Apron Swap

I recently participated in an Summer Apron Swap that this cute mom named Abby organized through her blog site "Feathered Nest." My friend Brynn, Traci and I all sewed aprons and sent them to our assigned "swap buddy" and in turn, we each received an apron. Here I am modeling the one I received from Melinda from Texas. Isn't it darling? It's bright and fun and the pocket looks like a bird. She did a great job. I love it!

And this is the apron I sewed for Doreen from Georgia. I was so excited that she liked it! Traci and I spent an afternoon and sewed our aprons together at her house. The kids napped and played while we sewed, and then we got out the pool and the kids went swimming afterwards. This Apron Swap was such a blast! I will definitely want to participate again. If anyone else is interested, let me know and we can do it together. : )

Blaze Game

Wade and I went to our first Blaze game and were purely entertained! However, it wasn't quite the football players, but the red-neck hicks in front of us that provided that entertainment! We were blown away by the overwhelming stench of N.B.O. (nasty body odor), the classic mullet hair-do's, the missing teeth (I'm not kidding), the red-neck talk (a swear word in every phrase) and best of all, the way they kept eating and eating and eating the entire length of the game. It was wild! I'm sure they are the nicest people, but I have to say they are also the most interesting! Here's Austin and Ruthanne cheesin' it up (we love you guys!) with the game field and the hicks in the background. : )
The coolest part of the game for me was when Ruthanne and I snuck away for some Dippin' Dots ice-cream (have you tried that stuff? Yummy!) But the coolest part of the game for Wade was when he caught a t-shirt when they were throwing free prizes out. Now that he owns a Blaze t-shirt, he says it means we have to come back for a game next year. I'm not so convinced, unless we can get free tickets again and if Austin and Ruthanne join us, AND if our hick friends come back, because they were just too funny!

Goodbye Mullet!

This post needs no long explanation...because the pictures tell it all! I liked the natural curls coming in at the back of Jonathan's hair, but the top of his hair was not growing much, so it turned into a classic mullet. Now we have a dilemma. So we asked Wade's mom, Eileen, to cut his hair and make our handsome little guy look even better. She complied, thankfully, and below is the end result!
Tada! Goodbye Mullet!
Ever since he lost the mullet, he thinks he's superman! Have you ever seen a superhero WITH a mullet? Jon hasn't either. He's unstoppable now!

Financial Peace

Last month, Wade and I attended the Dave Ramsey Live Event with our friends Travis and Cynthia Gough and Tai and Darcy Lauti. It was an amazing experience! Dave really helps you feel empowered about becoming and staying debt free. I love the idea that we can build wealth, not only so we can retire comfortably, but also so we can be generous and GIVE to those in need. Wade and I would love to be able to be more generous now with gifts for our friends, parents, siblings, and especially our cute nieces and nephews, but it's difficult because Wade is still in school full-time, so we have a limited income. I know most of you have "been there, done that" so you know how it is. Being conservative with our spending (yea, you might call us cheap) and living within our budget has taken a lot of self-discipline, but I know it will be worth it! When we're rich, I promise I will spoil all of you on your birthdays! : )

Dave talks about the "Baby Steps" which help us little by little to find financial peace. They are:

1. Save $1000 in a starter emergency fund
2. Pay off all debt using the "debt snowball" (except the house)
3. Save 3-6 months expenses in liquid savings
4. Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRA's and pre-tax retirement
(Steps 4,5,6,7 can be done at the same time)
5. College funding for the kids
6. Pay off home early
7. Build wealth and give!

When we first took a Financial Peace University class in the spring of 2007, Dave encouraged us to to use the "cash envelope system" to help limit spending. You may laugh at me when you see me at the grocery store or at a restaurant, but it's been working for us great! We spend less because it's harder to hand over cash. And once the envelope is empty and the cash is all gone...guess what...we've learned to be creative using what's already in our cupboards for the rest of the month! ; ) So then, we learn to spread the cash out so we can eat reasonably all month.

We've been so excited about Dave's program, that Wade even coordinated a Financial Peace University class for those in our area last fall. This last spring, he was invited to represent Zions Bank in Tennessee and become a Certified Counselor for Dave Ramsey.

Here we are, so excited to hear Dave Ramsey live! If you want to learn more about having financial peace, just visit his website at www.daveramsey.com. It's awesome!

They say that...

"If mom ain't happy ain't nobody happy!" My mom used to have that quote on the wall in her kitchen to remind herself to be positive. That's a lot of pressure for us...knowing that we have such a powerful influence on our husbands and children and both their good and bad moods. I honestly believe it's healthy to express frustration, sadness, and vent from time to time, but I don't think it's healthy for me to stay down and depressed long. Just reading all of your comments from the last post made me smile and realize how blessed I really am. Thank you so much for those who left a comment on my blog or who called or emailed to offer empathy and understanding and see if I was feeling any better. It's wonderful to feel understood and to know we're all "on the same team."

As a new mom, I took an institute class called "Gospel Parenting." I gained a great deal from that class, especially the blessing of meeting new friends, like Becca, Ali, and Elaine. : ) One thing I took away from the class that I will never forget is this thought by Sister Patricia Holland:

"If I were Satan and wanted to destroy a society, I think I would stage a full-blown blitz on women. I would keep them so distraught and distracted that they would never find the calming strength and serenity for which their sex has always been known."

Is that a good reminder or what? It really helps me put things in perspective. I am trying to be positive, amidst my individual struggles, and to prove it, I had to show you this picture of Jon from yesterday, just a 1/2 hour before our friends, Bryce and Nicole, came over for dinner. After the initial shock of seeing my 1 year-old covered in flour (not to mention my kitchen), I just said "Oh...my...heck!" I paused, and then I just started laughing (instead of screaming!) Aren't you proud of me? That means I'm making progress, right? : )

the truth

I know I paint a happy picture of my life, but the truth is I have been struggling lately with so many changes going on, and I just need to get some of my thoughts out.

It was the hardest thing I've ever done to move away from my family and friends, three years ago. I felt so alone in this big city, and I thought I would never find "kindred spirits" like my friends in St. George had been. As out-going as I am, you think I would fit right into my new ward and neighborhood, but I didn't. I cried myself to sleep so many nights feeling like I didn't have a single friend. It's just been so difficult for me to make connections with some of the women in my neighborhood since they are older and already have their own circle of friends. But guess what, the Lord heard my countless prayers and sent me two angels who have literally lifted me up spiritually and emotionally again and again. The reason I am struggling so much right now is because these two special individuals have both just moved away, and it's never easy to say good-bye to friends who have had such a positive influence on your life.
Here I am with Kim Williams, who was my amazing visiting teaching companion. She's just moved across the valley, so I'm lucky we'll still be able to have girls night out, but dang I'm still going to miss her! Serving with Kim has been a tremendous blessing in my life. And of course, here's my running partner and dear friend, Kathy Allen, who has just moved to St. Louis so her husband could complete his residency. I'm excited for their family and the great experiences they will have yet to come. I don't know if Kathy will ever know the impact she has had on my life. She's a pretty remarkable woman!

Besides having to say good-bye to two of my best friends, Wade and I have been on an insane roller coaster with his "potential" jobs, I've had some health problems to deal with, my kids are driving me crazy, and with the stress of having my sister live with us, I'm just emotionally exhausted with it all. Don't get me wrong, I know I am SO blessed, but right now, I feel like I need a break from...life! Can anyone hook me up with free plane tickets to Hawaii AND find me a babysitter while I escape for a week?! Because that would be so great!

Honestly, the last three years have been the most difficult I've ever experienced, but I feel so fortunate to be a wife and mother, to have friends and family who care about me, to have the good news of the Gospel, to have my health, and to finally feel "at home" here in Salt Lake, I really can't complain. But that doesn't mean I can't cry when life gets really hard. Some days I don't even know if I'm going to make it. I do cry, but I also smile. I guess that's all I can ask for.

Blog Mooching?

I confess. I have been blog mooching! I have been enjoying reading everyone else's blogs but not contributing to my own lately. Many of you have noticed and requested updates. ;) I guess I have really interesting family and friends because it's so easy to get caught up in reading your blog entries and being a slacker with my own! Now that I've actually transferred my photos from the camera to the computer, I'm going to try my best to backtrack and journal little bits of this last month for you.



Here are a few fun pictures of Emily and Etta swimming one Saturday in May when my friend, Traci, babysat our kids. Wade and I were at the Dave Ramsey Live Event (more details to follow soon). The girls had a blast playing in the pool! They even thought it was hilarious to have Etta's Mickey and Minnie dolls join them in the water. Traci didn't think it was so funny! Oops! :) Good thing she's forgiving and has a great sense of humor because we ALL know that 2 year-olds are famous for doing whatever they want to do without asking first! Does that drive anyone else as crazy as it does me???


I met up with my good friends, Kathy, Traci, and Brynn one day so our kids could enjoy the Discovery Gateway Museum. It's always a favorite for Emily and Jon (and me too)!


Here are Jon, Ems, and Etta playing in the water and all the girls singing "If you're happy and you know it..."

The best thing about our experience at the museum that day was the science class the kids participated in. They watched rock crystals develop and then examined them with a magnifying glass. Emily looked so grown up in her "lab coat." It was really cute! I would have loved to stay longer that day, but I was getting stressed out trying to keep track of my two kids plus Salote, who I was babysitting. Oh well, we'll come back another day. :)


Here the kids are at the last Music Makers class till we start again in the fall. Emily's favorite instruments to play are the maraca and the tambourine. She saw her buddy, Zach, play them together one day and she copied him because she thinks the world of him, and now she rarely chooses other instruments.

All the kids "march around the alphabet" except Jonathan. He just sits there and holds up different letters to show me. Here Emily, Etta, and Salote sing the good-bye song and are about to hug. So sweet!

Here's the whole group sitting in the parachute while the moms take the kids for a ride singing, "Little Red Caboose." And finally after class, we had a little party with lunch and treats to share with everyone.