the lightning. I’m glad Autumn enjoys storms as much as I do. When we got home, she asked if we could have some hot chocolate together, and so we did. We worked on her sight words and then it was time for bed.

I did some laundry and watched TV and did the dishes and then read some really good articles for my YW lesson in a few weeks about Homemaking. Both were EXCELLENT! One was called “Knowing Who You Are – and Who You Have Always Been” by Sheri Dew and the other one was “Strengthen Home and Family” by Susan W. Tanner. I appreciate the words of these incredible and inspired women.

Project Life Tuesday ~ Week 3

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve already started noticing that the evenings are getting lighter here, but still not light enough outside for me to take pictures of my PL by the time I get home from work. So, these less than stellar pictures will just have to work for now. I will have to find a less busy background next week to photograph the book against. Here’s my week 3 layout w/ out my insert for the week.

I used collages for the bottom 2 pictures. The one on the left is a picture of Autumn & I on the day she was born and then a picture of us now, 5 years later. The one of the right is of when we baked bread for a Young Women’s activity.

I used another Picasa-made collage for the top left hand picture b/c I had 3 pictures I wanted to include. I didn’t do the journaling for Sunday yet b/c I need to look up the recipe for the homemade chocolate chip cookies I make so I can include that.

I did an insert this week using Design C b/c it was Autumn’s birthday. I put 5 pictures on the front and used a large journaling card for the 6th spot. In the middle picture I did another collage of 3 pictures of Autumn playing at the park.

Yep, you guessed it…another collage for the bottom right hand picture. It’s a great way to include lots of pictures of the same thing (Autumn painting her nails w/ some new polish she got) in a 4x6 slot.

As you can see, I used the #1-5 stickers to write down a few little lines about each picture on this page (and did the same thing on the other side). Sometimes I do that and sometimes I just tell the big picture of the day w/ out worrying about writing something for each picture. But, since it was her 5th birthday I decided that would be great to use the 5 stickers for the 5 pictures and keep that theme going.

I wanted to share an awesome thing I found for the title page of my album. I was flipping through a magazine that came in the mail and I noticed a page had these pictures and words already on it. I knew I had to use it in my Project Life album. So, I just traced one of the core kit 4x6 title cards on the back of the page and cut it out and slipped it into the pocket. I’m always on the look out for fun things like this that I can incorporate into my album.

I also wanted to share something else that I added to my album. Last week I was struggling w/ how to help Autumn learn her letters. Then the very next day I read an incredible blog post by Glennon called “Don’t Carpe Diem.” I decided to print the post off and put it in my Project Life album just b/c it had such an impact on me. I love that I can add things that are meaningful to me into my Project Life.

I am linking up HERE over at the Mom Creative.

Chinese Food On The Patio

2012-01-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today after work/school, Mom & Dad weren’t home when we got there b/c they had to go pick up Dad’s truck from the mechanic’s. It was still light outside, so Autumn begged to ride her bike. I wrapped up in a blanket and sat outside on the patio and watched while she rode her bike around and around the table. I was hungry so I bought out this bucket of pistachios. Autumn wanted to listen to some music so I played songs on iTunes.

Mom brought home some Chinese food for dinner, and we decided to just eat it outside since we were already out there. I’m glad I had a blanket to put on my legs b/c it was chilly (in the low 50’s) but not too cold to be unbearable. Autumn cracks me up w/ her askew pink helmet. After we ate, I did up the dishes and then we came home b/c Autumn wanted to play her LeapPad. Before I knew it, it was time for her to go to bed. We did our nightly bedtime ritual, which I love. Then I worked on PL until Nick got home and I rushed over to Christine’s to watch the Bachelor. None of us can stand the model girl. She’s such a stink!

Cookies & Church

2012-01-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

This morning when we got up, we had breakfast and then I decided to make a half batch of Steve’s Out Of This World cookies b/c I had a hankerin’ and you can’t deny a hankerin’. They were so tasty and hit the spot, plus they made the house smell so good. By the time I was done, it was time to get ready for church and have a quick lunch and then we headed out the door.

The talks in sacrament meeting were really good. One story in particular stood out to me. It’s from a talk by Elder Jay E. Jensen called “Do You Know How To Repent?”. The story was about a young man being interviewed to go on a mission. He was really haughty and smug and said he’d committed about every major transgression you can commit. The person interviewing him told the young man he couldn’t go on a mission and then said, “You haven’t repented. You’ve just stopped doing something. Sometime in your life you need to visit Gethsemane, and when you have been there, you’ll understand what repentance is. Only after you have suffered in some small degree as the Savior suffered in Gethsemane will you know what repentance is. The Savior has suffered in a way none of us understands for every transgression committed. How dare you laugh and jest and have a haughty attitude about your repentance?”.

Six months later the same man was at a meeting and after the meeting the young man came up and shook his hand and “I noticed a great change that had taken place. He had tears in his eyes. He had almost a holy glow about his countenance. He took my hand in his and said ‘I’ve been there. I’ve been to Gethsemane and back.’ I said, ‘I know. It shows in your face.’” It made a lasting impression on me and is something I will write in my spiritual study journal under the topic of repentance.

I got to teach in Young Women’s about being worthy to always have the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the blessings of that companionship. I felt like I talked way too much b/c we were short on time, so there wasn’t a lot of discussion. I’ll have to remedy that next time I teach. I really do love teaching. It makes me happy. Anyways, after church we had a planning meeting w/ the Laurel’s class presidency so I had brought some of the chocolate chip cookies to tide Autumn over. After the meeting, we rushed to Mom & Dad’s house for tacos b/c we were both so hungry. We watched football and Autumn played w/ her dolls.

I watched the last 1/2 of episode 2 of Downton Abbey b/c I could hardly wait until 8:00 so I could watch the new episode of Downton Abbey. It was SOOOO GOOD and next Sunday seems like an eternity away. That Mr. Bates is a heartthrob. It was 9:00 by this time, so we came home and I put Autumn to bed, tidied up the house, did laundry, and then went to bed.

Mr. Bates Is The New Mr. Darcy

2012-01-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

This morning we got up and had some breakfast, and then cranked some tunes and FINALLY put away the Christmas tree and decorations. Autumn was a good little helper and was so careful w/ everything. After that I vacuumed up all the pine needles and while I had the it out, I vacuumed the whole first floor of the house. Then I cleaned my bathroom b/c I was on a roll. It’s nice to have nothing planned on a Saturday so I can get things done. After all of that, I rewarded my efforts with watching the last 2 episodes of Season 1 of Downton Abbey. I wish I could explain how incredible it is. As my friend Sarah N. said, “Mr. Bates is the new Mr. Darcy” and I couldn’t agree more.

By this time, it was past noon so we Autumn & I got cleaned up and then went to Target and then the Dollar Store to get a few things. We went over to Mom & Dad’s house to see what Dad was up to since Mom’s still in Austin. We just had sandwiches & chips for lunch and then I watched the 2nd season, episode 1 of Downton Abbey. Autumn wanted to ride her bike around so I went outside with her. I asked if she wanted to ride her bike down the driveway but she just wanted to ride it around the patio table. It started to get cold, so we came inside and she colored in her new coloring book for a while.

For dinner I made parmesan chicken & squash and it was really tasty and just as good as Mom would have made, if I do say so myself. I got dinner cleaned up and then Autumn asked if I could play some music on my phone. She & Papa were cuttin’ a rug and having a blast. Dad got called into the clinic and Autumn fell asleep next to me on the couch, so I started watching episode 2 online. It was so nice to have a quiet house for a little bit. I was so engrossed in episode 2 that I didn’t realize it was already 9:30. So, when Dad got home from work he wrapped Autumn up in a blanket and carried her out to the car for me.

I came home and got Autumn back to sleep, started a load of laundry, and blogged. I am excited for tomorrow night since a new episode of Downtown Abbey will be on PBS. I tried searching for it so I could record it, but it never brought anything up. I found it listed as “Masterpiece” and made sure to record the series, just for those of you who might want to start watching it.

New Obsession…Downton Abbey

2012-01-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Today at work, the accountant lady that comes in on Wed & Friday asked what I was going for lunch. I was going to go to Market Street since I hadn’t been yet this week. But, we ended up going to Nico’s Cantina and it was SO GOOD! I had been craving Mexican food for a few weeks and this hit the spot.

After work/school, we went over to Mom & Dad’s house and Dad had made grilled cheese sandwiches since Mom is in Austin to babysit Andrew & Jackson for the weekend while Lexie & Jon go on a stay-cation as part of Jon’s Christmas present to Lexie. After dinner Dad got called into the clinic and I decided to look into this show called “Downton Abbey” that I had read about on a bunch of blogs. I found an episode of it on pbs.com and watched part of the first episode of Season 2. I was hooked instantly and knew I needed to see Season 1 before I went any further. So, after a little internet investigating I found they had it at Target.

Autumn and I jumped in the car and went to Target. As you can see, I ended up w/ more than just Downton Abbey. Why does that always happen? I need a new squegee for the shower and it was only $1. Then the potted flower was on clearance for only $1.49. Autumn is in desperate need of some new socks, so I got her a 10 pack. The candy was just $1 b/c I told Autumn if she was good she could pick one thing from the $1 Spot and that’s what she picked. Then when I was looking for Downton Abbey, I saw “Becoming Jane” for only $5. So, that’s my rationalization behind it all.

We got out to the car and Autumn was so excited to pen her Warheads candy. I warned her that they would be sour before I bought them, but she didn’t care and still wanted them.

I knew I had to have my camera ready when she took her first bite, and I wasn’t disappointed. This is an awesome “sour face”. I tried one and was surprised that they weren’t nearly as sour as I thought they would be.

By the time we got home, it was already 9:30, so I put Autumn to bed and cozied up on the couch w/ a mug of hot chocolate and started watching Downton Abbey. I can’t even begin to describe how good it is. It’s like all my favorite Jane Austen movies but on steroids b/c each episode is about an hour and it’s just so amazing. I am definitely hooked. I didn’t make it through all 7 episodes b/c it was already 2:30 am by the time I got done w/ episode 5 so I made myself call it a night and will watch the next episodes tomorrow.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the shows so far:

“We all have different parts to play, Matthew. And we must all be allowed to play them.”

“You’re always dozy, but tonight you make Sleeping Beauty look alert.”
~Mrs. Patmore to Daisy

“You’ve changed your hair.”
”I was trying out Lady Mary’s new curling iron. What do you think?”
”I think I would love you however and whatever, whenever… I know you Anna Smith and I love you and that’s not the right path for you.”
~Conversation between Anna & Mr. Bates

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mr. Bates!

Milk Moustache Beauty Regimen

2012-01-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today at work I was actually really busy. We switched over to a new database program yesterday and I was learning how to use it. I also put in a huge order for 5 different jobs. So, that was nice b/c it helped make the day go by faster. We went over to Mom & Dad’s for dinner and Autumn’s upper lip has gotten a little bit red and irritated lately. It’s b/c she tucks her upper lip behind her teeth and in this cold winter wind it just makes it chapped. So, Dad put some thick lotion on it to help. We were laughing so hard about how it looks like she has a severe case of milk moustache.

We watched yesterday’s recorded episode of Modern Family, and I was laughing SO HARD when they did the autotune of Phil & Claire. That was greatness. Then we watched yesterday’s recorded episode of American Idol. It was a good episode and some of the bad auditions had me wheezing b/c I was laughing so hard. After that, Autumn & I came home so she could paint my toenails. She wanted to paint mine last night, but we ran out of time before she had to go to bed.

So, I let her paint my toenails tonight w/ her new birthday nail polish. She did the right foot purple and the left foot blue. She did a really good job and was super careful and it looks great. I am so proud of her. After that we worked on her “sight words” for school. I had her write them out on index cards that I cut in half so we can use them life flash cards. I think having them in her own writing will help her learn them better than if I wrote them instead. After we worked on those for a while it was time for bed.

Mom & Dad stopped by to pick up a computer game so Mom can take it down to Austin w/ her tomorrow. Now I’m all cozy in bed watching Access Hollywood while blogging. I am so glad tomorrow is Friday.

Bread Baking Babes

2012-01-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight after work, Autumn & I went over to Mom & Dad’s house and Mom had made the yummiest crock pot spaghetti. The meat was so tender that it just melted in our mouths. After dinner, I did up the dishes while Autumn played w/ her dolls and then we went over to Sis. Bass’ house so she could teach the Laurel’s how to make bread. We figured that would be a good activity so they could learn to make bread when they go off to college or are out living on their own. I love that Sis. Bass had this on her chalkboard when we walked in. Her home is so clean and organized and uncluttered and it smelled super good b/c she had already been baking bread.

Since the bread she was making takes a few hours to rise, she had already baked quite a few loaves of the loaf bread (see recipe below). She had some dough already made and rising for the crescent rolls and cinnamon rolls. She had the girls roll out the dough for the crescent rolls and we put those in the oven. Usually she lets the dough rise after rolling it out, but we didn’t have time for that. They still looked and tasted amazing. Then she had the girls roll out more dough and make cinnamon rolls. While waiting for those to bake, she had the girls make the dough for the loaf bread. They got quite an education tonight in bread making. It was a fun activity.

Butter Crescent Rolls

1/2 c milk
1/2 c butter
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/2 c warm water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 1/2 – 4 c flour

In a saucepan, heat milk until bubbly on edges. Combine butter, sugar and salt. Add hot milk, stir. Cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 5-10 minutes until foamy. Beat yeast and egg into milk mixture. Stir in 2 cups of flour till until smooth. Add enough flour, dough pulls from bowl. Knead 2-3 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover, let rise in warm place 1 hour. Punch down and divide, cover and let rest 10 minutes. Grease baking sheets. Roll into circle. Cut like pizza, roll up, and place on baking sheets. Cover, let rise in warm place 30 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush rolls with glaze, bake 15 minutes, and cool.

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon
Sugar
Butter
Frosting

Make a cinnamon and sugar bowl. Roll dough out into a rectangle. Smear butter all over rectangle and then sprinkle bowl mixture onto the dough. Start at the end of the widest part of the rectangle and roll it up. Then cut slices and put in greased pan. Have frosting ready to put on rolls when they come out of the oven.

Nut Strudel

Melt 1 stick of butter
then add 1/2 c sugar
stir well and add 2 tsp vanilla
stir and turn off stove. Add 4 cups nuts.
Stir well and let cool as dough gets ready.

Roll dough into a rectangle and add nut mixture. Spread and press down evenly onto dough. Roll up tightly and place on pan. When just out the oven spread frosting over warm rolls.

Loaf Bread

6 c flour
2 c water
1 egg
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs yeast

Mix dough, and add a little flour until dough pulls away from the bowl. Place in 2 big greased bread pans. Bake for 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Autumn had so much fun playing w/ the Bass’ 3 girls. One of them is in the same Primary class as Autumn. Plus, Bro. Bass is just awesome and watched a movie w/ the girls and had them color to keep them entertained while we made bread. Once we were done, I let Autumn have a few of the small cinnamon rolls. Sis. Bass let us take a loaf of bread home. It was a great activity, and to show my appreciation to Sis. Bass for letting us come over, I did up the dishes for her.

Autumn & I came home and I gave her a shower so she wouldn’t be a Stink Bug Johnson. Then after she went to bed I watched Revenge and lotioned my legs b/c they were getting dry. Does anyone have good suggestions for super hydrating (but not super expensive) lotion? I have just been using Bath & Body Works lotions or Johnson’s Baby Magic lotion. I wonder if I need something w/ shea butter?

Happy 5th Birthday To My Autumn Bottom

2012-01-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

We started off the birthday celebrations early this morning. Autumn opened her card from Rufio and was so excited to see that she got 5 - $1 bills. She yelled out, “I’m rich!”

Then I let her open her 2 presents from Jason, Nicole & Khloe. She got a new shirt and a new Princess game for her Leap Pad. She was giddy about the gifts and wanted to put the shirt on right away and play her game. But, I told her she had would have to wait until after school b/c we needed to get ready to go to school.

I got to leave work at 2:15 so I could be at Autumn’s “college” for snack time. Mom & Dad met me there and we brought the kids little Debbie cakes and Capri Suns. Mom bought these cute party hats for the kids and a big one for Autumn. It kept falling off, which is why she’s holding it. We stuck a few candles in her (what she called) cupcake and sang Happy Birthday to her.

Dad was modeling one of the party hats. They came flat and a bunch of the kids were wearing theirs like this b/c they didn’t know they were supposed to make the hats round on the bottom. Mom & Dad are SO GOOD to Autumn & I and make things so nice and special. Mom brought Autumn a ton of balloons, which thrilled Autumn to no end.

Here’s Autumn’s class all wearing their party hats. Mom was so ready to get out of there b/c all the noise and kids just stress her out. She was telling Autumn’s teacher that she would rather dig ditches than work in a preschool. LOL! I thought the kids did great and were all well behaved. They were really cute about wishing Autumn a Happy Birthday and being excited for her.

After we were done w/ the party at school, Dad needed to go visit someone in the ward who is really sick and Mom needed to go grocery shopping. I asked Autumn what she wanted to do and she said go to the park. I tried talking her out of it b/c it was only in the 40’s w/ lots of wind. I tried encouraging her to pick going to McDonald’s so she could still run around and play, but it would be inside so we wouldn’t be cold. But, she kept wanting to go to the park and since it’s her special day I decided to suck it up and just endure the cold. She wanted me to run around and chase her, but I was wearing flip flops. I was going to use that as an excuse to just sit and watch her play, but decided that I needed to get off my butt and go play w/ my daughter.

There was a little boy at the park that she said is in her class at school a few times a week. So, they had fun running around together while I chased after them. We were all laughing and having a grand ol’ time. We were there for an hour and then we had to go to help Mom w/ dinner. It made me so nostalgic to see her climbing all over the big kid parts of the playground equipment, b/c I remember bringing her to the park as a little girl and she could barely go down the little slides. She has grown up so much in what seems like a very short amount of time. I can’t believe it’s already been 5 years!

Mom got this cute cupcake tablecloth, plates, and centerpiece to go w/ the balloons. She always thinks of the little things that make things so nice.

I know this isn’t the best picture of Autumn, but it’s the only picture I got of her requested birthday dinner. She asked for mac & cheese and “Lion King.” That’s what she calls chicken ala king. LOL! Mom said this has got to be one of the easiest birthday dinners she’s ever made.

Autumn couldn’t eat fast enough b/c she knew that after she ate her dinner, it was time to open gifts. First she opened Mom & Dad & Nick’s gifts. Mom had her close her eyes and reach into the cute matching cupcake bag and pull out a present. She got a Princess coloring book w/ stickers, Princess lip gloss, Princess finger nail polish, and a Dora the Explorer game for her Leap Pad.

Then she got to open her big gift, which was this box of 7 Princess dolls. She has been asking for a Jasmine doll since Christmas and WalMart & Target don’t sell the Jasmine doll by itself, but it came in this big pack of dolls. So sneaky of the stores to do it that way. But, she was ecstatic and that made it worth it.

Since all of the dolls come w/ shoes that fall off as soon as you start playing w/ them, Mom had the great idea to glue the shoes to the dolls’ feet. So, Dad put them on w/ Gorilla Glue while Mom took them out of the box. Again, Autumn & I are so blessed to have such wonderful and supportive and loving people for parents/grandparents. I bet Dad never thought he’d be using Gorilla Glue for something so girly. LOL!

We needed to let the glue dry, so we went back to the table and had dessert. When Mom asked Autumn a few days ago what she wanted for her birthday dinner & dessert Autumn said she wanted strawberries drizzled w/ honey! She does not have your typical 5 year old taste in food. Mom got her this adorable mini cake so we would at least having something to put the candle in for her to blow out, and it ended up being perfect.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday DEAR AUTUMN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!” Now make a wish and blow out your candle.

Oh, she had also asked for whipped cream on the strawberries. Mom gave her a huge pile of whip cream and it started to fall over, so she held it up w/ her finger. Funny girl.

After dessert, the glue wasn’t quite dry on the shoes and dolls. So, she talked Nick into playing w/ the cardboard cutouts that came on the back of the box. It was funny to hear him playing w/ her and what they were saying. After a while, it was time to head home.

When we got home, Miss Diva went straight to her bag of presents and got out the nail polish. She grabbed the file first thing and started filing her toenails. How did she know to do that? Then she painted her toenails pink and her fingernails blue. I was actually super impressed w/ how well she did. I’ll have to let her paint mine tomorrow.

It is almost impossible for me to believe that it has been 5 YEARS from the first picture to today. When we left Utah, Autumn was only 5 months old, and now she’s 5 years old! The time has just gone by way too fast! I can’t even imagine what my life would be like w/out my Love Bug, Sweet Girl, Autumn Bottom, and most importantly GREATEST BLESSING. She is the light of my life and brings indescribable happiness and joy to my life.

Here are the links to all of her past 5 birthdays:

2011
2010
2009
2008
2007

Project Life Tuesday ~ Week 2

2012-01-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a look at my Project Life spread for week two. I actually did a lot of journaling this week and just put arrows at the bottom of the card to indicate if there was more writing on the back. I did a little video about that HERE. I ordered my pictures online at WalMart this morning and stopped to pick them up when Autumn and I went to the store to get some groceries we needed. I think that’s going to be the best system for me…just order my pics for the week on Monday morning and pick them up on Monday and do some grocery shopping while we’re already at the store.

I’m linking up over at The Mom Creative.

I am LOVING all the Project Life inspiration and layouts out there.
Thanks for stopping by! :)

Price Check, Aisle 4

2012-01-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Nothing really exciting happened today. After work/school we went over to Mom & Dad’s house and had scrapple for dinner b/c we needed to use up the 2nd pan we had made the other day. We also had a salad b/c we needed to have some sort of nutritional value to our meal. After dinner, Autumn & I went to WalMart so we could get a few things for her birthday party at “college” tomorrow. Autumn found one of those scanners where you can check the price and she wanted to check the price of everything in our cart. She would get so excited when it would beep and we kind of made a game out of it.

After she went to bed I got some stuff together for her birthday and wrapped some presents. Then when Nick got home, I rushed over to Christine’s to watch The Bachelor. I didn’t go last week and I guess they had decided we need to go on a cruise. So, this week we talked about dates that would work and where we wanted to go. I can’t even imagine how much fun that would be! Anyways, after talking about that for a while we finally watched this episode of the Bachelor. I was confused about why Chawntel came back. Did she and Ben meet before and talk on the phone or something? It seemed like they at least had talked on the phone and had some type of history. But then when the other girls were accusing her of only knowing Ben for 5 minutes she didn’t say anything. Weird.

After we were done w/ the Bachelor at 11:30 I ran to WalMart to get a few last things for Autumn’s birthday like a lunchable for lunch b/c she’s talked about how other kids have them. I wanted her to have something special for her lunch to make her feel special. I’m so excited to celebrate her important day w/ her tomorrow.

I “Chews” You

2012-01-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

Today sacrament meeting was so good. I got out my scripture topics journal and was writing stuff down left and right. One of the talks was about hope, which I was loving since that is my One Little Word for the year. In Primary today, they sang a Happy Birthday song to all the 3 kids that have a birthday this week. I stayed and sat in the back and sang along w/ the song and had to stop b/c I was getting choked up. Autumn is just growing up so fast and when she smiled and waved at me and had a sparkle in her eye I was hit by the magnitude of how blessed beyond belief I am that she’s mine. It was another great Kairos moment. Last year for the birthday treat they handed out a Hershey candy bar w/ a scripture wrapped around the wrapper. This year the Primary theme is CTR (Choose The Right) and the treat was a pack of gum w/ a note that said, “Chews The Right.”

Autumn was THRILLED that she got her very own pack of gum, b/c she loves gum. But, chewed up gum makes Mom gag and throw up, so gum is pretty much banned at Mom & Dad’s house. So, Autumn doesn’t get gum very often and that’s why she was so excited. After church we had the usual Sunday dinner of roast, carrots, potatoes, gravy and then manly jello for dessert.

I had to leave at 5:00 to go visiting teaching at 5:30. I got a new partner and kept one of the ladies I used to teach and then got a new lady. I love her, b/c she used to be in the big visiting teaching group I was in when I first moved into the ward. It’s funny b/c all 3 of us are divorced and we just sat and talked, and there was an amazing Spirit there that had me teary eyed a few times. I used to hate visiting teaching but have since had a major change of heart and am so glad I get to meet w/ these neat ladies once a month. We see each other at church and say hi as we pass in the hallways, but this is a chance to sit and actually get to know each other.

We talked for over an hour, so as soon as we were done I rushed back to Mom & Dad’s since I didn’t get a lot of time w/ Autumn yesterday. She was asleep in Mom’s arms, which was so cute b/c she doesn’t usually hold still enough to fall asleep while cuddling. This picture makes me laugh b/c it looks like Emma’s trying to get in on the cuddling, too. I worked on my blog and then we had to wake Autumn up so she would still go to sleep later on tonight.

We came home and watched some TV and relaxed. Autumn played w/ her toys for a while and then we called it a night. I’m still trying to catch up on sleep since staying up until 3:30 am on Friday. This is going to be a fun week since Autumn’s birthday is on Tuesday.

Mini Missions

2012-01-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

This morning Rylee & Catherine came over at 7:30 for the start of our mini missions. We have 8 Laruels in our Young Women’s program and the girls were paired up and each companionship was paired w/ an adult leader. Anyways, here was our schedule, which is what the normal missionaries follow, too:

7:30 – 8:00 Breakfast
8:00 – 9:00 Personal Study
9:00 – 10:00 Companionship Study
10:15 – 11:00 Teach 1st Discussion to Hopewell Family
11:12 – 12:00 Teach 1st Discussion to Hall Family
(We were supposed to teach another family, but when we called to confirm the appt before leaving for the day they said they forgot we were coming and were on their way out of town for a soccer game)
12:15 – 1:15 Lunch at the Lofgren’s Home
1:30 – 3:30 Meet at Bishop’s house for a testimony meeting

Before we left for the day, I wanted to get a picture w/ the girls and one of them suggested that we do our own Dan Jones picture like Pres. Jones had talked about last night.

I was SO IMPRESSED with the 2 girls I was paired up with and how well they did even though I know they were super nervous. All the families we visited were wonderful and made an intimidating situation very relaxed. After we got done w/ our lunch appointment, we all met at the Bishop’s house for a testimony meeting. The Spirit was SO STRONG and of course I cried and cried. I’m so thankful that I got to be a part of this neat experience. It made me super nostalgic for my mission days.

I rushed to Mom & Dad’s house b/c I missed my Autumn Bottom. I hadn’t seen her since last night. Mom & Dad had set up a the “special bed” in their room just for her. They said she did great last night and only woke up once to go potty. She was asleep when I got there and looked so sweet and peaceful and angelic.

We relaxed and watched TV for a while, and being up until 3:30 am finally caught up with me. It’s interesting that I wasn’t one bit tired when I was out serving the Lord and was filled w/ the Holy Ghost. Anyways, once Autumn woke up we wanted to go outside and enjoy the perfect weather. It was in the mid 60’s with a light breeze. Dad has these beautiful kale growing in the pots around the pool. I liked the 3 different shots of up close, further out, and the whole plant.

Look at all of that texture and color!

Autumn wanted to ride her scooter around for a little bit and then when she saw Papa go out to the garden, she was his little shadow. I think it’s so cute that she’s still got her helmet on while she “helps” Papa dig up the weeds.

After helping w/ the weeds, she went around and filled up all the little holes in the cement bricks w/ leaves. I asked her why she was doing that and she said it would help the onions (which are usually there) to grow. Dad and I just laughed and shook our heads. She’s such a cute little bug.

There were still some onions in another part of the garden, so Dad let her pick some of those. I’m SO THANKFUL that she gets the experience of being in a garden and learning how to work hard in order to later harvest the fruits of her labors. Gardens are a great school of learning.

Autumn wanted Mom to cook up the onions she had picked, so Mom cleaned them off and fried them up in some butter. I got these onion goggles for Mom for Christmas, and I tried them out. They didn’t work too well for me b/c my head is so big so there wasn’t a tight seal around my eyes. So, Autumn wanted to try them out and looks super stylish if you ask me. LOL.

It was Dad’s work party tonight, and he left early to be there before it started so he could welcome everyone as they came in. Autumn & I helped Mom get ready and she looked so pretty in her new dress w/ her new haircut. Autumn was soaking up every second of getting to watch Mimi do her hair and make up. Autumn is a total girly girl. Mom is so beautiful!

Once Mom & Dad were both gone, I told Autumn we should go home b/c I was super tired. But, Autumn was super concerned about who was going to take care of Emma dog if no one was home. I assured her that Emma is okay to be home by herself for a few hours, but Autumn wouldn’t have any of that. So, we got out her Disney puzzle from Christmas and put it together. Autumn wanted to show off her other things she got for Christmas and held them up for the picture. I was finally able to convince her to leave Emma, so we went home and watched a little TV and then went to bed b/c I was so tired from being up until 3:30 am. Today was an awesome day!

Mini MTC

2012-01-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today when I picked Autumn Bottom up from “college”, this was what they sky looked like! It was gorgeous and I like that the 1/2 moon was already out. I’m so happy that it’s just going to keep getting lighter and lighter in the evenings since we passed the winter solstice in December.

We had scrapple for dinner (so good) and then I had to run. Autumn is going to spend the night at Mom & Dad’s tonight for a fun sleepover. The reason is that I am helping out with the Mimi Missions for our stake. Tonight we had a Mini MTC (Missionary Training Center) at the Stake Center from 7:00 – 10:00. We got to watch the movie “Called To Serve” which is the movie they show when you’re in the MTC and have to say good bye to your family for 18 months to 2 years. I was laughing so hard b/c it was from the 80’s and the people on the video totally had 80’s hair. Anyways, after that we heard some talks about preparing for missionary service.

Then, we split into 3 groups and went to 3 different 20 minute workshops. One was on how to best use the "Preach My Gospel” book. The 2nd one was about the joy of missionary work. The 3rd one was about what to study and teach and how to have the Holy Ghost with you while you teach. All the workshops were great.

Then we all met in the chapel again and Pres. Jones talked to us about his mission when he was 19 and then when he and Sis. Jones served as the Mission President of one of the 4 Sao Paulo, Brazil missions. He told us the story of Dan Jones (no relation) and how Dan was with Joseph Smith in Carthage Jail but Joseph told Dan to deliver a letter to his lawyer that morning, and therefore was spared from being killed when the mob attacked and killed Joseph Smith. Joseph told Dan the night before that he would go back to his native Wales to serve a mission.

Pres. Jones’ great great grandmother had a dream one night that 2 strange men knocked on her door and that they were floating a few inches above the ground and they gave her a strange book. Well, the very next day Dan Jones and his companion knocked on her door and gave her the Book of Mormon and she eventually joined the church. Pres. Jones said when he gets to Heaven he will for sure seek out Dan Jones and thank him for being the angel missionary that brought the gospel to his family so many generations ago.

Anyways, the meeting went until 10:00 and after it was over I stopped by WalMart to pick up a few things that I needed to make breakfast tomorrow. It was funny to see a bunch of guys in suits walking around, b/c they had just come from the meeting, too. I got home and was THRILLED to find a package on my door step. I had ordered this Scripture Study Journal (Topics version) from theredheadedhostess.com. I kept checking the delivery status online all day and it kept showing it was supposed to be delivered tomorrow. I got out my favorite markers from Slovenija that I used on my mission and dove right in. I set up the title page w/ 50 different topics in alphabetical order. Then I just started writing and cross referencing things and was completely absorbed in gospel study. I felt like the scripture in Matthew 5:6: where it says “they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” It has been a long time since I have soaked up the Gospel like a sponge. I was so absorbed in my study that I didn’t realize how late it was. I was starting to get tired and figured it was 12:30 am or 1:00. Nope, it was 3:30 am!!! I hurried and went to sleep b/c tomorrow is going to be a big day full of a mini mission.

Immediate Answer To A Prayer

2012-01-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

I got to work today and after checking messages and doing the things I needed to do, I read THIS blog post entitled "On Gifts and Talents" by Glennon. If you have kids, please do yourself a HUGE favor and go read this post right away.

Luckily there weren't other people around in the office, b/c I had tears streaming down my cheeks. This is a direct answer to a prayer about all my worries and concerns that I expressed just yesterday about Autumn's strenghts and weaknesses.

Glennon expressed it so PERFECTLY. I couldn't agree with her more. Her words are so inspired.

"Yes, baby. You are okay. You are more than okay. You are my dream come true. You are everything I’ve ever wanted, and I wouldn’t trade one you for a million anybody elses. This part of life, this school part, might be hard for you. But that’s okay, because it’s just one part of life. And because we are going to get through it together. We are a team. And I am so grateful to be on your team."

Cue the tears again! I KNOW there are just more challenges ahead w/ Autumn and school work b/c she hasn't even started Kindergarten yet. But, when I'm having an especially challenging day w/ her in the future, I'll just remind myself to go back and read Glennon's blog post.

This just reconfirms my testimony that Heavenly Father is aware of my individual needs and the things that concern me. He also answers some prayers through other people.
I am SO BLESSED!

Dichotomy Of Tough Yet Tender

2012-01-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

This morning was super tough yet super tender at the same time. Autumn was a complete grouchy girl this morning, and I don’t know why b/c she fell asleep at 9:00 and woke up at 7:00 so she got plenty of sleep. She wouldn’t wake up, was whiny, didn’t want to get dressed, etc. Once I finally got her dressed it was time to walk out the door, but I hadn’t done her hair yet. I got her into the bathroom to fix her hair and she yanked away from me and yelled that she didn’t want me to do her hair. I was surprisingly calm and cool and collected. I didn’t yell or force her to let me do her hair. I just put my hands up and said, “OK, if that’s your choice then that’s your choice.” I walked away and gathered up my things so we could go b/c we were late leaving by now.

She had a complete and utter meltdown including jumping up and down, and yelled that she wanted me to do her hair now. I just calmly told her we didn’t have time and that we had to go. By this time she was sobbing uncontrollably, but I felt that I had to stand my ground. I wanted her to know that she can’t act like that and get away with it. So, I took her to school and on the way talked to her about what had happened and why. When I dropped her off at her classroom I told her I loved her, but she wouldn’t give me a hug and went right over to her teacher and started crying.

It broke my heart. It’s such a fine line to walk between being tough yet tender at the same time. I want her to know that she can’t walk all over me, but at the same time I want her to know I love her. Sometimes I have to use tough love so she can learn. I know she’s just trying to exercise her independence and I’m glad I didn’t lose my cool w/ her. Hopefully she learned something from this experience, b/c I definitely did.

When I went to Market Street for lunch, I called the daycare to check on her b/c I felt horrible that we had had such a bad morning. They said she was doing great. The whole experience was a good reminder that even though it’s hard (on both Autumn & I) to follow through on consequences for bad behavior, it’s necessary.

Mom called at 4:00 and said she and Dad were going to go get Autumn from school so they could go to Home Depot and get some bricks and go get a treat. So, after work I just met them at their house. Mom had made a big pot of beef stew and it hit the spot b/c it was so cold and windy today. The high today was only 45 degrees which is 20 degrees cooler than yesterday. Anyways, after dinner we watched the recorded episode of Modern Family from last night. I laughed so hard when Cam told Mitchell, “I’m going to teach you a biology lesson. We can’t make a baby.” After that we watched Last Man Standing.

Then Mom & I made scrapple b/c Mom had bought sausage to make it around New Year’s but we just never did, and the sausage needed to be used. Autumn needed to work on her sight words for a spelling test tomorrow. Autumn does NOT do homework well with me. She acts silly and guesses about things instead of really looking at her words. So, I had Nick sit and work with her on her sight words. He did a great job helping her, and I’m thankful he did that so I could help Mom w/ the scrapple.

Nick was starting to lose patience w/ Autumn after a while b/c she didn’t know how to spell the words. So, Mom & Dad stepped in and helped Autumn practice for her spelling test. I am thankful for their help and support in so many ways every single day.

I signed Autumn up for ballet again this semester and it’s on Thursdays. So, she wanted to put on her pink leotard and skirt and show us what she’s been learning. What is it about a light pink leotard that makes little girls completely adorable? She also put on her rainbow socks b/c she wanted me to swing her through my legs and then slide her across the floor. It’s fun and she laughs non stop which makes me laugh b/c her laugh is so cute and contagious.

I love this picture b/c it just sums up our whole day…tough in her cowgirl boots yet tender in her light pink ballet clothes. When Autumn & I were getting ready to leave Mom & Dad’s, Dad said something that was tough to hear. He said instead of spending so much time on Project Life I should spend more time on Project Autumn. That stung and I immediately got defensive b/c I work on Project Life after Autumn is asleep. But, after the initial zing of it wore off, I realized he was right. I need to be better about working w/ Autumn on letters, numbers, writing, reading, etc. I like using the Leap Pad w/ her b/c it’s a fun game but at the same time she’s learning letters and words and spelling.

I have noticed that her strengths are in the arts and music. She can’t carry a tune at all, but she is like me and can remember the words to songs very easily. There will be a song on the radio and she’ll start singing along and it surprises me b/c I didn’t know she even knew that song. So, I’ll keep praising her in all of her strengths and work w/ her on the weaker areas. I need to be tougher on myself as a Mom and more tender w/ my Autumn Bottom.

Broomkey

2012-01-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight after work/school, we went over to Mom & Dad’s for dinner. Mom had made a yummy pork roast that had been in the crock pot all day. Then we had to eat and run since it was YM/YW tonight. Nick wasn’t working, so he was nice enough to watch Autumn for me. Tonight it was a combined activity and the Young Men were in charge. We played Broomkey. It’s basically a game of hockey but you use brooms instead of hockey sticks and a small ball instead of a puck, and obviously there’s no ice. I thought it would be a fun activity for the boys, but I didn’t think the Young Women would be very into it. But, I was wrong and everyone seemed to have a great time.

I was shocked that no one got hurt, except for the 5 brooms that broke. They split everyone up into 4 teams and played 2 games, one on each side of the accordion divider. The game was 15 minutes and then they switched it up and the losing teams played each other and the winning teams played each other. That was another 15 minute game. Then they opened up the divider and had everyone play w/ just 2 teams. Then they had ice cream and Oreos for dessert. I just sat on the stage and watched, but it seemed like a really fun activity.

I came home and had some cereal w/ Autumn Bottom and then put her to bed. I folded 2 loads of laundry, started another one, watched Revenge and worked on PL. The weather was so nice today (in the 60’s) and when I left YW it was really windy and started getting really cold. It’s crazy b/c I remember last winter that we had some really bad snow/ice days. I don’t mind the nice warm weather at all, but we really need some moisture b/c our local lake is 12 feet below normal levels and I’m worried about major drought conditions this coming summer. I don’t want ice at all, but some rain would be great.

Mom’s New Aunt Jill Haircut

2012-01-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight Dad had to go to a class for continuing education and Mom didn’t want to cook. So, she called in an order to Papa John’s and I picked it up on the way home from work. She ordered this dessert pizza and it was INCREDIBLE! Definitely worth trying as Autumn is demonstrating.

Mom got her hair cut today and it’s a lot less bulky on the sides. She said she was tired of her hair looking like a “brown football helmet” (name that movie). I love the color and the cut.

Both Dad & I told her she has an “Aunt Jill” haircut. I think she looks fabulous, daaaah-ling, simply fabulous! After dinner we dropped Mom off at the church for a meeting and then came home. Autumn & I watched the Biggest Loser while playing a game she got for Christmas. Then I put her to bed and was sitting and blogging and watching Parenthood and my fridge started making a weird noise. It sounded like the ice tray was filling up w/ water but then it didn’t stop. I pulled the fridge out and there wasn’t water anywhere, but I still had Mom & Dad come over to look at it. Of course once they got here it didn’t make the noise anymore.

But, it was still nice to have them here and we sat and talked for a minute before they had to go home. Then I called Jonesy and we talked for a long time. It was so great to catch up w/ her, and I just love her to pieces. I’m so sad that we don’t live closer b/c I miss our girl’s nights out together.

Project Life Tuesday

2012-01-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

OK, I know these pictures are awful, but it was late at night and this was the best I could do w/ the lighting I had. I wanted to show my first week of Project Life (minus the 2 pictures I still need to print off). I have been getting caught in the trap of all the awesome inspiration and comparing my worst w/ their best. I had to remind myself to K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Sweetie.

Last year I did my weeks from Sunday-Saturday. This year I wanted to switch and do Monday through Sunday since Mondays are the start of my work week. I kept debating about how to include the first day of the year since it was a Sunday. I didn’t know if I wanted to just double up and Monday/Sunday together or just skip Sunday all together. I decided to put my One Little Word for the year on the front page and just consider that my first day of the year. I’ll have to post a picture of that at another time.

I toyed around w/ the idea of doing my days like this b/c it would be like reading a book, but ultimately I decided against it.

The reason I decided against it was that if I put in a filler sheet (like Autumn’s artwork or things from school in the middle of the week like in this picture) then I didn’t want to have to flip to the next page to see Tues & Wed and then flip back again to see Thurs and Friday.

This is how I am doing my days just b/c it’s a personal preference.

I am doing something different this year w/ the journaling cards. As you can see in the first picture of this blog post, I used the same journaling card for all 7 slots. I love the look of it b/c it gives the feel of a 2 page layout. Also, I am a little OCD and like to have things in order so I laid out all the title cards and made sure there weren’t 2 cards too close in color on consecutive weeks. Then I paired up the decorative journaling cards w/ the title cards.

So, the next page is a completely different title card and set of journaling cards.

But, since there are only a certain amount of each card, when I got to the week of 10/08-10/14, I ran out of enough cards to have all 7 be the same. So, I just did 3 matching on the left page and 4 matching on the right page in coordinating colors. And I think it looks just great. I bet no one who was looking at the book would even notice that but me (and now y’all b/c I am pointing it out).

Then, I ran out of enough cards for that type of setup w/ the journaling cards the week of 12/17-12/23. So, I just used whatever cards I had that matched the title card. Only the last 3 weeks of my PL are like this, and I am totally and 100% OK w/ that. That honestly surprises me that I’m so OK w/ it, b/c I’m usually OCD about things like that and usually would have bought a 2nd Core Kit just to keep it the same. But, variety is the spice of life and it still all coordinates and goes together. The most important thing of all is that I’m happy w/ it and my 2012 PL is all set up which will make it easier for me to stay current w/ it.

That’s what makes PL amazing…it can be done any way you want it to be done and you can do whatever works for you. I am so excited that so many people are using it. Just think how lucky our posterity will be to inherit these treasures! They aren’t going to care what journaling cards we put where, or what order our days of the week are in. I like to think that they will love looking back at these memories we’ve preserved.

Shake Your Groove Thang

2012-01-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight after work Mom & Autumn & I went to dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse. Mom picked Autumn up at college and we met at the restaurant. We went to dinner there b/c of the gift certificate I got as a white elephant gift at the pool party. Someone had told us they have good deals before $6, but we didn’t see any. So, we asked our waitress and she brought us a paper that wasn’t on the menu. It was 2 entrees with 2 sides each for just $14.99 and the kids’ meals were just $2.99!!! Um, yes please! So, we got 3 meals and even had a bunch of leftovers for Nick and didn’t have to spend a single penny b/c of the gift certificate. Isn’t my Mom so pretty, and Autumn is the one that took this picture!

It was fun to spend time w/ Autumn and Mom and just sit and talk and have a girl’s night.

When we got home, it was only 6:30 and it was nice and cool outside b/c it had rained all day today. After seeing how ginormous my arm and triple chins look in the picture at the restaurant, I decided that I needed some exercise. So even though it was dark, Autumn and I went on a walk around the neighborhood. It was awesome b/c we jammed out to songs on my phone while we walked. We’ll for sure have to do that again.

Then Autumn wanted to have a dance party before it was bedtime. She sheepishly asked me if she could dance on the counter and usually I would say no, but then I thought about it, and it wasn’t going to hurt anything if she did. Plus, it made a super fun memory and that’s way more important than a few dirty footprints on the counter that can easily be wiped off. I felt like I was honing my inner Kelle Hampton by living in the moment, and it made me super happy to dance around w/ Autumn.

I put her to bed and worked on PL while watching Julie & Julia on TV. I was going to go over to Christine’s to watch The Bachelor but I got a rip roaring headache and Nick wasn’t home from work in time so I just called it a night and am going to bed.

You Want Me To Bust You Up?

2012-01-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

We had a nice relaxing morning of dancing and watching TV and while I worked on my PL, Autumn sat and colored at the table w/ me. Then we got ready for church and she wanted me to take a picture of her hair and big pretty flower in her fancy dress. She’s such a fashionista.

Even though my hair looks funky (I put it up in a claw like this just to let it dry so I have some volume) I wanted to make sure we got our weekly Sunday picture. Church today was good and I taught the lesson in YW. Since the girls have their mini missions on Saturday, we talked about the first discussion instead of the usual lesson. I am so excited that I will get to be involved w/ that. It will be a neat experience for the girls.

After church we rushed home to change clothes and went over to Mom & Dad’s house. We had grilled Ollie North chicken for dinner, which was so incredibly good. Then we relaxed and watched football. I am going to be so sad when football season is over. We came home b/c our home teachers were coming over at 7:00. The lesson was about Captain Moroni & being courageous. It was so funny b/c Autumn kept adding the phrase “of Latter-Day Saints” onto the end of everything. Like Book of Mormon of Latter-Day Saints.

Another funny thing she did today was on the way over to Mom & Dad’s. She was playing w/ her Barbies in the back seat and I usually don’t pay attention when she’s playing Barbies but I was listening to her today. All of a sudden she had one of her Barbies say to the other one, “you want me to bust you up?” I started laughing so hard b/c it was completely unexpected, and I asked her where on earth she had heard that b/c I’ve never said that before. I am guessing she picked it up at daycare. What a kid.

Why I’m Such A Fan Of Project Life

2012-01-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

It is AMAZING to me that I didn’t even know about Project Life (PL) until the end of 2010. That’s the first time I ever heard about it and looked up what it was online. I wasn’t convinced at the time that it was for me b/c I did a daily blog and printed my blog off into a book every year. But, I finally took the plunge in 2011 and bought a kit and it was delivered on May 19th. I went back and did from January to May and got caught up and then kept it going the rest of the year. I loved PL so much that I decided to do my 2002-2003 mission to Slovenija. As you can see, I now have 5 big binders that are full of pictures and ephemera and journaling. I have 2 binders for 2011 and 3 binders for my mission, and I’m not even done with my mission pictures yet. I’ll probably end up with 4 binders for that b/c I took so many pictures during those 18 months that I served.

It is AMAZING to me that I have done a total of 152 layouts(meaning a 2 page spread) in just 8 months! I didn’t work on it every single day, but I was able to accomplish that many layouts by working on it when I could (which included quite a few nights of staying up until 2 am b/c I am a night owl).

It is AMAZING to me that I now have the beginnings of an incredible legacy of documented memories to share with Autumn and my family. It’s just going to keep growing, too. It’s comforting to know that when I die someday, my stories won’t die with me. My kid(s) and grandkids and great grandkids and on and on will have a glimpse into what my life was like, and what things that were important to me. I have always had an innate desire to “cultivate a good life and record it,” as Becky Higgins says. But, I didn’t have a good way to organize those records. PL has given me that perfect way to organize and display my memories so that they will be looked at and enjoyed instead of just sitting in a box on a shelf. I especially appreciate that I am able to tell the stories that go along w/ the pictures in my own words. That way anyone who looks at my pictures will know what they were about, and the story behind why I felt it was important to capture that moment in time.

It is AMAZING to me how much PL has changed my life for the better in just the 8 short months I’ve been using it. I look forward to using it for years to come and also going back and PLifing my past.

Do You Wanna Dance?

2012-01-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

This morning we woke up and decided to have a lazy and relaxing morning. I was working on PL and Autumn wanted to dance. So, I played some music on my computer and we started dancing. Then all of a sudden Autumn ran into her room and I thought she was going potty. She came out wearing this dress and church shoes. She meant business about dancing! LOL!

After all that dancing, we were both tired and sweaty so we took a little break. We put on a movie and I worked on PL and she got out her coloring book and crayons. I love it that she would come sit w/ me at the table and we were both having creative/art time. She is SO GOOD at coloring and stays in the lines really well. But, she colors things unconventional colors and it’s so pretty.

By this time, it was about noon so I went and got cleaned up so we could get some things done and not stay in jammies the whole day. After we both got cleaned up, Mom called to say that she and Pam and Dave and Colton were going to Cheddar’s for lunch and we could come if we wanted. That was a no brainer, so we jumped in the car and headed over there. I haven’t had Cheddar’s in a while and I always love their quality and quantity of food. Although, I’ve heard each Cheddar’s is different and some of them aren’t very good but luckily ours is. I just don’t want someone to go to Cheddar’s and have a bad experience and think I’m crazy for raving about how great they are. It was wonderful to see Pam & Dave again and I can’t get over how big Colton is. They came up b/c it’s Dave’s birthday on Monday and so he was having a birthday dinner/party tonight w/ friends of his that live up in this area.

After lunch we came home to drop off our leftovers off for Nick to eat and so I could get my laptop. Then we went to McDonald’s b/c I told Autumn if she was good she could have an ice cream cone. They have a TV in the play area and Backyardigans was on, so her eyes were glued to the TV. After she finished her cone, she went off to play and I blogged while keeping an eye on her.

After an hour I told her we had to go to the store to get some groceries and pick up the pictures I had printed off for PL. I don’t know how I do it, but I usually pick the wrong line in the check out line. I got in line and waited 2 minutes and the line wasn’t moving. The cashier told the couple in front of me to move to another line b/c it was going to be a line since they had to check on a price for the lady checking out at the time. UGH. I felt bad for that older couple b/c they already had all their stuff laid out on the conveyor belt. So, Autumn & I moved to another line and that one was going slow too.

We came home and put our groceries away and I put my freshly printed off pictures into my PL and finished the last little bit of journaling for 2011. So nice to have a whole year of life documented and done. Then we went over to Mom & Dad’s for dinner and I don’t know how Mom does it, but she always makes super good meals out of nothing. After we ate, we just relaxed and watched football. I think it’s funny how the dogs just love her. Emma’s sleeping in front of her and Paco is sleeping on her. They must sense that she’s the heart of the home.

We came home around 8:30 so I could get Autumn to bed. Then I blogged while watching TV and finally called it a night.

Project Life Video 4

2012-01-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Here’s another video I did. This one is about 3 different ways that I incorporate more than one picture a day into my Project Life album.

Kairos Moment

2012-01-06T00:20:00.000-07:00

I have been LOVING this weather the past few days! It’s been in the high 60’s and low 70’s. When we got over to Mom & Dad’s after work/school, Dad was outside replanting some shrubs. Autumn ran right over to help him and this picture cracks me up b/c she has a little shovel full of dirt in one hand and her dolls in the other. What a girl!

Autumn likes to tell Papa what he tells her, “we’re friends and friends help each other”. I’m glad they’re good buddies and that she likes to be outside and work with him.

After dinner we came home and were doing our nightly routine. I was kneeling down at Autumn’s bed waiting for her to finish brushing her teeth so we could say prayers. Usually I’m telling her to hurry up, but tonight for some reason I just sat and watched her and realized how I need to live in the moment. I love it that she’s wearing her Minnie Mouse pajamas, her striped pink slippers, that she stands up on a stool to brush her teeth, that her hair is so long, and that she’s admiring herself in the mirror. I read this blog post yesterday that’s entitled “Don’t Carpe Diem” and it just hit home b/c I was having what she calls a “Kairos time” moment. It was such a sweet moment that I had to document, so when she’s a sassy teenager I can look back at this picture and remember how sweet and innocent and cute she is.

A Quiet House All To Myself

2012-01-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

Today after work we went over to Mom & Dad’s house b/c Mom had turkey soup. It was super scrumptious and hit the spot. After dinner, we started watching last night’s recorded episode of Modern Family. I’m glad Mom has DVR so I can watch it, b/c I have Young Women’s every Wednesday night. Anyways, we weren’t able to finish it b/c I had to leave for a 7:00 Single Adult meeting at my house. We had to meet again b/c at our last meeting we weren’t able to figure out exactly who we want to talk at our Single Adult fireside in February. So, Pete & Nancy & I met and figured out what we want to do. Autumn was going to come home w/ me but stayed at Papa & Mimi’s b/c she and Papa were going to go to Home Depot.

After my meeting, Dad hadn’t dropped Autumn off at home yet so I called to see where they were. Come to find out, they never went to Home Depot b/c a little girl and her Dad had come over to bring Dad cookies to thank him for gluing her forehead together a few days ago when she had cut it open. So, Autumn had just stayed there and played w/ the little girl while the adults talked. I had the whole house to myself and it was GLORIOUS! I watched Grey’s Anatomy in peace and quiet, and I LOVE that show. Then after that was over I started editing pictures and blogging while watching Project Life All Stars. I am so excited for this season and especially love Anthony (the funny black guy from Georgia) and Austin Scarlet. Nick finally brought Autumn home at 9:15 and I threw her in the tub and gave her a quick bath b/c she was a Stink Bug Johnson. Then it was time for bed.

Chalkboard Plates

2012-01-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight Autumn & I had to eat and run b/c I had Young Women’s at 7:00. Mom made a turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing b/c Nick got a free turkey from work and it needed to be used. It was awesome to have a Thanksgiving dinner. I dropped Autumn off at home so Nick could watch her and then went to the activity. I did a quick little lesson about goals or choosing One Little Word and gave them a handout to go w/ it. Then we started working on our craft.

Sis. Lee bought these plates at the $1 store. We painted them w/ 2 coats of chalkboard paint and hot glued a ribbon the back so it can hang. The little blue and pink ball in the upper left hand corner of the plate are magnets so that handouts or other papers and things can be held on the plate. The idea was that the girls can write the One Little Word or goals on the plate or anything else that helps them stay focused on it throughout the year. I am not a crafty type person, but these were so super easy and fun to do. I can already tell that Autumn is going to have fun writing on the plate w/ chalk.

Cheese Balls, Coloring, & Bedtime Routines

2012-01-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when I was at Target getting Autumn’s birthday present, I found this HUGE (22 oz) container of cheese balls for a little over $4. I got it so I can send a little baggy of cheese balls in Autumn’s lunch and this will last us through the next few months. That is unless Nick finds it in the pantry and then it will only last a week. These are the little teacher gifts Autumn & I put together for her teachers. We were going to give them to her teachers before Christmas, but Autumn was sick for those 3 days and then daycare was closed the week after Christmas so today was the day. She was so excited to write her name in their cards and give the presents to her teachers. She said we had to hide them behind our backs and then surprise her teachers when we gave them the gifts. We just gave them each a bottle of Paris lotion from Bath & Body Works, a cute little magnetic note pad, and their favorite treat. The note said something along the lines of, “we wish that we could give you an all expenses paid trip to Paris for all that you do. But, we hope you enjoy this small gift. It’s such a “treat” for Autumn to be in your class.

After school we went to Mom & Dad’s for dinner, but we didn’t stay long. We ate and then I did up the dishes and Autumn & I came home. We had the Biggest Loser on in the background (I am SO excited that it’s back on for another season so soon) but Autumn & I spent most of our evening coloring this calendar she got for Christmas. We have been marking off each day so she can have a visual countdown to her birthday.

Every night when she goes to bed, we say prayers and then sing a song. For the past month she’s been picking the song, “The Shepherd’s Carol”. I had to take a picture of this b/c she always sings while holding up her fingers. But it cracks me up b/c she starts w/ her pinkie finger. And she’ll usually sing the “Mary, Mary hush, see the child” about 3 times before she sings the rest of the song. It makes me nuts, but I love it at the same time.

A new bedtime routine that we’ve started is to read one chapter a night in this Book of Mormon Reader. I know that there is a more updated one, but I found this old 1978’s one at Mom & Dad’s house and decided to use it. We have been challenged to read the Book of Mormon this year and I decided to start out w/ this reader for Autumn since it’s simplified so kids can understand. We’ve only been doing it since Sunday, but she already LOVES it and reminds me every night that she can’t go to bed unless we’ve read her Book of Mormon. I’m so glad that we’re getting into this habit of reading in the scriptures every day and ending the day on a spiritual note.

What I Did With My Day As A Free Woman

2012-01-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

This morning Autumn & I slept in a little bit since I didn’t have to go to work and then we got ready for the day and I dropped her off at “college”. I went and vacuumed out my car and got it washed b/c it’s been a long time since I’ve had it washed. I always worry about getting my tires lined up in the little track for it to go through the wash. Am I weird, or do other people worry about that too? Anyways, after that I went to Mom & Dad’s house and Mom & I went and picked up Nick and went to the movie theater. Mom spoils us rotten and got us hot dogs (b/c we hadn’t eaten breakfast yet) and drinks and popcorn. We went & saw Sherlock Holmes 2 and it was SOOO GOOOD! I hope they keep making more and more movies. I love the acting, the cinematography, the music, just everything. I especially like the end where they take a scene from the movie and morph it into an old fashioned drawing. So cool!

Also, as we were leaving I saw a poster for the new Julia Roberts movie called “Mirror, Mirror” and it looks SO CUTE (you can watch the trailer HERE)! I will definitely have to see it when it comes to theaters in March.

After that, we were all hungry so we went to Chipotle for lunch. It was so packed that there weren’t any seats. So, we got our food and went and ate in the car. Nick was starting to get antsy b/c he had to be to work in 2 hours and he likes to be early. So, we went and dropped him off and then went to Payless so Mom could find some new sexy black heels to wear to Dad’s work party in a few weeks. We had fun trying on random shoes that we would never wear for real, like these burnt orange super high heels. Mom was able to find a pair that will work great.

I went and dropped her off at the clinic so she could spend time w/ Dad and she took him our left over Chipotle b/c he hadn’t eaten lunch since they were so busy at the clinic. She just got a ride home w/ him and I took her car. I stopped at Target to get Autumn’s birthday present since her birthday is in a few weeks. She keeps asking for a Jasmine doll, but they only sell a Jasmine doll in a big package w/ 6 other dolls and it is EXPENSIVE, but I broke down and bought it since I didn’t do a whole lot of gifts for her for Christmas. I also stopped in at the $1 Spot, which is a bad idea. I always tell myself that I’m grounded from there b/c I can’t help myself. I am a total stationary and organization addict. And for just $1 each w/ such cute styles and patterns I can’t help myself.

I loved this mouse pad and the colors and graphics and thought on it. I had a few hours to kill before I needed to go get Autumn, so I came home and spent an hour taking down all the Christmas lights outside and putting away the Christmas tree I didn’t use this year. With my last hour as a free woman, I worked on Project Life while watching a show on TV. Mom called to say she and Dad were going to go pick up Autumn since they were close to her school.

I met them at their house and we had dinner together. Mom said she had a hankerin’ for steak, so they had stopped and got some at the store. We had that w/ grilled veggies and it was melt-in-your-mouth good. We had 3 steaks and they were so big that we couldn’t finish the 3rd one and called Curt to tell him to come over right away. He was more than happy to oblige. After that, we hung out for a little bit and then came home so we could go to bed and get some beauty sleep.

Sis. Mitchell & My New Bling Ring

2012-01-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

It was nice to get to sleep in on the first day of the year. We had breakfast and then I was going to work on Project Life, but Autumn asked me to watch a movie w/ her and she definitely takes precedence. She picked Snow White and we cozied up on the couch together w/ the Snuggie. I like it b/c it covers me and her at the same time. After the movie we had some lunch and got ready for church. I don’t know why, but I kind of quit taking our usual Sunday picture together. So, I am reinstating that for the New Year.

We went to church and it was really good. Autumn got to got to a new class and I really like her new teacher. In Young Women’s the lesson was on being a Daughter of God and the lady teaching the lesson read us a story about how Heavenly Father loves us even if bad things happen. As she was reading this story, my eyes started welling up w/ tears b/c the true story is about Sis. Mitchell’s Mom & Dad, and I served w/ Sis. Mitchell in Slovenija. She was such an amazing companion and was such an example to me of love and service. It made me cry and brought tears to my eyes. It was such an honor to serve w/ her and I miss her so much. Also, when I was editing pictures this one from her wedding just happened to come up on the slideshow. It was meant to be for me to think about her today and what a blessing she is in my life.

Anyways, after church we went over to Mom & Dad’s house for dinner. Mom had invited Christine to come over and eat w/ us b/c her ex had the kids this weekend. We ate a super yummy dinner and then Christine said she had to run home and get something. She came back and had gifts for us! I feel bad b/c I didn’t know we were going to exchange Christmas gifts and I didn’t get her anything. She gave me this GARGANTUAN, GLORIOUS, GLITZ ring. It’s seriously the diameter of a tennis ball and I squealed as soon as I saw it. I LOVE it and it is SOOOOOOOOOO me! The bigger and blingier it is, the better.

She also brought over a whole tray of her out of this world soft caramels. She was cutting them up and wrapping the pieces in wax paper. I didn’t warn her I was taking a picture, so she looks kind of mad in this picture, but she wasn’t. We watched football and then she had to go home. I just love her so much and am so glad we’re friends. She’s an amazing woman.

Autumn & I came home after a while so she could go to bed since she goes back to “college” tomorrow. Since I don’t have to work tomorrow, I stayed up and worked on my mission Project Life until midnight and then went to bed so I won’t be too tired of my day off tomorrow as a FREE WOMAN!

One Little Word 2012

2012-01-01T00:49:00.000-07:00

Ever since 2008 (I can hardly believe it will be 4 years since I started doing this) I have followed the example of Ali Edwards and picked one word to focus on for the year. I am NOT a goal making person, and have always hated making New Year’s Resolutions. But, the idea of One Little Word resonated with me when I first read about it back in 2008 and ever since then, I have picked a word every year to focus on. I think it will be so neat to look back 10 and 20 and 30 years down the road from now and see my list of words for every year and relive why I chose that word and how it helped me through that year.

2008: HAPPINESS
2009: CHANGE
2010: ACCEPTANCE
2011: WALK ON THE WATER TOO

Before I talk about my word for 2012, I wanted to do a review of my 2011 word/phrase. The phrase Walk On The Water Too chose me and came from the song by Britt Nicole’s and also one of my favorite stories in the New Testament of Peter walking on water. I know I totally flaked out ½ way through the year of posting updates about my OLW, and that I didn’t really focus on it a lot. I have to admit that part of the reason I didn’t follow through w/ posting something every month about my phrase like I had planned, was b/c I couldn’t express my thoughts very eloquently. I attribute a lot of that to the fact that I tend to blog at night when I’m tired and I have the TV on, which just adds to the distraction. I had so many great thoughts in my head about my OLW but couldn’t get those to translate into written word on my blog.

So even though I didn’t do a lot with my OLW for the year, I do have to say that it was always there in the back of my mind and the David Bowman picture on my dresser was a subconscious daily reminder of it. I feel like there were a lot of times this year where I had to let go of my “boat” or comfort zone, have faith, and take steps towards the Savior. I think b/c I was aware of it and had it on my mind, I also noticed lots of faith and miracles happen in the lives of people around me as well. My OLW for 2011 was perfectly suited for me and did help to shape my life.

Anyways, onto 2012…I was a little stressed and surprised to find out that 2 weeks ago that Ali had already picked her word and was starting to compile the list of words people are choosing for 2012. I wanted my word to be included in that list, so I started searching for my word. Usually, I like to let my word pick me (like it did last year) and not feel pressured or rushed to find my word b/c then I worry that it won’t be a right fit. But, my word found me and I have been able to do a lot of searching on the internet for ideas and pictures and quotes that will help me to focus on my word all year and inspire me. My word for 2012 is:

H.O.P.E.

Originally I passed over the word hope b/c I felt that it wasn’t an action word. It was just a passive word and didn’t carry any action behind it (kind of like my worry about originally using the word Acceptance in 2010). For example, “I hope that I get married this year,” or “I hope I lose some weight.” Those are both things that I am focusing on for 2012, but I didn’t want them to be passive things. I can hope for those things to happen all I want, but if I don’t put any action behind it then nothing will come of that hope. But, if you notice…I didn’t just use the word hope. I have a dot in between each letter b/c I am going to focus on h.o.p.e as an acronym. I went to THIS website to look up acronyms for the word hope and was pleasantly surprised to see that there are 689 H.O.P.E. acronyms. I took the time to read through each and every one and copied and pasted my favorite ones into a word document. Then I went through that list of 55 and narrowed it down to my top 14 favorite. Here they are in no particular order:

*Heart Open, Please Enter
*Highlights Of Personal Experience
(recording and documenting with Project Life)
*Hope, Opportunity, Purpose & Encouragement
*Harnessing Optimism and Potential Everyday
*Healthiness Offers Peaceful Enjoyment
*Hearing Other Peoples’ Experiences
*Honest Open Positive Environment
*Harvesting Our Personal Efforts
*Having Other Possibilities Exist
*Hoping On, Pray Expectantly
*Healing Our Past Experiences
*Hold Onto Prayer Everyday
*Hang On, Possibilities Exist
*Hang On, Peace Exists

I just noticed, and really like, how this list kind of makes the shape of a jar.
I imagine that inside that jar are all the joys, sorrows, accomplishments, trials, memories and events that 2012 has in store for me.

Last year I was able to find a song, artwork, and a spiritual reference that went along w/ my OLW. I really loved having those audio, visual, and spiritual reminders throughout the year. I am thrilled that I am able to do the same for this year. Below are 4 different pieces of artwork that I was able to find on etsy.com. I am having a hard time deciding which picture I want to purchase to have as my visual reminder. I am glad that 3 of the ones I chose all use the same scripture (to use as my spiritual reference) of Jeremiah 29:11. This particular version of the scripture is from the NIV instead of the King James Bible.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the

LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm

you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Picture from HERE

Which one do y’all like the best?

Then, for the song I of course had to pick “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack. Ever since that song came out back in 2000 (has it really been that long???) it has been one of my favorite songs. The message behind it is so powerful and it always makes me teary-eyed.

I HOPE You Dance

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder, where those years have gone?)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder, where those years have gone?)

I am tickled pink that I was able to find a spiritual reference, picture, and anthem for my new word for a new year. I always like to look back at all that has transpired over the past 12 months and wonder what will take place in the next 12 months. Time seems to just be flying by for me. When I moved back to Texas, which doesn’t seem that long ago Autumn was 5 months old. Then I blinked my eyes a few times and all of a sudden she will be 5 years old this month! Just a good reminder at the start of this new year to “never take one single breath for granted,” and to make the most of “Harvesting Our Personal Efforts.”

HAPPY 2012!!!

2011 In Review

2011-12-31T22:41:00.000-07:00

I just have to do another list of my 2011 in review. It’s such a nice way to have a succinct way of summarizing my life over the past year. I bolded some of the more important events of the year. So, without further ado, here is my 2011 list:

January 2011:
*Did my first photo shoot of a family (Ikakoula family)
*Lunch w/ Liz & Liberty & Alison & Braulio
*Autumn became a Sunbeam at Church
*Picked my One Little Word for the year: Walk On The Water
*Mom & Dad got home from a trip to Utah where Dad went skiing w/ his brothers
*It snowed and the Cadillac got stuck on the driveway and the neighbors had to come help us push it into the garage
*Autumn turned four
*Made it a goal to go to the temple twice a month this year
*Emma had her teeth removed
*Birthday party for Heather, Brooke & Autumn at my house
*Mom & Dad gifted us the Durango since Dad is getting a Corvette
*1/28/2011 Dad got his new Corvette & I sold my Galant for $1,400
*Liz, Autumn & I had a Girl’s Day Out in McKinney
*Liberty caught a bird that was flying around in Mom & Dad’s living room
*Watched The Bachelor at Christine’s house every Monday night

February 2011:
*It snowed/iced so Dad came and picked us up to spend the day at their house
*Got 4 ½ inches of snow on top of the ice, so we stayed at Mom & Dad’s again
*Uncle Stacy came to visit for the Super Bowl and we went out to Uncle Robert & Aunt Sandy’s for a day
*Had Stake Conference & then a Super Bowl Party w/ Uncle Stacy (sad the Packers lost)
*Went to a good bye party for Jocey since she is going to Uganda for 3 months
*Autumn had to get 5 immunization shots & since she was good we went to the Cake Stand to get some treats
*Got more snow & ice, so we spent the day at Mom & Dad’s
*Autumn came to work w/ me for a few hours, and then Dad & Nick picked her up on their way home from the temple
*It was Autumn’s last day of preschool, so we took cookies to her teachers
*Autumn & Liz & I went to lunch, shopping & went to see Gnomeo & Juliet
*Did a little photoshoot w/ Autumn so I could practice using Photoshop Elements
*Autumn started her first day of “college” on Valentine’s Day
*Had to take the Durango to the mechanic b/c it kept dying while I was driving it and luckily it was just a $47 fix b/c the engine was clogged w/ carbon
*Liz & Autumn & I went to dinner at Joe’s Italian Villa
*Worked at a Home Show all day on a Saturday
*Autumn wore her new denim dress I got her from Ross, and I had to work the Home Show after church
*We tried Fuzzy’s Taco for the first time
*I used a $200 gift certificate to Blurb that I won on Lee Lou’s blog to print off my 2009 and 2010 blog posts into 4 books (2 for each year)
*Went to Liz & Liberty’s to see their new couches
*Went out on a pond in a swan paddle boat
*Finally got my “20^th year anniversary of the church in Slovenija” book in the mail
*My laptop got a virus & I’m going to let Autumn’s earring holes close up b/c they are always infected

March 2011:
*I got some great deals on clothes & shoes for Autumn at a kid’s consignment store
*Worked another Home Show all day on a Saturday
*Took Dad for a walk in the little red wagon
*Made a birthday cake for Mary & watched The Bachelor at Christine’s
*The city is fixing the sidewalk behind our house, so it’s noisy in the morning
*We watched Baby Aver so Ashley & Jordan could go to the temple
*Got a calling to be a Stake Single Adult Communications Specialist
*Took Autumn to the Village Beach, met Mom for lunch, played in the shooting water gardens & went back that night to see the lights show
*Did Dutch Oven cooking w/ Papa
*Curt’s hockey kids gave him a horrible haircut b/c they won the playoffs
*Had pizza at the park w/ Liz & Liberty
*Went & saw the new clinic & then bought Nate random stuff at the Dollar Store for FHE
*Had Girl’s Night Out w/ Mom & Autumn; dinner at Cheddar’s & shopping at Bath & Body Works and then Fashion Bug
*Went to a Single Adult Conference all day Saturday
*Aunt Sandy, Sis. Wright, Liz, Liberty & Baby Avery were all visiting at Mom’s house one evening after work
*Dad put a bunch of exam tables from one of the clinics on the back patio
*Visiting teaching at Karri’s house w/ Autumn & the girls
*Autumn got to ride an elephant and we went to the circus in town
*Autumn & I tried sleeping outside on the exam tables but it got too cold
*Went to the lake to release a squirrel & throw rocks in the water
*Went to a farewell party for Brad B. who is going to the Malaga, Spain mission
*Lexie & Jon found out they are going to be having a baby boy in the fall
*Autumn stayed home sick b/c she had a fever and Mom bought her Tangled
*Liz & Lib came over to show us their first sonogram (she is 8 weeks along) and she said my blog looks like all we do is party,
so after she left we pretended to have a party and sent her pictures of it

April 2011:
*Autumn & I helped Dad plant some bushes along the garden fence where he had to take out some dead trees
*Watched General Conference
*Dad went to Georgia to watch The Masters w/ Mike G.
*Rufio came to visit
*Liz & Lib & I got to meet the news anchors for the Channel 8 News & then went to a Mavs game & had awesome seats
*I took a day off of work and spent the day w/ Mom & Rufio
*Went to a baseball game in the Suite & Andrew got to change the scoreboard & sit in the announcer’s chair & we got to see fireworks
*Had a shrimp boil & the kids went swimming for the first time this season
*Tried taking the kids to a free Easter event but it was way too crowded so we just went to McDonald’s for ice cream cones
*The kids did Dutch oven cooking w/ Papa
*Did our annual Texas Bluebonnets pictures
*I got food positioning and threw up
*Went to a Hibachi grill for lunch & the fire volcano freaked Autumn out really bad
*Autumn fell asleep while helping Papa mow the lawn
*Autumn & I went and flew kites
*Dad caught a tarantula & visiting teaching at the frozen yogurt place
*Rocky made a hilarious silent motion picture video called “Hamster Farm”
*Liz & I went to lunch at Amigo’s
*I helped Mom fill Easter eggs w/ candy
*Autumn got an Easter package from Jason & Nicole
*Lexie, Jon & Andrew came up to stay for the weekend
*Party at Uncle Robert & Aunt Sandy’s farm & Peyton’s first birthday party
*Easter
*Happy birthday to Nate & Bubzy
*Johnson’s came over for dinner so Mom could thank Scott for bringing back from Utah the card table & chairs she won as a baby in a photo contest
*I became obsessed w/ photographing purple bull thistle blossoms
*Went to dinner w/ Liz & Liberty at Cheddars
*Baked brownies & played Candyland w/ Autumn
*Found a mouse & frog out by the hot tub
*Lunch date w/ Liz at La Madeline & then went to see Soul Surfer
*Released 6 frogs in the duck ponds by our house & babysat Avery

May 2011:
*Got spotlighted in the Relief Society newsletter
*Dad had to have some skin cancer on his forehead/temple removed
*Lexie & Andrew came to visit while Jon was in Utah for a niece’s wedding
*Papa & Mimi took the kids to see Rio at the movie theater
*Mom & Dad got their new dining room table & chairs from the Amish Company
*Dad’s incision got infected
*Mother’s Day
*Played lots of games on the iPad
*Picked lots of fresh veggies from the garden and got bad chigger bites
*Had to have a root canal done
*Autumn had fun dancing in the rain w/ Papa & an umbrella
*Bought my first Project Life kit
*Took dinner to Papa at the clinic
*Did some yard work at our house & Curt brought over 2 baby armadillos
*I had to cut some of Autumn’s hair b/c she got gum stuck in it at church
*Mr. Jim & Mrs. Berard came over to eat lunch w/ us out on the patio
*Autumn & I had a picnic at the park
*05/18/2011 Durango was rear ended a huge tender mercy that Dad & I weren’t standing in front of it looking at the battery
*Set up my Project Life while watching Modern Family (♥ that show)
*Got a rental car while they Durango is in the shop
*Had a shrimp boil w/ Monzingo’s to welcome Jocey home from Uganda
*Planted squash seeds in the garden b/c the peas are done for the season
*Took Mom & Dad to the airport for their 3 week long trip to China & got to say hi to Mou at the airport
*Liz & Liberty came over b/c there was a tornado warning & Liz feels more comfortable w/ more people around
*Had a parent/teacher conference w/ Autumn’s teacher
*Had banana splits at our house for visiting teaching
*Moved into a new office at work
*Had Liz & Liberty come over for a BBQ to celebrate Memorial Day

June 2011:
*Alison & Baby Kira were in town so Liz & Lib came over for a swimming party
*Diana, my Young Woman’s leader & her new husband came to visit and swim
*Went and watched Cars on the big screen at the baseball stadium
*Autumn gave her first talk in Primary
*The A/C at our house broke so Curt had one of his guys come over and fix it
*Autumn & I finally tried the In-N-Out burger joint that opened in our town
*Said good bye to Autumn’s teacher Ms. Megan b/c she is having twins
*Lexie & Jon & Andrew came up to swim & visit b/c Jon had a conference
*Papa & Mimi got back from their 3 week vacation to China w/ the Guthries
*Mom made a bully at McDonald’s cry, it was hilarious
*Found out the Durango was totaled and issues w/ the insurance company about the rental car
*06/16/2011 Bought a blue 2009 Ford Escape w/ a crazy low interest rate thanks to Dad cosigning for me
*We all went to see the Green Lantern and went to Chipotle for lunch
*Father’s Day
*Grandpa Johnson sent Mom 1 of 3 doilies that Grandma had made in a nice frame w/ both of their pictures and a note
*Autumn & Andrew started swim lessons w/ Ms. Cis
*Papa fixed some leaking sprinklers at our house
*Mom & Lexie’s birthdays
*Nate came home to visit for the weekend and completely surprised Mom
*Went to Michael & Elizabeth’s sealing & wedding reception
*Made eggrolls for Lexie’s birthday and b/c Nate was home
*Saw our city’s fireworks display (they do it the Saturday before 4th of July)
*Eddie came to texture & paint the walls in the downstairs & upstairs bathrooms
*Lexie came over for a sister’s night and we made brownies & watched Hello Dolly
*Autumn & Andrew finished their swim lessons w/ Ms. Cis

July 2011:
*Lexie & I took the kids to get sno cones and then the water splash park
*Went to the temple
*Did an awesome lesson about the widow’s mite
*Went to the local 4^th of July parade & had a big swim party at Mom & Dad’s and then went to our usual spot to watch the fireworks
*Uncle Dave died (one year and one day after Jessica)
*Mom went to Utah for the funeral and to support Aunt Jeri & to help Rufio move into the front apartment since Rick & Jill will be moving into the main part of the house
*Started reading The Hunger Games
*Liz & Liberty came over to swim
*Dad went to a Johnson family reunion in central Utah where they went 4 wheeling
*Dad took Nick & Autumn & I to dinner at the local bowling alley (it was good)
*Autumn swam across the deep end in one breath & then swam from the Shamu Shelf to the waterfall all by herself
*Saw our first zipper spider of the season
*Mom & Dad’s 34^th wedding anniversary
*Went to Super Saturday at the church and made a bunch of crafts
*We caught onto the planking trend
*Mom surprised me w/ a pedicure and paid for my usual nail fill
*Read “The Help” before the movie comes out next month
*Some kids were pool hopping and cracked the glass to Emma’s bathroom door
*Liz came w/ our family to see 17 Miracles in the theater
*Pam & Colton came to visit since Pam is babysitting him
*Nick went on a date w/ Sariah
*Nate graduated from Airfield Systems Training
*Nate came home for a few weeks before he goes to Japan for 2 years
*Mom & Dad bought me an early birthday present…a big area rug for the living room
*Autumn & I went to an ice cream social at her “college”
*Nate planked on the roof of the house and then jumped off the house & into the pool

August 2011:
*Monzingo’s came over for a shrimp boil
*We found some baby skunks in Mom & Dad’s neighborhood
*Liz came over for dinner & had a nail painting party w/ Autumn
*Mom & Dad got new living room furniture, so we inherited their old furniture
*Mom got new dishes, so we inherited her old ones
*Birthday party for Uncle Robert & Tyler at Tyler’s house
*Set new record for days over 100 degrees in one year
*Had a Girl’s Night out to see “The Help”
*Went & released an armadillo at the lake & then threw rocks into the water
*Got the suite at a baseball game & the Crofts came & Nick brought Sariah
*Nate left for Japan for 2 years
*Autumn said the sweetest prayer that brought me to tears
*08/23/2011 Baby Jackson was born and weighed 10 lbs 1 oz
*Autumn & I went down to Austin for a weekend to see Baby Jackson
*Dad rode in the Hotter ‘N Hell Hundred bike race
*Talked Dad out of climbing up a ghetto rigged ladder to replace a light bulb above the stairs, Curt saved the day by borrowing a huge ladder from Jones’

September 2011:
*Autumn came to work with me for a few hours until Dad could come get her
*Mom came back from Austin & helping Lexie w/ the baby
*Bought Autumn some ballet clothes for her ballet classes at “college”
*Found out we had a leak in our pipe in the front yard, a neighbor told us about it and turned the water off for me
*Spent Labor Day trying to help Dad fix the broken pipe & went to Decker’s house for dinner
*Had a pizza at the park picnic w/ Autumn
*Autumn had her first ballet class
*Went to the temple w/ the Relief Society ladies and hosted a brunch at my house
*Went to lunch at Chili’s w/ Liz & then came back to our house to make treats
*Dad went to the BYU vs UT football game w/ the Watsons
*10 year anniversary of 9/11
*Mom & Dad went to Grandparent’s Day at Autumn’s college
*We put together a new grill b/c the old one died
*Dad turned 56 and we took doughnuts to seminary to surprise him
*Went to a vendor’s showroom for work and had a free lunch
*Autumn & I got the oil changed in the car and got a sno cone while we waited
*Went & saw “I Don’t Know How She Does It” w/ Liz
*Went down to Austin to help Lexie & Jon move into their new house
*Jackson’s baby blessing & Watsons came & Jon’s parents
*Nick turned 26 and we went to Texas Road House for his birthday dinner
*Dad bought a resurrection plant (or rose of Jericho), which is really cool
*Went to Oktoberfest w/ Mom & Dad & Autumn
*Started the “three scoops” thing with Autumn at church to help her be good
*Mom & Dad both had colonoscopies done
*3 year anniversary of Tara’s death
*Read a lot of good books, & watched a lot of TV
*Mom bought me 3 new super flattering dresses from Macy’s
*Went back to Austin for the weekend to hang out and watch conference

October 2011:
*Decker’s had us over for dinner b/c the missionaries forgot they had a dinner appt there
*Got out the quilt Grandma Johnson made for me and put it on my bed
*Got Autumn some new shoes and scored some great deals on other things
*Mimi trimmed my hair & Autumn’s
*Caught a possum that we released at the lake
*Went to a pumpkin patch at the baseball stadium w/ Papa & Mimi
*Started going through mission pictures to put into a Project Life album
*Mom went to Germany for a few weeks to see the Patzold’s
*Autumn became interested in riding bikes
*Stayed up until 2:00 am a few nights in a row working on my Mission PL
*Sold some of the clinic’s chairs on Craigslist and Dad let me keep the money
*Papa went to Autumn’s “college” and talked about being a community helper
*Went to Liz’s baby shower
*Dad scared the crap out of me w/ the creepy skeleton guy in the bathroom
*Autumn was in her first Primary Program and did a great job
*Won 4 free tickets (from Auburn Soul) to go see a screening of Might Macs
*Becky Higgins asked if she could post on her blog an email I had sent her about Project Life!!!
*Worked for Christine a few nights
*Autumn got a Halloween package from Jason & Nicole
*Went to Liz & Liberty’s to see Baby Jacob’s nursery all set up
*Photo shoot w/ Stephanie from Auburn Soul
*Introduced Autumn to movies from my childhood like Princess Bride & Summer Magic & Babes In Toyland
*Autumn was student of the week in her class
*My 32^nd Birthday
*Mom got home from Germany
*Met the Johnson clan & Rich & Cassie & Jennie & her girls at Trail Dust
*Jana, Keith, Rick & Jill came to Texas and we had a shrimp boil
*10/27/11 Took the day off work and spent time w/ Mom & the Aunts. They got facials and we went to lunch and went shopping and had a fun day
*Kylie watched Autumn while we all went to the BYU vs TCU football game at Cowboy’s Stadium (sad that BYU lost)
*Took Autumn & Andrew to the Halloween party at Autumn’s “college”
*Mom & the sisters & husbands went to the horse races
*Lexie, Jon & I took the kids to the Halloween party & trunk-or-treat at the Jones’ & Autumn wore Lexie’s dirndl from Germany
*Jana, Mom & I made rouladen for lunch & eggrolls for dinner (lots of cooking)
*I got to meet Baby Jacob for the first time (he was born on 10/28)
*Autumn dressed in my witch costume for Halloween, we stayed in and didn’t go trick-or-treating

November 2011:
*Found out we’re moving into a new house
*Got to talk to the Laurel’s at a YW mutual activity about my mission
*Found out about some major struggles some family members are going through
*Tried to help a lady get into her car b/c she had locked the keys inside
*Watched The Great Race w/ Autumn & forgot it was daylight savings time
*Took Autumn visiting teaching w/ me
*Did some Project Life videos
*On 11/11/11 Mom & Dad & Nick & I went to the rodeo & a Josh Turner concert after
*Nick had a panic/anxiety attack at work
*Went to Baby Jacob’s baby blessing
*Helped set up and do the decorations for the McKinney Single Adult fireside
*Went over to Dangerfield’s b/c they are moving & Marcus is in town visiting
*Went to the midnight showing of Twilight; Breaking Dawn
*11/19 Moved into our new house
*Went to stake conference w/ Mom & Dad where Pres. Wright was released & Pres. Jones was made the new stake president
*Went to Curt’s Sunday night hockey game w/ the whole Johnson clan and then out to IHOP after
*Helped Mom make pies & butterhorn rolls for Thanksgiving
*Went to Uncle Robert & Aunt Sandy’s for Thanksgiving
*Mom & I experienced our first ever Black Friday
*Cleaned the old house so it could be rented out to the girl I visit teach
*Went to Liz’s house to see Chantal & her little girl
*Liz’s Mom made cookies w/ Autumn
*Put up the Christmas tree at Mom’s house
*Autumn got her first Elf on the Shelf, Rosy Posy
*Autumn & I found a big tree that is synchronized to Christmas music & she had a blast dancing along to the music
*Took Papa & Mimi to see the big musical Christmas tree

December 2011:
*Autumn is getting her first loose tooth
*Lexie & I took all 3 kids to see the crèche and then the musical Christmas tree in the pouring rain
*Helped Mom pack up her nativities
*Mom gave Jackson his first haircut (Grandpa Jay would have been so proud)
*Got a new calling to be a Laruel’s Adviser in Young Women’s
*Had dinner at our new house for the first time
*Got a new iPhone
*Helped Mom w/ Christmas cards
*Nick & Autumn & I put up the Christmas tree & set up a new train Mom gave us
*Liz & Liberty came over to see the new house
*Had my class I teach at church come over for a pizza party at my house
*Got my cobalt & clementine Project Life core kits in the mail
*Tithing settlement & Single Adult fireside about characters in the nativity
*Took Christmas pictures for Liz & Liberty
*Cocoa & crepes Relief Society social & taught about tradition of having people write letters to Dad
*Posted my 1,500^th post on my blog
*I got to go to Autumn’s Christmas Party at “college”
*Autumn lost her first tooth
*Watched Baby Jacob while Liz & Liberty went out on a date night for their Christmas gift
*Ward Christmas breakfast
*Johnson Christmas party at our new house
*White elephant Christmas party at Berrett’s (all 3 parties in one day)
*Took the kids around to see Christmas lights
*Lexie & the kids & I had our own little Christmas party at my house b/c Mom & Dad were doing the Forgotten Carols at their house, Lexie & I watched The Help
*Rufio came to visit for a week for Christmas
*Drove around as a family to look at Christmas lights and to show Rufio the big musical Christmas tree
*Got family pictures taken
*Helped Mom make scrapple & cream cheese bread & butterhorn rolls
*We all got new PJ’s on Christmas Eve & the Jones’ came to sing to Mom
*Christmas was wonderful & the kids got new bikes
*Went to Mom & Dad’s ward all together as a family (we miss Nate)
*12th Annual Pool Dip

As I look back over all that happened in 2011, I can’t help but notice Heavenly Father’s hand in my life. I know for a fact that my life & Dad’s lives were spared on May 18^th when the Durango was rear ended. I have been so fortunate this year to spend so much time with my immediate and extended family. Some of the most precious things we have in this life are the relationships we develop and the memories we create. We can’t take our wealth or gold or houses or cars with us when we die, but we do get to take our knowledge, memories & relationships. I am so thankful to have a job, to have my health, to have an incredible family and support system, and to have my faith in and testimony of a loving Heavenly Father and my older brother, Jesus Christ.

Our Annual Pool Dip & Ringing In The New Year

2011-12-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

This morning Autumn & I slept in for a little bit and then got up and had some breakfast. We watched some TV and cleaned up the house and then headed over to Mom & Dad’s. I helped Mom make deviled eggs for the party and get things ready. Then at 1:00, we had our annual pool dip. Some super sad news is that Aunt Sandy’s Dad has been sick the past few days b/c there is a bug going around the nursing home. She got a call on the way over that he was put in the hospital. So, they grabbed a quick bite to eat and had to leave. We missed having them here, and our thoughts and prayers are w/ them and her Dad.

We had sandwiches w/ all the fixin’s, chips, dip, pasta salad, fruit, veggies, etc. After all of our bellies were full, it was time for the pool dip. It was an incredible 68 degrees today, which was so nice. But, it was also really deceiving b/c the water was only 40 degrees! It was COLD!!! It’s kind of tradition that Nick usually goes in first, but he was working so Dad went in first instead.

It was extra fun this year b/c the Berrett’s brought their exchange student from Spain. Marina wasn’t going to get in b/c she forgot her swimming suit. But, we just happened to have one that fit her great and we talked her into trying it. The look on her face when she surfaced was priceless. I also love the look on Britt’s face after he got in the hot tub. I don’t know how people do it that cut a whole in the ice and don’t have a hot tub to get in after the cold. Even though my skin burns when I get in the hot tub after being in the pool, it’s so worth it and feels so good after a minute.

I think this is the fewest amount of people that we’ve ever had (10) b/c Rocky & Heather didn’t come b/c they were feeling sick and Monzingo’s were working so they didn’t come either. But, we still had fun even though our numbers were few. I thought this was our 12th year doing it, but Dad said it’s our 11th year.

Mom & Lori were the party poopers and didn’t get in. But, they were great at taking pictures and handing out the white elephant gifts and collecting the discarded wrapping paper. I love this picture of Mom b/c she is so pretty.

Here’s the brave bunch. I got an AWESOME white elephant gift this year of a cop cookie jar that says really loudly “step away from the cookie jar” when you open it. But, inside of it was some candy and 2 movie tickets and a $25 gift certificate to Logan’s Steak house! That’s way above the $10 limit, but I’m thankful someone was so generous. Too bad I don’t have anyone to take to dinner. Guess I’ll just have to go by myself.

After our fingers and toes started to get pruny, we got out and went in the house to graze on the food some more. We were all sitting around talking and Britt said something about zombies and Caleb’s head snapped up and he went right over to Britt and snuggled up next to him and started having a deep conversation. It was so funny to see b/c it was so random yet cute.

Autumn wanted to go outside and ride scooters w/ Brooke, so I went out there w/ them. This is Gracie’s new car and it is SO CUTE!

The girls rode bikes for a little bit and Autumn was so excited that she got to ride Andrew’s bike so Brooke could ride hers. Then Autumn wanted to get out the truck and drive around. Tyler & Emily were going home and Caleb wanted a ride, so Brooke hopped in the back. This picture cracks me up. Brooke & Caleb wanted to try driving the truck before they had to go, so I made Autumn get out and she had a small melt down. I put her on top of the garbage can to be in time out and so she wouldn’t keep going over to try and get in the truck. She is so good 90% of the time and when she gets tired that 10% naughty comes out. But, I guess we’re all that way to some degree and aren’t our best selves when we’re really tired.

After everyone left, it was nice to have some quiet time. Autumn & I went and laid on Mom & Dad’s bed to watch Jem for a little while. I fell asleep for a little while b/c I had been up so late last night. After a few episodes of Jem we went to watch some football. Autumn had gotten this bouncing silly putty stuff in her white elephant gift and asked to play w/ it. I let her play w/ it at the kitchen table. She was really quiet and after about 5 minutes I heard her come out of the bathroom and say, “I’m sorry, Mama!” I jumped up to see what trouble she had gotten herself into and tried not to freak out when she showed me this huge glob of silly putty in her hair. I just laughed and got my camera and took a picture and then tried to get it out. It wasn’t coming out, so I told her we would have to cut her hair, which was going to stink b/c it wasn’t down at the ends of her hair, it was closer to her scalp. Mom said that the silly putty stuff said if it dries out to get it wet, so maybe if I got it really wet it would come out. She’s a genius and it worked and I got it out w/out having to cut her long and pretty hair.

We got tired of watching football (shocking I know) and decided to watch a movie. We picked Sherlock Holmes and I forgot how good of a movie that is. I can’t wait to see the 2nd one. Autumn fell asleep about 20 minutes into the movie, and I just played w/ her hair and rubbed her face while she slept. She’s so sweet and angelic when she’s asleep. After the movie, it was 10:30 and we were all tired so we decided to just count down to midnight w/ the East Coast and have our New Year be at 11:00 our time. We got out the sparkling cider and had to “frame” Autumn since she was asleep. We’ve done that for the past few years w/ Andrew but he wasn’t here so we framed her instead.

We clinked our glasses when the ball in Time Square went down and toasted to a New Year. I woke Autumn up and we came home. In the past, I have tried to make it a personal tradition to watch The Last Holiday w/ Queen Latifah b/c I love her, I love that movie, it’s eerily close to my own life, and they have a New Year’s scene in the movie so I figure that counts as a New Year’s movie. I watched that in my bed w/ Autumn b/c she was awake by this point. At our real midnight we told each other Happy New Year, turned off the movie even though it was only 1/2 way through, and went to bed. Here’s to 2012!

Friday Lights & Ford Truck

2011-12-30T23:51:00.000-07:00

It was painfully slow at work today b/c of the holidays, so I got to leave at 3:00. I went to Mom & Dad’s house b/c they have been watching Autumn for me every day for the past week and then 3 school days before that b/c she was sick. It was nice weather, so we helped Papa to take down the Christmas lights outside.

I thought it was so funny to see little Autumn Bottom pulling this big huge box of Christmas lights around. But, she did great and even took it all the way from the front of the house around to the shed in the backyard. That’s b/c she’s my Powerful Ponca Princess.

Since she had worked hard and done a good job, I was more than happy to say yes when she asked if she could drive the truck. She has really gotten a lot better at steering the truck and was driving all over the backyard. I still remember that not too long ago she ran into the fort! LOL!

She was doing so good that I took her out to the road and let her drive around our cul-de-sac. Don’t worry, I stood there w/ her and made sure no cars were coming. You can see in the background of this picture that they are finally starting to build a house on the lot.

After that, I helped Mom put away the lights from the Christmas tree and we sat and talked for a while. I love her so much and really do consider her as not just my Mom, but my best friend. We had dinner and then Autumn & I came home so Mom & Dad could have a break from watching Autumn for almost 2 weeks while I was at work. I kept thinking it was so much later than it really was b/c I was so tired. I put Autumn to bed at 7:30 and got out all my mission Project Life stuff b/c I want to keep working on it and get it finished. I wanted something on in the background, so I put on Pride & Prejudice. I got a text from Liz & Liberty that said they were in the area and they wanted to stop by and say hi.

Autumn is just like me and hates to go to bed for fear of missing out on any fun or excitement. She must have had a 6th sense and woke up when Liz & Lib got here. Liz helped me clean up the dishes from last night b/c she can’t stand dirty dishes. Then we sat on the couch and talked and Autumn was showing Liz her LeapPad. It was great to spend time w/ them again so soon.

After they left, I put Autumn back to bed and put on another movie while I worked on my mission Project Life. I put on The Help and started working on Project Life again. I was working away and enjoying myself when all of a sudden the movie was over! I looked at the clock and it was 2;30 am. I had no idea it was that late b/c I must have gotten my 2nd wind after Liz & Lib left. I got a lot done, and called it a night and went right to bed. I am going to be so tired tomorrow.

Pest Control Peeps

2011-12-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight was utterly fabulous. Alison sent me a message on Facebook last week to let me know that she & Braulio & Kirra were in town visiting for Christmas and that we should get together. I decided we should have a big reunion w/ a group of us that all used to work at the same place. So, I sent out a message to everyone and told them to come to my house for dinner.

I made some taco soup, garlic bread, and then we just had finger snack foods. It was a BLAST to have everyone all together again. We got caught up on the past 4 years, and none of us could believe that it’s been that long since we all worked together. I think that speaks a lot to the bond we have, that we were able to get together after all this time. After we ate, we played the game “What If… Then…” Everyone writes down a random “what if” question on a piece of paper. Like, “what if everyone weighed 400 lbs.” Then you put all the questions in a bowl and randomly pick out a question and write a “then” answer to it. Next, I would read the question on my paper and the person to my right would read the answer to their question. Most of the time it makes no sense whatsoever, which is what makes it funny. Every once in a while, there is an answer that will actually make sense to the question asked and it is hilarious! We laughed so much.

I can’t express in words how much fun it was to have everyone at my house. It makes my heart and soul so happy to have a house full of people I love and care about. I love having a house full of laughter and fun and friends and good food. I hope people always feel welcome in my home and that they leave feeling warm & fuzzy inside. I am blessed to be associated w/ such good people. I didn’t realize it was already 10:00 once everyone left, so I put Autumn right to bed and put away some left over food and then vegged on the couch for a little bit.

4 Generation Picture

2011-12-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

Lexie decided last night that it was time for her and the boys to go home today b/c they miss their own house and their own beds. So, of course the kids had to “help” Papa make Texas waffles for their departing breakfast.

When I got home from work, Sis. Wright was over to say hi to Rufio. She used to be in Mom’s ward back when they were both little girls, so she knows Rufio and Rufio knows her whole family really well. Such a small world!

While Mom & I were making dinner, Rufio was playing w/ Autumn. Autumn would run by her and Rufio would try to lightly swat her on the butt w/ her shoe. Autumn thought it was the funniest thing ever and was laughing like crazy. She was sad when Rufio said no more.

I kept asking Rufio what she wanted to do to live it up on her last night here and she said she just wanted to spend time with us. We had to get a 4 generation picture even though it isn’t the best quality. How lucky am I to be related to these fabulous females? We didn’t say our good byes yet, b/c I’ll see Rufio tomorrow morning when I drop Autumn off before heading to work.

Samoan Cookie Substitute

2011-12-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

I got an unpleasant surprise this morning when I went to drop Autumn off at college and the doors were locked and no one was there! Luckily Mom said they could watch her for me today and to bring her over so she could play w/ Andrew. I got to work and emailed the director of Autumn’s college to see why they were closed. Come to find out, they’re closed this whole week! I was so annoyed b/c I never got any notice that they were closed. It didn’t read it anywhere in their monthly newsletter and they never sent out an email about it. So, I am super thankful that Mom & Dad can watch her for me, otherwise I’d be tough out of luck. After work, I got to Mom & Dad’s house and Autumn had fallen asleep in Mom’s arms. That never happens anymore, so I had to get a picture of it.

Mom said Autumn was pretty good for most of the day and just wore herself out. Mom got these cookies to try, and I have to say they are almost as good as the Girl Scout Samoa cookies. They aren’t as gooey as the Samoa ones, but they are definitely a close second.

We didn’t do much tonight other than eat some yummy ham bone soup for dinner and watch some TV and sit and talk. I feel bad that we aren’t doing something fun and exciting w/ Rufio since she’s only here for a few more days, but there’s not anything she wants to go do or see. We all kind of prefer to just have a low key night at home, especially after all the craziness of the holidays. Autumn & I came home and I put her to bed and worked on getting caught up on the past few weeks of journaling for Project Life. I’m so excited to start using the Cobalt edition in 2012.

Diva Day

2011-12-26T18:35:00.000-07:00

Autumn & I had a leisurely morning of sleeping in and playing w/ some of her new Christmas toys. Then we got cleaned up and went over to Mom & Dad’s house. I had an appt to get my nails done at 11:00 b/c they are so grown out and need a fill. Lexie made an appt to get a mani/pedi at the same time so we could have some sister time. My Christmas gift to her was some money to use on some new clothes. She wanted me to go shopping w/ her ever since they got cable and she started watching What Not To Wear. I have no idea why, b/c I am pretty much the opposite of a fashionista, but I am glad she wanted to spend time w/ me.

Here we are after getting our nails done. When I was editing pictures at the end of the day on my computer she was sitting next to me and we started playing around w/ Piknik and added these just for fun.

After our nails, we went to Ross to see what we could find. I like shopping there b/c they usually have cheap but nice clothes and we were on a pretty small budget. Everything was pretty picked over, but we found 20 different things for Lexie to try on. She would try them on and then I would hang them up for her to save time. Everything looked so cute on her b/c she has the perfect figure. This was one of my favorites, but she didn’t get it b/c it was too much money plus it was too short when she sat down. We had such a good time talking and laughing. She ended up getting a few cute shirts and a belt. After that, we stopped by the grocery store to get a few things Mom needed and then hurried home to relieve Mom & Rufio from watching the kids.

I helped Mom make fried rice, egg rolls, and sweet & sour sauce for dinner. Lexie had given Autumn a Barbie doll where you can change the color of the doll’s nails by “painting” them w/ either hot or cold water. The Barbie also came w/ 2 sets of press on nails. So, Lexie & Autumn decided to have a pretty party. Lexie put Autumn’s hair in hot curlers and put nails on her as well.

B/c Autumn’s hair is so long and straight, it doesn’t hold curl very well for very long. But, right after Lexie took the curlers out, Autumn’s hair was in big, gorgeous, perfect ringlets. She looked like Shirley Temple.

All that was left was eye makeup and lipstick. They were having a blast.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall…who’s the fairest little girl of all?”

It makes me happy that Autumn loves to be a girly girl and that Aunt Lexie is willing to go to all the fuss to make her look fancy. Autumn insisted on wearing this cute flapper looking dress that was covered in sparkly disks to complete the whole ensemble. We kept telling Autumn she should be on Toddlers & Tiaras b/c she’s so naturally pretty.

It was such a fun way to spend the day after Christmas. After dinner we played w/ the kids and their new toys and sat and talked and enjoyed being together. It’s always nice to have some quiet and relaxing time after such a highly anticipated and fun Christmas.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

The kids actually slept in today until 7:30, which surprised me b/c I thought they would be waking us up instead of the other way around. Once everyone was semi-presentable, we did our traditional line up of youngest to oldest before going into the living room where Santa left the presents. Autumn & Andrew were SO GOOD and waited patiently while we got the video camera ready to record their reactions to their presents.

In our house, Santa doesn’t wrap his presents. He leaves them out on the couch grouped together by who they belong to. Autumn got this adorable jacket w/ matching hat, a Barbie that walks dogs & a Cinderella doll w/ a horse (we emailed pictures of those 2 things to Santa), a pink convertible VW Bug Barbie car w/ a Barbie, and then there was a pink Barbie helmet w/ a bell.

After the kids had a chance to look at all their stuff from Santa, we asked them what they thought the helmets and bikes were for. Then we took them over to the tree and they were SO EXCITED to see their new bikes from Santa.

Originally Mom & Dad had said we would wait until after church to open presents, but that went out the window. So, after all of the excitement of the Santa gifts we sat around the Christmas tree and Dad read the Christmas story out of Luke 2. Then he started handing out presents and it was ridiculous how many presents there were. Autumn was really excited to open this present from Jason & Nicole & Khloe. It’s a Leap Pad & is like an iPad for kids that helps them learn. They also gave her a Tangled game to go w/ it. That was a great & generous gift from them.

Here’s part of the crazy mess after we were done opening gifts. I usually lay out all the presents Autumn & I got and take a picture b/c I think it’s fun to look back on years later. But, I didn’t get one this morning b/c we had to rush and make breakfast so we could eat before leaving for church.

Mom & I hurried and fried up the scrapple and we had our cream cheese bread and decided to just have chocolate milk instead of taking the time to heat up a big pan of hot cocoa. I am so glad Rufio is here w/ us. The food was so good and we all scarfed it down and then went to get ready. Autumn & I rushed home and got showered and cleaned up and went to Mom & Dad’s ward early to save a seat for all of us.

Since it was Christmas, we only had an hour long sacrament meeting instead of the usual 3 hour block of meetings. The program consisted of us all singing hymns and then the auxiliary leaders getting up and sharing their testimonies. It was a great and uplifting meeting and really brought home the purpose for this great day. I loved that we were able to attend church all together as a family (except we missed Nate big time).

After church we went back to Mom & Dad’s house to take group pictures. It was cloudy outside, but for some reason all the pictures were way blown out so I had to do some editing to try and make them look more decent. Here’s all the Hatch Hotties. I am so thankful to be related to such fabulous females.

Mom had made funeral potatoes, a spiral cut ham, and zucchini & yellow squash for lunch. We changed into comfy clothes and ate lunch and then did up the dishes so we could relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Dad, Jon & I took the kids outside so they could try out their new bikes. They didn’t really get the hang of pushing backwards on the pedals to stop, so we had a few instances of them steering off into the grass. But, they had a great time and actually did really well and started using their brakes towards the end.

Once the kids got too cold, we came back in the house and played some games. Mimi & Andrew played Hungry Hungry Hippos. I downloaded the software for the Leap Pad and then sat down w/ Autumn and we played part of her Tangled game together. I’m so excited to use that w/ her to help her learn her letters and learn to start reading.

Jackson was such a good boy today and he even got a lot of gifts from Santa. He’s such a happy baby and rarely cries. I love trying to get him to smile. I tell him he’s funny in a silly voice and that usually does the trick.

Autumn wanted to try out her new Barbie headphones, so I played a song on my iPhone and let her plug in her headphones. It was so funny to watch her jam out to the song that only she could hear. I had the volume all the way up on my phone, but the headphones keep the volume at a decent decibel so it doesn’t ruin the kids’ hearing.

One of Lexie’s gifts were these 12 cookie jar lids that Mom hand painted for Rufio years ago. Since Rufio had to downsize, she can’t use them anymore and wanted to make sure they got passed down and kept in the family. I’m glad Lexie got them b/c she said Jon & Andrew have a tradition of making cookies together every Sunday. Mom is so stinkin’ talented and it was fun to look back and things she made when she was in her tole painting phase.

After all the fun and excitement, Autumn & I finally packed up all of our presents and came home to put them away and just unwind. She wanted to watch Annie, and is definitely my daughter b/c she was enthralled w/ it just like I was when I was a kid. It was a GREAT day full of family, fun, food, and faith.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

Since this was the last night Rosy Posy would be with us, she decided to get creative and take a “bubble” bath. Autumn loved it and thought Rosy Posy was so funny. We hung out at home for quite a while and watched TV and had breakfast and then finally got cleaned up and went over to Mom & Dad’s.

Autumn had gotten this 2012 Crayola calendar from Jason & Nicole and sat down at the kitchen table to color. Andrew & Autumn were so good and just sat and colored and drew pictures for quite a while. I helped Mom make cream cheese bread for tomorrow’s breakfast and we had on Rudolph & Frosty’s Christmas In July, which I had never seen before.

Curt heard Rufio was in town and had to come over and say hi and give her a little smooch. He always teases her about marrying him someday.

Mom had made crockpot spaghetti and we had that for lunch. We had gotten out a puzzle earlier, which is why the table is covered and we’re just eating on placemats. It was so good!

Jon kept showing the kids an update of where Santa was on thesantatracker.com. They loved getting to see where he was in the world and what he was doing before he got to our house. They would ask Jon for an update about every 5 minutes.

In between asking Jon for updates, they played w/ Legos and lined their Lego horses up on the floor. Then they would run into the back room to play and come back out w/ more toys. I love Andrew’s belly button hanging out in this picture.

Lexie helped me w/ the puzzle (and Rufio put in 2 pieces) and we finally finished it. It was a hard puzzle b/c of the abnormal border, but it was fun. I was glad when we were finished and told Mom she’ll have to glue this and use it in her nativity display next year b/c it was such a booger puzzle to do.

We sat and watched The Sound of Music (b/c it was on TV) while we waited for the Jones family to come sing to us. It’s something Mom looks forward to every year and she always says it’s not Christmas until the Jones’ come caroling. So, when there was a knock on the door she jumped up and ran to open the door. There were only 4 of them this year but it was still absolutely gorgeous and gave me goose bumps. They are so talented!

After they left, it was 9:00 and time for our traditional open-one-present-on-Christmas-Eve. Mimi always gets to pick the one present we open, and it’s always new jammies.

Andrew got some cute jammies w/ construction stuff on them and Autumn got purple ballerinas. They sure love their Mimi & their Mimi loves them.

We haven’t ALL gotten new jammies in quite a few years, so Mom surprised us when she had jammies for the rest of us. Jon & Nick got flannel bottoms & Lexie & I got new jammie sets. Mom tried getting us matching ones, but couldn’t find any that were the same. So, we both got purple ones and I love mine b/c they have cute snowmen all over the pants.

Autumn & I were going to go home, but Lexie begged us to spend the night so we could all be together in the morning when we woke up. So, I slept in Nate’s old room w/ Rufio & Autumn slept on a mattress in Mom & Dad’s room. I stayed up for a little bit to help Mom bake the cream cheese bread. We changed the recipe to use my cream cheese frosting instead of the glaze that we don’t like that the recipe says to use. It made something that’s already delicious become insanely good. We got to eat one loaf of it hot & fresh out of oven & then went to bed by 10:30 so Santa could come. It felt so much later than 10:30 b/c I was super tired. I’m so excited to see Autumn’s face in the morning when she sees her presents. She’s at the perfect age where every thing is magical.

Christmas Adam

2011-12-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

I read on someone’s Facebook status that their kids call today Christmas Adam since tomorrow is Christmas Eve & Adam came before Eve! I thought that was really clever and am totally going to start calling the day before Christmas Eve, Christmas Adam.

Today I took Autumn over to Mom & Dad’s again b/c she still has a bad cough. I feel bad that they’ve had to watch her the past 3 days when her daycare is open. But, I’m thankful they could watch her so she didn’t get the other kids at school sick. I got to leave work today at 2:30, which was nice. I don’t know what it was about drivers today, but they were SCARY! I almost got into a huge car accident b/c this stupid kid in front of me went to switch lanes and almost clipped the back of a mini van. He slammed on his brakes and swerved to miss them and ended up going across 3 lanes of traffic, up the curb (he’s lucky he didn’t flip his car or roll), and onto the grass. It happened in a matter of just seconds and scared me so bad. My heart was racing so fast and I’m thankful there were no cars in the other lanes or else he would have hit them. I’m glad he didn’t roll and that he was safe.

I got to Mom & Dad’s house and Mom got home w/ some groceries so I helped her bring those in. She is holding a bowl of creamed corn from Rudy’s that Dad got her b/c he knows she loves it. It’s so rich and creamy and sweet. I had her point at Rufio’s tush b/c Rufio forgot to bring any extra pairs of pants and so they went shopping to get her some more and Mom talked her into buying this pair of jeans that had this cute design on the butt. I’m shocked that Rufio bought them and wore them. She looked so cute in them.

After we ate dinner, we loaded in the car to go on an adventure. The kids wanted to go show Rufio the big musical Christmas tree. They had fun dancing on the benches and running around the tree.

It was really cold, so we got all bundled up. We didn’t stay for very long b/c we wanted to continue our adventure.

We all went to Market Street so we could say hi to Nick, who was working, and also to pick up a few groceries we needed to make scrapple and cream cheese bread for Christmas morning. We were all kind of ornery and getting easily annoyed w/ each other, so Lexie & Jon pretended to drown their sorrows in drink mixes. LOL!

After that, we walked over to the huge lighted tree that has lights on every single branch. Dad put the kids up on these horse statues and we told them to swing their arms around their heads like they had a lasso, but this was all we got. They were scared they would fall if they let go of the statue.

I wanted a picture of the whole group, so I propped my camera up on my gloves on the back of the horse statue. This was the best I could get, but it’s better than nothing.

I just love that this shopping center does this tree every year. You can’t tell how massive this tree really is from this picture. It also has some big tube lights that look like icicles falling. So cool! After that, we loaded back in the cars and went to show Rufio the big mansion that is covered in lights and the house that has their lights timed to music. After that, we were ready to be done so we went home. It was already 9:00 by this point and Autumn hadn’t taken a nap today, so we came home and I put her to bed. Then I edited some pictures and blogged and watched TV with Nick. I can’t believe it’s already Christmas Eve tomorrow! It will be nice to have a 3 day weekend.

Dad Is The New Hansel & Gretel

2011-12-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

Autumn was sick again this morning, so Mom & Dad were awesome and watched her for me. When I got off of work, I went over to their house and we had dinner. Dad was cutting through a roll, but it was hard as a rock, so I told him to go nuke it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up. He did and came back to the table and we were all eating when all of a sudden he said, “Who made this mess?” We asked him what mess and looked at the floor to see a bunch of crumbs. Mom said, “you did Hansel & Gretel!” We were laughing so hard, b/c Dad made that mess when he went to microwave his roll and unknowingly left a trail of bread crumbs leading to the kitchen.

Mom got these yummy coconut M&M’s to try and they were super good. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for them at the store.

Autumn had fun getting to spend the day playing at Papa & Mimi’s. She especially loved getting to snuggle w/ Rufio. We stayed and talked for a little while and then had to head home to sleep. I’m hoping Autumn’s cough will go away so she can go to daycare tomorrow.

Rufio Is In Da House

2011-12-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

This morning Autumn woke up w/ a really bad hacking cough, so I called Mom & Dad to see if they could keep her for me today since I didn’t want to take her to daycare and get the other kids there sick. Plus, that way they could give her breathing treatments throughout the day. They said that was fine, so we got ready and I went over and dropped her off so I could go to work. Mom bought Grandma Ruth (I call her Rufio) a plane ticket to come for a week as her Christmas gift. Mom & the kids went to McDonald’s for lunch and then went out to the airport to get Rufio around noon. Lexie said they had fun playing hide & seek w/ Great Grandma Ruth and we are so glad she can be here to spend Christmas with us.

When I got home from work, Autumn was asleep and was a bear when she woke up. I gave her a breathing treatment and she kept saying her lips hurt b/c I guess she had pulled some of the chapped skin off. So, Rufio said she had some good “whip-stick” that Autumn could use on her lips. Autumn is all about getting to wear lipstick (she used to call it whip stick) and was so glad Rufio was willing to share.

Rufio is such a neat & classy lady and I am so thankful that Autumn gets the chance to know her and interact w/ her and create memories. I don’t remember my great grandparents very well, so this means a lot to me. I have such a special love and bond w/ Rufio and am glad Autumn gets to share in that too.

I had to eat dinner & run b/c I had a Single Adult committee meeting. Since the stake presidency changed, we now meet w/ Pres. Fisher instead of Pres. Jones. Pres. Fisher had a lot of good & inspired ideas but pretty much scrapped all the plans we had for our fireside in February. So, Pete & Nancy & I are going to have to meet again and iron out the details of our February fireside.

After that, I rushed home to grab some fudge I had made last night, the Christmas photo booth stuff, and my camera. I went over to Sis. Lee’s house b/c she was having a YW’s party for any of the girls that wanted to come. I was late getting there b/c of my Single Adult meeting. They were watching Polar Express and had a ton of snacks and treats. I didn’t stay for very long b/c Nick was bringing Autumn home and I needed to get her into bed. I need to start going to bed earlier b/c I have got some MAJOR dark circles under my eyes in the picture from last night of Lexie & I watching The Help.

Our Own Little Party

2011-12-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

I was kind of a grouchy pants today after work. I had to rush to pick Autumn up from “college”, run home, put some taco soup and fixins’ together and rush those over to the girl I visit teach that just had a baby. I was happy to do that for her, but was stressed b/c Autumn wasn’t listening & started this hacking cough and I knew I needed to hurry home b/c Lexie & Andrew & Jackson were coming over to par-tay. We ate dinner and Mom was so thoughtful and sent a bunch of treats over w/ Lexie. Mom & Dad were having some people over that Dad works w/ to share the Forgotten Carols. Since he likes to have it be a reverent and spiritual experience, kids aren’t allowed which is why Lexie & the boys came over to our house. After we ate, we set the kids up in my room to watch their Christmas DVDs (like Frosty the Snowman & Rudolph). Autumn was a good girl and did a breathing treatment while watching the movies.

Lexie & i were going to watch Mrs. Santa Claus or The Help. We chose The Help b/c Lexie hadn’t seen it yet (shocking, I know)! She liked it, from what she was able to watch. We kept getting interrupted by the kids needing something or Jackson fussing. I miss my single days when I could just pop in a movie and watch it w/ no interruptions, but I wouldn’t change this stage of my life for anything. I love that we have kids and are needed. Plus, it doesn’t matter what we are doing…I just like being able to spend time w/ Lexie. it was a super fun evening and I was sad when they had to leave to go home so the kids could go to bed. We need to plan more sister time together.

Lesson Prep & Newsies

2011-12-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Today at work, I actually got a lot done and got some things taken care of that have been sitting on my desk for a week. It makes me nuts to have things that I know need to be done, but I can’t do them b/c I have to wait for a sales guy to call me back or a vendor to call and let me know pricing. So, it felt good to have those things off my “to do list”. After all of that was done, I had time left to kill so I started working on the first lesson I’ll teach in Young Women’s, which will be the 2nd Sunday in January. I know that’s almost a month away, but I want to be prepared and be thinking about my lessons in advance so that I can allow the Spirit to guide me in teaching what these girls need to hear.

The lesson is HERE and is about Jesus Christ, The Savior. I have found some GREAT websites like Sugardoodle that have wonderful handouts and ideas on things to incorporate into the lesson to really help the girls understand certain concepts. I found an EXCELLENT talk entitled, "The Fall & Infinite Atonement" by Elder Spencer J. Condie that broke down the basics of the gospel and why we had to have a Savior & the Atonement. I was highlighting almost every line b/c it was so good.

So, I got my outline all typed up and figured out what I want to say and share. Then I got an email towards the end of the work day from my YW president saying that for my lesson she wants us to focus on the missionary 1st discussion since the Laurel’s will be going on mini-missions the next Saturday. So much for planning ahead! :) But I am excited about getting to teach the first discussion, especially since it’s been a LONG time since I’ve done that.

I got Autumn from “college” and we went over to Mom & Dad’s house for dinner. After dinner, Lexie said she wanted to watch a movie. So, we picked Newsies b/c that was one of our favorites when we were growing up and we both haven’t seen it in a long time. My favorite song on there is King of New York, but I’m also a big fan of Seize the Day. Such a good movie, and it made me remember why I used to have a huge crush on Christian Bale! Lexie & I were laughing about how it’s funny that I actually had a crush on a white guy, b/c usually I only crush on brown boys. It was a great walk down memory lane.

What’s one of your favorite movies from childhood?

Christmas Hats

2011-12-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

It was nice this morning to wake up and have no where to be and nothing to do for a few hours. I edited pictures from yesterday and Autumn & I sat on the couch together and watched a Christmas movie while she played w/ the dolls she had gotten yesterday. Then we got ready and went to church and the Primary kids got up and sang a few songs in sacrament meeting. Autumn did a great job and kept looking over at me and smiling and waving, which completely melted my heart. I truly cherish moments like that, b/c before I know it, she’ll think she’s too old and too cool for stuff like singing in the Primary program. Anyways, in Young Women’s the Laruels met w/ the Priests so we could start planning what we’ll do for their mini-missions in January. They get to go out all day on a Saturday and experience what it’s like to be a missionary for a day. I think I’m going to be asked to go along with one of the companionships to help them out since I’ve served a mission. I’m a little bit apprehensive about it b/c it’s been a LONG TIME since I was a missionary, but I know if I have the Spirit with me then it will all work out just great and be an incredible experience for these girls.

After church, we went home and changed and went over to Mom & Dad’s house to have left over soup from our family party for dinner. Mom & Dad had to go visit someone, so Lexie & I loaded the kids up in the car and took them on a little drive to look at Christmas lights. There is one neighborhood in particular that I like to visit b/c there is a mansion that is DECKED OUT w/ so many lights. Then a few houses down, they have their lights timed to music and you turn the radio in the car to a certain station and listen while watching the lights. So cool & the kids loved it.

We got back to the house & the kids played while we watched some football and visited. Andrew was eating some clementines as the table and was throwing the little fuzzys from the sections onto the floor so Dad helped him get out the vacuum to clean them up. I thought that was a great teaching moment for Dad to share w/ Andrew b/c Dad didn’t yell at him for making a mess, but got up and helped him clean it up. I need to learn from that example.

Mom & Dad’s home teachers called and said they wanted to stop by and drop off a present. While we were waiting for them to get there, Autumn went and found the Christmas hats and put this tree one on and was singing, “Up On The Housetop” to Aunt Lexie b/c Lexie didn’t get to see Autumn’s Christmas program at “college”. I love this b/c Autumn was trying to snap while singing, “click, click, click” but doesn’t know how to snap. It makes me laugh when she just moves her fingers back and forth. What a cute little love bug.

We decided Jackson needed to get in on the Christmas hat action and is the cutest little Santa I’ve ever seen! Look at those big blue eyes.

Even w/ a Bah Humbug hat on, he’s a cutie pie. The home teachers got there and gave Dad their gift, which was a big box of junky tools that he had won as his gift at the white elephant party last night. He had stolen it from someone else and when we went to leave, he had set it outside on a bench and then had to run back into the house to get something. When he came back out, his box of junky tools was gone and he was sad someone had taken it. Little did we know, it was the home teachers and they were being sneaky. It was SO FUNNY when Dad opened the present and realized it was his stolen box of tools! We all got a good laugh out of that. By this time, it was 9:30 and I didn’t realize it was so late so Autumn & I went home and both went to sleep b/c we had such a busy and fun weekend and need our rest.

THREE Crazy Christmas Parties In One Day

2011-12-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

This morning Autumn woke up earlier (6:30) than usual, which stinks b/c I was up so late. We watched some TV and then took Andrew home w/ us so Autumn & I could change clothes and then we went to the church for our ward Christmas party. We sat at a table w/ the Deckers and each table had some ornaments in the middle that the kids could color. Even the adults colored and ornament to help pass the time until it was time to start and eat breakfast.

They said a prayer and then there were all types of doughnuts, fruit, breakfast casseroles, quiche, etc to eat. The kids just wanted a doughnut and hot chocolate. We were told we could wear our PJ’s (which is why Autumn is wearing hers). I told her to give Andrew a big hug and this is what we got. LOL.

After we ate, they had a little spiritual program where they did a slideshow and read the nativity story out of the Bible. Then we sang some Christmas hymns. After that, it was time for some non-spiritual fun. They had Santa Claus come visit & the kids were so excited. They did an AWESOME job this year of keeping the kids entertained so the wait didn’t seem as bad. Last year was pure chaos, so I was very appreciative of how much effort they put in this year. They had games and music and activities like this one. The kids held a parachute thing and they would throw cotton balls in the middle so it looked like it was snowing. As you can see, they had quite a big wind going and were having a blast.

When it was finally our turn to get in to see Santa, my camera died! NOOOOOO! And, my back up battery was dead too. I was SO SAD, but luckily they had someone there taking professional pictures that they emailed out to everyone. We stopped at WalMart to get a few groceries and then rushed home so I could start cleaning. Nick was an angel and vacuumed the whole house, I started making some soup, we cleaned up the leaves outside, etc.

We had 3 different kinds of soup, breadsticks, and rolls. The kids all sat up to the bar and all the adults squeezed around the kitchen table. We did a serious picture for the kids but then had them do a silly one. After they ate, they ran upstairs to play in the game room. Us adults sat and visited, and I was busy running around getting things ready for our special visitor.

The kids came flying down the stairs when they heard a big “Ho, Ho, Ho” & some jingle bells. They each got a turn to sit on Santa’s lap and he even brought them each a present to unwrap. I love this look of admiration that Autumn gives Santa after she unwrapped a new Ariel doll.

This group shot makes me laugh b/c it’s so typical. No one is looking at the camera, Autumn is bugging Andrew, Jamie is looking for a way to escape, Brooke is more interested in playing w/ her toy, and the whole thing is just true to life.

After Santa left, we had all the kids sit on the stairs so we could try and get another group picture. This one is a little bit better. You might be wondering why there is a red tablecloth clamped onto the stair railing.

It’s b/c we had to ghetto rig a backdrop for our fun Christmas themed photo booth. I printed all of these off of Lifestyle Crafts for a whopping total of 99 cents. I think they turned out SO CUTE and am glad we tried this b/c it was a lot of fun.

After all of that fun & excitement, it was time for our white elephant gifts. Everyone sat in a circle and usually we read T’Was The Night Before Christmas poem and pass presents to the left on the word “and” and to the right every time we say the word “the”. The poem went too long last year and the kids had a hard time keeping up with it. So this year Aunt Sandy said we would sing, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and pass presents once to the right when we sang “Rudolph” and 2 to the left when we sang “reindeer”. It didn’t work at all, but we still had fun and were laughing like crazy w/ trying to pass presents the right way. There were some good gifts that got stolen quite a few times. After that, we exchanged regular gifts and then just sat and talked until people decided they were going to head for home. It was SO MUCH FUN to host everyone at my house and to just sit back and look at all the love and laughter and memories we share as a family. I’m so grateful to live close enough to some extended family that we can get together.

After everyone left, I sat down on the couch and took a little cat nap b/c I was exhausted from being up since 2:30 am the night before and all the fun & cleaning of the 2 previous parties. At 7:00, I went over to the Berrett’s for their annual White Elephant Christmas party. They ask everyone to bring a finger food or appetizer to share and it’s always a blast. I brought my Christmas photo booth stuff and took pictures of people as they came in, which was a huge hit. After everyone had a chance to eat and socialize, it was time for the white elephant gift game to begin. As you can see, there were a LOT of people there, which always makes it tons of fun.

I don’t know how it happens, but Sis. Mannewitz always picks the craziest and funniest gifts. This is a huge blown up picture of Britt from the 1970’s and she didn’t even know it was him at first. Britt had no idea that someone had gotten this picture and blown it up and was completely shocked and caught off guard.

At one point, he was laughing so hard that he was crying. I LOVED the look on Sis. Mannewitz’s face when she realized it was Britt’s picture that she had been making kissing faces at. It made me think of last year when he said crap and she spanked him! My sides and stomach hurt so bad from laughing so hard.

In the middle of the game, someone said they had a “joker” which means they can jump into the game whenever they want to take a gift. Patrick said he had the “joker” and wanted to get his gift. Little did we know, he had just received his mission call and wanted to read it in front of everyone! He got called to serve in the Peru mission, which is where Britt served! It was so neat when he read that and everyone started cheering. It gave me goosebumps.

It was another great party and I ended up getting a pinata that came w/ a 2 pound bag of candy that we will use for our Annual Pool Dip Party. I just love this group of people so much and am beyond grateful to have such wonderful people in my life. Today was exhausting, but I wouldn’t change a thing about it!

Doughnuts, Dollars, & Date Night

2011-12-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

Autumn woke up to quite a few surprises this morning. First of all was that Papa AND Mimi came over. Not only did they bring doughnuts, they also brought kolaches (since Mimi can’t have doughnuts w/ her diabetes). How many kids get to eat treats in bed w/ both their grandparents?

After eating, it was time to check out what the tooth fairy brought her. She got $1 (or as she says “one bill of dollars”) for her tooth, and Papa was saying he thinks he remembers his kids getting $10 for their tooth. BA HA HA! We were lucky if the tooth fairy brought us a quarter.

After school/work, we hurried to Mom & Dad’s house b/c Autumn could not wait to see Andrew. Lexie & Andrew & Jackson came up to visit for the week b/c Andrew is out of school. Jon didn’t come b/c he still has to work next week. Liz & Liberty came over and brought Baby Jacob so we could babysit him. That was my Christmas gift to them…a date night. They went out to eat and then went to see the Sherlock Holmes movie. Jacob was a complete angel and slept most of the time they were gone. I was able to help Mom make butterhorn rolls for the party tomorrow.

We got out the exersaucer for Baby Jackson, but I think Autumn & Andrew had more fun w/ it than Jackson did. They were playing w/ all the different things on it and were entertained for quite a while.

We watched Family Man while waiting for the rolls to raise. Autumn wanted to hold Baby Jackson & was so cute w/ him and kept getting him to smile. It was funny to see Baby Jacob next to Jackson b/c Jackson is so big. By this time, it was 10:30 so everyone went to bed except for Lexie & I. We stayed up until Liz & Liberty came to get Jacob. He was seriously such a good baby and I loved getting to feed him a bottle and snuggle him. I was planning on going home after that, but I didn’t want to wake up Autumn so we just spent the night. Lexie & I ended up staying up until 2:30 am talking! We haven’t had a late night sister talk in a long time, so even though we will be super tired tomorrow it was more than worth it. I love Lexie & am so glad we are sisters and get to live close enough that we see each other often.

Christmas Class Party & A Lost Tooth

2011-12-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today I got to experience an incredible tender mercy that even makes me teary-eyed now while I’m typing up this blog post. Autumn had her Christmas party today and asked me when I dropped her off if I was coming. I sadly had to tell her no, I wouldn’t be able to come b/c I was working. Usually it’s not a big deal when I drop her off at “college” but today it just broke my heart to have to tell her I couldn’t come. I had a little bit of comfort knowing that Mom & Dad would be able to go to her party, but it just nagged at me all day. Especially after I read THIS POST by Heather and especially #2 about not working so much and therefore missing important life events. Well, around 2:00 my boss said he was leaving for they day and I saw an opportunity to ask if I could leave at 2:30 to go see Autumn’s day care program at 3:00. To my surprise, he said that would be fine and to go and enjoy it! I almost started crying tears of joy at how much the Lord blesses me. It might seem silly to some people, but I know it was a tender mercy from the Lord b/c Autumn won’t have very many of these Christmas programs and I knew it was important for me to be there.

Anyways, I left work at 2:30 and got there right at 3:00. Mom & Dad were already there and the kids were decorating some gingerbread men. The joy on Autumn’s face when she saw me was PRICELESS! It took everything I had in me not to breakdown in a puddle of tears. I was so thankful & happy to be there for her b/c it meant so much to her. She started jumping up and down and it will me a moment I will remember forever. I got out my camera and of course started snapping pictures right away.

I was pleasantly surprised at how many parents were able to be there. The kids had a TON of food b/c we had all signed up to bring something.

Of the 9 kids in her class, there are only 3 girls and all 3 had on cute Christmas dresses, so we had them come stand by the tree so we could get their pictures. It’s Kiera & Ann Marie & of course Autumn.

While the kids were eating, we heard some bells out in the hall and next thing we know, Santa Claus came into the classroom. All the kids jumped up from their chairs and swarmed around him and were all talking at once.

He was so cute and sat down on the floor w/ the kids so they could each have a turn sitting on his lap. Autumn told him she wants a “dog walk” which is a Barbie that has dogs w/ it and a Cinderella horse, which is a Cinderella doll that comes w/ a horse.

We had all the kids sit down w/ Santa before he left and say “Ho, ho, ho” which is why all of their mouths are open.

After Santa left, the kids performed some songs for us. I like that they have a menorah & dredel lights in the window along with a Christmas tree in the classroom. It helps the kids to realize not everyone has the same beliefs and to be more tolerable of differences. Anyways, the program was adorable of course and I’m so thankful Autumn gets to attend “college” so she can interact w/ other kids and have fun experiences like this. I thought it was funny that she had to stand in the back w/ the boys b/c she’s so tall. I know the feeling!

Once the program got over, we stayed to help clean up and since it was already 4:00 by this time, so Autumn got to leave early. We went to Bath & Body Works where I was able to get 6 bottles of lotion w/ out spending a penny of my own money. They had a deal of buy 3, get 3 free and then I had a $10 off coupon if you spend $30. Then once tax and everything was added in, the total was $24.90. I had a gift card from Liz & her Mom for $25, so I didn’t have to spend any money. Love that, especially since I can use those lotions for gifts to teachers and others. After that, Autumn & I went to Cheesecake factory to get a gift certificate for a gift. It has been raining all day which is great, b/c we had such a dry summer. Autumn was so excited to use the umbrella and wanted to be a big girl and hold it herself.

We went to Mom & Dad’s house to help Mom make dinner. After we ate, Dad said he wanted to take a look at Autumn’s tooth. He told her he was going to pull on it softly to see if it was ready to come out yet b/c it’s super loose now. He gave it one good tug & Autumn started crying saying it hurt & she didn’t want him to try anymore. He said he wouldn’t try anymore b/c he didn’t need to. She questioningly looked at him b/c she didn’t know what he meant until he held up her tooth in his hand! She was so happy & proud of her lost tooth.

It did bleed a little bit b/c there was one stubborn root that was holding on, but it wasn’t enough to scare her. We took the tooth and put it in a little ziplock bag so we wouldn’t lose it.

We came home & got out our tooth fairy doll that Mom made back when I was a little girl and lost my first tooth. All 4 of us kids used it and I’m thrilled that Mom, once again, has saved something important from my childhood so I can share it & make it a tradition & pass it along to Autumn. We put her tooth in the little pocket on the dress and then said prayers and Autumn went to bed w/ the excitement of knowing the tooth fairy would bring her some money in exchange for her tooth.

It is so fun for me to be on the parent side of the magic and to be a part of creating that for Autumn so that she can have those fun memories to look back on.

My 1,500th Post

2011-12-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Usually we have our YW activities on Wednesday night, but since the Laurel’s were all invited to the crepes & cocoa party last night, we didn’t have an activity tonight. However, we got a new Laurel’s class presidency and they wanted to have a meeting at the church so we could get the next 3 months of activities planned out. Autumn was really good & watched Monsters Inc (I brought the portable DVD player) while I was in the meeting. After that, we had to go to WalMart to get some things we needed. I was so going to get this for a white elephant gift b/c it’s longer than Autumn’s entire torso, but it was over $8!!! So, we just settled for a picture instead.

I am loving the stage Autumn is in now. She is my little helper and tag along shadow and I absolutely love it. She’s old enough to help and be a “big girl” but is still sweet and innocent.

I didn’t realize this, but when I was getting this post ready I was checking the stats on my blog and noticed that this is my 1,500th post! That’s a LOT of posts, but at the same time I wish I had double or even triple that amount only b/c that means I would have recorded & documented even more of my life. I wish that blogging had been around when I was in high school and when I was in college. Some day when I have lots of extra time (ba ha ha) I can always go back and blog those things, but I won’t be fresh in my mind and I’ll miss a lot of details. So in the meantime I’ll just keep blogging away and hopefully has thousands and thousands of posts someday.

Tuesday & Tis the ‘C’ eason

2011-12-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

After work I rushed to get Autumn from daycare and we went to Mom & Dad’s house and had crock pot spaghetti (SO GOOD) that Mom had made. I was scarfing down food when Liz & Liberty came to have me take their Christmas pictures. I feel sooooo honored that they would ask me to take such an important picture for them. I’m always stressed & worried about not getting a good picture, but we were able to get one. This isn’t the one they chose, but I don’t want to post that & spoil it for Liz’s Mom. This one made me laugh b/c Baby Jacob looks like he’s thinking, “I don’t know about these two yahoos. Are you SURE they’re my parents?” LOL! I’m glad we got one that they liked.

I felt bad about eating & running, but Autumn & I had to get to the church for Homemaking. The theme of the evening was “T’is the ‘C’eason” b/c we had cookies, cocoa, & crepes. This was the cocoa station and it was all wonderful. At the end, they had a young man in the ward w/ a beautiful voice come and sing a few songs.

I was asked to share the tradition I started a few years ago of having people write letters to Dad as his Christmas gift. I just typed up a little handout explaining how I do it and who I ask. One lady came up to me afterwards and said that she has been doing this for 14 years for her Mom! Now that I’m thinking about it, I think I originally heard the idea from her at another Christmas party a few years ago. I told her I’ll have to pick her brain about how she’s done it for 14 years b/c after a few years I’m already running out of of ideas of who I can ask.

Anyways, it was a great night and Autumn had a blast in the nursery where they had some of the young women come and watch the kids so us Moms could enjoy ourselves. The girls said Autumn was really good. After that, we came home and I put her to bed and watched some TV before calling it a night.

Subway Dinner With Rosy Posy

2011-12-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight for dinner, Autumn & I went to Subway. I had a coupon for a buy one, get one free so we both got a foot long Black Forest ham sandwich and Autumn only ate 1/2 of hers and we took the other 1/2 home for Nick. Rosy Posy joined us for dinner, too. We ate there, b/c we didn’t have a lot of time before going visiting teaching at 6:30. Autumn came w/ me and was my partner since I still haven’t heard from my assigned partner. But that’s OK, b/c Autumn & I have fun spending time together and I’m glad she gets to learn at a young age.

After visiting teaching, we came home and she was so excited to open another one of her gifts from Jason & Nicole & Khloe. It was a cute lollipop that ends up as a little light ornament to hang on the tree. Mom & Dad stopped by on their way home from dinner to say hi. They watched the last 30 minutes of Toy Story 3 with Autumn & I, b/c it was on TV and we had been watching it. I put Autumn Bottom to bed and went to bed not long after that b/c I was so tired. I’m starting to get bags under my eyes, so I really do need some beauty sleep. Too bad there’s no such thing as weight loss sleep. BA HA HA!

Tithing Settlement & Fabulous Fireside

2011-12-10T23:04:00.000-07:00

This morning we had a relaxing morning and watched a few Disney movies & then got ready for the day and went to tithing settlement at 11:30. We took the Bishop some rice crispy treats b/c we figured he could use a treat since he has tithing settlement meetings all day before & after church. Autumn looked so cute in her dress & bows that I had to get a picture of her while we waited for our turn.

After that, we came home and had some lunch before going back for church. It was so nice to go Sunday School and learn something instead of being the one teaching, although I missed my kids. In YW, Sis. Lee taught the lesson about finances & how they affect every aspect of our lives. It was really good and I enjoyed hearing the girls’ comments and being able to share a few of my own.

After church, Autumn & i went to the Bishop’s office so I could be set apart for my calling. It was a beautiful prayer and I’m so thankful for the personal messages that were sent directly from my Heavenly Father that I needed to hear…that He is aware of me and my needs, that I am a good example to Autumn & need to continue to nurture my relationship with her, and many other things that touched my hear. Of course I was crying by the end of the setting apart b/c the Spirit was so strong. I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m always so awed and inspired by how much my Heavenly Father knows and loves me.

After church Autumn & I went straight to Mom & Dad’s b/c Mom had made a roast & carrots & potatoes & gravy. I got a veggie/fruit tray ready and then went to the Single Adult Fireside. It was SO GOOD! Sis. Blacker & Sis. Slavens talked about the different characters in the Christmas story. They shared some scriptures about each character & then told a personal story that applied. My favorite parts where when they talked about Joseph and read this about him from the Bible dictionary. This is what it said, “The birth of the child, Jesus, was miraculous, his mother being his only earthly parent; but Joseph was naturally regarded in Nazareth as his father, and the holy child treated him as such.” We don’t know much about Joseph but this one little line gives us a glimpse into the relationship that he & Jesus shared. I want to talk to Joseph when I get to heaven someday and hear what it was like for him to be like a foster father to the Savior of the World. He must have been a phenomenal man.

Also, they talked about the wisemen and focused on Matthew 2:12, “And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” That really made an impact on me b/c they said sometimes we have to change our plans and follow the promptings of the Spirit b/c Heavenly Father wants us to go about our lives in “another way”. Yet at the same time we are always supposed to be focusing on ways to find the Savior & let Him into our lives just like the wisemen did. And when we “find” the Savior on a daily basis, our lives are changed forever and we want to go about doing things “another way” that leads us away from the evils of the world, just like the wisemen went home a different way to avoid the evils of King Herod. That applies to me and my life in so many ways.

I’ve seen & read a few things that have really helped to bring the REASON for the SEASON into my life. First of all is this saying. I have never heard it before, and it really stuck a cord in my heart. I tried finding the picture online so I could print it off and frame it and give it as gifts. There were other graphics w/ the same saying that I found, but I didn’t like them nearly as much as this one. So, I was able to track down the lady that made it through Heritage Makers and ordered some through her.

Another thing I read on someone’s blog (sorry, I can’t remember who it was now so I can give them credit) was this saying about how our Christmas should be celebrated:

Just some great things to think about. After the fireside, we had refreshments (everyone loved the veggie/fruit tray I brought) and then I helped clean up and went to pick up Autumn. She had fallen asleep right after I left and slept the whole time. We stayed for a little while so I could check emails and get some things together for a little presentation I am doing on Tuesday at Homemaking about traditions. It was already 9:30 before I knew it, so Autumn & I came home. I was worried she wouldn’t sleep since she had taken such a long nap, but she went to bed just fine and slept the whole night.

At the end of the fireside, they left us about 10 minutes to share our testimonies if we wanted to. I am kicking myself for not getting up and sharing mine b/c it was a great opportunity to express how I feel about my Savior. I usually don’t bear my testimony in sacrament meeting on fast Sunday b/c I’m always worried about Autumn & if she’ll try to come up on stage w/ me or throw a fit, etc. But I didn’t have that worry tonight so I don’t know what kept me from standing up. So, I’ll just share my testimony here:

I know that we all have a Father that lives in Heaven and is the Father of our Spirits. He loves us in such a perfect way, and if we don’t feel that then we are the ones that have moved away from Him, not vice versa. He has so much love for us that He sacrificed His most special child to give the rest of us the opportunity to return to live with Him someday.

I have always wanted an older brother to love and protect and take care of me. I have an older brother that did all of that and so much more for me. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Jesus to come to Earth and have to live a perfect life every moment of every day. Yet, he did that because he knew how important it was. The greatest gift the world has ever received came wrapped in a swatches of swaddling clothes.

I know that we have a living prophet on the Earth to lead and guide us, just like the people of Noah’s time. And if we heed what the prophet says, we will never be led astray. I know that President Thomas S. Monson receives direct revelation from the Lord for the whole world. I know that I can also receive revelation for my own life as long as I live worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is my direct line of communication with my Heavenly Father.

That’s just a small portion of my testimony, and if you would like to learn more about what I believe, you can visit THIS website. Also, I just found out yesterday that there are some INCREDIBLE videos depicting scenes from the life of Christ as told in the Bible here. I watched the one where the angel fortells Christ’s birth to Mary and was so touched by seeing how that unfathomable news must have been received and processed by such a faithful woman. SO POWERFUL! Do yourself a favor and watch these videos as a CHRISTmas gift to yourself.

Primary Pizza Party

2011-12-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

This morning Autumn & I got up and got dressed (instead of lounging around in our PJ’s like we usually do on Saturday morning) so that we could get going & get a lot accomplished. I went outside & put Christmas lights outside on the bushes. It was sunny but cold so Autumn stayed inside & watched Sleeping Beauty. I was getting so frustrated b/c the lights where all tangled up and I finally just had to sit down on the grass to spend an hour untangling them. Then, when I would get a strand untangled only half of it would light up! UGH! I finally got it all done and just in time, b/c Sis. Lee came over at 11:00 to talk about YWomen’s. She gave me a binder w/ lots of good info and the lesson manual. She gave me a brief overview of each girl and then we talked about some activities coming up. I am SUPER excited to serve in Young Women’s and was glad to hear we have a great group of girls.

After she left, Autumn & I went & dropped off some more boxes to Goodwill. It feels good to clear things out. I got the whole front room all cleaned out and organized & it looks great! After we dropped off the boxes we went over to Mom & Dad’s house so I could wrap the $1 store presents for the party tonight.

While we were there, Liz & Liberty called and said they wanted to stop by to drop off a housewarming gift & see the house. So, we came & met them at the house. I know this picture stinks b/c of the back light, but it’s the only one we got. They brought me a cool candle stand for the mantle & then some cake pops for Autumn. The best present for me was getting to hold & feed Baby Jacob his bottle, and visit w/ Liz & Liberty. I know I say this all the time, but they really are FABULOUS friends. It was nice to sit & talk & relax before the craziness ensued.

Autumn & I went to the store to buy Sprite & ginger ale for drinks, marshmallows & cereal for rice crispy treats, and then an impulse buy…The Help on DVD. I can’t believe that it came out on Tuesday and it took me until today to buy it. I LOVED that movie (although I liked the book so much better) and had planned to buy it when it came out on DVD. After that, we went and got our pizza & crazy bread for the party. On our way home, we saw these 3 hot air balloons & Autumn was so excited and kept saying that they were following us.

We got home and there were 3 boys that showed up and helped bring in the pizzas & presents. They sat & talked to me while I tried to make the rice crispy treats, which was you can see were not turning out well. My mixing bowl was too small and that’s why I had to use my hands to mix it. The party was supposed to start at 5:00, and no one else had showed up by 5:10 so I said too bad for sad for the other kids, b/c we were going to start. The 3 boys that were there were so excited b/c they each got their own dipping sauce. 2 more girls finally showed up around 5:30 and that was it! I was disappointed that out of a class of 12 kids only 5 came. But, we made the most of it and had a blast anyways. After the kids were full on pizza & crazy bread, we played our present game.

Each kid got a present & then I read “T’was The Night Before Christmas” and every time I said the word “and”, we passed our present one person to the right. Then every time I said the word “the”, we passed our present one person to the left. When we were finally done w/ the poem, we opened our presents one at a time and then the kids could steal a present from someone else before they opened their own if they wanted. Because we only had 5 kids, we had enough presents left over to play the present game again. One of the presents was these huge oversized purple scissors. I thought they might actually cut, but as you can see…they don’t.

We still had about 20 minutes before the party was over, so we all went upstairs to the game room & busted out the karaoke machine. The kids were loving it & singing at the top of their lungs and dancing around. Autumn thought it was the greatest thing ever to get to party w/ all the big kids. It was fun to get to interact w/ the kids outside of Primary. They are a great group and I’m glad I’ll still get to see them on Wednesdays at YMen/YWomens.

After they left, I had my own private party w/ my new Project Life. I hard ordered the Cobalt & Clementine core kit editions, and the website said they would be delivered on Monday. I was beyond giddy to see an amazon.com package on my doorstep when Autumn & I came home to meet Liz & Liberty here. But, I exercised total restraint and didn’t open the boxes until all the kids had left. Once I got out the papers and set them out on my table I decided to go with the Cobalt edition for 2012 b/c I love the bright & vibrant colors. The sayings on these journaling card boxes rang true to me: Live, Laugh, Love & Document!

Mom & Dad called and I told them to come over and watch The Help w/ me b/c Dad hadn’t seen it yet and wanted to b/c Mom & I had raved about it. It’s such a good movie & for sure one that’s going in my collection of favorites. Once the movie was over and they left to go home, it was getting late. I put Autumn to bed and then put on Steel Magnolias and put together all my pages in PLife for 2012. I am all set to go starting the first day of 2012, which is such a great feeling. At the end of 2011 I don’t have to feel behind or stressed, b/c I’m all caught up. I have a whole year of memories documented and done in a cute way.

Becky asks the people send in their “glamour shots” of their white boxes, and this is the one I sent in. I have to mention that…NO, I did NOT buy all of these at once. I have slowly gotten some here & some there as my budget has allowed. But I wanted a picture of them all together in one place. I like how the new core boxes have which edition they are on the side of them.

Traditions Are Worth The Work

2011-12-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today after work/school, we went over to Mom & Dad’s house to eat dinner. Autumn’s tooth is looking so loose that I asked Dad if he could try and pull it out so she doesn’t accidentally swallow it. I thought she would scream & cry but she just sat there and let him try pulling on it a few times. We thought he got it, but the front of the tooth isn’t loose enough yet so we’ll wait a few days and try again. I was really impressed w/ how well Autumn handled it.

After dinner we came home and there were 2 packages in the mail for Autumn Bottom from Jason, Nicole & Khloe. The big red one in the back is for Christmas Day and the others are 12 Days of Christmas. I know it’s too early for 12 Days of Christmas, but there was no way I was going to talk Autumn into waiting to open one gift. So, I let her open one and she was so happy and excited.

After that, it was time to put up the tree & decorate it. After the tree was done, we put together our new Thomas the Train track. It’s such a cute train, and I’m glad Mom gave it to us. She had originally bought it to put around their tree, but it was too small to go around their tree. And, Andrew already has one so we got to inherit this one and it’s perfect. It’s kid friendly so I don’t have to worry about Autumn touching it & breaking it. There are 3 different “scenes” that the train goes through and each scene required 3 batteries, plus the train needs one. So, that is why Nick is holding up those 3 remotes, b/c we had to borrow some batteries from the remotes to make it work.

I like this picture of Autumn sitting next to the tree in her Christmas tutu that Heather made for her a few years ago. I also love how you can see the reflection of the tree lights on the wood floor.

She had a blast playing w/ the train and this moment I was able to capture just melts my heart. This is going to be the best Christmas together we’ve had so far b/c she’s old enough to really get it, yet she’s still so sweet & innocent. I always make sure to ask her what we are celebrating at Christmas so that we don’t lose sight of what’s important. When we were decorating the tree tonight we talked about the stars and how they represent the new star that showed the shepherds & wisemen where to find Baby Jesus.

I was saying to Mom the other day how I don’t do all the cool decorating that she used to do when we were little b/c I’m lazy & Autumn’s too young to remember anyways. However, after putting up the tree tonight I have seen the error of my ways. Even though the traditions are a lot of work, they are SO worth it b/c of the memories they create. And maybe Autumn won’t remember them when she’s older, but I will, and I get the chance to document those moments and memories so she can look back on them years from now.

I am so thankful that Mom always made (and still does) the holidays so special, and now that I’m a Mom myself I appreciate it so much more. I am beginning to realize how much effort goes into making those traditions memorable, which makes me love her more than ever. I’m blessed beyond measure b/c I have an amazing mother & I have the opportunity to be and do the same for Autumn.

Christmas Letters, A Scrapple Story & Autumn’s Loose Tooth

2011-12-07T23:39:00.000-07:00

Since I got my new iPhone, I figured I could just use my phone to take pics instead of having to carry around a point & shoot camera. However, there was a GORGEOUS sunset tonight and I couldn’t capture it on my iPhone camera. Then I had Dad take this pic of Mom & I working on the Christmas letters. But, as you can see the picture turned out too dark & grainy. So, I am going to start carrying my camera again so I don’t miss picture opportunities & then I’ll just use my iPhone camera as a last resort.

It was fun to sit and do Christmas letters w/ Mom while we got caught up on recorded episodes of Survivor & Modern Family. I especially liked getting to see the names of family & friends that I haven’t seen in a while.

That prompted me to call Aunt Carol (Grandpa Johnson’s sister) to ask her about the tradition of scrapple on Christmas morning. She said she doesn’t know where us only eating it on Christmas morning came from, but she gave me some GREAT history that I didn’t know.

She said it came from her Mother’s grandma, Susan Boyack who came over from Scotland after her husband died. She moved to Spanish Fork and opened a boarding house to support herself. Aunt Carol remembers her Mom making scrapple in an old enamel pan w/ green edging. So, it’s nice to know a little bit more of the history of where scrapple came from.

I had read on someone’s blog that this Hand-Spun Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake from Chick-fil-a is super good. So, Autumn & I decided to try it on our way home. Do yourself a favor and go get one! If you don’t live near a Chick-fil-a, let me know and I’ll go enjoy one for you! Tee hee hee.

Autumn Bottom is going to be losing her first tooth any day now! You can see the big permanent tooth coming in behind it. After finishing the Christmas cards, Autumn & I came home so I could put her to bed and then I worked on putting all my pictures in my PLife binder. I haven’t printed pictures since early September, so since Mom was printing her Christmas cards, I decided to print my pictures too so we could both get a discount for printing so many pictures. Luckily I organize my pictures into a folder on a daily basis so it was super easy to just select and print them.

It feels so good to be all caught up when just a few days ago I was more than 2 months behind in both pics & journaling. I’ll share a post in the near future on how I got caught up so fast.