Letterboxing

I'm interrupting my topical "Post of the Day" series with a post about yesterday's family outing.  Daddy took some vacation days this week.  We were so excited to play with him outside.  March has been SO nice this year.  Temperatures have been up in the 80s some days, but of course the week Daddy is home with us they drop down to the 40s.  Really? Boo!!!!!  Wednesday was supposed to be in the 70s, but rainy.  So we planned on hanging out at home most of the week with a possible trip to the library for story time.  Wednesday came and the sky was blue as can be.  So, that afternoon we decided to go Letterboxing.  Has anyone heard of this?  My friend Krista told me about it, and it is awesome!  Here is a link with more information about it. Letterboxing All you need is a stamp, ink, notebook and pen.  We thought it would be fun to make a "family" stamp to use for this so Daddy and his special girl went to the store to buy an eraser and brainstormed ideas for a stamp.  C decided that a lion would be best.  After Daddy made the stamp we set out with our clues to find a letterbox.

We followed the trail up to the Nature Center and took a little break to look at a turtle and some other stuffed animals that are native to our area.

We then got back to the trail to find our "treasure."  C is a big Blue's Clues fan.  So she was so excited to carry around her own "notebook" and follow clues.

There were a lot of stairs on the trail.  Little man needed to hold Daddy's hand going down them since he still crawls/slides down the stairs at home.

One of the clues was to follow a certain path that was noted by a symbol.  We told C to keep an eye out for it.  She was so excited when we found our first one.

We finally made it to the hiding place!

The trail name of the people who left the Letterbox hidden here is The Pirates.  C was SO confused.  She still thinks that it was real pirates who left "the treasure" there in the woods.  They actually left a little bracelet in there for the first people who found the letterbox.

Here's a picture of the sweet stamp Daddy made.  I'm impressed even if you're not because I have not artistic ability for that kind of stuff.

And then we let C stamp our notebook with the stamp left in the letterbox.

We sat down and shared a little trail mix snack before we headed back to our car.  J man was pretty worn out from the hike in so he got to ride Dad's shoulders on the way back.  I think it's the happiest he was for the entire outing.

Have you been letterboxing?  If not, go do it!  It's so fun and we will definitely be doing it again.

Day Five - Happy

Name five things that make you happy right now.

1.  My kids.  How did I get so lucky?  C makes me happy because she is SO girly.  We have fun painting our toenails, and she watches me do my make up every morning.  I love watching her "mother" J.  And it cracks me up when she bosses Daddy around.



J makes me happy because he gives the best hugs - when he wants to.  His dimpled grins make me smile.  He is so curious and ever interested in how the world works around him.  He makes me smile when I see him get so excited every time we're around a baby.

2.  Shaving cream.  My legs are silky smooth without any razor burn.  Growing up my mom wouldn't buy shaving cream and made me use conditioner.  She said it worked just as well.  It may have worked just as well for her fine blond hair, but my dark Colombian hair didn't believe her. The eternal razor burn of my youth proved it.  Shaving cream also entertained my children for an hour tonight. Win-win!

3.  Pinterest.  Thanks to that site I finished up some bows for the little girl and found instructions on how to cut the little boy's hair.  My kids are better groomed now.

4.  Change.  It makes me happy that I can change myself, that I can change some of my circumstances, and that people around me are trying to change and do better.

5.  Bedtime.  Because as much as I love those kiddos of mine, I love tackling some of those projects waiting for me on Pinterest after they're in bed!

Day Four - 10 Things I Would Tell My 16-year-old Self

Oh jeez...I'm not really sure what to even write for this one.  First though I thought I'd share a funny picture.  One of my friends had an 80s party for her 16th birthday since we were born in the 80s.  Here I am all dressed up in an over sized sweater and leggings. Oh leggings...something I thought for sure would stay put in the 80s. So...
#1.  This hideous outfit you're wearing to the party is going to be in style again when you're a young mother (at least the leggings).  Oh, and you'll still think they look ridiculous and will therefore fail to remain in style.  Don't judge women who seem to get stuck dressing in a certain decade too harshly.  You will probably become one of them.

2.  You will eat macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches again. Becoming lactose intolerant is not the end of the world.  They make lactose free milk and cheese and in a few years they'll come out with lactose free yogurt and cottage cheese. Be patient.

3.  You are going to rely heavily on the examples of your mother and other righteous women when you are raising your children and serving in the church.  Watch them closely.

(One of my young women leaders who had a profound influence on me.  I am forever grateful for the MANY incredible women Heavenly Father surrounded me with as a youth.  I had such amazing role models that I never felt a need to look to the women in the world and media in my discovery of what it means to be a woman.)

4.  He's not worth all these tears.  Getting your heart broken is a good experience, but someone 10,000 times better for you is in Rexburg right now already working on his Bachelor's Degree.  Greener pastures up ahead!

5.  Heidi is worth it.  She's not just a high-school best friend.  She's a forever best friend.

6.  Have more fun with dating.  Keep your standards high, but stop freaking out about whether or not these guys want to marry you.  They're 16 and not even thinking about it.  Promise.

7.  Spend more time with your brothers.  You're going to miss them something terrible.

8.  Driving on the freeway isn't that bad.  Practice now so you're future husband won't make fun of you for driving like a grandma everytime you drive on the highway during your first year of marriage.

9.  Memorize your scripture mastery.

10.  Stop wasting so much time thinking up names for your future children.   Your future husband won't like any of them.

Day Three - Parents

Today I describe my relationship with my parents.

Let's start with my dad. 

 I am the only girl with four younger brothers so I always felt like I have a very different relationship with him than any of my brothers do.  He always made me feel like a princess.  Like I had something to offer that no other girl did.  He was always pushing me to be better.

  My dad is a great example to me of a hard worker and provider.  He taught me the importance of education and hard work and was a lot of the driving force in my studies growing up.  He set the standard for the kind of hard working man I wanted to marry.  I know he sacrificed so much to make it possible for my mom to stay home with us. 

I also have to say that my dad makes me feel safe.  I come from a very huggy family, but hugs from my dad are always different.  Whenever he hugs me, I feel protected and safe - as though he wouldn't let anything hurt or harm me.  Sometimes when life gets hard even now I just really want a hug from him.

I'm so grateful he's my dad.  We don't talk a lot - he's not really a phone talker, but I know he's there for me.

Now I already mentioned before that my mom is now my 2nd best friend (A boy named Adam took the lead about 6 years ago).

I talk to her everyday (except for in Spring because it's gardening season and she's too busy for her only daughter.  I'm just a little bitter.  Are you reading this mom? CALL ME).

I always wanted to be my mom when I grew up.  Then I did and realized how extremely difficult that task is going to be.  I've learned a lot about sacrifice by becoming a mom that has helped me appreciate my mom so much more.  I also feel like it's made us closer.  I know she can relate to what I'm going through and give me wise advice.

She's a great listener.

She is also SO selfless.  Everytime I turn around she is serving and helping someone else.  When I was in Georgia staying with my family during externships, I was able to see how she notices those in need and her approach in offering help.  I'm trying to learn as much as I can in this area because her selfless service is an attribute I want to obtain.

I feel really blessed to have my parents.  I am grateful that they took the time to teach me the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This, more than anything else they have taught me, is reason enough to rejoice in my relationship with my parents.  They have shared with me the knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me.  They taught me what I need to do to have a relationship with him and the Savior.  It has provided me with a foundation to build my life on, and I pray I can do for my children, what my parents did for me.

Day Two - Three Fears...

and how they became so.

One - Being lonely.  I cannot even remember when this became a fear because it's been a fear of mine for so long.  I have a strong need for companionship (like all the time).  Remember me stating that my mom was my best friend growing up?  Well, when I got home from school I would follow her around all evening and just talk to her while she cooked dinner, cleaned, etc.  (I probably should have helped her with those things while I was talking instead of just sitting there blabbing away.)  Before I got married, I would get really worked up about my husband dying before I did...that I would be left all alone in my old age and terribly lonely.  I'm grateful though for prayer and the answers I've received that have helped me to keep this fear in check.  Because I like companionship so much, my favorite part of the day is when my husband comes home.

Two - Scarring my children for life.  I worry about this all the time when I'm disciplining them.  I just really want to have a good relationship with all of my kids, and I want for them to feel good about themselves now and as adults.

Three - E.T./aliens.  I watched this movie for the first time when I was probably four...way too young in my opinion. I watched it at my friend Jacque's house, and they had a statue/figure of him in the upstairs of their home. I had a very intense fear of this alien growing up that led to a fear of aliens and being abducted by them in general.  Add in the movie "Flight of the Navigator" and I went through a phase where I was convinced that I had been taken by aliens in the night and they erased my memory of it.  While the fear isn't as strong as it used to be, I'm still pretty sure that if someone were to place a picture of him somewhere in my house or beside my bed while I was sleeping I would scream and/or pee my pants.  There is no way I can watch this movie.  I no longer fear being abducted by aliens.

Day One - Thirty Randoms

A couple of my friends are doing this on their blogs.  I decided to join in for a couple of reasons: 1 - I've had no idea what to blog about lately...life has gotten very routine.  2 - I feel like the only thing I ever blog about anymore is my children (whom I love dearly, but it might be fun to write about something else).

One - I love peanut butter.  My favorite is Natual JIF, but since we're trying to save money I've been buying the knock-off brand at ALDI.  It's almost as good...

Two - I hate breaking rules.  If something even slightly resembles a rule, I'm bound to follow it.

Three - I hate annoying people almost as much as breaking rules.  Examples:  In first grade I was tapping my feet on the floor.  The teacher politely asked me to stop. I was mortified and started crying to myself because I had done something she found unpleasant.  My senior year of high school I was popping gum inside my mouth during a test (I didn't even realize I was doing it).  A girl in my class glared at me and told me to cut it out.  It was so upsetting to me.

Four - I got a full ride scholarship to BYU-I and gave it up after a year and a half to follow my husband to Ohio so he could go to Podiatry school.  It was the right thing to do, but it still stinks a little bit.  I hope to go back to school one day.

Five - I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mother.  I'm glad my wish came true.  I love being with my kids.

Six - I have a little crush on James Stewart.

Seven - My top five favorite movies are: "It's a Wonderful Life," "While You Were Sleeping," "That Thing You Do," "Hope Floats," and "You've Got Mail."

Eight - I was in chorus in high school.  I miss it.

Nine - I have now lived in Ohio longer than I lived in Georgia, but I still don't feel like I can call Ohio home.

Ten - My favorite type of cookie is chocolate chip.  I haven't bought chocolate chips in over a month now because that last time I made some I ate almost all of the cookies by myself.  Disgusting!

Eleven - My mom was my best friend growing up.  I told her EVERYTHING!  I hope Charlotte and I can have a relationship one day.  Now that I'm married my mom is my second best friend.

Twelve - I stink at small talk.  If you want to have a one-on-one intimate conversation about feelings I'm on board.  If you want to talk about small stuff - it's most likely going to be an awkward conversation...sorry to anyone that's had to go through one.

Thirteen - My favorite tv show as a kid was Full House.  I still remember it came on at 5pm on channel 13 in Utah.  As a teenager my favorite show was Boy Meets World.

Fourteen - I started going gray in high school.  I have a nice patch of gray hairs in a cluster on my head.  I always have to part my hair to the left so no one sees them.

Fifteen - I love organizing both things and information.  The more order, the happier I am.

Sixteen - My favorite book is Wuthering Heights.

Seventeen - I lived in Florida for only 11 months, but it was by far the most defining time of my life.  It was a hard time, but I found out who I was and made some of the best friends I've ever had.

Eighteen - I recently realized that my favorite color is no longer green, but actually an eggplant purple.

Nineteen -  I would rather burn to death than freeze to death.  I HATE being cold.

Twenty - Speaking of cold, I hate cold air blowing on me.  I'm not a fan of air conditioning and fans.  If I wasn't married to Adam, I would probably never use either.

Twenty-one - I have to have my toe nails painted.

Twenty-two - I can walk away from a book of movie without ever knowing how it ends.  It drives my husband crazy.

Twenty-three - I love going for walks.  Some of my favorite memories with my family growing up are from walks.  I now go for walks with my family multiple times a week, and it always lifts my mood.

Twenty-four - I have made my bed everyday since I was a senior in high school.  I found that if I made my bed, the rest of my room stayed clean.  Now that I have kids, sometimes I don't even get to it until 5pm.  I still make it anyway.  For some reason I equate a made bed to having my life in order.

Twenty-five - The first movie I ever cried in was Harry and the Hendersons.

Twenty-six - I would love to visit Spain.

Twenty-seven - I hate peas. Luckily Adam does too so we never eat them.  It's the only vegetable I hate.

Twenty-eight - One of my favorite games to play as a child was "pioneers."  I would pretend our playset was a covered wagon and make my brothers walk in place beside it until we set up camp for the night.  I don't think they enjoyed it very much.

Twenty-nine - I have lived in 6 (Utah, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, and Ohio) states and visited 31 states.

Thirty - My husband can make me laugh harder than anyone else.  It's one of the reasons I married him because it's hard to get a good belly laugh out of me.

Christmas Valentine's St. Patrick's Sugar Cookies

Back in December I bought some red, green and white frosting to decorate sugar cookies for a Christmas party.  I used some of it, but not all.  It's been sitting on my baking shelf just waiting to be used again.  I had really good intentions for some Valentine's Day cookies.  I figured I could use the red and white frosting.  Well by Valentine's Day, I still had leftover cake from my birthday and a few of our friends brought us over some lovely treats.  I just could bring myself to make sugar cookies when we had so much sugar in the kitchen already.  So, this past Sunday I finally made some dough and pulled out the heart shaped cookie cutter.  The kids Charlotte helped me decorate the cookies while Jonas ate some.



Eventually Jonas decided to try and decorate one too.

I decided it was close enough to St. Patrick's Day to use the green frosting as well.  Charlotte went a little crazy with the green and white puddle cookies.

Merry Valentrick's Day!