Family Pictures!

Our amazingly talented and affordable friend/photographer Vanessa Isenbarger (Pearl Photo & Design) took our family pictures earlier this month.  She was SO patient, as we had to reschedule several times, and, obviously, she can make anyone look good.  :)  While these were not the pictures we had originally envisioned thanks to weather, sick puppies, and the like, they turned out SO MUCH BETTER!  I was worried, because, let's face it, MY FACE?  In photos?  Not my favorite thing.  But even I look all right when you have a kind and talented photographer friend behind the camera. :)

I will point you to her blog post about us once it's...y'know...there.  :)  But I am SO IN LOVE with these pics and I couldn't wait another single minute to share them.  :)  I'm getting excited about designing a Christmas card with them...but I'm having a hard time picking out only a few favorites!  (These are only about 1/3 of the prints we got from her!)

DIGISCRAP QUICKPAGES!

So, I know I've been a slacker.  About many, many things.  I'm working on it.  :)  One thing I tried to get caught up on over Thanksgiving Break (yay for 4-day vacations!) was my Project 366 and other 2012 digiscrapping pages.  I'm almost there...it's hard to find inspiration for multi-photo pages, but Pinterest helped.  :)  Anyway, in the process of trying to wrap up my own scrapping for the year I have created some pretty awesome (she said so humbly) quickpages for you to use--personal use only, as per kit designers' requests.  Again, I found many inspirations via Pinterest, so I can't take much credit for the layouts themselves.  But still, I DID enjoy making them, and I think they turned out lovely.  Much more like what I want my pages to look like.  I have been trying to be better about crediting designers and such, but since I wasn't that concerned about it when I first started a lot of my older kits have no credits.  Let me know if you know how I can remedy that.  Otherwise, take a look, and feel free to download any .png files that strike your fancy.  :)

80s Quickpage 1
Using the kit "Kickin' it Old School" by Colie's Corner
DOWNLOAD HERE

Birthday Boy
Using bits and pieces of several kits
DOWNLOAD HERE

Birthday Girl
Using (mostly) the kit "They Say it's Your Birthday" by Christie Dawn at Scrappin' Serenity
DOWNLOAD HERE

Bubbly QP
Using several of the mini kits from The Blog Train Blog's talented "Inspire Me" designers.
DOWNLOAD HERE 

Christmas Tree QP
Using several mini kits from Stuff to Scrap's "Christmas Love" blog train designers.
DOWNLOAD HERE

LEGO-inspired QP
Using "Block Party" (uncredited, sorry)
DOWNLOAD HERE

Ribbon QP
Using "Atomic Cool" by Bella Gypsy (plus a circle stamp from somewhere else, uncredited)
DOWNLOAD HERE

Autumn QP
Using "Autumn Thoughts," a favorite kit of mine, from Designs by Megan Turnidge
DOWNLOAD HERE

Happy scrapping!  I'll share my creations with you soon, I promise!  Just another pic yet to take (crucial) and a page or two to go and I'll be all caught up.  But I wanted to share with you NOW so you can get a head start on your holiday scrapping if needs be.  Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Day 22 and final: Today, I am thankful for traditions. Our Thanksgiving tacos are something I look forward to almost every year, even though we rarely have them ON Thanksgiving day. And just as honorable are the turkey-potato-cranberry sauce traditions shared around the nation and in my Dad's home each year. I'm thankful to spend today with them! Paul and I are still relatively newlyweds and without children so we are still figuring out all the traditions we want to have in our own home someday...but Pinterest helps. :) Here are some I know I want to have:

1. A visible and cute countdown whereupon we write something we are grateful for each day of November until the BIG day. :)
2. Pumpkin pull-apart bread and the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie for breakfast.
3. Someone making cute placemats while I'm busy cooking. And a cute white tablecloth that everyone can sign and write on--the biggest blessing of the year, signed and dated and then embroidered to last a lifetime! Brought out to add into every year for as long as possible!

What are some of YOUR favorite holiday traditions?

Tip of the day: get offline. Go tech-free for as long as possible today and just enjoy the traditions of your family, whatever it looks like. We all have something to be grateful for and we can enjoy those blessings more in real life with the people actually around us than we ever could on the phone/computer/TV/video games. :)

Thankful, Days 20-21

Day 20: I'm thankful for our car!  It's still relatively new to us, and it makes running errands, visiting family, having 3 jobs in our household, and running to church meetings SO MUCH MORE DOABLE!  I love having a reliable, safe mode of transportation.  LOVE IT.  Yay for Punky!  Not that I hate buses or bikes or walking, but when that's your ONLY choice...well...cars are much more convenient and fun.  :)

Day 21: I'm thankful for YOU!  Yes, YOU!  My friends, my "chosen family."  I'm grateful to the many people who CHOOSE to be stuck with me for a spell in this thing we call life!  You shape a part of me, and it's nice to have people who are willing to help you and love you and laugh with you and make sure I'm "growin' up good."  :)  I am so blessed in the close friendships I have, and even the not-so-close one, because we all need a little pick-me-up now and again and my friends are NEVER short on happiness and inspiration and service and love.  I'm thankful!

Two tips of the day: (1) Get some exercise, outdoors if possible.  Endorphins PLUS fresh air PLUS realizing all the good things our bodies CAN do = happiness!  (2) Try out a new mantra for yourself.  Or, if mantras aren't your thing, make a list of good things about YOU today!  Be kind to YOURSELF and realize YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD and YOU ARE AMAZING!  You can do ANYTHING! Anything.

Thankful, Days 17-19

Day 17: I'm thankful that some people still believe in the arts for kids...and they're the passionate ones, so they will always win! :)

Day 18: I'm thankful for modern conveniences like central heat and air, running water (and hot water at that), electricity, and an indoor washer/dryer. So many things we kind of expect to have but that are really just amazing, life-altering, health-promoting conveniences that make everyday living so much easier.

Day 19: I'm thankful for modern medicine, and for the relatively new experience of being insured!
2 hours and 15 minutes in the urgent care waiting room, plus half an hour of actual visits: $50.
2 prescriptions for bronchitis and a sinus infection at CVS: $60
The hope of being able to breathe and sleep well again someday soon: priceless. :)

And here are 3 tips to improving gratitude:
1. Forgive other humans.
2. Don't compare yourself (or your blessings) to other humans.
3. Compliment other humans.  Remember the 8:1 rule...it takes 8 positive interactions to "cancel out" a negative one in a relationship.  Remember that especially with your spouses and your children. 

The wording may seem funny in these..."other humans" instead of "others."  But sometimes that word, "human," reminds us (or at least ME) that that's exactly what we all are.  I know a lot of these are easier said than done, but when you put it into perspective and remember to be as kind to others who are just trying to figure out their way as much as you are, it makes it a little easier.

Easy Flower Pot Cupcakes!

These are some of the easiest (but not cheapest!) cupcakes you will ever do. Perfect for bridal shower, garden/spring parties, or girlie girl birthdays, these easy flower pot cupcakes will have everyone super impressed...without you having to do much work at all!

You will need:
*cake mix and ingredients/materials to make it into cupcakes
*chocolate frosting
*small, cupcake-sized flower pots
*Dollar Store flowers and wire cutters
*One package Oreos
*candles (optional)

1. Bake your cupcakes as you normally would.
2. After they've cooled, stick them (paper and all) into washed and dried mini flower pots.
3. Dollop a small bit of chocolate frosting on each one and use the back of a spoon to spread over whole cupcake.
4. Pulse or smash Oreos until dirt-like, then spoon and press into frosting.
5. Cut each flower stem about 3-4 inches and stick one flower in each pot. Can reserve one cupcake for candles if desired.
6. Enjoy! Take out the flower and use a knife to pop out the cupcakes before eating to ensure food safety and that no one digs their fork into the paper! :)

Much easier than pre-treating the pots to bake in or making it all from fondant! And everyone gets a pot and a flower as a keepsake! :)

Thankful, Day 16

Today, I'm thankful for CELEBRATIONS!  I love having a chance to pause life (somewhat) and just celebrate the good and exciting things happening.  My roommates and I used to throw a party for just about everything!  I miss that.  Today, I got to celebrate with not one but TWO special little girls, each celebrating an 8th birthday this weekend.  And I get to celebrate special moments with each of them again tomorrow!  I'm so excited (but not as excited as they are, of course!).

The first little girl, So-and-So as I like to refer to her in cyberspace, is 8 TODAY!  She's the little girl I work with at school.  She brightened everyone's day today by singing happy birthday to herself and telling everyone she was now 80.  :)  Her eyes lit up and I think she was actually a little overwhelmed by all the attention today as birthday banners and balloons, bags and buttons, stickers and pins and hats were all around us today.  She teaches me SO MUCH about life and celebrating the small things, and tomorrow she will be baptized too!  I can't wait to be a part of her special day and see how TANGIBLE the changes she makes in all of our lives will be on everyone's faces.  I think it'll be standing room only!

The only way I could get her to stay still was to have her sing happy birthday to herself.  This face, her singing face, is one I know well!

The second little girl, Caida, is my niece, and we will be celebrating all weekend long!  Tonight Paul and I got all dolled up and took her to "dinner and the theater!"  Our civic youth theater put on a production of Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, so we took her to "'da OG" (Olive Garden, her favorite) and then out on the town.  I don't know for sure, but I think it was her first time ever watching a live play.  SO FUN!  I love being there for firsts and I know it was a special evening *I* will always treasure.  (We also got her the book and a plush toy so she will have something to remember the evening by, as well. :)  Tomorrow we'll celebrate with friends at Chuck E. Cheese, and Sunday I'm bringing pretty cupcakes over to her home for a family gathering. 

Sassy!

Smiling with a mouthful of popcorn...maybe not the best move.  But she had a blast, really.  :)

I love being a part of each of these sweet girls' lives, and all the things they teach me about health, patience, love, forgiveness, work, and family.  I am thankful to celebrate with them and take a piece of their innocence and goodness with me!

Thankful, Day 15

Today, I'm thankful for TV and movies.  Paul and I both grew up on TV, and while sometimes I wish we liked them a little *less* (or less often), I have to admit, it's still a favorite way to pass the time.  Especially after a long day at work when I have no energy or desire to do my chores and there's something REALLY FUNNY on!  Or when we have the grumpies--it's nice to have a distraction for a while.  I like quality entertainment in all its many forms, really.  Thank heavens for TV and especially for Netflix.  :)

Tip of the day: Find the humor in the moments all around you.  Sometimes it's easier to get frustrated than to get the giggles, but lightening the mood a little will certainly help everyone around you put the moment into perspective and be *able* to feel gratitude again!

Thankful, Day 14

Today I'm thankful for smells. Good smells, of course. The kind that bring up happy memories. Like rain, fresh bread, my sister's cotton candy body spray, chicken soup (making some broth right now with herbs from my summer garden...YUM), babies, and snow. We take our noses for granted, I think.

Tip of the day: Sing a song (or listen to music) about gratitude.  Don’t let the feelings of guilt come settling in—just  let yourself be grateful.

Thankful, Day 13

Today I'm grateful for comfort food.  Arby's curly fries and shakes did it for me today.  Tonight, grilled cheese and tomato soup.  PB&J tomorrow and, realistically, I will probably make a Steak and Shake run before the week is out and enjoy a Frisco Melt or the Chili 5-Way, because I CAN.  Especially on cold days when you're already not feeling well and you're just bummed out and don't even know why, good "comfort" food has a way of nourishing the spirit as well as the body.  I don't know why this is true, but it is. 

What are your comfort foods?

Tip of the day:
Meditate and pray for perspective on your trials.  It's never so bad as you think.

Thankful, Day 12

Today, I'm grateful for my snooze button.  Up until recently I was never a fan...what was I thinking?  :)  I love smacking that snooze on my alarm clock or my phone over. and over. and over again.  I purposely set my alarm a good hour before I have to wake up just so I can revel the feeling that I'm "cheating" time and sleeping a little longer.  Silly but it works.  And if it doesn't, if I really can't go back to sleep, then I have an extra hour to myself while the rest of the house sleeps.  Which is just as glorious.  :)

Tip of the day: Do something you absolutely love today.  Part of true gratitude is not just expressing it but ENJOYING THIS THING WE CALL LIFE. 

Thankful, Day 11

Today I'm thankful for the beauty that is in the world, and our talents that help us CREATE that beauty.  Yes, there are wonders in nature, but the REAL wonder is in US.  It IS us.  God has given us each so many gifts to share with the world, no matter who we are or what we think of ourselves, and the more we use them, the closer to heaven we feel.  Happiness and closeness to God and gratitude are all SO interconnected it's hard to pull them apart.  Especially when we use those gifts of ours for creation, we are more powerful than we know! 

When we had our family photos taken yesterday downtown, we stumbled uponTHIS in an alley:

This is what I'm talkin' about!  How fun is this?  How unexpected?  How beautiful (especially perhaps *because* of its unexpectedness)?

Tip of the day: Use your talents to create something beautiful—a song, a poem, a craft, a photograph, a meal, a work of art.  Creation brings with it a little peace and confidence, not to mention helps you appreciate your own talents more.

Thankful, Day 10

I'm thankful for the clothing on my back...and for GoodWill, that has supplied so much of my wardrobe on the cheap. :) I rarely have wardrobe crises...but for family pics take #657513926 this morning, I have NO IDEA what to wear! Yet looking through all of these clothes, or trying to fold the mounds of laundry, I feel pretty spoiled. Some people in this world have no shoes, wear the same tattered clothes day in and day out, and could never dream of a world where the biggest "crisis" of the day included having too many clothes and the money and time to reschedule family pictures over and over again. I am blessed. I hope I can give back a little of all that has been given to me!

 

This is the laundry I have to fold today.  :/

Tip of the day: Help someone less fortunate than you, in big and organized or small and spontaneous ways.  Service is a GREAT way to put things into perspective and to feel like we're taking action.  Remember the line in the hymn, "I will divide my gifts from Thee with ev'ry brother that I see who has the need of help from me."  :)  An important part of being truly grateful is sharing our gifts with others.

Thankful, Day 9

Today I am grateful for awesome quotes that inspire me.  Sometimes it's the little things that remind me to appreciate the little things.  :)  Like this awesome one (from Pinterest) from Zooey Deschanel:

 

Tip of the day: delve in scriptures and quotes that buoy you up, whether they are about gratitude or not.  Happy thoughts lead to more happy thoughts.

Thankful, Day 8

Today I'm thankful for puppies! It made me laugh yesterday, in the middle of a barrage of negative comments regarding the election (from both sides), my friend Amy put up pics of her black lab and it just made me smile and be able to breathe again as I scrolled through the hateful comments. My puppies are in a bit of a rotten streak lately but I love 'em to pieces and I sure am grateful for the snuggles, unconditional love, occasional obedience :), and stories they bring into our family! Puppies are the best!

 

Tip of the day: Give a gratitude gift--for the mailman, coworker, spouse/roommate, etc.  It doesn't have to be anything big, but just an expression of appreciation.  :) Anonymous is even better.

Thankful, Day 7

Today, I'm thankful for my country--the opportunity I have to participate in and shape it, and the people that protect it.  Patriotism is basically the thought of the day, in other words. 

Yesterday we as a country got to vote for President, and regardless of whether or not your favorite candidate won, we got to have a say in what happened.  That's actually really huge.  I tried really hard this year to *care* about *all* parts of the election, down to local representatives, and become more educated about the issues and where I stand on them.  While I won't go into details about my world view, I'm really grateful that I get to have a say in what happens, and even if it doesn't turn out exactly as I want it (many of my favorites did NOT get picked this time around), I can pray for our leaders and support them through my active involvement as we all try to make our country better.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the red tape, and discouraged by the "politics" of politics, but I'd take it over a government run by force or fear any day of the week. 

We also have SO MUCH, even the poorest in our country have lots to celebrate compared with much of the rest of the world. 

And regardless of what you think about American military involvement in various parts of the rest of the world's affairs, you can't deny that the soldiers themselves and their families are brave and selfless.  I sure do appreciate their efforts, their sacrifices, their willingness to give all in the service of God and country. 

I love America.  I don't think Americans are any better than any other people, of course, but I do appreciate the way our government is set up at its foundation and the many miracles that happen in my own small life every day because of it.  :)

TIP OF THE DAY: Start sharing something you are grateful for in your families (or, if you live alone, in your journal or even social media) before dinner, scripture study, or bedtime.  Start and/or end the day on a high by noticing and expressing thanks for the big and small things in your life EVERY DAY.  :)

Thankful, Day 6

Today, I'm super thankful my apartment has a fireplace.  We used it for the first time last night, which was actually quite appropriate considering this crazy cold front, we had one of our sisters over, it was Guy Fawkes Day, AND it was the one-year anniversary of when we moved into this apartment.  I've always been a bit of a pyro anyway, but fireplaces are extra fun.  FIRE INDOORS!  WOOHOO!  :)  For "FHE" we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, made wishes and burned them, learned about Guy Fawkes a little more before we burned little effigies of him, and reminisced about our youth by teaching Paul a few girls' camp songs.  I also bought a fireplace popcorn popper, but we didn't end up using it because between brownies, hot dogs, and s'mores, no one was very hungry.  :) Then I fell asleep by the fire for about an hour while Paul was out before waking myself up and going to bed...

I LOVE FIREPLACES!  It is so cozy to have one and I can't wait to use it once our Christmas decor is up in a month or so...it'll be like the cover of a holiday card, BUT IN MY LIVING ROOM!  :)

Tip of the day: To increase the gratitude in your life today, look for what is right about a situation instead of what is wrong.  (This goes for PEOPLE, too--focus not only on the positive, but even on how the negative things could BECOME positives.)  There's a really great poem out there (somewhere) about this...instead of complaining about the mess your children leave, thank God you have a home and have children, something like that...  THIS LINK isn't the poem that I love to remember, but I can't find the original and this has the same concept so I'll post it anyway.  If anyone knows the actual poem I'm thinking about, please give me a link or email me a copy! 

Thankful, Days 3-5

Hahaha, I guess weekends are difficult for me.  At least this weekend was.  But that's okay.  You'll just get to be with me as I play catch-up.  Or be my friend on Facebook--I post daily there.  It's easier since I don't add photos or tips or explanations at all.  :)  But since this is more of a journal, I feel I need to add...more.  :)

Day 3: Today, I'm grateful for family--the family I came from, the family I married into, the little family Paul and I are together, and our someday-family yet to be. Who else but family would love you so completely, drive you so nuts, and still want to claim you at the end of every day? :)

This came about because of a few thoughts.  The hurricane that semi-displaced my sister-in-law for a while, the health issues of close family members, the continued struggles with infertility...but really, everyone loves family, even the ones that are crazy.  And mine's just wonderful, really.  I love my in-laws as much as my own family and that's such a blessing!

Tip of the day: Write a letter of gratitude to a friend or family member.  :)

***

Day 4: Day 4: Today, I'm grateful for beginnings. And the sweetness and excitement and even naïveté that accompanies it. Baptism, marriage, new jobs, trials, they all teach you something and bring you new friends and I love the adventure that starting something is!

We got to go to a baptism, which sort of solidified a lot of feelings I've had lately about beginnings and the excitement of the unknown.  (Yes, it's awful and horrifying not knowing things, but it's also pretty fun, especially in hindsight.  I get excited about it.)  I especially love it in a spiritual sense because in the beginning things are so simple and new and the "firsts" of the gospel, just like the firsts in a relationship, are such special memories you'll carry with you always.  I love baptisms and hearing new converts' stories because it solidifies my own faith in a special way.

I wish I had a pic of my baptism day!!!  Pretend I do, and it's inserted right here.  :)

Tip of the day: Pray a whole prayer of thanks...and make it long.

***

Day 5: Day 5: I'm SO thankful for my job. Working one-on-one with children with special needs has been inspiring, difficult, funny, exhausting, sweet, intimidating, empowering, and all around wonderful.  It is not what I pictured myself doing at this time of my life, and some days I focus too much on where I would "rather" be...but it is definitely where I'm meant to be right now--I've had that witness more than once and I'm humbled by the privilege it is to serve these children every day knowing that for some reason they need me and, more likely, I need them.

Really, if you have ever met any of the children I work with, but particularly my morning girl, you would know what I mean.  I LOVE MY JOB! 

Tip of the day: Start a personal or family "gratitude list" and display it in a fun, creative way--like leaves on a tree, a giant poster to write on, a dry erase board you can easily change out, or anything else that strikes your fancy.  Just make it visible and interactive--include your guests in on the sweet action, too!