I'm so grateful for our Savior!

Over the last few days I have felt an overwhelming love for my Savior, the gospel and the Atonement.  I am beyond grateful that we have promises that we can return to our Heavenly Father because our Heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus Christ to live and die for us.

A friend of mine posted this comment on Facebook.  I'm not sure if it was something she was quoting, or something she wrote herself - but it touched me and reminded me of how grateful I am that (as usual) our Heavenly Father sent us all exactly what we would need.

God sent us a Savior

If our greatest need had been information, God would of sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been Money, God would of sent us a economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness, So God sent us a Savior.

The Ettes!

My favorite ladies over at The Ettes & Company are getting their newsletter together and starting to send out their cute newsletter.  Sign up and you'll get fun ideas, sale alerts and there will even be a fun gift for signing up for the newsletter later this month. 

So head over to their blog and sign up for their newsletter!!!

And check out the newest collection they released this week.  WOW!!!!  GREAT designs - a must have kit!  I'd suggest the bundle, but you can purchase the items individually too.  Fabulous flair, darling doodles (they seriously have the cutest doodles!!!) and super adoreable alphas and elements.
 

Giving Shutterfly a Try

I just tried something I haven't done before - I ordered from Shutterfly printing service.  A while back I had a friend send me an invite to a Shutterfly home party that included a free 8x8 album as well as 10 printed cards.  So I'm giving it a try and seeing how their service is.  I wish I had a bit more time to work on the album - and it would have been more cohesive and cool - but I realized this evening that if I wanted to take advantage of the special free offer I had to place my order by midnight tonight.  So with 4 minutes to spare I got it done.  I'm looking forward to seeing the quality of printing at least - should be good :).  I also had a free shipping code - so the whole deal was completly free.  Can't beat that huh?

Photo card:

Classic Without Edge Party 5x7 folded card

Unique party invitations and greeting cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

8X8 album with 2009 Holiday layouts:

Click here to view this photo book larger

BELIEVE

So at the beginning of the year there was buzz around about people choosing their "word" for 2010.  A word that they would focus on as they interacted with others, as the tried to live up to their 2010 resolutions, and a word that would signify the journey they were on for the next year of time.

I haven't done this in the past (this wasn't a new concept - it was just one of my first time to think about joining in), but I felt drawn to participating in this little activity this time around.  Now, at the time (the end of 2009) I was really struggling with dozens of "issues" - and I think this little decision was a turning point for me.  This was a moment that kind of forshadowed the possibility of upcoming changes in how I looked at the world, and more importantly how I looked at myself.

I thought of several words - adventure, excitement, organization, love, hope....but as I mulled these over in my mind I kept being drawn to a Christmas decoration I still had up (remember, it was just days after Christmas - I was still ok to have decorations up, I wasn't violating any decorating rules) with the simple word "BELIEVE".  That floated around in my mind as a possibility - but I was really struggling with some major depression, and the word "BELIEVE" just seemed a little too optomistic; a little too out of reach.

But as of January 1st I hadn't written down my intention, I hadn't created a large art piece devoted to "my 2010 word", and I hadn't even said anything to anyone about it.  I kind of filed it away in my mind under things I wish I had the time/energy to think about and let myself quit thinking about it.

Fast forward a few weeks, maybe months....  I was working out at my friend Leslie's house in the new program I was working on.  I was feeling stronger, finding new confidence and light in my life.  I was cleaning out the cob-webs and the darkness and feeling so much lighter in many ways.  I looked up into a door-way that led to the bathroom just off of her weight room.  Sitting on the counter in the bathroom was a decoration, a simple one word piece of wood, "BELIEVE".  As I looked at that word I felt a reminder of my thoughts leading up to the beginning of 2010.  Suddenly I felt renewed determination to have a word, to create intentions for the rest of the year revolving around these simple 7 letters.  All of the thoughts I'd had weeks before of things I wished I could want seemed somewhat possible.  I decided from then on that the theme for the rest of 2010 for me would be to "BELIEVE".  Here are some of the areas I felt it applied:

• I would BELIEVE in the people around me that I love and help them to BELIEVE in themselves.
• I would BELIEVE in myself and the abilities God had blessed me with. This would mean that I would stop listening to the limiting ideas I'd let keep me from accomplishing things I wanted in the past.
• I would BELIEVE that there were better chances out there and that things would look up financially.
• I would BELIEVE that the trials that I was experiencing were for my good, that I would truly come out victorious over them and that they would strengthen me and the people I love in just the way we needed it.
• I would BELIEVE in the gospel even more than I ever had, my testimony would grow and I would know with a surety the things I have always felt in my heart.

I found this word popping up all around me in the coming weeks.  I don't know if it was actually appearing more often, or if I was just more aware of it now, but it seemed to me that it was a neon sign just about everywhere I turned. I was becoming more aware of it in home decor items I would see at the store, the word would find its way into songs I would listen to, I would notice it mentioned in church talks, inspirational posters, blogs I would read.  I felt like crying out, "Ok - I get it!!! BELIEVE is my word for the year."

It has brought me peace as I've thought about it and as tender mercies have lead me to more experiences with my word.  Last night as I was wasting time on the internet I came across this cute blog and a poignant graphic she had posted:

I not only wanted to frame it and hang it on my wall, or maybe on my bathroom mirror to greet me each morning - but I wanted to make a copy of it and share it with others I loved.  I wanted to give a copy of it to friends as they struggled with believing in themselves, as they let the sad words of self-doubt creep in and create limiting ideas into their lives.  I wanted to share a piece of the belief that I had in them so they could see themselves in the light that I see them; but more importantly than how our Heavenly Father sees us.  I know that He sees what we are becoming and knows the beauty we can one day be.  It's my wish that we could all get a glimpse of that from time to time.  It is my wish that anyone reading this would find the power to BELIEVE in themselves and follow their dreams.

Free Scrapbook Kit and Tutorial

I just saw this darling FREE kit (you have to purchase it - but it's free with the coupon code in the blog post).  So if you've been thinking about trying Digital Scrapbooking - here's your perfect chance.  And if you're already a seasoned digi scrapper - don't worry - you can still get the cute little kit for free.  And who wants to pass up FREE?  :)

http://weedsandwildflowersdesign.com/blog/?page_id=1805

(P.S. This weekend is considered IDSD - or International Digital Scrapbooking Day.  I think the official day is Saturday, but most digi shops will be celebrating with sales, freebies, specials all weekend long.  Join in!)

***Edited to add - They have changed this offer, and now the kit isn't free anymore.  Sorry about that.  It's still a great tutorial for getting started :)

Grateful and Blessed

We have some special friends - Trent and Melissa Cheney.  Cory and Trent were best friends in high school, I met Cory through Trent (he was a friend of my roommate's), and Melissa and I hit it off right away before they got married.  We have gone through all kinds of things together and they have been a blessing in our lives.

As we struggled with infertility before having Gabe Trent and Melissa were struggling.  We've gone through college experiences, being young married couples, moving, trips together - we have thought of them more as family even than as friends.

So after Naia was born - their sweet little 6 year old - and Trent and Melissa started struggling to get pregnant again our hearts started to break.  They are amazing parents and wanted nothing more than to be able to add to their family.  They made all kinds of attempts, tried to adopt - and prayed a lot.  We all did, we all wanted them to have more kids. 

And so today when I got a text forwarded to me from Cory that said, "She's here! She's 7 lbs 11 ounces.  All are doing well." tears came to my eyes.  I am so happy for Trent and Melissa - and can't wait for Naia to get to be a big sister.  So congratulations and welcome to Kimbree - we can't think of a better family for you to be a part of!

12 Years Down - Eternity to Go...

Happy 12th anniversary to my sweetheart. I'm glad that even through the crud the world tosses our way that we get to fight through it together. Thank you for being my best friend, biggest cheerleader, sweetheart, father to our kids and the dreamer that might just help me learn how to dream big. Thinking of the 12 ye...ars in our past and the eternity we have to be together and I am truly grateful that we have each other. Thank you for everything you teach me and everything you do for me - big and little.

I love you! XOXOXO

Scrapping Pages

Wow - it's been a long time since I've updated layouts on my blog.  By the time I finish the layout, get it posted in the right galleries, post it on Facebook....sometimes I forget to get them up on the blog too.  So here are some of my latest layouts :)

  

As usual - if you hae any questions about specific products used - please leave a note in the comments and I'll answer you.  :)

Thought for the day....

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

— Maya Angelou

10-10-10 Run

Hey guys! I got up this morning for my 10k run on 10-10-10! I LOVE running in the mountains and it was a perfect morning for it. Late last night I mapped out my route and Cory dropped me off @ Right Hand Canyon. My route was supposed to end at the scocer fields. While I was running in the canyon I had to be careful because apparently it was a great morning for senior citizens to take a drive....I kept almost getting run off the road by some of the sweetest looking "older" folks. But once I got on the paved path it was nice to turn on my tunes and just enjoy the morning.


I ended up finishing up a bit faster than I had planned, and I was excited about that. But then when I went to log it on "Map My Run" I realized that I hadn't read the map quite right and this meant that I hadn't quite reached my 10K distance (I think I was off about .3 of a mile). Darn it! I was so disappointed! But then I figured up my time and I had done it @ under a 10 minute pace - I was actually around 9 minutes. That felt awesome. So less than a 10K, but less than 10 minutes/mile - so I was happy.

I was actually really bummed that I hadn't planned for a 10 mile run time wise - because I felt great and wanted to keep running. The problem was time and trying to make it to church in time.

Anyway - as I was driving up the canyon I had the radio on and it was playing the "Sounds of Sunday" church music playing. The last song I heard was the Tabernacle Choir singing "Press Forward Saints". It was funny because as I ran the lyrics of that song came back to me. I don't normally get "pumped up" as I listen to church music (in an energetic running kind of way) - but this was different - it was very contemplative. The minute or two when I got tired it was like the good old choir was cheering me on "Press Forward!" :)

I loved thinking about the fact that to celebrate 10-10-10 I was being active and running a 10k instead of having a more typical goal for me which would have been to eat 10 cookies, or 10 different kinds of treates.  Being active and feeling my body moving in a healthy way was much more of a celebration!  Next year on 11-11-11 I'm going to be running 11 miles - it was fun!

10-10-10 Gabe and Hunter

Sunday morning I explained to the boys that it was 10-10-10.  They weren't quite as impressed with my geeky bit of trivia, but they obliged when I asked for a cute picture of them and helped me make a list of 10 things they both love or are thankful for.  Here are their exact answers:

Hunter - age 3

1. Mom
2. Dad
3. Grandma Marilyn
4. Gabe - my brother
5. ME!
6. the black dog (Daisy)
7. the yellow dog (Sadie)
8. nursery
9. the toys on my changing table
10. my sock drawer and all of my socks and underwears inside

Gabe - age 5

1. Legos
2. Mom and Dad
3. books
4. my little brother
5. Jesus
6. all of my Grandmas and Grandpas
7. I love it when my mom does races
8. spaghetti
9. my friends
10. Star Wars

Loved this quote

I just read this quote on a blog and felt it applies to many, many areas of my life:

"Everywhere in nature, we are taught the lessons of patience and waiting. We want things a long time before we get them, and the fact that we want them a long time makes them all the more precious when they come."
--Joseph F. Smith

Sesame Street: Smell Like A Monster

I've loved watching the Old Spice parodies that have been floating around. This one might be the cutest one yet. I can't wait to show my kids in the morning. (I think they love the Old Spice guy even more than I do!)

Fun Star Wars Masks

My boys are obsessed with all things Star Wars so when I saw these cute masks I thought they'd have fun with them.  We made a Chewy and Darth Vader mask today.  I printed out the standard size of the mask onto white cardstock and then cut them out.  I cut out the eyes too (I used a large gromet punch).  Then I ran them through my little laminating machine and cut out around the mask (including cutting out the eyes again).  Then I added eyelets to the sides and added twine to tie them on with. 

They're pretty simple, but hopefully the boys will have fun with them.