Nakies...

My little Gracie has begun the adorable, yet, often terribly annoying 'naked stage'. All of you mothers know exactly the phase I'm talking about. Every morning when we go into her room to get her out of her crib, we find her in only a diaper with her warm pjs in a pile on the floor near her crib. When we go ANYWHERE she rips off her shoes. If I'm lucky she leaves her socks on. So when we get to our destination, I have to put shoes, and sometimes socks, back on her. She often strips all of her clothes off during the day as well. Thankfully she keeps her diaper on instead of streaking around the house in all her glory. We used to have to duct tape the boys' diapers on them when they went through this stage. I probably wouldn't mind too much if it wasn't wintertime and if we didn't live in an old, drafty house. Oh well, I'm sure she'll outgrow it like her brothers did before kindergarten. :)

She has finally started talking more. Most of what she says is hard to understand but she is trying so that's improvement.
Some her cute little words are.....
DeDe-Gracie
DooDoo-Doggy
Yeah-Zack
YeahYeah-Zack-y
Me-Drink
oo-Food
MaMa-Mama AND Grandma  I once said, Gracie, say G-R-A-N-D-M-A. She said...M-A-M-A
wahwah-sock
wahwah-washcloth
And the ever elusive   ~DE~   Still can't figure that one out. Sometimes it means cheese but other times she says it over and over and cries and gets upset when we can't figure it out. We've pulled out our best charades playing skills but still...nothin'.

Rise and Shine...

We used to be so diligent about having family scripture study every night before our kids went to bed. That was until Zack started playing baseball. The hours are so crazy! It throws our whole schedule out of wack and we have such a hard time recovering it when the season ends. Course once that ends, football season is right around the corner and it's just as difficult to stay on track. We have a hard time squeezing dinner in, let alone scripture study. And the kids are so hard to keep under control for scriptures in the evening when they are more energetic (won't keep quiet) and can't stay still (they poke, punch, and bug the heck out of each other which leads to lots of referreeing and a general lack of feeling the spirit). When this school year started we decided that Brian and I would take turns reading scriptures while the kids ate their breakfast. They just talked to each other the whole time instead of listening. And then Brian started working 4 days a week,10 hours a day so he can be home on Fridays to help me more and he started waking up at like 6:10 a.m. The boys have to wake up at 6:50 in order to make the bus on time. So, we've started getting the kids up at 6:30 to read scriptures and I must say it is FABULOUS!!! We have iliminated all talking, poking, punching, and bugging each other. They're still half asleep so they're too tired to do anything but sit there on the couch, wrapped snugly in their blankets, listening. It's wonderful! We should have done this years ago! Getting them up a little early has been awesome! By the time we are finished reading scriptures they are good and awake. When they get dressed and eat breakfast they aren't so sluggish and that parts easier. I've even made eggs and toast for breakfast a few times and Brian made pancakes once on a Friday morning with the extra time we have. They eat cold cereal, instant oatmeal cooked in the microwave, or toast and yogurt or fruit most mornings so they love this improvement. And I don't feel so guilty so it's all good. :)

Great idea...

Matthew's Primary teacher last year was INCREDIBLE!!! All the kids loved her. She was there almost every week and really took her calling seriously and did a great job! In January she gave Matthew this book to take home and keep. It is a journal he worked on each week last year. There is always extra time after the lesson in primary. Some teachers fill the extra time by taking the children for a little walk, singing songs, letting them color, or if the kids are older, the old reliable "Spiritual Hangman". Sister Hamaker, however, chose to have the kids work on a little journal each week. I think it is just fabulous! I wish I'd had this idea with the zillions of primary classes we've taught over the years! I thought it was such a great idea I'd share.

It was also really fun to see the improvement in his handwriting since he was half way through Kindergarten when they started the books and then halfway through 1st Grade when they finished.

These are some of my favorite pages...
This is the first page but could have easily been put on the cover of the 3 ring binder. She left the cover plain. She put the pages in page protectors.

Apparently he was absent this week but it's quite nice.

 This was the Father's Day page and he wrote on the hearts...he is nice...he makes me laugh.

 I shared my blocks with Max and made him happy

 It says on the bottom of the page...I'm grabbing my sister so she won't bite my brothers.      hehe

The next picture has nothing to do with the rest of the post but I thought the roses that Brian gave me for Valentine's Day were so pretty. They all opened up really big just like they do on a rose bush. Usually they stay pretty closed, which is equally pretty.

I organized my...

recipe blog. Finally!!! I  decided to label my recipe blog. I'm still working on labeling this blog but the recipe blog is finished now. I hope you check it out!!   http://www.tarasyummyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Loser mom...again, Chore chart progress report, and Way to go Zacky!!!

~So, I'm checking facebook (rare for me because it gives my computers viruses but I was totally bored) on Sunday night around 9:00 and I read one of my friend Emily's posts that talks about her son's Valentine box he made for school. UH OH!!! We totally spaced off the Valentine's boxes. We were going to do them on Saturday. Matthew was going to make a dragon. Zack was still figuring his out. They were going to be awesome and they were totally going to win 1st prize in the Valentine box contest at school! Man I suck sometimes... Sorry mom, I had to say it! Luckily Zack was still awake because Brian has been letting him stay up until 9:00 lately. The poor kid had to stay up late and throw a box together. It was pretty cool and even had a monster drawn on it with it's mouth open around the card slot. Matthew had to get up early and throw his together. They would have totally rocked when I was a kid but since the Valentine's box competition is CrAzY and people are really intense about it, they didn't have a chance! When there are Spongebob, Bunnies, a whale, and a dragon that are all HUGE and intricate and totally awesome there is NO way my kid's had a chance at winning. They knew going into it after their experience last year. That is why we were going to make totally awesome ones this year. Unfortunately, I taught Zack to clean the bathroom Saturday, made the other kids do chores, took Max to his friend Michael's super fun 2 1/2 hour birthday party at the Wave Pool. We finally got faster Internet for several reasons and now we can watch our Netflix movies through the wii so we pretty much spent any spare time we had over the weekend watching movies. So, after the bday party we watched a movie while the kids played outside since it was a beautiful afternoon and apparently none of us even thought about the Valentine's boxes. Next year...it...is...on!!! We are going to start making them in like January so I won't be a loser mom and my kids will at least have a chance at winning! You'll see! It's going to be great!
~Max is cracking me up lately so much. He is always hilarious but lately he is just really funny. I am SO like Dori on Finding Nemo so I can't remember 5 minutes later what he said but it is fun to have a good laugh at the moment. I'm going to start writing everything he says in a notebook in my purse now so I can remember and share. I'm just a mess!
~Zhack talksh really shilly lately becaushe he hash retainersh now. He got them last Friday. His top one is cobalt blue (he picked it because it's called BYU blue but I am a Utes fan so I'm choosing to call it cobalt blue) with the Batman symbol. Totally awesome!!!
~This new chore chart thing is the best! Last night Matthew's chore was to straighten the living room, Max's chore was to vacuum the living room, Zack's chore was to peel potatoes. When they were finished Matthew asked if he could wash the dishes, too. Who am I to stand in the way of a kid that wants to work! When he was finished he was disappointed that there weren't any more for him to wash. AND he's totally stoked about learning to clean the bathroom on Saturday. He keeps telling me everyday that he just can't wait until Saturday so he can learn to clean the bathroom. He was my biggest grumbler about chores for the first few days and now he's my biggest helper. How cool is that?!
~Zacky has always been a great student. His kindergarten and first grade teachers in Cedar City called him "brilliant"! He was always one of the 3 top scoring kids in the class. His second grade and third grade teachers in Pleasant Grove were INTERESTING!!! At that school they literally tried to dumb things down for students that excelled so that everyone was on the same learning level instead of having different levels for different kids. I talked to his second grade teacher about how he was reading at a fourth grade level in the first grade and just wondered how he was doing. And she said that she didn't realize he was that great of a reader, she would have to test him. This was in FEBRUARY!!! It was just not the same, to say the least. The teacher he had in Salem for the last 3 months of 3rd grade (we moved there in March...HARD for him!) was interesting. Each time someone misbehaved EVERYONE was punished by having to put their heads on their desks for a minute. The next time it happened it was 2 minutes, then 3 and so on throughout the day. How is that fair to anyone! Here's my poor Zacky who has always behaved so well (every one of his teachers has said they wished all of their students were as well behaved and as kind to the other students as Zacky is) and he's being punished off and on all day long for other's bad behavior instead of rewarded for his good behavior. Not cool! One morning on the way to school, he was crying because he didn't want to go so I started crying too and just kept him home. I just couldn't do it. Fourth grade here last year was..eh. Now, this year his teacher is outstanding and recognizes that he is "brilliant" :) and LOVES my boy so much! She challenges him and helps him become the best he can be. It's been amazing! He and 2 other students this year are always the top scorers on everything. She moved all 3 of them up to accelerated programs in reading and math. He is doing so, so well! He's happier! We're happier! It's been a wonderful year and I am so grateful that things are going so well for him! He really needed this boost in his confidence after so much weirdness! And with all of our crazy moves and everything I am just so proud of him and his ability to be so resilient and remain the "brilliant" :) amazing boy that we love so much!!!

Valentiney stuff...

I have had some empty veggie cans that I intended to decorate cute for teacher's treats since before Halloween. I FINALLY decided to do something with them for Valentine's Day. I think they are cute. I know they could have been embellished more but I think they are cute, yet simple. :)  I also took some to some new girls in our YW and one to the kid's bus driver. She always gives them cute treats for each holiday. I had a plate of goodies for her for Christmas but couldn't get out there fast enough so I made her one of these cans. I made them Sunday evening. Then on Valentine's Day I made some red velvet cupcakes with white cream cheese frosting, some strawberry cupcakes with pink cream cheese frosting, and some of those little cherry cheesecakes in cupcake papers. I delivered those to friends, Brian's office, and gals I visit teach. I just love Valentine's Day! It makes me happy! Brian gave me a dozen red roses. They smell so good and are so pretty!

 This is my favorite one...

This one was my favorite...

Delusions of a Super Mom

I used to have chore charts for the kids. I just had them do a few chores like making their beds, cleaning toys, setting the table. Easy stuff. When we first moved to Price I never started that up again, having faith that we'd be moving any day and we'd start it in our new place. Then, when we moved here life was crazy! My health was steadily declining and I just didn't do it. Now that the medication I'm on helps with some of my symptoms I have been able to start doing more deep cleaning, organizing and just plain trying to make more sense out of life. Some days are really hard and I just can't do much so I have to play catch up for the next couple days and when I change medicine I have harder days but when it kind of evens out and I actually feel pretty decent I really dig in! I can't do EVERYTHING! I know that! Ever since my diagnoses in November I guess I have felt more like it's ok to start asking Brian and the kids to do more to help out. I have so much guilt over that usually because I have that whole complex about being a stay at home mom and feeling like because I do that I have to be super mom and super wife and get it all done and not ask for help because that's how I "earn my keep". Brian NEVER has made me feel that way I just feel that way!!! I think a lot of it is the stereotype of a stay at home mom sitting around eating bonbons or something you know. I am ALWAYS busy! There is ALWAYS something to be done. I WISH I could just sit around and eat bonbons all day. I have to force myself to take breaks because my body needs breaks and even still I have that guilt. Brian keeps encouraging me to scrapbook and sew and stuff but I just have a hard time giving myself permission to do those things. Well, I've started asking Brian and the boys to do more to help and it's been wonderful! I still have plenty to do but it really helps to have them do more. I really shied away from the usual chore chart because I have my kids help me all the time and I hated to put more on them than they already were doing not that they were over worked or anything. I was just feeling that stupid supermom complex crap that made me think I should be able to do it all and what the heck is wrong with me that I can't! My kids are always putting dishes away in lower cabinets, getting things out of lower cabinets, picking stuff up off the floor and handing it to me, getting the clothes out of the dryer for me when it hurts too much to do that, getting stuff out of bottom drawers for me, just basically being at my beck and call all day to help me perform tasks that have become impossible or at least extremely painful for me to do on my own. We had them take care of the dog most of the time and we have them do quite a lot of stuff outside as well. Well, even with the extra help I finally decided we need more organization in our lives. I knew I needed to do a chore chart again so that things were more organized and so that the kids were helping more and learning to clean and such, I just didn't know where to begin. After talking with Brian, my Mom, my friend Sherelle, and reading some chore chart stuff online I decided what I need is a flexible chore chart. There are some things that are just expected, everyday things that MUST be done every day by each of them. Like brushing teeth, making beds, doing homework, straightening bedrooms. It's the blank spots on the chart that are my favorite parts!!! Every day I get to write chores down that I need done specifically for that day. One day I needed the dining room vacuumed, the table cleared off, and the toys cleaned up around the house. Every day is different for each of them and they (mostly Matthew) grumble a lot but I keep assuring them that it will be good for them to learn to be hard workers. And it has been great to teach them about working together as a team/family to get things done and how there are 6 of us and I am only one woman and it's just impossible for me to take care of everything for 6 people. It's hard getting used to all of this again after having a break for the past 2 years from chore charts but all in all I think it is going ok. Today, I taught Zack to clean the bathroom. Many of you will be appalled that I am just now teaching my 10 year old to clean a bathroom. I know. It was that supermom thing, and the fear of bleached out clothing, etc. that held me back. I have to say that it was one of the funniest things I have ever experienced in my entire life!!! He was literally gagging when he was cleaning the toilet and the floor around the toilet. It was hilarious! He's quite the little comedian and had me in stitches the entire time as he over exaggerated his disgust at having to do this chore!!! I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how long! He laughed too and it was actually a fun experience. Next weekend it's Matthew's turn to learn to clean the bathroom. I have a feeling it might not be so enjoyable...Wish me luck!!!

Popcorn Popping

Our Young Women activity was extra fun this week! It started out with one of the leaders reading this Parable of the Popcorn to us.

The Parable of the Popcorn

Behold at the time of the harvest, the ears of corn did bring forth

kernels which we dried and prepared for the popper's hand.

And then it was that the popper did take the kernels, all of which

appeared alike unto him, and did apply the oil and the heat.

And it came to pass that when the heat was on, some did explode with

promise and did magnify themselves an hundred fold, and some did burst

forth with whiteness which did both gladden the eye and satisfy the taste

of the popper. And likewise, some others did pop, but not too much.

But lo, there were some that did just lie there and even though the

popper's heat was alike unto all, they did bask in the warmth of the oil

and kept everything they had for themselves.

And so it came to pass that those which had given of themselves did bring

joy and delight to many munchers, but those which kept of the warmth and

did not burst forth were fit only to be cast out into the pail and though

of with hardness and disgust.

And thus we see that in the beginning all appear alike, but when the heat

is on, some come forth and give their all, while others fail to pop and

become as chaff to be discarded and forgotten.

Which are you?

Bursting with enthusiasm, ready to give your all


OR


Content to keep to yourself, and not pop or just pop a little

Then, another leader gave some examples of ways this applies to us and stuff. It was nice. Then the fun part! All of the leaders and some of the YW brought different kinds of popcorn to share with everyone and exchanged the recipes. I LoVe getting new recipes!!! And they were absolutely delicious!!! We loaded up bags full of all the different kinds of popcorn to take to our inactive and less active girls and then we each got to load up a bag full for ourselves. So fun!!! Then we loaded up into cars and visited the girls. It was a great night! I thought I'd share in case you all needed a new yummy treat to try. Also, at Max's preschool Valentine's Party yesterday a girl brought white cheddar popcorn that her mom made. Her mom says that there are some different flavored salts at Walmart by the popcorn and she just popped the popcorn in her popper and then sprinkled the white cheddar flavor on it. It was fabulous! I don't usually like cheese popcorn but this white cheddar flavor was so salty and delicious! Good stuff! I just made some and the bottle suggests buying some sort of spray stuff to make it stick to the popcorn. I didn't read it until I was home so I sprayed some cooking spray on it and it stuck and was good. Also I salted the popcorn more with regular salt as well and that made it better.  

Sesame-Ginger Popcorn

This snack is as fun to make as it is to eat. It's popcorn with a twist. Toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, brown sugar, and fresh grated ginger give this popcorn it's unique sweet and spicy flavor. If you are looking for something tempting to serve at your next movie night, this delicious snack is the one.

Ingredients

• 6 cups popped popcorn                         
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1-1/2 cups lightly salted cashews
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove all unpopped kernels from popped popcorn. Put popcorn and cashews in a greased 17x12x2 inch baking or roasting pan.

• In a medium saucepan combine brown sugar, butter corn syrup, ginger, and sesame oil. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Continue boiling at a moderate rate, without stirring, for 5 minutes more.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in sesame seeds, vanilla, and baking soda. Pour mixture over popcorn mixture. Stir gently to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring twice. Spread popcorn mixture on a large piece of buttered foil to cool. Store tightly covered. Makes 8&1/2 cups.

Cinnamon Popcorn

• 2-3 quarts popped corn in a large bowl
• 4 Tablespoons butter-melt in a small saucepan.
• Add: 3 Tablespoons water, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Increase heat. Boil 3-4 minutes. Stir into popcorn. Stir while cooling.

White Chocolate Popcorn Crunch

• 5 cups popped popcorn
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
• 1/2 cups sliced almonds
• 12 ounces white chocolate baking chips, chopped white chocolate or white candy coating
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Here's how:

Cover a baking pan with foil or wax paper; set aside. Place popcorn, cranberries and almonds in a large bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring until smooth OR melt according to package directions. (If chocolate in not smooth after melting, stir in 1-2 tablespoons shortening until mixture is smooth and loose enough to coat popcorn).  Pour chocolate mixture over popcorn mixture and stir to coat.  Spread onto prepared pan; allow to cool completely. When chocolate is cooled and set, brerak into chunks for serving. Sotre in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Variation: White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn Crunch: Omit cranberries and almonds. Stir in 1 cup crushed hard candy peppermint after chocolate is melted.

Marshmallow Pink Popcorn

1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. light corn syrup

2 Tblsp. butter

 1/4 cup water

3 cups mini marshmallows, divided

2 cups powdered sugar

6 drops red food coloring

4 quarts popped corn

1 cup salted peanuts

In heavy saucepan blend syrup, butter & water. Cook over low heat until mixture thickens. Add 1 cup of the marshmallows and stir until they melt. Add powdered sugar and coloring. Stir and cook until bubbling. Pour over corn and salted nuts and the rest of the marshmallows.

Jello Popcorn

1 c. unpopped corn (24 c. popped popcorn)
Salt, optional

3 oz. pkg. Jello

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. light corn syrup

Put popcorn in large bowl. Salt to taste. Put Jello powder, sugar and syrup into saucepan. Heat and stir to dissolve. Bring to boil. Pour over popcorn. Stir to coat well.

One of our girls brought raspberry flavored Jello popcorn and one of the leaders brought strawberry flavor and grape flavor. All delicious!!!

Gummy Bear Popcorn

I took this one. It's my ex-sister-in-law, Anna's recipe. LOVE IT!!!

1 cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups marshmallows

Pop 2 or 3 bags of buttered popcorn. Pour onto cookie sheets and gently pick up popcorn and put into large mixing bowl so that the unpopped kernals fall to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle gummy bears over popcorn and gently toss. Melt butter-add sugar and syrup. Bring to boil, stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and stir in marshmallows. Pour over popcorn and gummy bears. It will melt the gummi bears if you it this way otherwise you have chewy gummy bears mixed in and trust me it isn't so yummy! Just stir and stir until gummy bears are nicely melted and eveything is mixed well. Then poor out onto  cookie sheets and ENJOY!!! Anna insists that Kraft marshmallows and real butter are necessary for the recipe. I am cheap and use Great Value marshmallows and it works out well but I totally agree on the butter!!!

Mouse attack...

So, I totally hate mice as most people do. We had one in our apartment in Pleasant Grove and it totally freaked me out! That was the first time in the whole time we've been married so I guess that's pretty good. Then we moved here. To the outskirts of town. Everyone kept warning us that we would probably have problems with mice but we just kept our fingers crossed that there wouldn't be any. One morning we came to the living room for scripture study and the boys noticed a mouse sitting on Brian's shoe. We brought our dog in and thought she would attack it because she likes to catch mice under the bushes and play with them to death. She never noticed the stupid thing and the mouse never moved once. Brian picked up his shoe and took it outside and threw the mouse off of it and the dog "played" with it and we thought that was that. I haven't been able to put shoes on without shaking them out first ever since just in case a mouse has decided they would make a nice cozy home to live in. So freaked out! Well, Brian decided to get me a HUGE bag of Peanut M&M's for my birthday which was a Thursday. He bought them the night before and hid them in his sock drawer until he would give them to me in the morning. Well, when he brought them to me there was a hole in the bag where a stupid mouse had chewed through the plastic to get to the M&M's. I was so freaked out! Another mouse! And since the month of January was so tight (see previous post) that was my only present from him which I totally appreciated other than the fact that I had to throw them away because of a stupid old mouse! Brian set some traps out. A couple days later on Saturday morning I was in my bedroom getting something out of the closet and had all of my weight on one foot and the other stretched back a foot or so behind me, when I start feeling this weird sensation on my heel. It feel like little claws coming around both sides of my heel. Like put your forefinger and your thumb around your heel and scratch and pull back lightly til they touch again and that is what it felt  like. It creeped me out a bit but I just figured it was no big deal and moved my foot several inches away from that spot and...it happened again. Well, I FREAKED OUT!!! I don't know exactly what happened after the initial screaming started. I kind of blacked out or something. I ended up on my butt on the floor, right where I'm thinking this dangerous, killer mouse is right, Brian's exercise bike is on top of my face and I'm screaming bloody murder and repeating at the top of my lungs, "Brian, HELP ME! Brian, HELP ME!"  He comes rushing in, along with all of my children, asking what's the matter. My nose is bleeding at this point and it really hurts from the scuffle I had with the exercise bike I'm still on the floor and can't get up and they are all looking at me like I've lost my mind when I tell them about being attacked by the dangerous killer mouse. Especially poor Gracie just looked at me with this very concerned look on her face. Not my proudest moment. But what would you have done if you thought a mouse was attacking you. I mean really. Under such circumstances you just don't always think logically you just think about survival!  :) I was thinking this morning that my nose seems all better now and thought I'd share my ridiculous story with you all. I hope it made you laugh!  

Dana's here! Stupid Medicine! Fun weekend! Blessed! Making stuff...

 I really try to be positive and remember the many wonderful blessings our loving Heavenly Father has given us. But sometimes I have a bad day. Today is one of those days. I really hate feeling like this. I hate thinking of the things we don't have and really facing the disappointment of unrealized dreams, wishes, hopes, as meaningless and trivial as they may be. I hate feeling like I know my joy is there somewhere I just need to try harder to find it today than most days. I changed medicine last weekend and it made me weird. Well, I'm already weird so I guess I should say it made me weirder. :)  I went off the first medicine too quickly which caused CRAZY withdrawals. I was a MESS!!! My mom came and helped me Monday and Tuesday and left Wednesday morning. I appreciated her help so much! I just hate having something wrong with me! I really hate medicine and all that goes along with it! I just hope this one actually helps and then I can start appreciating medicine in my life instead of resenting it! Every time I add a pill or switch medicines I am just plain weird for days. I added one Friday morning and I was still weird from changing the medicine in the first place and now I'm definitely weird!!! It was fun spending time with my mom! I have missed having her come and stay and the kids were THRILLED about her staying!!! Zack thought she had gone home Tuesday because Brian had her car and when he came in the house after school and saw her he dropped to the ground and said YES!!! You're still here!!! Cracked me up! I said, Hey, no one ever reacts like that when they see me! :) 

My sister Dana came Friday for a visit from Colorado. She stopped by on her way to my parents' town. Then we went up Friday and stayed until Sunday night. Brian gets paid monthly now instead of twice a month. It started in January. We only had 1 of his 2 week paychecks to last the entire month of January during the lovely transition. I only mention it because it was truly a miracle that we survived the month! We were so truly blessed! We didn't have to beg, steal, or borrow or anything we just...made it through. I know we made it because we pay our tithing!!! If it weren't for that who knows what the month would have been like. It wasn't an easy month at all!! It stressed me out so much I just can't tell you! We had some touch and go moments. Syphoning gas from one of our cars to the other was involved but we made it! LOL!! Definitely a low point! But it all ended up well and when the month ended and we evaluated the situation we just truly felt blessed! We felt like marathon runners crossing the finish line! When payday hit it was like a drowning person finally getting water! We were so happy!!! We had run out of EVERYTHING!!!! We had plenty of food and clothing and gas (just not in the right car LOL). I ran out of laundry soap on Thursday or Friday and payday was Tuesday so that was kind of hairy but I had planned my last soap well so that we had everything we needed to last til payday. The laundry room just became a VERY scary place! HAHA All in all it worked out! I just mention it because I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father who always takes good care of us and makes sure we have everything we NEED. I am grateful to be His daughter and to know that He loves me and my little family and that He is mindful of us and our needs. My testimony of His love for us and my love for Him grew during that month. It was difficult going through the month but looking back it was such a blessing. I know He loves all of us and looks out for us! See there, I'm already feeling happier just remembering His love for me! The best gift!!!

Well, now that Brian is only getting paid once a month and we have 6 people in our family and a limited budget we decided while we were in Utah County we would make a trip to Sam's. I so miss living in Pleasant Grove where I could go to Costco every paycheck and load up. I'm learning to be more organized. I have always made up a menu for the entire 2 weeks and shopped right on payday for everything we might need during that 2 weeks. I don't ever want to find ourselves at the end of the pay period, out of food to eat and out of money so we always cover that base first thing!! I guess I am pretty organized already but now that I have to do it for an entire month at once I have to kick up the organization a few notches. Life happens and things come up and if I don't do it up front we won't have it at the end. I bought 2 things of laundry soap this time I can tell you that! And I bought Ziplocs at Sam's because we ran out of those and I use those for EVERYTHING!!! And flour lots of flour! I'm learning as I go. We love a good trip to Sam's or Costco so it will be fun for us to make a monthly grocery shopping trip up there and to some of my favorite grocery stores like Macey's and I have heard wonderful things about Winco. Can't wait to check them out!

I got a pedicure while I was up there too. I used a gift certificate Nathan and Heidi gave me for my birthday. It was nice! I was going to get my hair done there but chickened out and a pedicure was just what I needed! So relaxing! My friend Sherelle taught me to make those cute little flower clips for little girls' hair so I took all my supplies up with me and we all made cute little flower clips! It was really fun! It was fun spending lots of time with my sisters! I love them all so much! Dana, Stephanie, KayTee, and Heidi (Nathan's wife) are all different, beautiful, talented, wonderful women! We laughed and had a great time! I wish we all lived close and could just spend time together like that all the time!!! I think about all the times we spent singing into our hairbrush microphones, dancing, watching chick flicks, braiding each other's hair, talking, playing games, and just being silly when we were kids and I miss that time. Now we enjoy each other in different ways. Instead of Prom dress shopping we went grocery shopping. We're more tired and poop out sooner than we used to. We have little kiddos to care for and to put to bed early. But we savor the moments we can spend together and I'm so grateful to have them in my life!!!  Last night we went to Steph and J.J.'s for a fun Super Bowl Party. It's always fun to go to their parties! The food was divine! It was a fun weekend! Dana will be here until Friday. Maybe that's what I'm most upset about today. She's in UTAH and I'm HERE! Not fun! Whatchya gonna do?!

I am going to embellish the middles of some of these differently. I just put a brad in for now til I find what I'm looking for. They were fun to make! Remember if you click on the picture you can see them bigger.  :)