What would I do without her?

I have the joy of being apart of Desi's morning each day and oh what joy it brings me. It is the perfect way to start out my day :)

SUPPORT A LOCAL BUSINESS

I absolutely love this idea! Go to www.scentsycontribute.org and pledge to support a local small business on October 12th, 2009!
Pledge to spend $50 at a local small business and Scentsy will send you a free T-Shirt!

Scentsy's goal is to inspire 100,000 people to spend an extra $50 that day to boost the economy ripple effect of $5 Million!

I absolutely can think of at least 5 of my favorite small stores that I would feel so sad if they weren't around anymore. This opportunity could make or break that small business that you have in mind. I think it would be fun to get a group of us and pick a store to go to together and just think of our pledges benefitting that store!

Scentsy owners sparked this desire from this quote,

“Try not to become a man of success. Rather, become a man of value. A successful man takes out of life more than he puts in. A man of value will give more than he receives.”

I love being charitable! and it feels soo dang good afterwards! Don't you notice when you give it always seems that you receive that back 10 fold :)

You are also welcome to buy a Contribute 2009 T-shirt for only $9 and Scentsy will send you a $10 Scentsy gift certificate to cover the cost of the T-shirt! What a sweet deal!

If you do decide to pledge I'd love to hear your story!

Hobbies and more hobbies!

So I have to admit, I really wish I had more time to blog and journal about so much and I try my hardest to make these "blog goals" and well if you are reading this (if there is really anybody out there reading my blog) You've already noticed how guilty I am of not following through with keeping things updated. :)

Life is crazy as usual, with too much to do and not enough time to get it all done in.
Nate and Desi both have started school, which has put us back into routine of things and keeps us focused! School time is good it is a check back into what we want to accomplish and where we are headed. Things take time, but they are worth it if we are patient and stick it out.

There was a point in time a few years ago, when I felt like I had absolutely no hobbies. And believe it or not there was a time I even actually cried about it because I felt like I had no life or something.. I know, pathetic huh? Just be good you're not married to me! :) hee hee, Nate's had an earfull of my emotions I am sure! :)

But I am really excited about the things I have really involved myself in and it amazing how good it feels to accomplish things!
I have recently started Couponing! And believe it or not, I LOVE IT! it is becoming a hobby (almost). I look forward to saving money whenever I can and organizing my HUGE binder, and yes I DO carry that thing with me when I shop! Because I hate the feeling of going to the store to buy something full price when I know darn well I had a stinkin coupon for it at home!

I have so far had great success and found myself hungry to learn more about it because I am actually saving! And can you say, "HELLO FOOD STORAGE!" I have started to build my food storage even! And I have even used the items too!! They have come very handy at a couple of our recent gatherings. And I was even able to give my neighbor a whole loaf of bread, when she only needed a slice! because I got it for so cheap, that I found myself actually being a little charitable! It felt soo good too!

Geneology has been a recent spark that just one day burst from my heart! I can't stop thinking about it! It is almost like old lost treasure or something... We spent some time at Nate's families house reading about his great grandparents and looked through old photos. It was so AWESOME! And fun! and I can't wait to learn more. I will definitely be occupying more time on finding more about my family as well!

Scentsy has been a ton of fun too! I have met so many fun people and have had an opportunity to find something in common with friends and neighbors and it has been a blast to get to know people, besides the fact that I am absolutely obsessed with making my house smell good!!! And it is funny how now I notice the first sniff into others houses too, hee hee. It is funny how everyone smells different and everyone has their own scent. Have you ever noticed that? I wonder what my house smells like? Hopefully good and clean.:)

With all of these fun things to occupying my time, now I am finding I need more space! So, instead of indulging myself into more debt with a new house, We are cleaning out some closets and condensing some of our "junk" to allow ourselves a little more room to grow and enjoy these things! I can't wait to declutter! and get some stuff in a yard sale!

Catch up!!!

So I have been needing/wanting to blog for awhile and really I have quite a bit to journal about here! Or at least share photos!
MY TO DO BLOG LIST...

- The BOBCAT
- Seven Pounds and still counting!
- FANCY NANCY
- Grasshoppers and Bugs!


Keep posted... Can't wait to share what's been going on with us! :)

BROTHER LOVE!

Love these Smiley boys! My Brother and his adorable family got some handsome shots!
I love to see Ty & Ash play with Jaxsom and Carter. They skateboard with them, tickle them and constantly having fun with these cuties! Who could resist? I am so proud of you Ty, You are such a good dad and have a beautiful wife, in more ways than one!

THE BIG 30!!

This is a shout out to my hubby whom is
now officially the BIG 3-0!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

Boy does time fly by! For Nate especially, He truely has so much going on that he never has a dull moment. And what I absolutely Love about Nate is he seems to keep everything balanced, which really isn't easy to do. He is driven and has passion for what he truely wants in life and he lives it! He is always open for change to improve himself and always seeks for good.
I told him, "you're not getting old!, this is the prime time of your life, enjoy it!"
He quickly agreed.
Nate is an awesome dad and husband and those of you who know him, already know that about him.
I can't wait to spend another great and prosperous year with you, Nate! XOXO!


Oh and I just started my day with a nice peanut butter protein shake! It actually tastes really good! We weighed in last night and boy was that frieghtening! My Fat % was OFF THE CHARTS! ugh!

Biggest Loser Neighborhood Challenge

So I've decided to join in on some neighborhood fun of some weight loss motivation. I am looking forward to some great end results in 8 weeks! Nate has already been very consistant with going to the gym and eating better, so this will be a great chance for us to be healthy together! Hey maybe I can even look half decent in a swimsuit this summer... we'll see! Wish me luck!

It's gettin there!

We still have lots more to get and as we've slowly been buying extra's here and there it feels so good to get it on a shelf! I love this feeling of knowing we've at least have a food storage started. Now some of this stuff I need to learn how to cook.

Chocolate Or Vanilla???

I don't know if it's the warmer weather that has gotten to me but, lately I have been on a HUGE ice cream kick! Which is a scary thing.. hopefully I can break this habit before our neighborhood weight loss challenge starting next week!

About a month ago, while visiting our sweet friend, She offered me Vanilla Ice Cream with powered chocolate (Nestle's).
I instantly declined, being nieve and intimidated. However, instantly made me crave Chocolate icecream. And the search was on! It didn't take long to find a new favorite, Dreyer's Rocky Road is absolutely DEVINE! Now, I know some of you are thinking.. ewe! But, there is no other brand out there like it! I've tried other rocky road brands and this I love!

NOW, I AM CURIOUS!!! Please Leave a comment and let me know...

What are your favorite Ice Cream Toppings?
(hot fudge, caramel, marshmallows, nuts, cut up fruit, candybars, whip cream, candy etc..)
I am curious to see what Kind of ice cream trends are out there.
In my friends family tradition, It would be a nice bowl of Vanilla with some powered chocolate.. the question I had is "why not just buy Chocolate icecream."
I guess that would take the fun out of it! :) And you know what, I can't wait to try it!

So I got my spring cleaning started last weekend while it was so beautiful outside! I even made it out to the garden and cleaned it all out! How nice that feels! Now I am anxiously awaiting to plant some 10" Dahlia's out front and of course some veggies! I need to get the bulbs started inside now so they can be ready to be put outside soon! I wouldn't consider myself one to have much of a green thumb and honestly Thank Goodness for such a good husband that remembers to water the inside plants! I am so ready for warm weather I can hardly stand it! Hopefully I can keep up my motivation during the stormy weather we've been having the last couple of days!

Desi started a new daycare this week and I am so surprised at how well she's been adjusting. They've been working with her on an actual routine which I am hoping will really help with her obedience and keeping her into a routine at home too. Nights have seemed so crazy and inconsistant for her. She truely is a good kid (most of the time) and it is so good to see her play so well with other kids, it doesn't matter their age she is cute with them all! However, she seems to have a new little personality showing through. She is truely been learning tons at preschool and I can't stop thinking about how she is shortly going to be starting Kindergarten!

Nate is still plugging it along through school and actually has been really swamped with homework. I am so proud of him and his constant love and time he gives to us on his stressful and oh so little time to spare weekdays!

A new taste...

We had an awesome opportunity to go to this Opera last night and what a great performance! "The Marriage of Figaro!" Nate and I really enjoyed the show and every minute spending time together too! We laughed together and was able to have a mutual appreciation for such talent and excellent comedy in seeing this. This was both of our first Opera's we have ever been to. It was so fun to get all dressed up and experience a little bit of high class. And the best part about it is the tickets aren't that expensive either! Especially, with a student discount.


A couple of weeks ago, we went to our first Ballet together as well and saw "Madame Butterfly" That as well was a lot of fun! I love dance anyway so to see this performance was super exciting for me to really capture the goosebumps and heartwarming feelings of watching such perfection and elegant dance style.
Madame Butterfly was a more serious performance and really you can't compare a ballet to an Opera.

Nate has been taking a Humanities Class and the requirements are for him to see different styles of art and experience them for himself. I am grateful for this class because we've never experienced anything like this and we truely have gained a respect and love for both of these and really can't wait to go to another!
Our next adventure is going to a Symphony. Looking forward to this new taste of experiences.

Refreshed

Well the holidays are over and we are off to a new fresh start to a new year! Wahoo!
Nate has started school again and I actually feel confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel this time. :) I can't wait for the next few years to see where life takes us.
Desi has been loving going to preschool, where she has learned so much! She comes home singing new fun songs and cute projects they've worked on and she even is teaching us a little bit of sign language. She is sure growing up quickly.
I told her the other day, "Desi, you are sooo cute" and she responded with, "It's because I look like my dad!" If that is not the truth!

I recently listened to someone talk about how they used to teach their children through discipline and how hard parenting seemed to be. And yet this man found more success by teaching through example. This really hit me, because I can't tell you how many times a day I felt discouraged because I was constantly threatening my child to "be good" or "do this" or else... you'll sit on the stairs or have no more movies.. on and on. I have found that by taking those small simple moments to spend time with Desi or even have her involved in what I am doing, has really helped her learn that I am here for her. That I am not just always mad at what she does.
So now I feel refreshed!
Maybe I am just trying to figure things out as a parent and I am sure I have tons to learn! But do you ever feel like you get a sense of accomplishment when you recognize moments like these?
I like this picture, as my brother put it.. "It says so much"


Anyway, work is overwhelming busy and I feel constant pressure. However, I am learning tons and I say.. "Bring it on!" I've realized that I like excitement and a little stress in my work life. It keeps me motivated and challenged to do better. And it has really helped me try and keep positive! Life's full of tests and trials and I really think our attitude makes the difference.