Alive, I Promise!

Hello! Just wanted to do a quick post to let you know we are still here. I just haven't posted for a while. Things are good here. A few bullet-points:

* Scott is currently in Temple, Texas for a clerkship. His last day is Friday, so he should be home on SUNDAY! Woo hoo! He really likes the program there. It's definitely near the top of our list.
* For Thanksgiving the kids and I were invited over to my friend Aupreille's house, and Scott was invited to his friend Jon's friend's house (Scott, Jon and Spencer are all living in the guesthouse at Jon's friend's ranch this month). A good time was had by all, and we are very appreciative of wonderful friends who take such good care of us!
* The kids had their last soccer game a couple weeks ago. They were much better this year than last year, I believe. They are still in the drawing class with their friend, Izak, although we didn't make it yesterday because Michael stayed home from school sick with a fever- 102.2, baby!
* Had my booth at the craft show a couple weeks ago. Didn't do very well, but that's okay. It was a learning experience and I was able to build up a decent inventory. I plan to list a bunch of the cards on Etsy, where people will actually be searching for handmade cards.
* One thing kind of crazy...we found a fraudulent charge on our credit card for over $11 THOUSAND dollars!! It was at some farm & ranch store in Great Britain! Nuts, huh?! They tried to buy some stuff through Orbitz, too. Glad we caught that one!
* I've been teaching a girl in my ward voice lessons, and they've been going really well! I feel myself singing better since I started, too, because I am more aware of how everything is supposed to work, I guess.

That's all for now. I have had a killer headache all day, so my brain is kind of foggy, but I wanted to get some kind of post out here since I've been razzed by a couple of people that the Barbie post was the last one I had written. ;)

Operation Barbie Modesty--Fail!

I was tired of seeing a Barbie lying around the house naked, and I had seen some people online draw on underwear with a sharpie, so I thought I'd give that a try.

Well, I couldn't find a black Sharpie, but I did find a red one. I thought, "Hmm, yeah. That will be fine. Red underwear."

Uhm, no. The coverage isn't very good, and Katelynn kept saying, "Mom, it looks like she is covered in blood!"

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 15

Today I am grateful that I was able to borrow a card table from a friend for the craft show I'm participating in this weekend. Also grateful for Michael's excitement about his lost tooth. Other things--chatting with a friend at the park while the kids were at their art class, teaching a voice lesson, dinner on time. Oh! And it was Scott's birthday today! He was able to go out for barbecue with two friends he is doing a clerkship with right now. Grateful he is having a good time on this rotation...and that he'll be home in less than 3 weeks!

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 14

Today I am grateful for the beautiful weather. Fall slash Winter has finally arrived in Arizona! It's chilly enough in the morning that you need a sweater or light jacket, but during the day it is sunny and there is a light, cool breeze blowing. Ahhhhh!! So nice!

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 13

Today I am grateful for my children, even if they drive me bonkers sometimes! The ward we attended today in Prescott was having their Sacrament Meeting Primary Program today. During the program one of the little boys was asked, "How do you know Jesus loves you?" He answered, "I know Jesus loves me because he gave me my family." Tears sprang to my eyes. I know Jesus loves me, because He gave ME a family, too. We hoped and prayed and waited for our children to come for over 2 years. During that time my faith was really tested. I didn't understand why I was not receiving the blessing of having children when I was doing all I could. But, then our prayers were answered and three little babies were sent down to join our family. I have truly been blessed.

After that little boy's answer the Primary sang "I Feel My Savior's Love", which is one of my favorite Primary songs. Here are the words:

I feel my Savior’s love,
In all the world around me
His Spirit warms my soul
Through everything I see.

He knows I will follow Him,
Give all my life to Him
I feel my Savior's love
The love He freely gives me.

I feel my Savior’s love
Its gentleness enfolds me
And when I kneel to pray
My heart is filled with peace.

He knows I will follow Him,
Give all my life to Him
I feel my Savior’s love
The love He freely gives me.

I feel my Savior’s love
And know that He will bless me
I offer Him my heart;
My shepherd He will be.

He knows I will follow Him,
Give all my life to Him
I feel my Savior’s love,
The love He freely gives me.

I’ll share my Savior’s love
By serving others freely,
In serving I am blessed,
In giving I receive.

He knows I will follow Him,
Give all my life to Him
I feel my Savior’s love,
The love He freely gives me.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 12

I am grateful for friends that I can stay up laughing with late into the night. :D

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 11

I am grateful that my friend Risa invited the kids and I up to her family's cabin for the weekend. Our kids get along really well together, and we always have a great time. A post about the trip will be coming later.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 10

Today I am grateful for a car to drive. A friend called me and needed a ride somewhere and I was able to pick her up and take her where she needed to go. So often we take having a car for granted.

I am also grateful that we were able to meet up with a different friend at the park for dinner. We haven't done much playing at the park since school started, so it was nice for the kids to play and for me to chat with my friend.

A little change.

I was starting to feel bad that it is already the tenth of November and I still had all Halloween decorations up. So, this morning I did a little bit of a switcheroo to my display, and removed all the bones and spiders from the shelves. Have a look-see.

Not a huge, dramatic change, but just a little something to say, "Yes, there is, indeed, a holiday between Halloween and Christmas."

Crankin' Out Cards

I've been making a bunch of cards to sell at The Holiday House next week. I took a quick pic of some of them. Could you click over and take a peek at them, then tell me what you think? Thanks!!

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 9

Today I am grateful that dinner turned out! Last night I went through the effort to make this yummy soup, and when I tasted it right before I was about to serve it I discovered that it tasted metallic! I guess the can of tomatoes I used was past its prime or something. So, it was past dinnertime and I was scrambling to come up with something else for dinner. Tonight's dinner turned out great. The kids ate it up and asked for seconds! Yay! Sometimes things work out as a mother!

We had pork chops broiled with a glaze of stone ground mustard, honey and dried rosemary on top, cream cheese mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Nothing too fancy, but it was good...and didn't taste like metal. :)

Halloween

On Halloween the kids had a "Fall" party in their classes, which I was able to attend.

After school we got a jack-o-lantern pepperoni pizza from Papa Murphy's, came home, got dressed , ate the pizza, then headed over to Midwestern for their annual Halloween party. They always have games, crafts, snacks and bounce houses. The kids had a great time. When that ended we went home and trick-or-treated around our neighborhood.

After trick-or-treating I chatted outside with the neighbors and the kids played with the neighbor kids.

All in all I'd say it was a fun day, although it would have been better with Daddy around!

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 8

Today I am grateful for the schooling in music I've received, and that I am able to share that talent with others. I  taught my first voice lesson today in many years, and it was nice to feel some of that musical knowledge coming back to me. I'm teaching a sweet girl in my ward, and we are swapping voice lessons for babysitting. So, I am excited to teach voice again, and I'm also excited to rack up some babysitting credits. Night on the town, here I come! ;)

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 7

Today I am grateful for healthcare: that we have access to modern medicine, that we have insurance that covers it, and that we have healthcare providers we like. Today the kids had a dentist appointment. They LOVE their dentist. He is always excited to see them, and remembers things they've talked about at previous appointments, trips we've gone on, and comments on how much they've grown. The kids always have a blast at the dentist's office.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 6

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to go to church, and the sense of community felt there. We live in such a great ward, and there are so many people there who care for me and my family. I am also grateful for the Spirit felt there and the lessons we can learn about our Savior from each other through the power of the Holy Ghost.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 5

Today I am grateful for nice weather and nice neighborhood. The kids have been outside playing with a bunch of the neighbor kids for the last few HOURS. I'm glad there are kids close to their age that live nearby, and that the weather is cool enough now for all the kids to play together outside.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 4

There are many things today.

First, I am grateful for the police officers, firefighters and military who risks their lives for us everyday. In our city a police officer was shot while on duty and died, leaving behind a wife and two young children. They live in our stake, and the officer was good friends with some of our friends. The news is awful, and I get choked up every time I think about it. Our ward helped with the luncheon following the funeral, so I went to the stake center to drop off a salad. While we were there, the procession arrived, complete with a ton of officers on motorcycles, and many big cars with tinted windows. Michael said, "I think I saw some spies!!" The kids asked why I had to bring a salad to the stake center, what was going on, why were the flags around town halfway up, etc. I tried to explain everything to them. It gets harder when the kids get older and you have to tell them about sad or difficult things. Although I don't know the family, I mourn their loss. It is very saddening. I can't imagine what they are going through, or the shock they must be feeling at this time. But, I am very grateful for the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday for our safety. It is amazing.

Second, I am grateful for the opportunity I've had to attend the Strengthening the Family class I've been able to attend the last couple of months. Our last class was tonight. Scott was only able to attend the first couple of classes with me, but it has given us an opportunity to talk about the things we are doing right as parents, and other things we need to improve on. We've learned a lot about how to be better parents, spouses, and people.  It has been a great experience. If you get a chance to take it you totally should!

Third, I am grateful we were able to trade the kids' Halloween candy in at a local dentist's office for free kids' meals at Red Robin. I let the kids each pick out 15 pieces to keep before handing the rest over. There are several perks to this. #1- no more candy in the house, for the kids AND me. #2- we love Red Robin, so that will be a fun family activity. We don't go out to eat very often. #3- the candy gets sent to the troops serving in the Middle East.

Fourth, one of my bestest friends & family members, who shall remain nameless (don't want people getting jealous...), sent me Michael Buble's Christmas CD today!! When I opened the envelope I literally screamed! Just that very day I had been thinking to myself, "Hmmm, when does Michael Buble's Christmas album come out? I'll have to tell Scott to get me that for Christmas." So, I was VERY excited! The kids were excited, too, because they love listening to Michael Buble. (Do I have them trained well, or what?!)

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 3

Today I am grateful for a husband who tells me I am doing a great job, even when I don't agree. I am so blessed to have Scott in my life. He is so wonderful to me. It's sad that we can't be together right now, but we are halfway through! We have been extremely blessed while he has been gone, though. The Lord has sent extra blessings our way. This last month has just flown right by! Scott does so many things and sacrifices so much for our little family. We are truly blessed to have a husband and father who strives to do what is right, and is worthy to hold the priesthood! His residency application was due a couple days ago.When I was looking over the application I felt such a swelling of pride as I read his letters of recommendation. He is good at what he does, and will be a great bread-winner (foot fixer?) for our family.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 2

Today I am grateful we were able to review the words on the kids' spelling list and have a dance party at the same time! It felt a lot more effective than sitting at the table. :)

Here is our Dance Party playlist.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 1

For the month of November I am going to post each day with at least one thing I am grateful for. There were several things today.

One, I was able to hang out with one of my best buddies Risa, and she cut my hair for me! I've been needing it cut for a while, and it is SO great! And, it's always a joy to be with Risa. SHE is so great!

Two, the kids started a drawing class today. I am grateful that the kids are able to do fun things and expand their talents. There is a Youth Scholarship program through the city's rec program, and without it the kids wouldn't be able to take this class or do soccer, because we wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise, with Scott in school and us living off of student loans and all.

Three, while the kids were in class I was able to catch up with my friend Kate, who I haven't talked to for a while. It was so nice to chat, and she is such a fun person! And, I got to hold her newborn baby, which is always a treat.

Four, we got two guinea pigs today! A friend of a friend moved to California and needed to rehome her guinea pigs, and we were the lucky ones to get them. The kids are enamored with them. I think they will be a fun addition to our home.

That's a good start for today. I am excited to start this challenge, and hope it will help me to have a fresh perspective and greater appreciation for all the many blessings I have as we head into Thanksgiving and Christmas.