I'll Never be my Grandma!

With Conference and the RS Broadcast still being fresh in my mind, I have been asking myself what can I do to be a better wife to my husband and mother to my children!

I constantly feel inadequate about the things that I do and don't do for my family. I love my family, don't get me wrong, but I know there are many MANY things that I can improve on!

I won't make a list of all the many many things that I fail at daily, but let's just say the list is long! :)

I joke with Chris quite a bit that "I'll just never be my Mother" but today I learned that I will also never be my GRANDMA!

Today in Sacrament Meeting the bishop was announcing Super Saturday this coming weekend and he said "So husbands, plan to have your wives gone for a couple of hours, and well...you'll have to get your own lunch." I looked over at Chris and he was kind of laughing, and I said..."So what else is new??" He just kind of chuckled.

My Grandma has made my Grandpa lunch probably everyday of their married life! And I'm not talking about a little sandwich with a few chips and a nice diet Pepsi...I'm talking Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh carrots, AND dessert! Apparently our Bishop is used to such pampering as well! My husband...not so much! He sometimes gets a sandwich while I'm making Bubby's lunch!

So there is another thing I guess I need to improve on! Good Grief! The list gets added to every day! Maybe I should have just never asked the question!

6 Months and Still Going Strong!

Yesterday I went to Dr. Bertin's office for my 6 month check-up. This is an x-ray of my new hip. Pretty cool huh?

I still can't believe that it's already been 6 months since I had my hip replaced!

In so many ways it seems like it was just yesterday, and in other ways, it seems like it was an eternity ago!

I still thank my Father in Heaven every single day for the miracle that happened to me 6 months ago! Thankfully our brains don't remember pain, but I do remember the limitations that I had 6 months ago.

It was so hard to do the simplest things everyday! Now I hardly think about doing the things I used to dread from day to day!

I still can't believe how easy it is to climb my stairs more than twice a day, to go grocery shopping, to chase my child, to go on a walk with my friends! It just baffles my mind some days!

Chris has said many times, that since my 24/7 pain has been taken away from me, I am a different person! I'm much happier, and much more the girl he married. I think he's right, because I FEEL happier! :)

I get stronger everyday! My limp is pretty much totally gone. It comes back if I'm really tired, or have worked too hard that day. The other day Keric took off running and much to my surprise AND his, I RAN after him, and caught him! Maybe he has finally met his match? haha

I will truly be forever grateful for Dr. Bertin and his staff, for my sweet husband and children for taking care of me for so long, and for my Father in Heaven, who knows me and who answers not only MY prayers, but the prayers of so many family members and friends!

Here is to another great 6 months...and MANY MANY MORE!!!

Brownie Supreme!

This will in no way be as exciting to anyone else as it is to me, but since this is MY blog, I get to blog about whatever I want to...so I'm going to blog about this! :)

At the beginning of the month I signed up to participate in a month long contest over at Brownie Scraps. The prize was a three month guest spot as a Brownie Supreme. A Brownie Supreme is a person who gets to scrap layouts with ALL the kits that are sold at Brownie Scraps. Basically you are on the creative team for the whole store, versus being on a creative team for one or two designers who sell at the store. These layouts are then used all over to advertise scrap booking products that are sold at the store.

The contest was REALLY fun! There were probably 40+ people who entered the contest, and it was all based on "votes" from store customers and also the designers themselves. The layouts who got the most votes for that week, got a certain number of points, and the 5 people with the highest amount of votes at the end of the contest were offered guest spots on the team for three months.

I felt pretty good about my layouts. I worked really hard on each one of them. We had a challenge every week, and I really had to "stretch" myself in some of these challenges! They were NOT easy!

The first week our challenge was to scrap our "everyday life". The catch was, the ONLY words on the page that could be used, were lyrics from a song that described our life! Um...my life consists of laundry, cleaning, poopy diapers and scrap booking! Not real exciting!! So I looked through what felt like HUNDREDS of songs, and finally found one that I felt like described my life: "Blessed" by Martina McBride. This was my week one layout:



The Second week was an even HARDER. This week we had to scrap a body part, and we could only use three words to describe our picture. This was my layout for the second week:



The third week we had to scrap someone or something we loved and then make a page that looked like a traditional scrapbook page! So basically a page that you could scrap with actual paper supplies. This was hard for me since I was really never a paper scrapper, but this was my page for the third week.



Each week we could get a possible 6 points per layout, depending on the votes we received. By the end of week 4, I only had 5 points! :( I was so sad!

By the end of the challenge I was pretty much down towards the bottom of the list, and figured I had lost my chance. Yesterday however I got an e-mail from Romana, who is the owner of Brownie Scraps. She said that all the designers "loved my layouts" and she wanted to offer me a PERMANENT position on the Brownie Supreme team!

I was so excited I actually screamed out loud! It's a huge deal to be on a store Creative Team, and I am totally flattered that the designers chose ME to advertise their products!

So I have been scrapping away, and having a great time, as you can probably tell! :)







Anyway....that's my big fun news for the week! My life is a little boring, so I get excited over silly things I know....but...I'm pretty excited! :)

The Legend Lives On!!

They say that if you wait long enough, despite your best efforts, you will see yourself turn into your parents one day. While there are many aspects of BOTH my parents personalities that I would love to wake up with there are always those occasional odd things that my parents did while I was growing up, that I laugh at and tell myself...I just can't see myself doing/saying that.

Well...one of those things happened last night! When we were growing up and we wouldn't eat our dinner, my Mom and Dad used a number of methods to convince us to eat. The two that I remember most were my Mom telling us that our spaghetti, peas, beans...whatever it was we were refusing to eat, would cry, if we didn't eat them. I think I remember her even actually telling us she could HEAR them crying. Well...being the "guilty conscience" person that I am...that generally worked on me when I was little, or at least until I realized that my Mom really couldn't hear my peas crying!

The next tactic was one my Dad used. He would tell us that if we didn't eat he would have to get out the "Big Spoon". Lucky for us, and probably lucky for him, none of us ever had to HAVE the big spoon. I don't know what was so scary about a big spoon, but NONE of us wanted to see my dad heading towards us with a big spoon in his hands. My Dad has since admitted he really didn't HAVE a big spoon, nor does he remember why he thought of this as a threat, it just for whatever reason seemed to work, so he stuck with it. It's been something we have all laughed about for years!

Well...I have since been blessed with a child who on a good day eats maybe one meal a day, and the things that he will eat are embarrassing to admit! He is worse than a picky eater...he is just simply NOT an eater!

Last night was no exception. We had taco salad for dinner, and he normally likes taco's, but he decided last night that he didn't like them. We were all finishing up, and Keric still had more than 3/4 of his dinner left on his plate! The next thing I knew I heard "Do you want Dad to get the big spoon!?" come out of my mouth!

Well it was bad enough that I had said it...but I wasn't about to also not HAVE a big spoon, so I told Chris to go and get the big spoon! Poor Chris..it probably should have been "Do you want MOM to go get the big spoon", but being the good husband that he is, he followed through on my threat, and got the big spoon.





It sadly wasn't as effective as I hoped...he did take a couple of bites from the big spoon, but not enough to make much of a dent in his plate.

I guess I will just have to keep holding to the Dr.'s advice of "He'll eat when he's hungry" and try not to stress out about it.

But until then...I DO have a big spoon, if anyone wants/needs to borrow it!

What happened??

I used to be such a blogger...and I have really slacked off lately! My excuse...well I don't have one, I can only say that I'm sorry for being such a slacker, and I say I'm sorry mainly to Chris who seems to be my only reader! :) Oh well...at least I know ONE person misses me when I'm gone from the blogging world.

This past month has been somewhat of a hectic one! It started out with Cam and Reag heading back to School and then Chris leaving to the Philippines for a couple of weeks to start his "new job" with Amazon. I guess with all of that, time just got away from me, and I haven't kept up the blog! :) I have scrapped some of the pictures I took this month, so I guess I'm not THAT horrible.



I was a little nervous about being home with Bubby for two weeks, so I took the chicken way out and threw Bubby in the car and drove out to see my Mom, Dad and Cicily. The car ride itself wasn't too bad, but I was more than happy to get out of the car, and so was Bubby!



We had a GREAT time, and it made the 2 weeks really FLY by! :) While we were in Wyoming, we rode along with Mom, Dad and Cicily up to Washington to attend Berlynn's blessing. I never truly appreciated how LONG of a drive it is from Powell to Moses Lake! I used to kind of think Boppy was a wimp for complaining about it so much, but I have to say...it is one MISERABLE drive!! I feel for ya Bops! Never again will I think you are a wimp! :)

One of the great things to do in Moses Lake is to go to the Farmers Market. Washington really does have an amazing selection of produce! I'm totally NOT a fruit lover, but I have to say the apples my Mom bought there were AMAZING! I could learn to like apples if those were the ones I was eating all the time! Keric of course was horrible at the Farmers Market. I didn't bring my stroller, and so that meant he was "free!" By this time he had figured out that Daddy was no where close, and he was really pushing my buttons. My mom of course saved the day and bought him a bag of Kettle Corn as big as he was, and that kept him entertained for the rest of the shopping time! :)



It was so much fun to meet Baby Berlynn, and also to see Roman and Iree. Keric loved playing with his cousins, even if he and Iree are both a little too head strong for their own goods! He asked where they were several times after we got back to Powell!







We also got to see Danna and her family, which was fun too! It was kind of like our own little mini reunion!

After getting back from Washington we spent a few more days in Powell. I got to see some good friends, and also go out and visit my Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa Hopkin of course made it a point to take Bubby out to see the animals. Seeing the animals has kind of become somewhat of a tradition I guess. :) Bubby loved the chicken's and the cows! He made sure to even talk to them very loudly I might add, in their own language. The funniest part was, they usually mooed and bak baked back at him! haha





It was a nice relaxing few days before we had to get back in the car and make the long journey back home!

Sadly, however we DID have to get back in the car, and make the long trip back home. I learned quickly that Icee's and "Race" made the ride a lot more bearable for both of us! I didn't think I could listen to Cars one more time...but as long as Keric was happy and quiet, I lived through it!



Chris came home the next day. We went and picked him up from the airport. It was so nice to see him home safe and sound! Keric was so excited to see his Daddy, he couldn't even say anything! He just sat in his seat and kicked his legs frantically! It was so cute!

We picked the kids up after school, and Chris of course showered us all with tons of gifts from the Philippines! It was nice to have the whole family back together again...until the NEXT time Chris has to leave the country, but guess we won't think about that today!

New Lights!

I have been wanting to replace some light fixtures in our house for a long time, and thankfully I have a husband who is nice enough to humor me and my silly requests. Poor guy has been gone ALL week long, and I know buying light fixtures and installing them was probably #99 on his list of top 100 things to do, but I'm grateful he did it for me anyway! :)

Last night we went on a "date" to Home Depot, and bought some new light fixtures! I was so excited! I guess that is when you know you are TRULY an adult! When you get excited over light fixtures! haha

I should have thought to take before AND after pictures, instead of just after, but trust me...the ones before were ugly! They were brass and old, and just didn't go with my stuff!

So...Chris let me pick out some new ones, and he put two of them up last night. The third one goes in the stair well...and we are still trying to figure out how to get him up there without breaking his neck! :) I'll post pictures of that one when it gets done.

So...here are two of my new light fixtures! I know they aren't the best pictures...the sun is kind of bright right now, so I may have to take some more and replace these, but you get the idea for now!

Kitchen:




Piano Room:





Thanks Honey!!! I love you! :)

Lesson Learned!

So I learned a very valuable lesson yesterday! I guess in all fairness I usually learn at least one, probably ten lessons everyday, but this one was one I had not expected.

The lesson was: Don't mess with Bubby and Daddy's "Depot" dates!!!

Maybe it was all the "dates" that Chris and I went on to Home Depot when I was pregnant, or maybe it's just simply that we, and by we I mean CHRIS, has been working on the basement since before Bubby was born, and therefore has made many a trip to Home Depot, but Keric has ALWAYS loved Home Depot!


(December 17, 2009)

Often times there are days when we just don't really leave the house much, if at all, and Bubby gets antsy and wants to go "bye-bye". This often times means a walk around the block, or a quick trip to Maverick or Wal-Mart. The funny thing is sometimes he will specifically ask to go to Depot.

Because he loves it so much, Chris will often times take him when he goes, and they kind of have little "Daddy Bubby dates" to Home Depot. Apparently Bubby takes this time with his Daddy very seriously!

Last night Chris had to go to Home Depot, and asked if I wanted to come and look at light fixtures. So I rode along. When we got there, I could tell that Bubby was kind of fussy and upset. Chris put him in his little race car cart and we headed towards the light fixtures. Every time I would try to push the cart, or even TOUCH the cart, Bubby would scream "NO MOMMY!" Then he would start to cry for his Daddy!

Chris was the ONLY one who could push him in the cart, and if there was ever a time when we were kind of by ourselves and Chris was looking at something, Bubby would push me and say "NO Mommy! Go!"

It was very OBVIOUS that I had crashed a party, and was not wanted! I was a little hurt and offended that he was so upset that I was there, but I have to admit that it kind of warmed my heart a little. I know he is little, but I LOVE that he has a special little place that he considers just HIS and DADDY'S!

I guess next time I'll just stay home! :)