Simply Mom, Shabby Designer

After I had Jex, I struggled with not losing myself as a person. I have always made an effort to still find time for things that I love. I have always had a passion for creativity. My mind is always dreaming in fabric, and paint swatches. Even as a child growing up I loved to move furniture in my room, and paint crafts. As an adult, my wonderful friend Krysta helped me develop an even greater love for decorating.

This is how I make time for me, "by making life look pretty." It can be with fashion, jewelry, home accessories, scrapbooking, photography... and on and on. I know that all of you have something in your life, that you just love to do. It may be exercise, cooking, reading, sewing, or just anything that makes you smile. I have discovered through experience that we can all learn from each other. I have valued the "teaching moments" that I have from all of my friends who are good or have a passion for things in their life. Some of these talents, I try and I do not enjoy. Others, I have really enjoyed. I have learned so many things from wonderful people. I am thankful for the gifts, talents and passions that Heavenly Father gives us, because I have been privileged to learn so much from others.

From those experiences of growth, I have learned how important it is to share our experiences and knowledge with others. Jonathan has been prodding me to share some of my creative juices on our blog. I think I have finally succumbed, and decided that it just might be fun.

So... on occasion (when I come up with something), I will share some fun ideas about, "making life pretty." Jonathan and I have always lived on a budget, so these ideas will be cheap, and may inspire some of you to do something fun like this in your life. This is the reason for the title Shabby Designer. Most everything I have is a hand me down, is on a major sale, or something I found for free on the side of the road. Then I use my creativity to refurbish this, and "make it pretty."

I hope as I share these ideas you can find something just laying around that you can reuse in your own life. This is just a fun way to inspire you. I also hope this entry inspires you to find time to do something that you enjoy, and then share it with others.

DISCLAIMER: I do not profess to be an expert, nor have I ever taken any design classes. I am just sharing what I love, and what works for me. My motto is: it is not good design if YOU don't love it, and the only rule for design (by my handbook) is if you love it then use it. After all, my design style is called skitsophrenic, and I think it works because I love everything in my space.

Here is my SIMPLE idea for today:

Need to brighten up a space or a room.... add some flowers.


Flowers can add so much liveliness to a room. I had this empty space to fill, and I knew it needed some flowers. The color of the flowers is not matchy matchy to what I have going on in the room, but it is in the same tones. They are a nice green color, just a smidge brighter then my wall.

What makes this a cheap addition is that I already had the vase, and I bought the flowers at Hobby Lobby when they were 1/2 off. That made them $3 a bunch. I used 2 bunches. What a deal, and look at the impact it made. They make me smile every time I look at them.

I also decided it would be fun to carry them around the room a bit. So I took 3 of the flowers out of the bunch, and added them to these 3 small vases. I bought these at Walmart in the pack of 3 for $3. I also thought outside the box, by putting them on our bar. It gives a nice look to a rather overlooked place. So for $3, I carried the look around the room, and brightened up my bar.(you can also buy something called Crystal Water that looks like real water in the bottom of the vase, I did this for added effect... it is not necessary) Crystal Water gels up and will not spill. It also secures the flower in place. This will add about $12 to your project, but if you used your coupon at Hobby Lobby it would save you about $5. It was enough to do both flower projects.

One more tip on Brightening up your space:

I have this fun bookshelf in our house, but it was so boring. I scrounged around the house for some nice things I could add to bring in some color. I had the red picture frame, and I added a fun piece of scrapbook paper inside to add some fun dimension. On the top of the book shelf, I moved some candlesticks that I had in another space, and then gave new life to a pot. This pot had some greenery in it that was just done. My friend Krysta gave me the pot. It was free, and I just bought a $3 bush, and replaced it. The green really adds to the space, and actually gives the big wall some nice color. The vase with the pears in it was $1.50. I bought the pears from my favorite Hobby Lobby. They came in a pack, and of course were 50% off. Then I filled the vase that I already had. These simple tricks brought new life to my rather boring bookshelf, and it only cost me $4.50.

I hope this inspires you to find a place to add a splash of color, by using flowers. You can never go wrong with a nice vase of flowers.

HINT: Don't buy cheap flowers from a $$$ store or Walmart. Invest in some nice ones. They go 50% off all the time at Hobby Lobby. Believe me it is worth it. Also, if you do not have vases lying around like I did then check out the $$$ store or thrift stores.

{A tribute to my favorite JEANS!!}

Oh, how I have missed these jeans. It has been such a long time since I have been able to squeeze my behind in to them. December of 2006 was the last time that these wonderful jeans were on my body. NOT ANY MORE!!!

After much sacrifice, and hard work.... I am wearing them. I don't just mean squeezing myself into them(with my gut hangin over them, and pretending like they fit...like I have done every month, and then take them off because they are squeezing my gut, and giving me a muffin top) But now, I am really wearing them, with comfort included.

I have lost 5 1/2 more pounds, and I am so excited. I was also able to wear a skirt to church last week that hasn't seen the likes of me in a LONNNNG... time.

The funny thing about this pair of jeans is that I got them for FREE from a friend. When we lived in the Caribbean I lost all of my baby weight from Stella, and had nothing to wear. My friend had just bought these for $4.99 at target, and didn't love them on her. She was kind enough to send them my way, and they fit. My cute (really skinny) friend's jeans fit, and OHHH... I must say they fit me well. They are my all time favorite. So.. they came home with me from Saba, and adorned my body until pregancy #3.

FINALLY.... we have been reunited.

My weight loss journey is not finished 5-10 pounds to go, depending on how I feel when I get there. However, it was so wonderful to reach this milestone.

ABC....

Here are some photos of our Alphabet summer. We have been having so much fun doing this, and I have loved watching how much the kids enjoy it. Every morning they ask, "what letter are we doing today?" Stella will also say, "mom, I know what letter that starts with." She is always right when she tells me. It has really helped the kids develop a love for learning.

I also wanted to share a few websites that have helped me with this. I have been using:

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/ to make the worksheets for the kids to practice their letters.

http://www.flagspot.net/ to print out a flag from the U.S. that starts with the letter of the day, and use it as a coloring project for the kids.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/ then click on picture dictionary, and then select the letter of your choice. This will bring up a whole page full of pictures and words for this letter. The kids love learning more about random little words. (ie: we did N, and we were able to talk more about Nursery rhymes, and Nurse sharks.)

Here is the long post of pictures:

H is for... Hot Tub. I let the kids splash around in our jacuzzi tub.(this was a great distraction as I cut my own hair)

J is for... Jump Rope, Jacks, and Jex(Jex's scrapbook pages to come in following post)


I is for... Indoor campout, Indoor Smores, and Isaac. Here are the scrapbook pages the kids made about Isaac.

Made By Jex for Isaac.

Made by Stella for Isaac.

P is for... pudding and popcorn pictures. The kids enjoyed finger painting with pudding, and glueing popcorn on their masterpeice. That was until we put them outside to dry, and it started to rain. AHHH!!
N is for...No-Bake Nests.(we made no-bake cookies, shaped them into bird nests, and then filled them with marshmellows for the eggs. SO FUN, yet SOOO DANGEROUS. Mom, loves no-bakes, but that doesn't go so well with my healthy eating plan. GOOD LUCK MOM!!
N... is for Necklace. I broke out the bin of beads that I haven't seen since I used to make jewelry and I let the kids string some necklaces. They made all of them for me, as you can see: Not the best picture of me, but the smile on my face is pure delight in the gift from the kiddos.
L is for... Library. We found our local library, and they have a great story time. It happens to work perfect into our schedule. What a fun addition to our summer.
F is for... Fingernail polish. I let the kids piant my fingernails, and toe nails. We did Stella's as well. As an added bonus, Jex found a frog on F day. Here he is trying to capture it, and a view of what the little thing looked like in our yard.
Yeah for the Alphabet, and exciting ways to present it. Thanks to everyone for helping with some ideas.

The Role of a Mother....

... you forgot to mention that most of my life as a mother would be spent teaching my children everything they need to know. Does that overwhelm you as much as it does me?

I have been thinking about this over the last few days as I have been:

teaching the kids to swim
teaching them to jumprope
teaching them to ride their bikes

Among all of the other teaching moments we have throughout the day.

I was just wondering if I was the only one with this on my mind, and the constant worry that I just might not get this right.

I need to go back to school, so I can learn how to be a better teacher. I guess I will learn as I go.
YEAH!! for mothers, and everything they do. We are doing a great job!!! Keep up the good work!! (all of this motivation is for me-it was a hard day.)

New Obsession!

AHHH! So now instead of being obsessed with digital scrapbooking, I am obsessed with finding free digital downloads. I have more stuff than I could ever use, but it is so fun. Just wanted to share for those of you interested, I have found 2 great sites.

http://www.the3chickens.blogspot.com/
http://www.digifree.blogspot.com/

ENJOY!!! It is so fun. It is like shopping, but you don't spend any money.

{Light on a Hill}

Beware of the monster post, but I had a few things on my mind that I wanted to write down. I wanted to be able to look back and remember a few important truths that I was taught this week. I also wanted to share with you.

Yesterday in Young Womens, the lesson was "Learning to Share the Gospel." It was such a significant lesson, and so important. We decided to meet all together and share our testimonies on Missionary work with the girls.

Since I have moved away from Utah, I have such a strong testimony of this. It is amazing how badly I just want to shout it from the rooftop. "Hey, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am a member of the true church, and I KNOW this without a doubt. I belong to the church that Jesus Christ organized when he lived on the earth. What a blessing it has been, what a peace it has brought to my life, and Oh... how it has saved me from so much heartache." I want everyone I love to Know what I know, Feel what I feel, and Do as I do. (okay, maybe not always do as I do.) These three words were a big part of our lesson; Know, Feel and Do.

It seems like Missionary work has been a big theme at church lately. I know it has been a little push for me. One man from our ward asked, "How does it make us feel to share this with others?"Personally, it makes me sick to my stomach and so nervous. He said, "It causes us to be fearful and worried. Worried that we might offend, or they might not like us anymore." Then he said... and this hit me so hard, "Missionary work is not about you." He is so right. It is about our friends who may be looking for something, possibly waiting for us to share with them. It is for them to decide what to do with the information. We just have to share. I also loved when this man in our ward said, "We are not selling anything. We are not asking for money. It is not a burden on anyone. Don't worry so much about it... just share what makes you happy. That is all you are doing."

The Missionaries have asked us to bring a non-member friend to church on August the 10th. I so hope that I can be a part of this. I would love to participate in bringing but one soul.

At the end of our lesson yesterday, we shared a song with the girls. The words of the song resemble the scripture Matthew 5: 14-16:

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The spirit was so strong in our meeting, and especially during the song. Here are the words:

Light on a Hill
By: Jenny Phillips

You are just one light in the darkness
Traveling by Faith
But just one light
Is hope to the ones who’ve lost their way

You are a light on a hill
Cannot be hidden
Cannot be still
Sharing His light
Til the whole world is filled
You are a light on a hill

In a world that’s lost and lonley
Heaven works through you
Bringing hope to those who
are searching for the truth

You are a light on a hill
Cannot be hidden
Cannot be still
Sharing His light
Til the whole world is filled
You are a light on a hill

Father rejoices on high
For the beauty that fills up your life
In all that you do
You have been true
And others can see him through you

We are a light on a hill
Cannot be hidden
Cannot be still
Sharing His light
Til the whole world is filled
We are a light on a hill

My goal this month is to share my light. I will share the light I have gained by:
A) my example
B) sharing my testimony of the gospel with one person, and asking them to come to church
C) teaching my children about the love that I have for this church, and the blessing of being a part of it.

One more little part of a song. It is a childrens song that they sing in primary. I love one little part, and I hope that I can teach my children just how important this is. The song is "Holding Hands around the World" by Janice Kapp Perry.

It says:
We are covenant children with a gift to give
We will teach the gospel by the way we live
With each word and action we will testify
We believe and we serve Jesus Christ.

I hope I am raising my children in a way that they show in their word and actions just who they believe in. I want their light to shine as well.

I am thankful to belong to this church. I hope and pray that those who are searching will find the truth of this gospel.

For more information about our church please visit http://www.mormon.org/

Here is the handout that I gave the girls yesterday:

{Alphabet Ideas...}

I wanted to quickly share all of the ideas for the alphabet. I have gotten a lot of ideas from all of you, and my sister in laws. Thank you to everyone who has emailed me or posted some ideas. Here is a complete list if any of you are interested.

A... Astronaut, American Indians, Arrowheads, Apples(cut the apple the wrong way. It makes a star and use it to stamp with using paint.

B... Baptism, Belong, Believe, Bubbles

C... Carwash, Cupcakes, Clean, Card-making

D... Dinosaurs, Dad, Dance, Disposable Camera

E... Exercise, Everything for lunch( I am going to let my kids pick what they want for lunch, and if they pick Oreos, then that is what they get.)

F... Fondue, Flowers, Fingernails

G... Give, Gifts

H... Hot tubs, Hearts, Homemade salsa

I... Icecream, Isaac, Indoor campout, and Indoor Smores

J... Jex, Jump Rope, Jacks, and Jumping Jacks

K... Kite, Kids, Kindness Day

L... Library, Laundry, Litter pick-up

M... Mom, Music, Movie, Macaroni, Mix(small treats in a bowl for a snack, a mixture of things), Marble painting

N... Necklaces, Nests(make them out of N0-bake cookies, and fill with Jelly Beans)

O... Opposites, Outdoor painting

P... Pudding Pictures(paint with pudding), Puppet show

Q... Quiet, Quack, "Quiet Quilt"

R... Rhymes, Recipe, Recycle

S... Stella, Strawberry Smoothie, Scrapbook

T... Time(teach them about time), Tacos, Tye-Die

U... Upside Down, Uno(game)

V... Volcano, Vanilla Pudding, Veggies

W... Walk, Water, Watermelon

X... X-rays, XXX(kisses to our family-send a package with hershey kisses to someone in our family)

Y...Yummy, Yellow, Yo Yo

Z... Zippers(find things with zippers) Zoo

I am going to keep this list, and keep adding to it for the years to come. My kids have loved having something to look forward to this summer. It has helped them from saying "I'm Bored."
So if you have anymore great ideas, let me know.

{am not... am too...}

{"Everyday is painfully the same, but vastly different."}
Kate Gosselin-Jon & Kate plus 8

Jex goes right to sleep... Stella does not
Stella sleeps in.... Jex does not
Jex loves meat... Stella does not
Stella loves dairy... Jex does not
Jex loves watching TV... Stella does not
Stella loves cooking with mom... Jex does not
Jex makes his bed... Stella does not
Stella takes her time... Jex does not
Jex follows every rule... Stella does not
Stella is carefree and laid back... Jex is not
Jex loves people... Stella does not
Stella loves to trick and be tricked... Jex does not
Jex loves to play outside... Stella does not
Stella loves to play house... Jex does not
Jex loves to read books about facts... Stella gets bored
Stella loves to read short simple books... Jex does not

Even though these two are vastly different... they are much the same.
They love other...
They love having routine...
They love spending time with mom and dad...
They love to dressup and play pretend...
They love to color and do art...
They love to be helpful...

The greatest gift you can give your child is a... SIBLING!!
(btw, we love our little Isaac also, we just haven't figured out what he is, and is not!)

Happy Birthday Jonathan!!

We have celebrated a decade of birthdays together. I can't believe it. Each one gets better. Every few years or so, we have a new addition to share birthdays with. It is so fun for the kids to celebrate your birthday, and try to spoil you.

I have enjoyed our tradition of making homemade icecream on your birthday. I like knowing that you would rather have that then a cake. I think that the kids enjoy it as well.

I am so glad that I got to share this birthday with you. I enjoyed dinner with you at PF Changs. The dinner was great, but the conversation and time was just what I needed. You were made for me, and I know that you have blessed my life beyond measure. I am thankful for you everyday.

Thank you for making me a part of your life, and sharing your birthdays with me. I love you so much!! Happy Birthday Babe!!

I Love You!!
P.S. You may be one year older, but you are still pretty HOT!!

Time for my Hobby...

Since Jonathan has been taking the car, and since the move; I have had a lot more time at home. This has given me an hour or so during the day to get back to digital scrabooking. It has been so nice to sit down and do it. I forgot how much I love creating pages.

Now that I am back to it, I hate the pages that I made for Isaac's baby book. His pages were the first pages I created, and I am not at all thrilled with them. With digital scrapbooking, I have the luxury of doing them over. The best part is that it cost no money to do it over, it only costs my time. I would rather them look the way I want, so I have slowly been doing some of them over.

So... I just wanted to share what I have been working on the last few day. (btw, while Isaac is taking his afternoon nap, the kids have "rest time." They love it because they get to watch a movie, and have a mix(goldfish, gummy bears, m&ms, marshmellows, nuts, and dried fruit.) This gives me some time to get things done, or... SCRAPBOOK!!!
I have a few more, but that might be scrapbook overload. It has been fun to have a part of myself back. Thanks for looking!!

{More of our Alphabet Summer...}

Here is what we have been working on with our alphabet the last few days.

S... is for Stella, Scrapbook, Swenson, Smoothies, and Space.

Today we talked about the day Stella was born, and looked at her baby scrapbook. We also made a Scrapbook page all about Stella. The kids each took turns making the page. They picked out everything, and came up with the design. They also picked out words that begin with the letter S to describe her. Here are there pages. We had also had Strawberry Smoothies for lunch, and we will read a book about Space tonight before bed.

Stella's Scrapbook Page:

Jex's Scrapbook Page:

G... is for Give, and Gratitude.

Last Thursday, we had the missionaries over for dinner. We talked about giving, and also being Grateful for what we have. The kids helped with dinner, and then enjoyed giving to them as they ate with us. They also picked some food items off our shelf to Give to the Arkansas Food Bank. Our primary is doing this as an activity coming up in August. Now our kids are helping to contribute. They enjoyed thinking about all that they do have, and finding some things to give to others.

B is for... Baptism, Belong, and Believe.

On Saturday, a young women from our area was baptized. Her husband was a member, and she has decided to join the church. We took the kids to the baptism, because we thought it would be good for them to see. We also wanted to support Jackie. We also sang the song, "I Belong to the church" to the kids. I talked to the kids about what it means to belong to something. The song also says, " I Believe in the Savior Jesus Christ, I'll honor his name." I talked to them about what it means to Believe. It was a nice day, and a great way to talk to the kids about faith, and belonging to a wonderful church. The kids enjoyed the baptism, and have been talking about Jackie the last couple of days. I know they were impressed with her decision to join the church. They were also excited because Jackie is pregnant with twins. It is a big year for her.

I loved all of the response I got the last time I posted about our Alphabet. I am in need of help again. I need some ideas for these letters, A, K, N, O, U, W, and Z. If you have any please let me know.

I don't think I mentioned this, but on Jonathan's first day of work, he was in a car accident. He is doing fine, but it totaled his car. He has been driving my car to work, and so I have been car less. All of these activities need to be things that we can do at home. If you have any please let me know.

Thanks for your input. This really has been a great learning tool for the kids. I will keep sharing what I have come up with.

Kitchen

I am slowly getting pictures of the house posted. I still have all of the bedrooms to post, but here is the kitchen.

I love this room, because it is so open, and flows right in to the great room. It is just one big space. The breakfast nook, reading nook, great room, and kitchen are all connected. I love that we can all be in the same room, but doing different things. Open concept floor plans are the best. Jonathan and I really wanted to find an open floor plan when we bought our home. I am so glad we found it.

I also love my nice big refrigerator, and the built in ice maker. It is such a luxury. I have enjoyed cooking in this kitchen. Oh... and for my OP estates friends the large dishwasher is so wonderful. I can't wait until you can all experience a full sized dishwasher. What a change it makes for cleaning up.

Alphabet Summer

This summer I wanted to do a refresher course on the letters of the alphabet. I wanted both of the kids to be well prepared for school. They also do so much better when we have something planned out for the day. I wanted to keep it simple, and fun. So... we are doing a letter a day, or every other day. It has been so easy, and relaxed. I am usually planning it out at the last minute. It has been successful so far.

I pick a letter, and then we do some sort of fun activity that goes along with that letter. Then the kids practice writing that letter, and also talk about the sound that letter makes. The kids have loved it. Here are the letters we have done so far.

M.... is for Movie(Mary Poppins), and then Macaroni Art.
(we cuddled up one rainy afternoon and watched Mary Poppins, and then the kids drew a picture and covered it in Macaroni) V... is for Volcano.
(we made a baking soda and Vinegar Volcano. The kids thought this was really cool.)
C... is for Clean, and Cards.
(the kids helped me clean the bathroom, and then I let them use my scrapbook stuff to make cards)I plan on posting the rest of the alphabet for my journal. So... just bear with me. Any good ideas for letters like Q, Y, and others... please let me know.

Sharing the gospel through the internet.

This morning, I read a talk in the recent Ensign(a monthly magazine put out by the LDS church.) It made me even more excited about blogging. Often times, I feel guilty taking a small part out of my day to blog. There are many benefits from doing it:

1. I just love it.
2. I am recording a history(the purpose for all the blogging I do) I am using this as a journal.
3. A way to keep in touch with family and friends.
Now, I have a 4th reason and that is to share the gospel.

The article talked about taking time to share our testimony in the written form. For so many years only those who had the money and means to be published were. Books, newspaper, and radio have been the source for getting points, opinions and beliefs out to the masses. Now, we have the internet. The article was written by Elder M. Russell Ballard, and he had this to say "There are conversations going on about the church constantly. Those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the church teaches....Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration."

I am taking this as a challenge. I am going to find time in my life to share my testimony.

This week, I have been thinking so much about missionary work. I gave a lesson to the young women in the church about the sacrifices that missionaries make. Stella gave a talk in Primary on how we as members can be better missionaries, and we are feeding the missionaries from our area, in our home, on Thursday.(hmmm....what should I make?)

Anyways, I am amazed at the sacrifies that so many young men and women in our church make. It is so amazing that at such a young age they are so willing to give up time in their life to teach the gospel to those who may not have heard what we believe. I am so happy that they are able to share with others the truth about the Restoration of the Gospel. As a church we know that the same church that was on the earth when Christ was here has been restored to the Earth once again. The church that he formed with 12 apostles, and commandments for our own good...has been restored. I am thankful to be living in a time when I can rely on this truth. It makes so much sense to me. Why would Christ's church only exist while he lived on the earth? He set up the church for it to continue, and it does. I love knowing that.

I know that I also have the responsibility to share this truth with others. The Savior wants every sheep safely gathered in. We must help him in the gathering. It is easier said then done. It does take courage, but I do have a testimony that this is the plan. I believe that scripture in D&C that says "...if you but bring one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy."

The manual that the missionaries use in their preparation is called, "Preach my Gospel." The message in the front of the book makes me excited to share this message with others. It says: "We challenge you to rise to a new sense of commitment to assist our Father in Heaven in his glorious work. Every missionary(member) has an important role in helping "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)

The Lord will reward and richly bless you as you humbly and prayerfully serve Him. More happiness awaits you then you have ever experienced as you labor among His children."

I am going to strive to be even better at sharing what I believe with others. I feel blessed to belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It truly is a wonderful blessing in my life.

For those of you seeking more information about the church please visit. www.mormon.org

Should we go yo-yo-in' or hoggin' ?

We were having dinner together tonight and I said to Andrea, "I was thinking about posting something on the blog tonight." She said, "So you're just going to post about how cute I am??" I replied, "Yes puddin', you're very cute... but I was fixin' to post about catfishin' on Saturday night." Look at me... we've lived in Arkansas for one month and I'm already talking like I'm from the south.

Arkansas is nicknamed the "Natural State"... and rightfully so. There are rivers, lakes, ponds, and trees everywhere. You've all heard the term "way out in the backwoods." That term doesn't just apply to Jeff Foxworthy and "you might be a redneck...." Everywhere down here is heavily wooded... so when a buddy of mine asked me if I wanted to go catfishin' Saturday night at a lake "back in the woods", I rushed home to get ready. I found an old t-shirt that had a picture of a gun, a deer, an old 4x4 truck, and a girl in a bikini holding a beer can. I promptly cut off the sleeves and frayed the edges a little bit. Then I took one of my hats and curled the brim in really tight, and rubbed dirt and grease all over it. I then loosened the belt buckle on my jeans a bit so when I bent over in the boat you'd be able to see some... you know... At this point I was READY. On the way out to the lake I was given the option to either go "yo-yo-ing" or "hogging." So I ask, "What's the difference?" Well in a nutshell... yo-yo-in' involves tying these spring loaded spools of line that basically look just like a yo-yo to the bushes and limbs that overhang the bank of the lake. You bait the hooks with a dough that I would describe as a fermented mix of chicken liver and baby poo. Then you feed the line down into the water until it is almost on the bottom and set the spring mechanism so when a catfish swallows your stinky paste it trips the spring and sets the hook in their mouth. Hoggin' (also known as noodling) is slightly more insane... only slightly. Hoggin' involves getting into waist deep muddy water and feeling around with your hands until you find a catfish hole or burrow under the water. Then you stick your bare arm in the hole (yes that's right... I said bare arm) and if you've found a catfish lair, it will usually swim forward and swallow your fist. At this point you scream a few expletives, pray that whatever swallowed your hand isn't a beaver or snapping turtle, and pull like the dickens! Now, in my opinion, you've got to be a few McNuggets short of a Happy Meal to try this form of caveman fishing. I don't think my patients would have much confidence in me if they knew my two missing fingers were lost to a hoggin' incident gone bad... as I try to suture the huge cut on their chin. On the other hand, if it's a patient that got that gash on their chin after saying, "Hey Bubba! Watch this!"... they may actually think their doctor is pretty cool.

Needless to say, I chose the yo-yo-in' option. After putting out yo-yo's all over this lake and putting dozens of miles on the boat, we caught over 20 big catfish and I brought home 30 pounds of nice catfish fillets. Now I just need to go froggin' for some big frog legs to make the meal complete.

P.S. My hands STILL smell like liver and baby poo.

New Traditions!!

After spending many Holidays away from home, you start to think about the traditions your kids will remember. As a child, the Fourth of July was spent camping with family and friends at a KOA. This was tradition as long as I can remember. I looked forward to it every year. I would count down the days until we would pack up and go. Our memories for our children have been different than I expected. No more hometown celebrations or fireworks with family. No more camping and BBQ's with the people we love. I want my children to look forward to this holiday just as I did. So... every year, I try to think about what traditions we will have. Because we have moved a lot they seem to change frequently.

Now... we have a new tradition. At least for the next 4 years... and the kids couldn't be happier. This 4th was spent at a pavilion owned by a couple in our ward. They host this event every year. It was amazing. Our entire ward was invited, along with their friends, and also some of their employees. I would have to say about 400 people were there. The event starts at noon and ends at 10:00pm.

They provide all of the food complete with catfish, ribs, burgers, hotdogs, salads, french fries, every drink under the sun, watermelon, corn on the cob, and homemade ice cream. They made 30 batches of delicious homemade icecream. Then just across from the food stand, is a little shack complete with sno cones and cotton candy. My kids were in heaven. Jex just couldn't stand it, and had to keep going back for more. Stella loved that we let her eat whatever she wanted that day. Isaac fell in love with the catfish (who knew), oh... and the ice cream.

Isaac enjoying bites of Catfish!!

They also have all sorts of great things for the kids to do. Jex loved going down the slide with a pool at the end. I was so proud of him, he didn't act scared at all. Stella enjoyed playing on the playground and getting dirty. A change of clothes was necessary by the end of the day. Isaac was content to just watch everyone, and EAT!!

Jex splashing down in the pool, after a quick ride down the slide.

After a day of fun, food, laughter, and friends, they close the night with an amazing fireworks show. Not just a small fireworks show. It was pretty major.

Even though we miss our traditions with our family at home, we will just have to make do with this new one. Stella said as we left, "Can we come back to America's birthday tomorrow too?"

We are looking forward to the party again next year, and appreciate being invited to join in on the fun. It really helped to make my favorite Holiday not seem so lonely.

All Tuckered Out (the fireworks put him right to sleep!!)

Happy Birthday America!!

The Kids Bathroom

I am slowly posting pictures of each room. Today, I am sharing the kids bathroom. Since we moved in we have added the beadboard, with the help of our friends Casey and Krysta. I also want to paint this room a really mellow green. I will save that project for a day when I am really bored.
I wanted this room to feel really whimsical. I wanted to feel HAPPY every time I walked in here. I get that feeling. It really is a fun room.

I also wanted to use the words Dream, Hope and Wish. These words describe childhood so well.

I had a lot of fun with this room.