today...

has been a very interesting day. I got a total of five hours of sleep last night. She is crying constantly. She really needs a nap, but won't take one. She just cries and makes herself puke. hannah is so wound up and is getting into EVERYTHING. I keep finding screws on the floor today...

kinda like this! ^ Then I looked around and noticed that the light switch covers were missing screws...

kinda like this ^ and

and like that one, too.

and I figured out why...

she was so proud of herself! i used this opportunity to straighten all my plug cover screws. they are now all facing the "correct" position.

Today is so much fun!

some of my best work ever!

I started working with another designer a couple of weeks ago, Misty Cato. I LOVE her work. She sells at Scrapbook-Elements. I don't know what anyone else thinks about the layouts I have done, but personally I LOVE the way my scrapbook pages look using her designs. Too bad I can't show you any of the pages I have done yet! We get Misty's products several weeks ahead of their release in her store, so I will post them as her products are released! Amazing stuff!!!!

my blog's readability level...

sadly, this isn't so surprising to me!

Movie Reviews

the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies EVER

So, I modified the Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. They were so good. Want the recipe??? Here you go!

Hershey's Chocolate Chip Cookies (Meredith's version!)
2 sticks butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups white flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Next time I am going to use 1 1/2 cup wheat flour, 1 cup white flour... I'm currently out of wheat flour. Anyway, that's it for now... the cookies were DELICIOUS!

If you want them without the oatmeal, I use 3 cups flour. If you follow the recipe exactly as it is on the bag, they are really really thin and crispy. That's pretty much the only variation I make. Next time, I will probably add another tablespoon of brown sugar.

my funny girls!

I was just sitting here trying to work on a scrapbook page and Hannah came in the family room and said, "Mom, don't start dieting, start living." Uhm, Hannah, what is dieting? "I don't know. Is it where you go to die?" Nope. Just feels like it! :) And last night while we were eating dinner, she busted out with "Mom, dinner is supposed to feel good, not taste good." She cracks me up!!! She is my little commercial memorizer! We are definitely watching what is on tv much more closely.

So, Ainsley decided to start talking on Sunday night. I have been trying to get her to say "Mama" since the day she was born. Sunday night, she looked up at Thomas and said, "Dada". I thought it was a fluke. She always makes "Da" sounds. So, yesterday I tried to get her to say "Mama" all day. She would look up at me and say "DaDa" and then either start laughing or look away. Little stinker. I still didn't quite believe it. So, when Thomas was holding her last night, she looked up at him and said it again. :sigh: I guess it is only fair! Hannah said "Mama" first.

My girls are so darn cute! They are in their bedroom playing together right now. So, for about three minutes I have peace and quiet... until one of the starts screaming or Hannah comes out of her room to tell me about something that Ainsley broke! Hannah is really into dress-up right now. So, you never know what she is going to end up wearing! Right now, she is wearing her Princess Aurora dress (that's what she calls it) with a sun hat and a white purse and her old Nextel cell phone. I love my babies!

new layout

these are pictures from a couple of weeks ago... thankfully, we are doing much better with our sleeptime! yea!!! mommy needs sleep! she does usually get up once a night to eat, but i can deal with that!
credits:
Our Mojo Garden, a Collab by Laura Burger and Marcie Reckinger at FPD, alpha recolored
Starlight Overlays by Laura Burger at treasures to scrap
pscs2
fonts: pea yar yar

new layout

These are pictures my mom took back in June when we were at her house. This is Kiddie Day at the festival. The little boy is my cousin's son. The poor little guy is allergic to mosquitoes and he got bit a few times the night before the festival. He was pretty doped up on Benedryl. It sure didn't slow either of them down!
credits:
templates from mish gasser's rectangle quickies power pack 5 at pdw, altered
natalie bird's plain paper pack at pbp
pscs2
fonts: lima bean, pea yaryar

new layout!

these pictures are from september. i finally found a kit that i liked for them! :)
credits:
Our Mojo Garden by Laura Burger and Marcie Reckinger at FPD
frames from: Natalie Bird's Ultimate Element Collection at PBP
pscs2
fonts:MS serif

I need a partner!!!

Come on all my digiscrappin' buddies, I need a partner for the Amazing Digi Scrap Race! I chickened out last year and didn't do it (something about having a baby due during race time!), but I am doing it this year!!!!! anyone???

ADSR Blog

I am determined to do all of the challenges. I want to at least get entered to win the grand prize! :) BUT, if something comes up and your kids get too sick or you get too busy, I promise not to get mad! I'll just find another partner. :)


eta: I found a partner! I am going to be working with athenagwis, who is on Laura's CT with me! Yea!

new scrapbook page

these pictures are from a week or so ago. they girls had a good time playing together!
credits:
saraamarie's xoxo kit at sweet shoppe designs
pscs2
fonts: pea yar yar

new music***

I never listen to music unless it is on the radio. So, if you hear any songs with bad words or anything inappropriate on my blog, please please please let me know so I can take it down.

Which Desperate Housewife are you?

I am bored out of my mind today and not feeling the least bit creative. Can't sleep because the kids are too loud. Thomas is really trying hard to keep them occupied. But after days of being sick, Hannah is going stir-crazy! So far today she has almost broken the DVD player and spilled pretzels all over the floor two or three times. And Ainsley always finds the little pieces that we miss and chokes on them. Ugh. So, I'll keep doing dumb online quizes. The fun never ends!

LOST

I'll be watching!!!!! I finally caught up and finished Season 3... WOW! I can't wait! I never ever in a million trillion years thought I would like this show. If you haven't ever seen an episode you can watch an 8 minute recap and have the basics down. Although I would definitely go back and watch the complete seasons! Thanks, Greg, for getting us hooked!

so, don't anyone call me during the show. i won't answer!

some pictures for you

this is ainsley in her blessing gown. no, you didn't miss anything. we still haven't blessed her yet, but i wanted to try it on her and see if it fits. it's perfect!

i love the lighting on this shot. yes, i know you can see the messy bedroom behind her. this was just a test shot.

this is the dresser I started working on. you can see the two drawers I started sanding.

ainsley just chilling in front of the fireplace with her crazy hair!

look at those teeth!!!

little mowgli trying to get into the bathroom with hannah. funny kid!

hannah & ainsley having fun together!

this is the ring that hannah made for me earlier today. apparently, it's my ceremonial ring for when she marries prince philip... did i tell you that she thinks she is princess aurora now?

hannah is playing daddy's harmonica

hannah playing daddy's harmonica, while daddy plays the guitar & ainsley drums on a box

this is our house!!! yes, the right side of the duplex that looks like white trash is ours! i took down the christmas decorations yesterday and thomas is hauling the boxes out to the garbage tonight.

this is the dresser. you can see the difference in the dressers. The really sad thing is that the dresser drawers that originally looked the worst actually sanded the best. I guess all the layers of dirt and grime protected the wood. I spent a couple of hours outside yesterday (freezing my BUNS off) sanding the rest of the dresser. The other drawers are scratched so deeply that it won't be worth it to stain it. I am going to fill the scratches with putty and paint it. And it is pine, not oak. A bit disappointing, but still FREE and it will look nice when it is done. I am going to paint it a really nice nutmeg color.

this is princess aurora in her wedding gown and cinderella slippers, reading for her wedding to prince philip! what a creative little kid!

this is hannah and zoey in their carseats. they are so different. you can't really tell how much smaller ainsley is. Ainsley is tiny!

so, we didn't make it to church...

AGAIN! Our poor bishop is going to think that we are completely inactive! And I guess that we sort of are, however unintentional that may be. When that alarm rang at 7:30 this morning, there was no way in the world I was getting out of my bed. I couldn't have even if I wanted to. My entire body aches from head to toe. I didn't get to sleep until about 4:30, Ainsley woke up at 5:30 to eat. I tried to sit on the couch and feed her, but I couldn't. She kept kicking me, trying to get get onto her right side. She sleeps on her right side. So, I made the terrible mistake of just laying her in bed with us. That meant that she nursed the rest of the "night" and I didn't get good sleep, which I desperately need. Hannah slept in until 10. She still has a nasty nose and cough, so it is probably a good thing she didn't go spread it around Primary. But at least she has a voice again. Ainsley's cough sounds a bit different today. I haven't figured out if it is good different or bad different. We may be taking another trip to the pediatrician's office tomorrow. I seriously hope not, though. I can't afford this! At least we have health insurance now.

So, what is it about being sick and craving hamburgers??? Yep, we had hamburgers again for lunch today. We justified it by saying that we HAD to use the last of the wheat buns, and we didn't want chicken. And I wanted to try the sweet potato fries that Kathryn mentioned in my healthy eating post. Delicious!!!!

Sweet Potato Fries (courtesy of Kathryn)
Peel sweet potatoes and cut into wedges.
Sprinkle with oil & salt.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, flip, bake 15 minutes more or until your wedges are crunchy.
I also sprinkled with pepper & a bit of garlic powder, because that is how I like my baked sweet potatoes.

Thomas even willingly took one bite! He didn't necessarily like it, but he's still alive! Hannah is protesting eating her sweet potato fries. She wants pretzels instead. I'm not caving! She just has to eat one bite. But I managed to eat about 2/3 of 2 potatoes... can you eat too many sweet potatoes? :)

and they are even good cold! I just went back and ate a few more fries!

there is a fine line between love and hate...

Well, folks, it is 3am on Sunday. I have church in six hours. Why, then, am I still awake? Because about three and a half hours ago, I took some Sudafed for my cold. My heart is racing and I can't sleep. I'm exhausted from not sleeping for the last few days, but I am just not sleepy. This can't be good for me. I hate Sudafed! BUT the good news is that I CAN breathe again and my head doesn't feel like it is going to explode anymore. I love Sudafed. I just wish it would let me sleep...

So, for dinner tonight, I ended up making soup & homemade bread. The soup was just 1/2 a chicken breast (diced), 4 or 5 large potatoes, a large carrot, a small clove of garlic, 1 carton of chicken broth and a small beef bouillon cube. I threw it in the crockpot and let it simmer while the bread was mixing and baking. I seasoned it with onion powder, a tiny bit of season salt, black pepper and a dash of cumin. The cumin added a little spicy touch without being overpowering. I was hoping to use curry powder, but I couldn't find my bottle. Thomas has been complaining for days that he can't taste anything with this cold, so I thought I would spice up dinner a bit for him. And the reason I used half a chicken breast is because the last time I bought chicken, I cut up a couple of the chicken breasts into strips and portioned them into Ziploc bags for things like stirfry & fajitas & soups. If there are enough potatoes and breads, you don't really need the extra meat. I know, most people are going off carbs and eating more meat, but I can't. I am already allergic to eggs so I have to watch how much poultry I eat. AND meat is so dang expensive these days. I'd rather buy a bag of potatoes anyday!

fun little personality test!

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Black

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

Take this test >

another new layout

this is another layout that I did last week, but I can finally share it with you all because the products are now in the stores! these pictures are from November. I am DETERMINED to catch up!
credits:
Laura Burger's
True Affection Kit
Graph It Borders
lace: Little Blessings
My WaterColor Doodles
Christine Smith's Spring Linens Imperfect Stitch
pscs2
fonts: pea yaryar

new layout

this is a layout i did a couple of weeks ago, and pictures from back in october.
I can post the layout now because Misty's Wood Stained Frames will be in her store in a few hours! These are really cool frames. If you are a digiscrapper, check them out!
credits:
misty cato's
wood-stained frames
summer's end kit
battered brown alpha
calm influence, coming soon
all at scrapbook-elements


inked edges action by atomic cupcake
fonts: times new roman, thinking of you

still sick

yep. it's true. we're still sick.

yesterday, we were both craving big juicy hamburgers. so, instead of running out to Apollo Burger (aka Crown Burger or Burger's Supreme... if you're from Utah, you KNOW how tempting those are!) I made homemade hamburgers. YUM! They were so good. And instead of french fries, I used a couple of leftover baked potatoes and sliced and grilled them on the George Foreman. They were actually really good. So, a much healthier alternative than fast food. AND I made a few extra hamburger patties to put in the freezer for another craving hamburgers day!

Meredith's Healthier than Fast Food Burgers (makes 3 to 4 patties)
1 lb extra lean ground beef (93/7)
1/4 cup oatmeal
onion powder
garlic powder
1-2 tsp brown gravy mix
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
season salt
Really mix all ingredients together well. I use my hands and squeeze them all together until you can't really distinguish the ground beef "strands". I know, that sounds gross! If you like onions, you can use chopped onions instead of onion powder. Fresh garlic is really good, too! Form the mixture into large thin (1/2" to 1" thick) patties. Then you can pan fry them, grill them, George Foreman them (drains off the fat), or freeze them for a rainy day!

I serve them on grilled whole wheat buns. I inverted the buns so that the inside of the buns were facing out and the outsides were together. I sprayed the George Foreman grill with cooking spray and placed the buns on the grill, closed it lightly and let it grill for about 30 seconds. It smashes the buns a bit, but we actually like them like that.

Grilled Baked Potato Slices
Wash & bake as many potatoes as you like. I do one medium potato per person. Slice 1/4" to 1/2" thick. I leave the peel on (extra fiber!). Spray with cooking spray or oil of your choice. Lightly sprinkle with season salt & onion powder. Throw them on the George Foreman grill until the tops are lightly browned. This could easily be achieved in the oven, too.


Not only was the dinner healthier but it was SO MUCH CHEAPER! We figured out that it cost us $1/person to have a healthier hamburger dinner. I love my George Foreman grill. We just have the little tiny one and I really wish that I had a bigger one. I think we may do grilled chicken sandwiches tomorrow since we have extra buns to use. But that would require that we go out and get chicken. And quite frankly, my head hurts too badly to go out. So, we'll probably eat quesadillas or nachos! :) Try the hamburgers and don't be skeptical about the oatmeal. It's a good filler, a good way to get some extra fiber, it may actually help counteract some (okay, a teeny tiny bit) of the cholesterol, and it makes the hamburgers more moist!

healthy eating

Okay, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired! We have been to the doctor's office more times than I care to count. We have a pharmacy of over the counter and prescription medication, and we are still sick! What is wrong with this picture? Thomas and I have both been losing weight, and we have attributed that to the fact that we rarely eat out anymore. I used to think that my family ate pretty well. But the last week or so I have started paying more attention to food labels. Do you know what kind of garbage is in your food? I have food allergies, so if I try a new food, I read the labels. Even if it is something that I just haven't eaten in a while, I check to make sure that there are no new ingredients, or any ingredients that I have developed an allergy to since I last ate it. I tell you this because I thought last week that I might have a kidney infection. I didn't want to go to the doctor, mainly because I don't have a doctor here yet. So, I figured I could go get some cranberry juice and that might help until I could find a good doctor. I read the labels on over 15 different varieties of cranberry "juice". The ones that were actually made of juice were mostly apple juice, grape juice and pear juice with a smidge of cranberry thrown in. I couldn't believe how much sugar is in this "juice". I can't believe I give this stuff to my kids thinking it's healthy. It's one thing for me to let Hannah have some Kool-Aid. I know it's straight sugar. But so is the dang juice! And then I sat back and looked at the meals that Hannah has eaten lately. Every morning she eats a Pop-Tart for breakfast. And don't even think about trying to swap it out for anything else. She is a creature of habit and will screw up her entire day. Trust me! Then lunch is either chicken nuggets or a turkey sandwich or a hotdog with fruit. Not terrible on non-hotdog days. The nuggets are all white breast meat and are baked not fried. But dinner sure doesn't vary much. She usually ends up with more nuggets, pizza, another turkey sandwich, or hotdog. I make her eat more fruit and some vegetables. But it's like pulling teeth. I know that kids are picky eaters. I always make her try whatever we are having for dinner. But our meals are not much healthier. They are real food, not processed or pre-packaged meals, but we eat way too much meat and not enough fresh vegetables and grains.

So, to connect the dots... I think the reason we are sick all the time is a lack of healthy eating. Well, that is one of the many reasons. I think we are getting ready to try a radically different style of eating in our home. We are going to ease into it; I don't want to shock our digestive systems! But I am going to start baking more our of breads and tortillas. Eventually I want to get my own wheat grinder and grind my own flour, but we'll start off slow at first! :) I have already started planning my vegetable garden for the summer. My goal is to get my family eating and enjoying more vegetables than just canned green beans and frozen corn. I did manage to disguise sweet potatoes enough for Thomas to like it. I substituted sweet potatoes for pumpkin in pumpkin bread. It was really good. Not terribly healthy, but he ate sweet potatoes and he is still alive! Okay, so if anyone has any good recipes for healthy ways to disguise veggies or good recipes for whole grain breads, let me know! Feel free to post them in the comments section. And if anyone else wants any recipes, I'll post reviews on the ones that I try. *Note* Due to food allergies I won't be able to try all of them! :) If you find one here and try it, post a comment with a review or send it to me in an email!

advertising works!

Okay, my daughter is proof that advertising works. She just came out of my bedroom and asked me if we could go for a ride in our new Caravan. We don't have a Caravan. She was twirling around the living room and stopped in her tracks and said, "Mom, do you have red, dry irritated eyes? Yes, you do. You need some viseme." "I think you mean Visene, Hannah" "No, Mom. Viseme!" What a funny little kid!

sick kids update

Yep, they're still sick. I took them to the doctor yesterday. I was convinced that Ainsley had another ear infection because she has been digging at her ears. Nope. Totally clear. Her lungs are clear, too. Ainsley just has a cold. And because she is so young I can't give her anything. I thought that Hannah probably just had a cold, but since she has been running a fever since Friday, I figured I should get her checked out. The doctor checked her throat and it looks fine. She looked in Hannah's ears and then asked Hannah if her ears hurt. Hannah looked at her and said, "Nope. My nose is running and I have a funny sounding frog in my throat." The doctor just laughed at her and said that she was very impressed by how happy Hannah seemed when she had such a severe ear infection and a temperature of 102!!! So, Hannah in on amoxicillan for the next ten days. And I have to watch Ainsley for an ear infection. And worst of all, Thomas is sick, too. I got a total of about three hours of sleep last night because of all the coughing. Ainsley fussed all night, too. I hate coughing. It just sets my nerves on edge. I am just dreading getting this cold. My throat and ears hurt a bit. I am hoping that is the worst it gets. I have to go. They are both trying to get my attention.

some layouts

credits:
mish gasser's rectangle quickies power pack 6 at pdw
christine smith's
tied ribbon hearts
Doreen Stolz's Celine Kit at OAKS
Natalie Bird's
Tattered Tags
Hardware
pscs2
fonts: highland perk
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credits:
Mish Gasser's Rectangle Quickies Power Pack 6 at PDW
Natalie Bird's
Plain Paper pack
button: Hardware Pack
at NatalieBirdDesigns, Designs in Digital, PickleBerryPop,
pscs2
fonts: segoe script
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credits:
natalie bird's
plain paper pack
ultimate element collection
spring is in bloom
tattered tags
eclectic bits and pieces
at nataliebirddesign, designsindigital, & pickleberrypop
pscs2
fonts: highland perk

yuck

it's snowing. again. enough said.

Both girls have doctor's appointments this afternoon. They both have fevers and terrible coughs and green snot. Oh the joys of being a mom. I never in a million years thought that one of my duties as a mom would be to describe the color & texture of mucous to a doctor or nurse. Hannah gets mean when she is sick. I don't know if it is the medicine or a result of just not feeling well. She helped Ainsley stand up the other day, then looked at her, got a really mean look on her face and put both hands on Ainsley's chest and PUSHED! Ainsley fell pretty hard. Yeah, she got a BIG timeout for that one. Yesterday, she hit Ainsley on the head using one of her doll's arms. When I talked to her about it she insisted that she didn't hit Ainsley, her doll did it. Ugh. So much fun lately! Her little OCD tendencies come shining through, too! She has picked her finger and toenails to death. She has little sores around her fingers from picking at them. But if we don't have a streak of healthiness soon, I may go crazy.

On a totally different subject, my neighbor found a dresser for me yesterday. She loaded it in the back of her van and put it on the front porch. I went out and immediately started sanding the wood. It was in terrible shape when she first brought it to me. I sanded off layers of greasy old stain, nailpolish, stickers and other grime that I would rather not think about. And I uncovered the most beautiful solid oak. I was hoping to be able to put new hardware on the dresser, too, but I don't know if I can. I don't want to sand too much of the wood away and the old stain is too deep. Whoever originally did this piece didn't treat the wood prior to staining it. And they stained around the hardware. so, under the hardware was raw wood. I LOVE working with wood. There is just something so satisfying and therapeutic about it. I am taking this old cast-off piece of furniture and making it beautiful again! It will be used and have a purpose once again. Maybe I am just being too reflective today, but think about that in terms of what we can do with ourselves. No matter how ugly and yucky we look or feel, we can get rid of the old yucky layers and start over. It's never too late to be what you want to be. I haven't taken any pictures yet. I only got two drawers done. I started with the worst ones to see if they could even be salvaged. And they are beautiful! So, before I do anymore I will take some pictures and post them. I should probably go outside and cover them since it is snowing! It felt so good to be outside with my electric sander and my woodworking stuff again! Love it!

and it is snowing really hard now. I am going to go bathe my kids so that we're ready to go to the doctor's office at appointment time. And then I'll probably do some dishes and cleaning since I have not done a single useful thing all day!

Turn your blog into a book!

I have noticed that I tend to put my kids' milestones on my blog and I usually forget to write them down somewhere. I put little stories about them on my blog and then I forget them. This blog is in someways, my family journal. It is as much a part of our family culture as our scrapbooks. So, I have been looking into ways to back up my blog. I recently started having blogger email my blog to me when I post. BUT it doesn't email any edits to me. And I don't get the comments emailed to me linked to the same post. All of the comments are emailed separately. Sooo, I heard about a company called Blurb that prints custom books. I have not personally seen one of these in real life. BUT I have some online buddies who have printed them and love them! They do cookbooks, photobooks, poetry books and apparently BLOG BOOKS! They have a technology that literally pulls all of your blog content into a book. You can edit the photo placement and options. The prices aren't terrible either. If you look at it like the cost of a journal, photo printing, etc... it makes the price seem much more appealing. PLUS, you'll actually do this, even if you don't write in your journal.

Check out the Blog Books here.

Educational Article: 10 Tips for a Happy Marriage

I found this article in LDS Living Magazine, a magazine written for the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, this article is not religion specific, nor does it even mention religion! The article is a bit simplistic, but marriage is simple. Notice, I didn't say easy. Simple and easy are very different things. The advice is good, and it is a good reminder to all of us old married folks!

Link to article

Ten Tips for a Happy Marriage
by Neli A. Rogers, MS, LMFT
Monday, January 14, 2008

Most people believe marriage is important and that the family is the fundamental unit of society. People get married with great hopes to “live happily ever after,” but it is not easy to maintain the love and happiness they experienced during courtship in the day-to-day struggles of married life.

another email forward

my friend, rhoda, sent this to me. i loved it and it made me cry! gee, thanks, rhoda! :)

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born

A Death Certificate shows that we died

Pictures show that we lived!

I Believe. . Have a seat . . . Relax . . . and read this slowly.

I believe -. . . That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe - That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe - That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe - That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe - That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe - That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe - That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe - That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe - That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe - That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe - That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe - That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe - That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I believe - That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe - That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe - That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe - That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe - That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe - That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe - That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life. Forever.

I believe - Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe - That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe - That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe - That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe - That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

What lies behind us and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

new layout

credits:
Jennifer Trippetti's Christmas Wrap Kit at ScrapDish
pscs2
fonts: times new roman

help! i'm addicted!

So, I left two CTs because I felt stretched too thin... But then JustDigitalCalls opened a service for Classified Ads for people looking for Creative Teams. You just put your "resume" on the site and then tell them if you want Guest CTs or Permanent CTs. I listed both because I figured I could handle one full-time and one Guest spot. I didn't think I would get any hits. Within 24 hours, I had three offers. Three AMAZING offers! I accepted the first two. I am a Guest CT for the month of January with Natali Bird Designs. I LOVE her work!!! Her designs are much more simple than what I usually do and I am looking forward to some clean designs. AND the other one that I accepted is a Guest Layout Team spot thru March for Misty Cato. YEA! At that point I was thinking that I would go take down my resume because I am FULL again. And then I got another offer from MerCas Designs. She doesn't have a ton of personal use stuff, but what she does have is really cute. I felt so bad telling her no. She seems like a really nice lady, but I just can't handle more than what I already have. So... I changed my little resume to say that I am looking for Guest CT spots beyond the month of January. So, instead of sitting around her gabbing all day, I'm gonna go scrap while my kids are actually cooperating! :)

never gonna finish

I *thought* my backups were almost finished TWO HOURS ago... nope! The image backup is only about halfway done. Eek! Maybe that is because I am backing up 4 GB of photos and it keeps a virtual tag on every photo I burn... six months worth of photos! hee hee hee... maybe I should take fewer photos. blasphemy! i'm going to bed... this can backup while I am sleeping!

Study: Young adults now find *p*o*r*n* more acceptable

Link to article about BYU Study

By Kathleen Fackelmann, USA TODAY

"College students, including young women, are far more accepting of p*o*r*n*ography than their parents, a shift that might be related to easy access to p*o*r*n on the Internet, a study reports today." [* added to keep my blog from coming up on searches for trash!]

Seriously? Are you kidding me? Read the article and see if you are as completely disgusted by this as I am. I know that is more "socially acceptable". But that doesn't make it RIGHT! And it just makes me want to throw up. I think I am too aware of the consequences of this kind of trend. I can't even tell you how many studies and articles I read about the destructive nature of this addiction... even to people who weren't technically addicts. yuck. What is this world coming to? It's so sad. Grow up, people! The feelings that this activity arouses are meant to be experienced ONLY with your spouse. Quit being selfish and give your spouse the attention they deserve. If you aren't married, there is a reason! Get away from the computer and meet a real person! Okay, that was my rant. I had to get it out of my system.

So, my question is, since we truly do live in a generation of pocket p*o*r*n*, how do we protect our homes and our children from this addiction and also from the view that is okay to look at these types of images and movies? Because in my opinion, it's not okay. Viewing p*o*r*n* is completely destructive to the marriage relationship. It is also destructive to those who one day hope to have a marriage relationship. Expectations are not realistic and there is no way for a normal person to be able to meet those expectations.

Thankfully, I belong to a church that teaches against the use of p*o*r*n* in any manner. It is plainly taught to our church members that p*o*r*n* is anything that stimulates or arouses you outside of the intimacy of your marriage relationship. But you can bet that I am not going to wait for Hannah to hear about this at church... she would be 12 years old before she gets that lesson. By the age of 12, most kids have already been exposed to this garbage. I guess that my answer is that I teach her what p*o*r*n* is, and teach her how to avoid it. Easier said than done, but I figure that I have a couple of years until she goes to school.

I am not expecting to get many responses to this post! lol! However, if you do post a response, please don't use the p word, without putting a number or symbol into the body of the word. I don't want my blog searchable by that term. I have little kids!

BYU study: Parents don’t view their college students as adults

Check out this article. It is about a study conducted by Larry Nelson, who was my Sunday School teacher when I was 16 years old! He is the one who inspired me to take my very first Family Science class at BYU with Dr. Scoresby, the class that made me decide what to major in! Thanks, Larry! :) a financially useless degree, but one i am increasingly grateful for! I can't wait to read the actual study. Larry is an amazing teacher and speaker, so I imagine his study will be interesting as well. Enjoy it!

BORED out of my stinking mind!

So, it's 11:30pm. My husband and both of my kids are sleeping. I am exhausted and don't feel well. I NEED sleep. So, why am I still awake? Because I am in the middle of backing up my hard drive and feel like I can't stop until it's done! You would think that this would give me a perfect excuse to scrapbook since I have uninterrupted time. Nope! Photoshop is such a memory hog that I can't run it efficiently when I am also running ACDSee, the program I use to burn DVDs. Even with 2GB RAM, I can't run both programs when I am burning DVDs. So far, I have burned 20 GB worth of files off my hard drive. AND I really need to purge my scrapping supplies. BUT I have another 650 folders (not 650 kits! kits are typically 3 to 4 folders each, some are ten or more!) worth of digital scrapbooking supplies that I need to tag and sort first. I haven't cleaned off my hard drive in so long! And since I am leaving two Creative Teams, I can remove all of those kits from my hard drive and back them up on DVDs. That will be HUGE! I feel the need to clean and organize and purge. I would really like to do that in my house, but I feel too sick! My throat and ears hurt. Yuck! Ainsley woke up this morning sounding croupy and she was super clingy all day. I don't want to take her to the doctor just to have them tell me that it's just a cold. So, if she wakes up coughing like that in the morning, I'll call them. I can't handle all of us getting sick again. We are getting flu shots next year! We all got them last year and we were healthy. But not this year. We didn't have an extra $100 for all four of us to get them. We've spent more than that in doctor's visits, medications and tissues! lol! I don't even want to think about what a nightmare this will be if Hannah gets it. We have just gotten her eating meals again after the stomach virus. When she coughs, she makes herself throw up. She can't afford to throw up anymore. She is so skinny. Her little cheeks make her look bigger than she is. She is so tiny! anyway... my DVD is about done burning. So, I'm going to finish up and go to bed. 'Nite folks!

funny little email forward

let me preface this by saying that i HATE email forwards. i always check them on snopes. they are RARELY true. i used to "reply to all" with the link to snopes. now i just don't care enough. i just delete them! except the "get to know you" ones. i have to do those! lol! this cracked me up!

*******************************************

My thanks to all those who have sent me emails this past year........

I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat manure in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.

I now scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

In fact all my money is gone but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program ....

Or, I'll receive it from the senior bank clerk in Nigeria who wants to split $7 million with me for pretending to be a long lost relative of a customer who died intestate.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca-Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer buy petrol without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up.

And I don't go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number and I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore and Uzbekistan .

Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my bum.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't even pick up the $5.00 I found dropped in the car park because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00pm this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump.

I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician.

By the way....a South American scientist after a lengthy study has discovered that people with low IQ who have infrequent sexual activity always read their e-mails with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

today...

Thanks for all of your comments and emails on my forgiveness post. I am working on it. I want everyone to know that I really am fine. My little family is fine. I can manage to go hours at a time without thinking about the hurtful things in my life. But sometimes it just hits me and reminds me that I need to move past it. I normally don't put anything that personal on my blog, but I truly felt prompted to share my feelings about these experiences with you all. If it helps one person, it is worth it! And in that vein...

I have decided that I don't want to have just another blog full of fluff about my life, that no one really cares about. So... my dear friends, I am going to start posting an occasional post that will be educational and informative. And not just about digital scrapbooking! lol! I saw a commercial the other day about how 1 in 4 kids in the state of Utah will be touched inappropriately before the age of 18. 1 in 4... with some of the families in Utah, that's more than one kid in each family! And this is in Utah, one of the safest places to live in the United States. What are the statistics in other states? My college major is Marriage, Family & Human Development. I figure that it is about time for me to start sharing the knowledge that I was able to glean from my college education. And if I can help one person or one child to stay safe, it will be worth it! It will take me a while to get stuff together for my first educational post. So, in the meantime, enjoy more of my scrapbook pages and fun fluff posts!

my feng shui horoscope

These things crack me up! They are so ambiguous that they could work for every single person in the world, no matter what answer you choose! But they're fun!

1. Which is your favorite color: red, black, blue, green, or yellow?
red
2. Your first initial?
M
3. Your month of birth?
August
4. Which color do you like more, black or white?
black
5. Name of a person of the same sex as yours.
mary
6. Your favorite number
14
7. Do you like California or Florida more?
florida
8. Do you like a lake or the ocean more?
ocean
9. Write down a wish (a realistic one)
not sharing that one! :)

When you're done, scroll down. Don't cheat

Answers:
1. If you choose:
Red - You are alert and your life is full of love
Black - you are conservative and aggressive.
Green - Your soul is relaxed and you are laid back
Blue - You are spontaneous and love kisses and affection from the ones you love.
Yellow - You are a very happy person and give good advice to those who are down.

2. If your initial is:
A-K - You have a lot of love and friendships in your life.
L-R - You try to enjoy your life to the maximum and your love life is soon to blossom.
S-Z - You like to help others and your future love life looks very good.

3. If you were born in:
JAN - MAR: The year will go very well for you and you will discover that you fall in love with someone totally unexpected.
APR - JUN: You will have a strong love relationship that will last forever.
JUL - SEP: You will have a great year and will experience a major life-changing experience for the good.
OCT - DEC: Your love life will be great, you will find your soul mate.

4. If you chose...
Black: Your life will take on a different direction, it will be the best thing for you, and you will be glad for the change..
White: You have a friend who completely confides in you and would do anything for you, but you may not realize it.

5. This person should be your best friend. (no surprise there! love ya, mary!)

6. This is how many close friends you will have in your lifetime. (14! woohoo! that's a lot!)

7. If you chose:
California : You like adventure.
Florida : You are a laid back person.

8. If you chose:
Lake : You are loyal to your friends and your lover and are very reserved.
Ocean: You are spontaneous and like to please people. (not really, but that is okay.)

9. This wish will come true if you send this to 1 person in one hour.
Send it to ten people, and it will come true before your next Birthday
no thanks! but i am posting this on my blog and it would be fun to see what everyone else has to say!

hatred & forgiveness

*this post is very close to my heart. and very honest. consider yourself warned... i won't edit this post. i won't take it down. if you find it offensive, stop and take a minute and figure out why you feel that way. maybe YOU are the reason I felt prompted to bare my soul in such a public manner. *


i have always thought that hatred was easy and forgiveness was the difficult part. having these awful feelings of hatred is so hard. i feel so burdened by them. i want to get rid of them. i know that i need to. but i just can't. not yet. i still feel so angry. i just want to lash out, but what good would that do? i hate deception and liars and thieves. there are so many kind of thieves in this world, ones that steal tangible items and those who rob your soul of innocence and peace. they are the worst kinds. if you don't know what i am talking about, count your blessings and keep on believing that the world is a good and peaceful place. enjoy your innocence. and pray that one day i can find peace again. i know it is possible and that time heals wounds. i know that the savior of the world atoned not only for my sins but for the sins of those who have sinned against me and my family. if i don't let that atonement work for others, how can i expect it to work for me? i know that the savior also atoned for my sorrows and my pains. i just need to hand the burden to my elder brother. i need to let his atonement work in my life. it's just so dang hard sometimes. my only peace right now is that justice will be met for the sinner, whether in this life or the next. i still have so much anger! :sigh: i'm going to sleep now, before i say something i regret. and the only thing coming to my mind right now... "pray for those who despitefully use you." i guess that's my answer. it is such a simple thing, but i KNOW it won't be easy. tomorrow will be a new day and hopefully one day closer to peace.

january so far...

these are just in a random order... i just started uploading and then went back and added more so they are not in chronological order.

ainsley sitting the couch next to Daddy. She had just eaten, so one side of her face is red. So funny! I love this dress on her.

Ainsley standing up in front of the couch, after pulling all the DVDs off the bottom shelf. She is play peek-a-boo with me!

We are doing some sleep training. Ainsley is sleeping in her own bed and I am not feeding her during the night anymore. This started on Friday night and she does NOT like it. She cried all night on Friday and Saturday... not much sleep to be had around our house lately! She actually kept falling asleep standing up! Yes, she is asleep here! She wakes up when she starts to fall over! It was too funny!

My cute little Hannah actually smiling for a picture. She even asked me to take a picture of her! Progress!

Hannah & Ainsley playing on my bed. Hannah wanted to hold Ainsley and Ainsley kept crawling off her lap. They do this several times a day, but usually on the family room floor. Otherwise Ainsley will crawl right off the edge of my bed!

ainsley got up close and personal with the camera! she loves to try to grab it. look at those baby blues! love them!

just another picture of the munchkin!

Right after I fed Ainsley the other day, I had to run downstairs to change the laundry around. I have to put Ainsley either in her saucer or her jumper while I go downstairs. If i don't she makes a beeline for the basement stairs. I came upstairs and she was playing quietly in her saucer, so I left her there (why stop a good thing, eh?) and started on teh dishes. It got too quiet in the family room and I peeked in and she had fallen asleep in her saucer. lol! It only lasted about ten minutes!

Hannah is a SUNBEAM!!! This is the dress she wanted to wear for her first day as a Sunbeam!

This is Ainsley in her highchair for her typical afternoon snack. The kid loves Ritz crackers. She had just woken up from her nap. That's why her face and nose are all red and her hair is messed up.

This is Ainsley's new method of getting where she wants to go. She doesn't just crawl anymore. She bear walks. It is so funny to watch!

This is post-nap Hannah showing off her beautiful necklace and eating her dinner! Score! We finally figured out that if we bribe Hannah with making cookies every night, she'll eat her meals. So, every Sunday I make a big batch of chocolate chip cookie dough and put it in the freezer. We bake 6 cookies every evening. Not the healthiest thing, but she is way too skinny right now. That stomach virus really kicked her butt!

I walked in the kitchen earlier and found Ainsley like this! It reminds of how Hannah used to love to play in the cupboards. Ainsley loves to play with Hannah's dishes. So, we just restack them and wash them before we give them to Hannah to use! lol! Much easier that way. She pulls the cups and bowls out at least five times a day. Keeps her busy!

My little innocent baby! She'd never make a mess!

Ainsley playing with her new baby doll from grandma ruthie! Hannah ppointed out that they are wearing the same kind of hood!

I came in the family room the other day from cleaning the bathroom and found Ainsley like this. Nothing is safe anymore. The kid is a techie nerd! She loves remotes, cell phones, keys, computers, dvds... anything electronic!