heirloom or junk: I need your help!

I recently started up a book club and at our last meeting, as we discussed our book, a friend of mine made the comment that often times when someone we love passes on we make the mistake of thinking if we hang on to their stuff it's like they are still with us.  I realize this isn't the case with everything, but as soon as she made that comment my mind flew to our bedroom where we are housing an unfinished dresser I got after my great grandmother passed away.

In my head it was going to be a fun project for Jeremy and I to work on. We'd sand it down perfectly and stain it a rich color to match Madeline's room and she'd grow up with it and pass it down to her oldest daughter who'd pass it on and on and on etc, etc, etc. 

Reality: It's in pretty bad shape.  It doesn't just need to be sanded down and stained.  It needs to be sanded and have the veneer stripped off.  The drawers are completely falling apart and the back has some good sized holes that would both require partial reconstruction.  We started sanding it and staining it is out of the question at this point because of the glue from the veneer and the cheap wood underneath.  So we'd have to paint it, but do I really want to paint it?

I'm so in the mood to clean out all the junk we have before the holidays (where we will undoubtably buy each other more junk).  But is this another piece of junk?  I know we don't NEED it right now, but we will someday, right?  Plus it was the dresser I used when I lived with this grandma that I really loved.

In the name of giving you all the details, I will also say we paid a small fortune to ship it across the country (along with two couches that don't match anything we own and a washer we ended up not needing... gah sometimes I just want to kick myself!) so for that reason Jeremy says we need to make the most of it.  But in my head it's just more $$$ and more TIME that quite frankly we just don't have.  

So I turn it over to you, dear friends.  Is this another piece of junk or is it a special heirloom? 

  

P.S. The Wednesday Letters is the book we read if anybody is interested.  I quite enjoyed it.

Easter Weekend

We went down to Orangeville, Utah for Easter weekend.  It was so great to spend some time with two of my favorite people, Jeremy's grandparents.  If the world was full of people like them there'd be no problems in our world.  They live a simple life.  Grandma makes their bread; they eat from their garden all summer long; service is something they do daily whether it's helping out members of their ward or spending the afternoon indexing; selfish isn't in their vocabulary; they live the gospel and cling to it's truths; and they are happy.  How grateful I am to have them as examples in my life. 

I hope we have a picture like this of Jeremy and I someday.  Not too soon, but someday.

Madeline enjoyed meeting these ''great''-grandparents for the first time.

{she was in grandma's arms the whole two days}

Love the matching expressions ha

Sitting on Grandpa's lap

"Look at this awesome gold thing!"

such a happy baby :)

We sure loved visiting Grandma and Grandpa!  They had so many inspiring stories to share with us about their lives.  I need to spend more time with old folks and learn from them.  They really have a lot of great stuff to share!

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend and really got to reflect on the life, teachings, suffering and resurrection of Christ.  How blessed we are to have Him as our Savior and Redeemer.  He lives.

over the weekend

Conference weekend always leaves me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to conquer the world.  It was a little different this year. Trying to watch a baby makes it a little difficult to take detailed notes and soak up every word like I have in years past.  But it was still a great weekend. And now I'm left with a greater resolve than ever before to read, study and re-watch the talks again.  I feel like there's so much more I could get out of all of them.  I think one of my favorite quotes came from the very first talk, by President Packer. He said, "Family time is sacred time, and needs to be protected and respected." I love that.  We could definitely be a lot better at that.  Sometimes I just want to throw our tv and computers out the window and go for a walk.  But I'm too attached.... and I don't think screens are bad things, they just need to be used in moderation.  I've gotten in a bad habit of tv watching this winter. It's hard when you're home all day and sitting on the couch feeding the baby what seems like half the day.   I love that the weather is getting nicer.  I've gone outside a lot the past few weeks. And now I'm just rambling... okay

Saturday morning I took some pictures of a couple friends of mine.  It was for my assignment and it changed directions many (many) times... it ended up turning into more of a portrait session.  But hey. It worked.  It helps when you have a simply gorgeous subject :)

Madeline finally rolled over! Between sessions on Saturday. We realized she probably would have a while ago if her toy hadn't always been in the way. And it's not like it's that late.  She's not even four and a half months yet.  Our poor baby has been sick though.  She has a nasty cold.  Runny nose, weepy eye, kind of not too interested in eating and coughing quite a bit.  Her nose is so stuffy it's hard to hold her binky in but she can't sleep with out her binky. Last night we had just laid her down and were happy to finally have some much needed husband and wife time when Madeline coughed resulting in her dinner spiraling to the floor.  (Thank goodness for industrial carpets that get cleaned for free three times a year!) Nothing takes the spark out of a special moment like a throwing up baby. ha. It's so hard to watch her be sick.  Even though she feels horrible, she still manages to send a smile our way.  She's an angel.  I don't know how we got so lucky.  

Her personality is blossoming every day.  She's becoming a busy little girl.  Always interested in something.  She also loves standing up next to the ottoman we have.  She'd much rather be standing than laying on the floor or being held.  There's a little bit of independence in her, but oh she's so sweet.  I wish I could be sick for her. But alas, I won't be able to do everything for her for her whole life. Might as well start with letting her experience her first real cold. As if I have a choice.

I think the last thing on my mental list of things to jot down was how confusing it is trying to loose weight.  My mom and I have been doing kind of a ''weight watchers'' of our own.  Really simple.  Just trying to eat healthy based on choosemyplate.gov.  It's a really neat website that I highly recommend.  We made up a points system where we get points for reading our scriptures, staying within our caloric limit, eating vegetables, exercising, etc.  I did pretty well the first week.  My mom still got about 100 points more than me, but I did pretty well.  This week was a total doosey.  I didn't record hardly anything and I went back to my sweet tooth days and caved to pretty much everything.  But guess what.  I lost one pound on the week I did really well and four pounds the week I ate horribly.  Go figure.  It doesn't leave me with a lot of incentive to trying being healthy and exercising again now does it.  

Well I think that's about it. Happy Monday. You can expect a post about our April Fool's tomorrow... hopefully.... kluvyoubye

2012

I kind of feel like this is it.  2012 is the year 

that I'm really going to be better.

I'm finally to the point in my life where I can

 focus on all those things I want to master.

This year I have a lot of resolutions.  

I know that's usually a bad thing.  People say that you 

should just choose one or two things to really focus on that 

way its easier to actually accomplish them. 

But I'm that personality that needs a lot going on to get stuff done.  

Otherwise I feel like I have all the time in the world 

to get something done and I just keep procrastinating. 

 I need organized chaos.

So here are my 2012 New Years Resolutions

Be Happy!
 Following these resolutions will help you become the happy person you want to be! 

Be spiritual
Personal and Family scripture study daily
 Make Family Home Evening happen

Go to the Temple once a week
Strive daily to become more like Christ
Look at all people as the children of God they are. 

Look for ways to serve others – including strangers. 

Be productive
Start the Morning out right: Get up early, Make the bed, Exercise,

 Make a healthy breakfast each day, Shower
   Get jobs done early each day
 No tv during the day, unless feeding Madeline
Limit computer time

Be Smart
Get a library card and enjoy learning for fun

Learn more about China
Read everyday - Join Book Club
Make a budget and STICK TO IT!

Be Healthy
Exercise daily
 Avoid junk food - especially at the grocery store
Don’t eat late at night
 Have a positive attitude about yourself no matter how you think you look
Plan wholesome dinners in advance

Be clean
No dishes in the sink when you go to bed
 Stick to your cleaning schedule

 Be Creative
Find ways to continue to develop your talents
You are happier when you spend some time being creative.  

This is your “you” time

Be a wife
Spend time listening to Jeremy’s needs 

(the ones he vocalizes and the ones he doesn’t)
Make a conscious effort to be appreciative and encouraging
No computer when Jeremy is free
Find things to do together other than tv (i.e. puzzle, game, talking)

Make sure we have a least one (cheap) date every week
Practice being SELF-LESS like Christ.  Put Jeremy’s needs first.

Be a Mom
Get Madeline on a nightly schedule
Spend time each day helping her learn and grow
Make sure she knows you love her

via

I know this is kind of a lot of resolutions, but as we talked about what we wanted to change this year, there wasn't really anything I felt I could take off this list.  So here's to an organized chaos of resolutions!  Happy New Year! A week late....

In the Bleak Mid Winter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow on snow.

In the bleak midwinter, long, long ago.

What shall I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet, what I can, I can give him, give my heart.

~ Christina Rossetti 

Thanks for Listening

Have you ever had a feeling that you should call someone, or send them a friendly text? Drop by and say "hi" or just share your smile with someone? I believe that our Heavenly Father cares enough about each of us that sometimes He inspires us to do something for one of His other children.  If we're listening we get those promptings and are able to help each other out. 

Today was a horrible day.  Well it started out horrible.  It was one of those mornings that was terrible, and miserable, and not really for any particular reason other than I'm 8 months pregnant {officially today} and  miserable most all the time.... {Is it normal to feel crappy, kind of like when you're on your period? Not really cramps, but just that miserable feeling?} Anyway, walking home I might have kind of fallen apart walking home with Jeremy today simply because I wasn't walking in a straight line and he pointed it out... ridiculous I know.  Came home, burst into tears, had a good cry and was then greeted by the sweetest little Halloween greeting from someone who {yeah they sent them to several people} but we were one of those people! It just reminded me of how important it is that we live our lives so that we can bless other peoples lives each and every day.

AH that just reminded me! Someone thought of me on Sunday too.  There's a woman in our ward at church who stopped by Sunday evening to bring us cookies and wrote me a sweet note thanking me for the music the choir sang that morning.  It really didn't go over very well, I was kind of frustrated and just, I'm having a hard time.... But she was nice enough to thank me {even though she probably realized how bad it was...}.  It just, it made my Sunday.  

So thank you to all you people out there who are listening.  I'm sure you don't realize just how much of a good impact you had on me!  I hope that when I take the time to listen I'm helping someone out too.  Not that I want to know, I just want to be able to be an answer to someone's prayer every once in a while, you know?  By the way, the Frankenstein Bag had candy in it and Jeremy and I spread it all out on the couch and divvied {did you know divvied had two 'v's? I had to look it up...} it up like two little kids sharing their spoils. We're basically little kids - nbd. 

kluvyoubye!

HAPPY

I wish that every day were like yesterday.

At first I couldn't tell you why it was so great - I was just HAPPY.

Its not like it was an easy day, it was actually a harder day.  Nothing magnificent happened. So I didn't know why it was so great.  But when I went to bed I realized what had made it such a good day.  If I somehow knew when my last day on this earth was, 

I'd want it to be like yesterday. 

It was one of those days when I fell asleep even more in love with my hubby than when I woke up that morning.  Not because he brought me flowers, or whispered sweet nothings in my ear.

I just felt grateful for him. Grateful for all the little things he does each day that make my life a little easier.  Grateful for someone to talk to. Grateful for someone to laugh with.  Grateful for the chance we had to make dinner together, and cuddle on the couch together.  Grateful for someone to start a family with.

grateful for someone to spend 
ETERNITY with

When you count your blessings, you realize how much you have. Then the sun shines a little brighter, the sky looks a little bluer, and anything is possible. My day was so great because subconsciously I chose to count my blessings. And it made me HAPPY. Sometimes its hard to see all the blessings we have, 

but we each have many things to be grateful for. 

And when we choose to look for those blessings we will be 

{HAPPY}

When it is dark enough...

"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 {Photo taken by my Dad when we were in the Grand Canyon a few years ago}

Sometimes life gets hard, and when you're having a hard week, its an amazing thing to go to church and find out the entire theme of the day is just what you needed to hear! No joke! The Relief Society lesson, the Sunday School lesson, the talks in Sacrament meeting, and the special words the Bishop randomly decided to share with us all were just what we {husband and I} needed to hear.  

What a testimony builder that Heavenly Father really is there for us.  He knows us, He knows what we need, and He wants to help us. I feel so grateful for all that He has blessed me with. Christ really did suffer for not only our weaknesses and imperfections, but for our pains, our sufferings and the trials we face. He knows what we've going through and when we rely on Him as our Savior, He is there for us. I am so grateful for the Atonement. 

I'm inspired by Emerson's words at the top. They really clicked for me when I heard them yesterday. It means that if the sun is always shining, you don't get to see and appreciate the beautiful stars that are always in our lives, even if they're not always visible to us.  I rediscovered some of those stars that are in my life by being reminded of the love of my Heavenly Father, and His son, Jesus Christ. What a blessing trials are in our life.  They help us to refocus on the things that matter most, and learn the lessons that  we need to for the particular phase of life we're in, right now.

Thank you Heavenly Father for knowing me well enough to choose what's best for me, even if that means a trial I think I can't handle. And thank you for loving me enough to give me these trials, and help me through them, because only through you can I accomplish them. 

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"

Philipians 4:13 

First Day of School

Hello my dearies! How was your weekend?  Ours was calm and quiet.  We enjoyed skyping my family and giving them a little tour of our humble abode - speaking of which, I haven't shared our apartment with the blogging world yet, weird. Pictures coming soon!

Its Monday and the first day of school, only I don't have classes on Mondays haha.

At first I was excited about this, one more day of summer! But I feel like I'm missing out on all the energy that's flowing down on campus right now, alas.  There will probably still be energy tomorrow, right? 

Our Monday quote of the day is one that most of us have probably heard before, but its a good reminder!

"What lies behind us and what lies in front of us are small matters compared to what lies within us."

- Ralph Waldo Emmerson

Confession, I'm a little nervous about starting school.  Brigham Young University is a fairly prestigious school, with many very intelligent students, and yes I'm smart, but I'm not like a genius.  And oh side note, I'm 6 months pregnant and not getting any less pregnant til the end of the semester.  I just, I know this is where I'm supposed to be, but I'm a little scared.  I need to remember that I am an amazing person, and there's more to me than I realize, I just need to dig it out!

So here's to you school year! I'm gonna kick yo butt :)

kluvyoubye

Improving the World

Good morning world and welcome to the Scratch Pad!

I have to admit that I'm a bit nervous about starting this whole thing out, but Anne Frank helped me out.  She said, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

I'm not saying I think I'll have millions of followers and together we'll end world hunger, stop all wars, cure cancer and make everybody happy -- but I hope that in some small way we can all reach out and change a little piece of the world around us.  

David O. McKay said, "The greatest work you will ever do will be within the wall of your own home." 

With that said, I wish you all a fabulous day and hope to see you all tomorrow :)