Thursday, June 30, 2011

Rylee Hannah Smith, an inspiring little lady

One of my dear dear friends, Megan Boyack Smith, passed away last November, 5 months after giving birth to her first child. She had a healthy pregnancy, everything was going as planned.  She contracted cancer at some point between her routine blood work (2 weeks before delivery) and during labor. It was all rather strange and horrible. It seemed she was supposed to have that baby girl at that time in order for the cancer to be caught when it was. After a very valiant and brave fight, Meg passed away. And she left behind a beautiful, happy, shiny little girl named Rylee Hannah Smith.


I've met Rylee only once, when she traveled to my hometown for her Mother's memorial service. When that baby girl entered the room in her Father's arms, everyone stopped. The room became so full of such a special and sweet calm. It was such a wonderful experience, I will never forget it. Seeing Rylee was like seeing my dear friend Megan in a smaller body. So special. She has the sweetest disposition, the sweetest spirit.

I can't really explain why, but Rylee is such an inspiration to me. She is the epitome of moving forward, of not giving up, of happiness, of joy, of perseverance. She has one of the most perfect women in the world for a Mother and yet she will only see her in pictures. When I think of Rylee, I think of all the special things she stands for. She is seriously the poster child for hope. Seeing Rylee, I can't help but know that we all have a reason for being here, we all have a reason for being who we are, we all have a reason for being where we are.
Rylee, you are amazing.
Thank you for the light you shine in this world.

Mama’s Losin’ It
2.) Write about a child you find inspiring.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wordful Wednesday

10 Things I Never Knew Until I Was Mom
(In no particular order, because that would take too much thinking and prioritizing)

  1. I could smell, hear, and clean up throw-up and not throw-up myself.
  2. I could go all day, rather productively, on 3 hours of sleep.
  3. I am capable of being extremely selfless.
  4. How exciting tractors and trains are.
  5. Other people's opinions regarding parenting seem to matter now, though I try to ignore them.
  6. Going to the bathroom by myself is a total luxury. Who knew?
  7. Vinegar cleans almost anything.
  8. I can carry a baby, a toddler, my bag, a backpack, a juice cup and hold a dog leash all at the same time.
  9. My kisses can heal (literally, they make things "all better!")
  10. Everything I do has a direct impact on someone or something.



(This post is linked up with Parenting BY Dummies for Wordful Wednesday!)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Cooking mistakes

Alright people, I'm about to fess up.

One time I made a lemon meringue pie and couldn't figure out how to make meringue so I put whip cream on top.
source

One time I made a Boston Cream Pie but used regular white flour instead of cake flour. I entered said pie in a bake contest. It didn't really look right to me, and I didn't taste it before I entered it. Long story short (who am I kidding? This isn't a long story at all!), the pie lost. It was hard as a rock. What can I say? I was 10.

I always wanted to be a good cook when
I was younger. I even hosted "restaurant nights" at home where I would set up the living room nice, heat up some left overs, take orders from my family (the only thing on the menu was left overs....) and serve them. I thought it was awesome. I never really succeeded at cooking anything well until I got married and had no choice but to learn how to cook or continue on buying things from the freezer section. So, learn to cook I did.

I'm still not a fantastic baker. But I can cook chicken without drying it out, I can make pork nice and tender, I can make a curry dish like you wouldn't believe and I've learned how to make a mean meatloaf. Cooking isn't something I enjoy as much as I wish I did, but I've been told as soon as it's not something that has to hurry-up-and-get-done-before-there-is-a-melt-down-by-the-mouths-waiting-to-be-fed, I should enjoy it more.
source

So, I'm looking forward to that. The time when I HAVE the time to enjoy putting together a meal. A meal that I can spend more than 20 minutes preparing.

How about you? Any fun cooking stories? Any awesome websites you want to share so I can find some new recipes?

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Savor and Share week 2


Last Monday I talked about an advertisement that I decided I should take literally. You can read about it here. This week is all about savoring and sharing the moments with your girlfriends. This is something I am looking forward to. My dearest girlfriends don't live nearby,  but I do have some good friends (who happen to be girls) close and I'd really like to try and form better relationships with them. It's hard! It's hard to make time for friendships when you've got little ones at home. It's hard to take the energy to form bonds with people outside of your home/family when you spend so much energy making sure the people in your home/family are happy, content, clean and healthy. So, this is a good excuse for me to reach out, go out, speak out, whatever. As long as it's out =)

There was an article I read that I keep thinking about whenever I think about connecting with girlfriends. The title of the article is "Queens of the Road" and it's about a group of "freewheeling women" who were itching for a little adventure so they took to the highway and set off to find some. It started with a group of sisters and now has nearly 2,000 members across the United States. Some of the women have pretty awesome trailers which they have decorated in "kitschy Western themes" with names like "Rhinestone Cowgirl," "Roam Sweet Home and Belle on Wheels." They have one rule: No husbands or children allowed. They have this awesome website SistersOnTheFly.Com where you can register for fly-fishing workshops, excursions and many more gatherings. You should check it out, and who knows, maybe someday I'll actually do it!!

So I'm going to focus on building friendships this week and staying extra-connected to my already dear ones. Will you join me?

Thanks SO MUCH for stopping by!


Saturday, June 25, 2011

Silly Saturday: Elliot's 3!

On this day, 3 years ago, I was sitting uncomfortably in a hospital bed. I had been induced more than 24 hours earlier and my body wasn't cooperating. After 31 hours of labor, a c-section that I hadn't planned on brought my first baby boy into the world. It was such an awesome day. I will never forget the days following and how special every moment was. Today he is 3 and such a super amazing little man. He is an awesome big brother, a sweet sensitive little boy and the perfect fit for our family. He says the silliest things and constantly surprises me with his spur-of-the-moment leg hugs and the sweet words "I sure do love you mommy." Here are some of my favorite pictures of Elliot over the last 3 years:







I am so blessed to be his mother. He brings more to my life than he'll ever know. I love you sweet boy, happy birthday!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Check check check, check it out

Instead of doing what I should be doing right now (folding laundry....oh wait! I don't think I've ever folded laundry in my life! Never mind, I guess I should be making dinner then) I'm going to write for a second.

It seems harder for me to write these last few weeks. I use to write every single day, now it's about 3ish times a week. It feels good to write, and I always love reading your comments, so thank you so much for them!

Tomorrow is Elliot's 3rd birthday, I can't believe it's here already! (I know, everyone says that, but they say it because it's true!)

And anyone have any tips on how to deal with a 1 year old who thinks he's already in his terrible two's? Seriously, the fits that come out of that little man surprise me every time.

Ok, I think it's time for me to start cooking, Elliot is walking around the house holding a domino to his ear pretending to talk on it like a phone. Apparently he is having a conversation with the hubs, his sister (who doesn't exist) and auntie Beaner. It's rather cute but I should probably feed him =)

p.s does anyone else love So You Think You Can Dance as much as I do?



Thursday, June 23, 2011

My Summer "Bucket" List

Mama’s Losin’ It
My Summer Bucket List...which is supposed to be 50 things long, we'll see how that goes.

1. Swim...with an actual bathing suit on
2. Potty-train Elliot
3. Paint the ceiling in the kitchen
4. Paint the master bedroom (if you stop by sort-of regularly, you would know this is something I said would be done before June 25th........that's not happening)
5. Eat something that came from our {first ever} garden.
6. Figure out how to stay cool in triple digit heat
7. Make my laundry room somehow feel like a cool place. Cool as in awesome.
8. Go camping {that ones for you hubs}
9. Read at least one book {any recommendations?}
10. Put together a scrapbook for Caleb's 1st year
11. Figure out how I'm going to teach a choir and drama class with no school budget
12. Go to the ocean, at least once.
13. Go to a zoo.
14. Take Elliot to see Cars 2 for his birthday, his very first time in a movie theatre {wish me luck!!!}
15. Go see Harry Potter in the movie theatre {yes, I cannot wait}
16. Get a new phone
17. Let everyone in on a big secret {no really, I have one and I'm gonna spill}
18. Get new kitchen towels {you know how they just look dirty even when their clean? It's time}
19. Learn how to BBQ
20. Cut my hair shorter
21. Get the cars detailed....they're pretty kid-ravaged {aka, crumbs in places I didn't know existed}
22. Do some family history
23. Go on some regular dates with the hubs.
24. Go to the mall and spend money on something that I wouldn't normally allow myself to
25. Drink tons of water. Tons.
26. Organize my closet {this is a BIG goal....}
27. Not freak out when I see a rattlesnake right outside my back screen door
28. Plant flowers in my front yard
29. Finish the trim on the house that we started last summer
30. Get the sprinkler system fixed
31. Get some clients for our new business
32. It is taking me about 2-5 minutes to think of new ideas from here, and they're less fun and more boring, so instead of racking my brain to make a list of things that I will probably stress about doing I think I'll stop while I'm ahead =)

I almost made it to 50, half way at least!!
What about you? Any plans for the summer? Anything super excited that I can be jealous of?

Thanks for stopping by!


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Wordful/Wordless Wednesday

Let's talk about Caleb a bit shall we?
  • Caleb turned 1 in April.
  • He started walking a week before his birthday.
  • He has a new scrape, bump, bruise etc every other day. 
  • He can communicate what he wants pretty darn well.
  • He thinks pinching is a form of love and it's my fault. I've been squeezing his legs since he was born and therefore he tries to squeeze me any chance he gets. His hands just happen to be smaller so it is never a squeeze, always a pinch.
  • He gets scared if the TV goes black, whether it's transitioning from a preview to a movie or if it gets turned off. It's probably the single thing he's afraid of. Weird, I know.
  • He is the biggest daredevil I know. Proof:

That's right, he is standing on top of a train. A train that has wheels. A train that you're supposed to sit on and wheel around the floor.
But what does Caleb do with it?
He stands on it.
Frequently I find him doing this. My reaction: "Caleb! What are you doing!!! Ahh!" and I rush to grab him before it slips out from underneath him.
This is just one example of how brave and adventurous he is.

In other words, I'm totally in for it.

(This post is linked with Parenting BY Dummies for Wordful Wednesday!)




Monday, June 20, 2011

Savor and share week 1

source
The inspiration from this post comes from a Starbucks advertisement in a magazine I've been reading. It's a silly advertisement, but obviously not so silly if I'm writing a post about it.....

The ad? It's about savoring and sharing every moment. Maybe you've seen it? If not, I'll tell you a bit about it. It's supposed to be advertising for a new Starbucks product, something called Natural Fusions coffee. It lists 5 weeks and a different thing you should practice savoring and sharing for that week. Week 1 is all about taking the time to connect with your family.

I read this and I thought it would be a great thing to focus on, savoring the everyday moments we share with our family. This is something we should be doing everyday anyway, but I personally know how easy it is to forget to enjoy the little everyday things...

So, this week, I'm going to focus on savoring all the little things that happen in my everyday life. Like sitting in the backyard listening to my {almost} 3 year old ask me "mom, should I go to the left?" and watching my 1 year old walk around in a swim diaper {LOVE his chubby little legs!} with tennis shoes on {no socks of course} enjoying his curiosity. Or laughing with the hubs when he shares with me a ridiculously silly thought. Or getting to meet my newest niece tomorrow {so excited!}....there is so much to savor and enjoy. So many things that can go unnoticed.

Which is why I'm choosing to take a little inspiration from Starbucks this week to focus on savoring my family.

Next week I'll be moving on to the next suggestion, which is taking the time to connect with my girlfriends, you guys should join me!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Wordful Wednesday (a guest post!)

Today I have a guest poster, none other than my wonderfully smart welsh corgi, Samson. Take it away Sam!
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Hi Everyone!
My name is Sam, but sometimes my mom calls me Sammy.....or Samantha (which is kind of embarrassing). Today my mom asked me to share some of my dogly wisdom with you, so I'm going to take some time away from chasing after my boys and searching for the damn dang gopher in my backyard and do just that.

I've learned a few things in the 21 years I've been in this world (I think that would be 3 years to you humans) and most of them I've decided could make this world a better place if all of you people who walk on two legs (because I'm a person too, I just walk on four legs) knew them too, so here they are:

  • When someone is having a bad day, be silent and sit close by
  • When a loved one comes home, always run to greet them
  • Remember the nice things and quickly forget the rest
  • Let others know when they've invaded your territory, it saves time and energy
  • No matter how often you're reprimanded, run right back and make friends
  • Avoid biting when a simple a growl will do
  • Take lots of naps, and always stretch real good when you wake up
  • If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it
  • The most important things in life aren't really things at all (ok, a ball is pretty important I guess....so I make exceptions here and there)
  • It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice

Ok, enough of this typing thing (it's really not that easy with my furry hands), I've got a floor full of lunch scraps from the boys to clean up. I hope you all have as great of a day as I will....every day is a great day when you're a dog!


(Some of these words of wisdom were found on this website, I must give credit where credit is due!)

(This post is linked up with Parenting BY Dummies for Wordful Wednesday)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Believe you can do anything

While reading "O, The Oprah Magazine" (thanks to my best friend in the whole wide world for giving me a subscription to it for my 29th birthday! oh yeah!) there was an advertisement for Champion sportswear that I came across. This ad had a picture of some random women jumping with a beautiful sunset in the background. Some very important words were written over this picture:

Believe you can do anything at least once a day.

I read that and I had to stop for a minute. Literally stopped, held still, quieted my mind, and just stopped. How many times do we doubt ourselves in a day? How many times do we talk bad to ourselves in a day? I know for me, it's a lot more than I'd like to admit (so I'm not going to.......)

What if we could believe we could do anything? And what if we told ourselves that at LEAST once a day? How awesome would our daily lives be if we could believe in ourselves that much? It.would.be.awesome.

So, believe you can do anything at least once a day.

I bet you'll notice a difference.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Missionary Work- Gospel Principles Lesson 33

Yesterday was my day to teach at Church. I'm LDS (aka Mormon....by the way, I heard "The Book Of Mormon" musical by the SouthPark guys did great at the Tony Awards last night!) and I teach the 2nd Sunday of every month in Relief Society, the woman's organization of the church. Below is my rough outline from my lesson. This month it was on missionary work. I had a lot of good participation, I wish I could share all that everyone said! (The headings in bold are the headings directly from the Gospel Principles Manual)
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On the board I wrote a scripture and a quote:
“Proclaim my gospel from land to land, and from city to city. … Bear testimony in every place, unto every people” Doctrine and Covenants 66:5,7

"Missionary work is not just one of the 88 keys on a piano that is occasionally played; it is a major chord in a compelling melody that needs to be played continuously throughout our lives if we are to remain in harmony with our commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ." -Elder Quentin L. Cook


The Lord's Church is a Missionary Church
what does this mean?  Maybe that we are responsible for sharing the Gospel everyday of our lives, that we are in charge of making sure everyone knows of the truthfulness of the Gospel. I had quite a few good answers to that question.
  •   Missionary work has been present since the beginning of the earth. In Moses chapter 5:58 it says “the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning.” The Lord first revealed his plan to Adam, the first man on the earth, the Gospel has been preached ever since that day, what a long time!
  • What is the missionary message? In Matthew 28:19-20 it says that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Savior. That the gospel has been restored to the earth through a prophet of God. And that my friends, is the message of missionaries
The Gospel Will Be Preached To All the World
Latter-day revelation tells us we must take the restored gospel to every nation and people (D&C 133:37) This hasn’t happened yet
  • which countries are we not allowed to go into? The countries where we do not have any missionaries as of 2007: Middle East countries
    All African countries except for
    Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Africa (we do have missions in those countries). Mainland China, Cuba, North Korea
    We do have humanitarian couple missionaries in some of those countries, but we don't have proselyting missionaries.)
  • But in 1 Nephi 3:7 we learn that the Lord never gives us a commandment without preparing a way for us to accomplish it. In other words, if the Lord said we should preach the Gospel throughout the entire world, it will happen....someday.....
  • The Lord is “inspiring the minds of great people to create inventions that further the work of the Lord in ways this world has never known” (Russell M. Nelson, Ensign 1988 April pg 73) What a great thing! In the manual it says that we who have the fullness of the gospel  need to use these inventions to fulfill the Lord’s commandment.
  • What are these inventions that are helping us be missionaries? Newspapers, magazines, television, radio, satellites, computers, the internet, chat with missionaries on mormon.org, etc. Can you imagine what else there is to come?! How is technology an effective way of teaching?
 Missionary Work is Important
President Ezra Taft Benson said:
“ this is our first interest as a Church- to save and exalt the souls of the children of men.”
It may be important but it’s not really all that easy!
 Two great quotes here:
"Missionary work is difficult. It taxes one’s energies, it strains one’s capacity, it demands one’s best effort—frequently a second effort. No other labor requires longer hours or greater devotion or such sacrifice and fervent prayer."       -Thomas S. Monson from the talk "That All May Hear"
and:
 “I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?”    -Jeffrey R. Holland as quoted in the talk "Be A Missionary All Your Life" by Quentin L. Cook.
We Should All Be Missionaries
Some questions to ponder:

How can we look for ways to share our own faith? How can we make personal connections with people? How can we show love and respect for those who do not share our faith? In what ways do women add to the work of spreading the Gospel? How does the Spirit Influence your personal sharing of testimony? 
 
One of the ways in which I personally find missionary work to be particularly challenging is that it seems difficult to assert that you have the truth and others don’t (or that they’re in spiritual darkness) without conveying an attitude of spiritual arrogance or superiority. How do you express a conviction that the gospel is an important and vital message without sounding like you think you’re better than others? 

In D&C 88:81 It says “It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor”-We have been taught by Spencer W. Kimball that we should show our neighbors that we love them before we warn them. They need to experience our friendship and fellowship.
I love this! My husband is not a member of the church and I completely understand the need for love and friendship as part of missionary work.


The Lord Promises Us Blessings for doing Missionary Work
  • D&C 62:3 “Ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you.”  
 I concluded with a great story by Thomas S. Monson:

Many years ago I boarded a plane in San Francisco en route to Los Angeles. As I sat down, the seat next to mine was empty. Soon, however, there occupied that seat a most lovely young lady. 
As the plane became airborne, I noticed that she was reading a book. I glanced at the title: A Marvelous Work and a Wonder. I mustered up my courage and said to her, “You must be a Mormon.”
She replied, “Oh no. Why would you ask?”
I said, “Well, you’re reading a book written by LeGrand Richards, a very prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
She responded, “Is that right? A friend gave this book to me, but I don’t know much about it. However, it has aroused my curiosity.”
I wondered silently, Should I be forward and say more about the Church? The words of the Apostle Peter crossed my mind, “Be ready always to give an answer to every [one] that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15). I decided that now was the time for me to share my testimony with her. I told her that it had been my privilege years before to assist Elder Richards in printing this book.
I mentioned the great missionary spirit of this man and told her of the many thousands of people who had embraced the truth after reading that which he had prepared. Then it was my privilege, during the remainder of the flight, to answer her questions relative to the Church—intelligent questions which came from her heart, which I perceived was seeking the truth.
I asked if I might have the opportunity to have the missionaries call upon her. I asked if she would like to attend one of our wards in San Francisco, where she lived. Her answers were affirmative. She gave me her name—Yvonne Ramirez—and indicated that she was a flight attendant on her way to an assignment.
Upon returning home, I wrote to the mission president and the stake president, advising them of my conversation and that I had written to her and sent along some suggested reading.
Several months passed by. Then I received a telephone call from the stake president, who asked, “Brother Monson, do you remember sitting next to a flight attendant on a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles early this fall?” I answered affirmatively. He continued, “I thought you would like to know that Yvonne Ramirez has just become the most recently baptized and confirmed member of the Church. She would like to speak with you.”
A sweet voice came on the line: “Brother Monson, thank you for sharing with me your testimony. I am the happiest person in all the world.”
As tears filled my eyes and gratitude to God enlarged my soul, I thanked her and commended her on her search for truth and, having found it, her decision to enter those waters which cleanse and purify and provide entrance to eternal life.

I sat silently for a few minutes after replacing the telephone receiver. The words of our Savior coursed through my mind: 
“And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88).
Such is the promise to all of us when we pursue our missionary opportunities and follow the counsel and obey the commandments of Jesus of Nazareth, our Savior and King.


Thanks for taking the time to read this very long and wordy lesson outline. I hope you found it inspiring or interesting or maybe you're even preparing to teach on the subject and could use something I wrote about. Have a great day!
 

Friday, June 10, 2011

Come Yard Sailing Away

(if you read the title of this post and thought of Styx, you get 10 points)
(since we're keeping track of points......)

So.....I've been to 1 yard sale in my entire life. And I was just tagging along with one of my close friends and her mom while they looked for random furniture to outfit her new apartment. I've never held a yard sale in my life, unless you count the one that my previously mentioned close friend held at her house with some of our stuff which I didn't show up to because I got sick. So, the fact that I'm writing about yard sales today is pretty random.
Just sayin'.

But, there was this AWESOME article in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine last month titled "20 Tips to have your best-ever yard sale" and I can't stop thinking about how I might just want to give it a try. Here are some of the tips that I found super interesting/helpful/useful/etc.:
  1. Consider having your sale near a common payday (the 1st or the 15th) and avoid scheduling your sale during holiday weekends or during a widely attended community event.
  2. Make sure you put price tags on your items, and if you have a fun fact or interesting idea about how to use an item you're selling, include that information on the price tag.
  3. Goodwill.org will help you price your items. Just search for an item you have and it will show you their pricing and you can take it from there.
  4. GSALR.com is a site that helps people plan shopping by finding sales on a map, list your sale on there. Craigslist also has a garage sale section and there is also a virtual sale site called tagsellit.com that is worth checking out.
  5. Make carryout easy. Have plenty of grocery bags and boxes available for people to fill up.
  6. Fill a $1 basket to position near checkout. Shoppers can't resist a final opportunity to dig for a deal!
  7. Cover tables with colorful fabric/plastic/etc. This works on the subconscious: shoppers think your items are worth the price you ask (especially if the items are at eye-level. You should avoid putting items on the ground).
  8. Put the baby clothes and toys in the back so people have to walk through everything else to get to them. They are the hottest items after all!
  9. Last but not least, you can download the Share Our Strength Yard Sale 101 tool kit, price tags and register your sale here. Better Homes and Gardens is encouraging people to sign up for this program and donate what they make at their sale to help end childhood hunger in America.
So, I think I may just try it. I'm always packing up stuff to giveaway, maybe I'll try my hand at selling it in my front yard instead?
Thanks for stopping by! Let me know if you have any other yard sale tips!


Thursday, June 9, 2011

Followup to the Six Word Memoir

Last Thursday, I wrote a six word memoir, here it is again just in case you forgot =)

This week I'd like to let you all in on the reason why I chose those particular six words.

Besides the obvious "You are married to a man, you have 2 sons, your animals are also in the male category (well, they were before they got "fixed")"

Obviously my life is run by boys. But did you know I totally called it? Before I was married, I always said that I knew I would be a mom of all boys. Once I got married, I continued to say it. When I got pregnant, I made a bet with one of my brother in laws that I would have all boys. And while the first ultrasound told us our first child would be a girl (and everyone started buying pink things), 4 weeks after that first ultrasound we found out it wasn't a girl at all (and everyone proceeded to return all the pink things).

So, my life is run by boys. A large boy (aka, the hubs) two smallish boys (aka Elliot and Caleb) and 2 furry boys (aka Samson the dog and Maxwell Silver Hammer the cat....yes, we're big Beatles fans). Who knows what the future holds, if there will be further boy additions to this family or if we'll all be thrown a curve ball and a girl will show up.

All I know is my six word memoir is definitely true: Life run by boys, loving it.

Have a great day!!!
Thanks SO much for stopping by! I absolutely love your comments!

(This post is linked with Mama Kat's Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop!)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Wordful Wednesday

Last week I wrote about the 10 Things I am currently sick of.
Today, I am going to write about the 10 things that make me HAPPY!
So, here they are, in no particular order!

1. OWN. As in Oprah Winfrey Network. I don't get the channel, but this month for some awesome reason I am getting a free preview. And I.Love.It. I can't get enough. It makes me happy.
2. Babies dancing. My oldest, Elliot, is quite the dancer. His little brother Caleb is starting to follow in his footsteps and it is hilarious.
3. Dessert. I don't think I need to elaborate on that one.
4. Reading a good book and getting to the really really good part where you just want to scrunch up and hold your breath and ignore the world until you finish it.
5. Old people holding hands. Love this. Also in this category, old people who take pride in how they look. Old ladies wearing makeup and jewelry makes me so happy. Old men wearing a cool hat and nice shoes makes me happy.
6. Unpacking the last box. There is ONE more box tucked away in a closet in our house, we've lived here for a year and a half. I'm going to unpack it someday soon (and probably donate everything in it since I've gone without it for so long), and it will make me very happy.
7. A Christmas Tree all lit up and providing the only light for the room. This is happiness. I hear the Charlie Brown gang singing in my head as I write this.
8. Buying new clothes and immediately going home and trying them on again.
9. When the music that you have to listen to while on hold is actually pretty awesome.
10. The hubs. Today is our anniversary but he has to work a double. After he left for work this morning, I heard a loud knock on the door. I went to answer it, no one was there. But on the step? Flowers and a card addressed to "my beautiful wife." Precious. Wonderful. He makes me happy.


What about you? What makes you happy? Share!
And a big congratulations to Dana for winning the My Memories giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered!!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Just a Reminder!

Alright, the awesome My Memories Giveaway is ending tonight, at 10pm (PST).

If you haven't entered yet by leaving a comment on the post, then you really should! It's a great product!!! And even if you don't want it for yourself, it would make a great gift for someone else =)

Have a great evening!


Monday, June 6, 2011

My best me promise

The hubs came home from work one day with a bag full of random things that said "My best ME promise." If I remember correctly, ME is supposed to stand for something....I just don't remember what that was.....

Anyway, one of the things in the bag was a magnetic frame, so obviously I stuck it on my fridge and it frames a silly picture that was taken of me and the hubs when I was pregnant with our #2 not-so-little man.





I don't know why, but this morning I was walking around thinking to myself "what is my best me promise?"

I've decided, the best thing I can promise myself is to not put pressure on myself. I am my own worst critic and I pressure myself way to much to do things better/faster/stronger/whatever. While looking through some new blogs this morning, I found this quote:

"A Pint can't hold a quart-if it holds a pint it is doing all that can be expected of it."
--Margaret Deland 

Isn't that a great quote! (Thanks to this blog for the quote!)

My best me promise? Less pressure, more love.
The end.

How about you? 

Don't forget, the My Memories giveaway ends tomorrow! Go comment on the post for a chance to win!



Friday, June 3, 2011

My Memories Giveaway!

Alright party people, it's giveaway time! My very FIRST giveaway as a matter of fact! I am SO excited about this. Let's get to it shall we?!

My Memories Suite is an award-winning digital scrapbooking software that is extremely easy and fun to use. The easy part is definitely a plus, I've used other scrapbooking software that has taken me months to figure out! Not so with My Memories Suite! And for you people out there who are anti-scrapbook (*cough cough* my sisters *cough cough*) this software does way more than just digital scrapbooks, you can also use it for greeting cards, calendars, making trading cards for your son or daughter's t-ball team, and even movies!

Even better, you can print your projects or have them bound into a book or even turn it into a DVD or make it viewable on you're iPod/iPhone, how sweet is that!!!!! And if you're going to go the digital scrapbooking route, you can use the simple one-click options to enhance your pages with music, narration or video. This is really cool people, really cool. Here are a few things I whipped up (keep in mind, I go for the more simple route, though you could get really really crazy with it):






What's the giveaway you ask?
A copy of this amazing software! It's a digital download right to your computer, how easy is that!
So, how do you enter this amazing giveaway?
A few ways!
1. Follow me and leave a comment below letting me know!
2. Visit MyMemories.Com and leave a comment back here letting me know what you would love to have from their collection.
3. Follow My Memories on Facebook and come back leaving a comment below letting me know you did so.
4. Share this giveaway on your Facebook page (by clicking the little "Share to Facebook" icon at the end of this post) and then leave me a comment below letting me know!

That's 4 ways to enter which equals 4 chances to win! Not bad right!!
I will randomly pick the winner on Tuesday June 7th, so make sure you've left your 4 comments by then!

BONUS! Since you've made it all the way to the end of this fabulous post, I'd like to give you a coupon code to MyMemories.Com for $10 off your order! Just copy and paste the coupon code: STMMMS96223 when you check out and you'll get $10 off!!! 

Thanks for stopping by!!!





Thursday, June 2, 2011

Six Word Memoir

Mama’s Losin’ It

Writing Prompt #1: Six Word Memoir. Write about your life in six words.
       

                                                 Thanks for stopping by!!!


Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Wordful Wednesday

10 Things I Am Currently Sick Of (in no particular order):

1. Flies. They are everywhere. This time of year, the flies take over my back yard no matter what I do. I have a fly swatter permanently affixed to my hand.
2. Sappy 80's music. I don't think I need to elaborate on that one. (Ok, I'll elaborate once: "I want to know what love is" by Foreigner...)
3. Housework. It's overrated. I just want a vacation from housework.
4. The Buzz Lightyear toy that is sitting on the floor in my living room yelling: "To infinity, AND BEYOND!" (He seriously does yell that last part)
5. My hair. I want a haircut. It's been about 8 months.....maybe longer.....
6. American Idol. I know people love that show. I'm just not one of them.
7. Lowes (the hardware/home improvement store) calling me every other day to let me know about the deals they are currently running.
8. Plastic grocery bags. I have the reusable bags, I just never remember to take them with me to the store. Plastic grocery bags are taking over my pantry.
9. Dog hair. I love my dog. He is seriously the perfect dog for our family. He just happens to shed more than any dog in the universe.
10. Did I mention the flies? I've had to stop writing this about 5 times to swat them. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

While this post may be about the things I'm sick of at the moment, I just wanted to let you know I'm not sick of YOU =)
Thanks for reading! I love your comments!

(Don't forget about the giveaway coming up! Friday is the day!)