It's a new day...

I'm up again... and as usual, I have a very long list of to-do's. My to-do list is growing faster than I can get things checked off. I am so happy I found someone to help me with the house so that I can keep some sort of order and feeling of peace in our home. I am now on a mission to get someone lined up to help with Banner Boutique so that we don't get to a completely uncomfortable spot with that either. My sister and I have been the only two *employed* by BB so far and it has been great. We spent years perfecting our little art and feel very good about the products we offer, however, it took us years and years to get here since our children have always been the number one focus.

To enable us both to keep our families as our number one, we have both decided we definately need to get more help. Even with someone now helping me at the house we still need someone to also help with the business. It's a very good problem to have given the economic circumstances our country is in, and I am so grateful for the extra financial support it has offered my sister and her family as well as mine, but it's now time to enter a very unknown world of finding help ;) Although the products we make are certainly not rocket science, it feels very overwhelming to try and teach someone something that took the both of us years to master. We *just do it.* We don't always know how we do it- we just do from habit now. It seems weird to try and teach another how to do it. What makes me most happy though is that although no-one will become a millionaire working for BB, it will be able to now contribute to a third families financial well being, and that is a great blessing!



So, for now, I pray that I can have the wisdom to know how to prioritize my day beyond what I already know to be most important, my family. I pray I will know what to do with those few precious hours I have each day while Carson sleeps and Kaitlyn is at school. The list is long, so I hope the way to go about it all will be clear to me.


I love how Stephanie over at NieNie dialougues offers links to spiritual enlightenment. I think I will do that when I have something great to share that others could possibly benefit from :)



I watched this this morning... and there are so many more great ones too!

Update...

Kaitlyn 2, Carson 2 weeks
Carson 3 weeks

Carson 3 days

Daddy and Carson

Mommy holding Carson day 1

Kaitlyn meeting brother...

It is 5:30 am and and I fear I am turning into my mom/aunts. They have always been known to get up at awful hours of the morning because *they had so much do do.* Well, I have now joined that club. I always thought they were crazy. Nothing was important enough to get up at a time where even the sun was smart enough to not be up yet!

I am feeling very blessed lately. Although Christmas has passed, I feel like my Christmas is getting ready to come. I have a c-section scheduled for February 11th. The ultimate countdown has begun and I am running like crazy to get everything prepared so that I can just enjoy this new little girl that is about to become a part of our family. Kaitlyn asks me at least 7 times a day, *how many more days until the baby gets here?" We still kind of call her baby because it has taken us quite awhile to find a name that we are completely comfortable with and feel is right. Chloe is the front runner right now, and unless we have a revelation that it should be something else, I think Chloe it will be.

We just recently made one last minute trip to CA (don't tell my doctor). We were able to spend a lot of time with family- we had a great time! While we were there, we went to church with my mom. They were having what's called *Stake Conference-broadcast*- for those of you that aren't familiar with some of the LDS lingo, that means several leaders based out of Salt Lake spoke to all of southern CA via satellite. All areas have this from time to time and I was happy to be there when CA had theirs. GREAT things were said, wonderful reminders. Some of the most memorable for me were:

*We need to have financial and temporal goals, but we first need to have spiritual goals

*We need to evaluate where we are in life and which areas of our life need course correction

*We need to always speak with Heavenly Father daily

*We need to teach our family to pray

*We need to trust the power of our good example

*We need to have a current temple recommend (Pres Uchdorf suggested CTR could also mean *Current Temple Recommend*)

*Forgive yourself on your path to striving for perfection. (LOVED this one- I sure could use a little forgiveness!)

*Remember, the Lord loves you and is happy with all the good that you do! (We all need to remember this!)

I am grateful that I have a husband, who even when we are traveling, makes it a point to worship our God and attend church. It is very easy when traveling to do many other things... we all know that!! I am so grateful we took the time to go- we were blessed by the words that were spoken.

As I draw close to welcoming my third baby, I am trying hard to be as prepared as possible since I now know very well what is coming and I want to be able to just relax and enjoy her! It has been so fun to talk (type) with so many customers from Banner Boutique who are also getting ready to welcome their little girls at the same time! Mike and I both truly enjoy those first weeks of meeting each child. Nothing can describe the euphoria that comes from holding a bundle from heaven in your arms and know they are yours forever and ever.

I have recently hired a sweet girl to help me out at the house twice a week. I kept thinking Banner Boutique would slow down. Mike teases me because he wonders why I always think that. I thought for sure after the holidays we would slow down- but no, still increasing every day. What a blessing this has been, but a challenge too! I got to the point where I could not keep the house in as much order as I needed it to be so I have someone come in and help keep the house on track twice a week during Carson's naps so that I can focus on work and know that the house is not going suffer! I don't know why I didn't do this sooner!! It has brought joy to my life- seriously! Now I can work the extra hours that I need to, not miss out on anytime with my kids, and get a clean house while I'm doing it- what could be better!!

So- since it is still dark outside and the kids are still sleeping, I better get back to work. Just wanted to share some feelings before life gets even more busy!!

Day After Christmas...

Since all of my mom's side of the family was with their respective other families on Christmas day, we did the *Dewey* Family Christmas extravaganza the day after Christmas. I get emotional just typing these posts because this last trip home to CA really has made me so homesick. I miss ALL of my family back there dearly...

On the way over to the Stucki's house the kids fell asleep. Keep in mind, we are only 3 days in to our 10 day trip and the kids are already completely worn out from sugar and fun!! Good times, good times!! Carson fell asleep with his hand on Sadie's- so cute! Why are kids always so cute when they're sleeping? ;)

Here's another picture that I can't even believe I am posting! YUCK! Could I be any puffier?? This is us all listening to auntie Jill read a story to the kids.
At one point we all headed out front to enjoy the plethora of outdoor bikes, Moon shoes, stilts etc. in the Stucki arsenal. Above you see pictured Carson and Ella having the time of their lives as my mom took them for a ride on the plasma car. Keep in mind there are two steep hills in both directions- needless to say, we were all a little nervous watching Grandma Karen take them on a joy ride!

however, their faces of joy were worth it!

Here is Auntie Mimi and Auntie Jill showing my brother Owen's wife Julianna what it would be like to have sisters her height ;)

the craziness in front

Ryan on a pink bike

Moon shoes and all

Carson with his very best friend- Dad!

Kaitlyn loving every minute of being united with her adored, beloved cousins Hallie and Kylie (who are actually my cousins but closer in age to Kaitlyn)

Lanie taking Carson for a ride :) I love my cousins- they are so sweet and so good to my kids- even though my kids are so naughty sometimes!

All of us!

I have been in to making these appliqued shirts lately- so I had to make some matching ones for all the kids- they are so fun! Martha taught me how ;)

This picture was quite the feet!! Getting each of these kids together for a picture in their matching appliqued tee shirts! Let's just say there was a lot of bribing going on behind the scenes- someone might have even broken into a gift that wasn't supposed to be opened yet in order to get certain children to cooperate ;)

These were the good ol reliables who were perfect posers!

And then of course, some sugar cookie decorating. This is taken very seriously in this family. Many masterpieces were made- and much frosting was ingested.

And then a gift exchange- always fun- always exciting!

Ella LOVED helping each person open their gift! It is always so fun to see everyone at Christmas time and reflect back on how much things change each year, but then again, how many things don't change! Change is sometimes good, but it's so great to have family bonds that don't ever change. I love each of these people with all of my heart and feel so blessed that they will forever be in my family!

Christmas Day

After what seemed like years of Kaitlyn asking, "How many more days until Christmas," it finally arrived! Uncle Owen was of course the first one to wake up, and then Kaitlyn, and finally Carson. I love that my kids are still young enough to not really have a very large list of things they are wanting for Christmas. Every time I asked Kaitlyn what she hoped Santa might bring her, she would say, "Tell him to surprise me!" I love this age where there is nothing in particular she wants. She is at an age where anything is exciting- Carson too. We have never gone too crazy when it comes to gifts for them. I know this is easy to do when they are young, but I hope we can always keep it fairly simple in the gift department, helping Christmas remain less about the gifts and more about the Savior and spending time with family.

Ryan and Ang, you can thank me later for this picture! I had to include it- it's a CLASSIC Christmas morning picture!!

One of my most favorite things as a little girl was opening up my stocking!! I LOVED all the little trinkets, packets of gum, beef jerky, little toys- fun surprises! Kaitlyn seems to be enjoying this a little more each year as she takes time to go through each little surprise in her stocking.

This picture means so much more than what you may see here. To make along story short, my Dad had told me he got Kaitlyn a guinea pig for Christmas. When he first told me this (a few days before we left AZ), I almost had to hang up the phone and call him back so that I could process everything and not start crying on the phone. It was a hectic few days before we left for CA, busily preparing everything to take Christmas on the road, and the LAST thing on this earth I wanted was a pet of any sort- especially a stinky smelly cage pet! YUCK! I went through all different kinds of emotions, sadness for me, overwhelmed feelings of "how am I going to have a brand new baby AND a guinea pig," my house is going to smell!, I can hardly take care of the living things I am already responsible let alone another one!, etc. etc. At the same time, Kaitlyn would ask constantly, how come we can't have a pet? My heart broke for her sometimes thinking- I am an awful mother- but then realizing I am not ready for a pet!

Anyway- I came to terms with everything and decided since Kaitlyn wanted the pet so bad, and since my dad said he would keep it for the first few months until after I had the baby and was ready for it, I agreed to let him give it to her. So, Christmas morning comes and lo and behold, Grandpa give Kaitlyn a ZhuZhu pet!! It's the closest thing to a real pet- but not!!! Happy day!! She seemed thrilled with it- but I was even more thrilled!!

It was so fun to see Carson get the hang of the whole *gift* idea and see his face light up with each unveiling of a new car, truck or ambulance he opened!

When I think of Carson, I think of him in this classic pose, kneeling down, eye level with whatever toy he is paying with. He likes to become one with his toys and really get to know them on this level.

I tried to make as many handmade gifts as I could this year- Here's Sade modeling her appliqued onesie and *baby legs* I made for her :) LOVE those rolls!!

Carson, Kaitlyn and Ella enjoyed rides on Dad. Dad may not have so much?

Even Owen thoroughly enjoyed Ella's blocks

Nolan modeling his Baby Legs and his appliqued onesie

Sadie helping her mommy do the crossword puzzle in one of Ang's favorite magazines- because a vacation isn't a vacation for Ang without People magazine

What frosting??

Up Next: Dewey Family Get Together...

Christmas Eve Eve and Christmas Eve

Cousin Hailey, Kaitlyn, and Hailey's new dog ROXY
Kaitlyn and Carson wish Roxy was theirs
Carson being silly (some day his face won't be dirty in every single picture)

Cute cousin Emily

WARNING: LOTS of Pictures

To make up for the lack of pictures these past few months, I think I subconsciously took over 1,000 pictures during our Christmas break to try and make up for it. I wish I was one of those people who could *streamline* and choose only a few pictures- but I'm not. So here is the start of what will be many posts from our Christmas break that was supposed to be only 5 days but turned into an almost 10 day trip. We had LOTS of fun, and although I seem to vividly remember having to discipline overly sugared hyped up children more times than I would like to count, I look back at all of these pictures and am so grateful for the MANY wonderful memories that were made this trip! We saw LOTS of family, ate LOTS of treats, played LOTS of games, stayed up WAY too late, wiped MANY sugar coated faces and will remember these times for a lifetime!

I am so grateful for each and every person we spent this Christmas season with. As our family and friends grows and grows each year adding new spouses, new children, new life changes... it is so good to take the time during this season to all come together and just enjoy each other's company.

We started our trip by picking Mike up at his office after a short day at work on Wednesday and heading to Mike's old stomping grounds of Yucaippa CA to share dinner and good times with Mike's sister and her family and some other dear friends. (Pictures above)

The next morning we all met up with a few other friends that were also in town for a yummy breakfast and good conversation while catching up. Every time I see each of these people it makes me miss not living by them all over again!

Here we are all trying to gather for a group picture- thank heavens I got to be the photographer behind the camera!!

The best one :)

After breakfast, we headed down to my Dad's house to prepare and get ready for the traditional Snead family Christmas Eve get together. Baby Nolan (my brother Owen's son) supervised from his high chair as we busily prepared in the kitchen.

We also finally met up with my sister and her family at my Dad's too! We were all so excited to see Ella and Sadie! It seems like just the other day we were all living by each other in Orange County while Carson and Ella were the babies. Now Ella is a big sister and Carson is about to become a big brother (which will rock his world! ;))

Cute cousin Jessica trying to rock her baby to sleep

Grandpa helping Ella at the M n M bar

Carson LOVING all of his grandparents!

I felt I should included this photo only for posterity's sake. I try my best to steer clear of any and all cameras at this point. It just isn't pretty. Notice how you can't really tell where my chest ends and my stomach begins- ya, not good!

Kaitlyn getting snuggle time in with so many favorite people to choose from.

Playing the traditional Snead family gift exchange game.

And of course, we had to play the classic BAG game!! There were some new strong contenders this year as well as the veterans! We missed you Elissa!! I'm sure you would have shown us how it's done! Eddie was one of the rookies that surprised us all this year (pictured above)

look at that form! Wow!

And even Owen did pretty well for himself :)

Julie- always a strong competitor!

After everyone left, grandpa Jim had a surprise for the grandkids- new sleeping bags for all!

Kaitlyn was sure to not forget to put out her reindeer food- dad helped her sprinkle it on the lawn out front to help the reindeer find Grandpa's house.

Much to Owen's dismay, Nolan tried on his very first Banner Boutique original- I hate to say it- but he really did look beautiful!

Kaitlyn modeling her Christmas jammies (while the rest of us tried to coax Carson over to stand by her...)

And finally Carson decided to get in on the pictures. His jammies were perfect this year since we seem to be stuck in the terrible twos still ;)

Up Next: Christmas Day

I LOVE Lucy

Remember this book I talked about a few weeks ago? One of the author's is a dear friend of Kaitlyn's kindergarten teacher. Kaitlyn's teacher taught 3 of her 5 children in school. I am about half way through it and have loved every word.
The author, Shawni, has a daughter named Lucy. Lucy has an extremely rare disease that among many other things, will cause her to go blind in the near future. They are doing all they can to raise money to pay for research on this very devastating disease.

Shawni (co-author), along with her mother (co-author), are giving all of the proceeds of this book to raise money to help find a cure for her daughters disease. Even if this were not the case, I would encourage you to pick up the book for yourself and for a gift to any mother. Not only is the content of the book rich and enlightening for mothers, Shawni's photography is beautiful in the book as well. It is a book that will truly be a treasured gift to anyone who receives it.

Please click here to learn more about Lucy and what Linda (grandmother to Lucy) and Shawni (mother to Lucy) have to say.

$100.00 worth of FREE Hair Accessories...???

(this picture is courtesy of one of our FAVORITE photographers- Kate Moss at www.peekaboophotos.com)

I figured I better post about this giveawy on my own blog since we're having our customers do the same...??

I finally started showing some love to my sweet little neglected Banner Boutique Blog... so go check it out and enter to win some sweet little Christmas gifts for the little ladies in your life...

www.BannerBoutique.blogspot.com

Veterans Day at the Zoo

Kim, one of my cute neighbors, and I decided (along with the rest of Arizona) to take the kids to the zoo today since they had no school. Even when every parking space in the lot is full, somehow the zoo still is not that packed- thank heavens it is so spread out!!
We started off at the StingRay exhibit. Carson's favorite part was washing up before going in.

He is so funny lately- he does this little "scrunch up his nose" thing whenever I or anyone else looks at him more than a second or 2- he seems to be easily embarrassed :)

We thought the rays were pretty docile, just gliding through the tank coming up close to let us pet their backs, and then all of a sudden- out of nowhere- this one flys by at like 50 miles an hour and raises his fin to splash us. Kaitlyn decided she was going to back away a little after that...

Washing up when we were done- another highlight!

Carson decided the camels were "to scary mama" so he just watched sissy...

Kaitlyn was VERY excited to ride the camel

Kaitlyn and Cami

Eating their turkey sandwich so that they could have a sno-cone

My poor little mop head boy who's mama doesn't ever seem to make enough time to get his haircut (and who doesn't really love to watch her little boy scream for an hour while they attempt to cut his hair)

My little garbage disposal enjoying the leftovers from Cami and Amanda's lunch...

I (sometimes) miss having Kaitlyn around all day everyday. It's sometimes a tough adjustment for me to go from having her completely to myself always- to sharing her with someone else for 7 hours a day. I do consider her one of my best friends and I miss being with her all day at times. I'm glad we still get days like this to all be together. We stopped by Mike's office which is right by the zoo on the way home. I love our little family and I love that the 4 of us really enjoy being together. I especially love that Mike enjoys being with his kids so much. I feel so blessed to have a husband who truly looks forward to each moment he has with his kids because I know that's not always the feeling for all dads. We are lucky to have Mike!

Public Service Announcement...

Just a little FYI... I am hit and miss with Gymboree lately- sometimes find cute stuff- sometimes can't find anything I even remotely love. I LOVE their jammies though- they hold up so well and are my favorites next to Gap. Right now they're having a promotion where if you sign up for their free little rewards card (like a grocery store discount card) you get 30% off everything. So- I went to their website- went straight to the sale section- tons of stuff as low as $4.99- plus the 30% off- LOVE it! All of their Christmas Jammies are on sale for $15 instead of $20 plus you get the 30% off- AND, if you spend 100$ or more your shipping is free.

You can thank me later ;)

Goes through Sunday so hurry on over...

Morning Inspiration 11.05.09

I've struggled the last few days here and there to rise early and get my "Morning Inspiration" time in before the kids wake up. A combination of me staying up too late to try and get things done on my to do list and the kids waking up extra early (because they sense when I am awake) has thrown me off a bit. I've tried to sneak some reading time in here and there but it's so much harder during the day as opposed to early morning all by myself.

Kaitlyn's Kindergarten teacher let me borrow a book of hers that a friend of hers wrote. Kaitlyn's teacher (Mrs. Ruiz) was also the teacher to 3 of 5 of the author of this book's children, Shawni Eyre Pothier. Shawni wrote this book with her mother, Linda Eyre. It's called "A Mother's Book of Secrets." I've really enjoyed reading it so far. It reminds me of a lot of things that I need to be reminded of, especially right now.

The first chapter is called: "Look for light in the trenches." Such a fitting theme for me right now. I feel that I am in the thick of the trenches of motherhood right now. Lately my days have consisted of never ending to do lists which I run around desperately trying to accomplish. Somehow these to do lists seem to get longer instead of shorter, because no matter how many of them I cross off each day, someone or something is adding even more to the list than I can finish on the list. There have been many days where I wonder if I should just give up because the list really doesn't seem to be getting any shorter. On top of that, Carson is at an age where he is expert in un-doing many of the things I do. He is our chief mess maker- her is the Tasmanian devil spinning around the house creating mess after mess in every room he enters. This week alone he has manged to dump out several (FULL) boxes of cereal all over the floor, dump a huge box of puzzle pieces out over and over, dump dirt and rocks from the backyard all over the family room, color all of his furniture with not so erasable marker, dump sand all over the my office, empty my makeup bag and put on some makeup for himself... I could go on and on. Every time I ask, "Who did this?," he proudly and happily answers, "I did mama!" Somehow he still doesn't get that this doesn't make me happy- although there are many times that my laughter matches my frustration and I can't hide it because he is so cute.

Reading this book has reminded me that sometimes I just really need to be ok with the fact that my house will not always be in perfect order during these toddler years of being a mom, entrepreneur, wife, homework helper, cook, taxi driver, and mess picker upper. It has helped me remember that no matter how many things on my to-do list remain undone, my first and foremost priority is to be with my children, love my children, teach my children, play with my children, and snuggle my children while mentally (and literally) recording all of these sweet memories that are truly fleeting.

As I anticipate the arrival of this new baby girl scheduled to arrive in a few months, I am reminded of how truly fast time does fly. It seems like forever since Carson was a newborn! I am excited to have a newborn in our home (even though I know how many sleepless nights lie ahead of me). I think that is part of the reason I am so desperate to get ALL of my to dos done before she arrives so that I can just sit and enjoy her and not think about anything else. I want everything to be as in order as humanly possible before her arrival so that we can all just soak her little newborness up and not worry about so many to dos!

I am so grateful for this opportunity to be home with my kids during these younger years. Even when I am gone for a few hours here and there or out for a night and miss bed time with them, I feel like I have missed out on part of their childhood. I can't imagine not being here with them and for them during these young years and I am so, so grateful for this privilege to do so- I know it is a luxury that is not afforded to us all, and so for that I feel very blessed, very lucky.

The pictures above are of Carson and one of his escapades with my makeup. Feel free to disregard his crusty dirty face and the beautiful card table which he is playing on (that was supposed to be put back in the garage several days earlier but somehow took an extra week to be put back). I thought it was so funny that not only does he get my lipstick and powder out, but now he has even started to attempt the eye lash curler- he really is going all out! Even though this boy is my number one mess maker, and even though he is so not nice to me a lot of the day and looks at me with a scowl and grunt, I think he is so cute and cuddly!! I will never forget these days of having to literally run and chase him down to get him to change his clothes, take a bath or change his diaper. Already I know I will miss these days immensely someday soon!

Schnepf Farms Field Trip- October 2009

I was grateful to be able to go with Kaitlyn and her class to their first ever field trip! We all rode the big yellow school buses to a darling farm not too far from us. It was so fun to see Kaitlyn (and all the other kids) thoroughly enjoy their first ever bus ride! I often have to keep myself from shedding a few tears as I see my little baby girl experience all of these firsts (so embarrassing, I know). It was a beautiful Arizona fall day. We rode on the rides, picked pumpkins, played in the hay and tried to not be to obnoxious to the other patrons seeing as how 5 year old boys can be a bit rowdy ;) I was so happy to not lose any of the 5 year olds in my group- thank heavens for that!

More Peek A Boo Photos!

Kate Moss, one of my MOST very favorite photographers uses a lot of our products and just sent me some more pictures...now if I could only figure out how to get my soon to be newborn baby girl up to her neck of the woods so that she could do some photography magic for me too- then I would be a happy girl!!

95% ????

Several months ago, while wandering the aisles of Costco aimlessly, waiting for Mike's new tires to be put on his car, I came across this book. What possessed me to even pick up this book is still a mystery. At the time, I had just found out I was pregnant and was in no way in the market for any kind of diet. Now that I think of it, maybe it was the fact that it had to do with hormone levels, something I have become more and more interested in over the past year due to my mom and her hysterectomy which also involved depression/anxiety.

Anyway- long story short, what I read in these pages was so eye opening for me!! Really!! To learn that certain foods I assumed were healthy (even such things as deli meant, certain vegetables in certain types of packages etc.) were not even healthy, in fact downright toxic.

I have never been a *granola* type of girl. Never been a tree hugging type- nothing like that. I like food- all food- the good the bad and the in ugly even. Reading this book has TOTALLY changed my views though as to what is *good* and what is *bad*. I will never look at deli meet in the same way (or anything else for that matter).

I have strong feelings that if I as a mom can truly teach my children what and how to eat, it will be 100% easier for them as teenagers and adults to make healthy decisions, decisions that won't cut 10 years off of their life span or cause them unnecessary health problems. Over 50% of America's health problems (of any kind) are due to poor diet/health- something that is completely in our control. I want to know exactly how and what to eat so that I can not only teach them for their own health- but also so that I can be around for them for years and years- and not just around in a wheel chair with an oxygen tank, but around running, jumping, throwing, catching... you get the idea.

The next book I REALLY want to read and have wanted to read forever- this book, The Omnivores's Dilemma. Did you know he also has a book for kids out (ages 8-12). I'm getting both books- I think they are a must these days in our pesticide/chemical infested food chain that we have to pick from when it comes to eating.

Also, did you know that 95% of EVERYTHING on the shelves in our grocery stores have some form of corn in them?? -and not the good corn on the cob type corn- nasty cheap pesticide chemical laden corn- in bad, bad forms. YUCK! That's why I've been trying to shop anywhere but the local Albertsons etc. It makes me sick to think what they are putting out there on the shelves these days (I'm telling you, once you read either of these books you will NOT look at the food in regular grocery stores the same way). Here in AZ they have a lot of farms, lots of farmers markets, local fruit/veggie stands etc. I have been hitting these up quite a bit and saving my Costco basket for toilet paper and dish soap.

Anyway- don't want to burden anyone with one more thing to do, but I would HIGHLY recommend you pick up at least one of these books, if not both. It will frighten you, yet you will feel empowered and in much more control of your family's health when you know what you're putting in their little tummies :)

Morning Inspiration 10.26.09

Yesterday I read this talk. Today I read this one. Both were about learning to recognize the spirit. Something I for sure always need improvement and help on. I think the biggest challenge in recognizing the spirit trying to guide you is making the time to listen.

I love what Richard G Scott said in his talk: "The inspiring influence of the Holy Spirit can be overcome or masked by strong emotions, such as anger, hate, passion, fear, or pride. When such influences are present, it is like trying to savor the delicate flavor of a grape while eating a jalapeño pepper. Both flavors are present, but one completely overpowers the other. In like manner, strong emotions overcome the delicate promptings of the Holy Spirit."

Other great insights I loved in his talk:

*In a conversation Pres Joseph Smith said to John Taylor: "... never to arise in the morning without bowing before the Lord, and dedicating (yourself) to him during that day.”

*"Father in Heaven knew that you would face challenges and be required to make some decisions that would be beyond your own ability to decide correctly. In His plan of happiness, He included a provision for you to receive help with such challenges and decisions during your mortal life. That assistance will come to you through the Holy Ghost as spiritual guidance. It is a power, beyond your own capability, that a loving Heavenly Father wants you to use consistently for your peace and happiness."

*He talked about the importance of paying attention to the promptings we are given: "Subsequently I prayed, reviewing with the Lord what I thought I had been taught by the Spirit. When a feeling of peace came, I thanked Him for the guidance given. I was then impressed to ask, “Was there yet more to be given?” I received further impressions, and the process of writing down the impressions, pondering, and praying for confirmation was repeated. Again I was prompted to ask, “Is there more I should know?” And there was. When that last, most sacred experience was concluded, I had received some of the most precious, specific, personal direction one could hope to obtain in this life. Had I not responded to the first impressions and recorded them, I would not have received the last, most precious guidance."

*He said, "I believe that you can leave the most precious, personal direction of the Spirit unheard because you do not respond to, record, and apply the first promptings that come to you." I think this is very true!! If we do not make it a habit to seek the spirit and what it is trying to teach us/tell us, there is often much more we stand to miss out on as well.



In Vicki F. Matsumori talk some of my favorite highlights were:

* She says: The scriptures and the prophets teach what this constant companionship feels like. The Lord tells us, “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.”6 Enos stated, “While I was . . . struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind.”7 Joseph Smith said, “When you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas.”8 President Henry B. Eyring described the influence of the Holy Ghost as “peace, hope, and joy.” He added, “Almost always I have also felt a sensation of light.”

*"There are places where it is easier to feel the Spirit. Testimony meetings and general conference are some of those places. Certainly temples are another. The challenge for each of us is in providing an environment where the Spirit can be felt daily in our homes and weekly at church."

*"One reason we are encouraged to pray and read the scriptures every single day is that both of these activities invite the Spirit into our homes and into the lives of our family members."

*"Because the Spirit is often described as a still, small voice,11 it is also important to have a time of quiet in our lives as well. The Lord has counseled us to “be still, and know that I am God.”12 If we provide a still and quiet time each day when we are not bombarded by television, computer, video games, or personal electronic devices, we allow that still, small voice an opportunity to provide personal revelation and to whisper sweet guidance, reassurance, and comfort to us."

*To teachers she said: “If you accomplish nothing else in your relationship with your students than to help them recognize and follow the promptings of the Spirit, you will bless their lives immeasurably and eternally.”

*"When we come to understand the whisperings of the Spirit, we will be able to hear Him teach us “the peaceable things of the kingdom”14 and “all things what [we] should do.”15 We will recognize answers to our prayers and know how to live the gospel more fully each day. We will be guided and protected. And we can cultivate this gift in our lives as we follow those spiritual promptings. "



I so agree with all of these truths that these speakers spoke about. I have felt an increased amount of peace through having these daily quite times to myself to read, reflect and ponder. I am grateful to know we have access to spiritual guidance from a creator who knows far more than we will ever know. I hope I will always remember this and never be too busy to be still and listen.

Morning Inspiration 10.23.09

Today I read a third talk by Julie B. Beck from the same conference (click here to see it). She too had a lot of wonderful things to say- my very most favorite quote she read:

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught: “A wise man once distinguished between ‘the noble art of getting things done’ and ‘a nobler art of leaving things undone.’ True ‘wisdom in life,’ he taught, consists of ‘the elimination of non-essentials.’ ” President Uchtdorf then asked: “What are the nonessential things that clutter your days and steal your time? What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose? What are the unfinished or unstarted things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?”

Enough said. Pres. Uchdorf is so right on. I think as women we are trying so hard to serve so many people, do so many things, be so many things that we often get caught up in the shuffle of just moving about busily and forget to sometimes take a step back and think about what we are doing. Whether we work or stay at home and work, most of us are the CEO's of our homes and families. We are the ones that are supposed to be constantly at the helm of the ship deciding which tasks that need to be done are most important, and which tasks/time stealers need to be done away with. We are supposed to be the ones in tune with the needs of our children and our husbands instead of just going through the motions of caring for their temporal needs. It is so easy to just "stay so busy" aimlessly running here and there. I have learned that I need to take charge of what I do each day and make sure my priorities are in order and do first things first.

I think the quote is so true- everyone is busy, but the most successful people in the eyes of the Lord are those who are busy doing the right things and who know how to eliminate the "non-essentials." :) Brilliant!

Halloween Fun

My cute neighbor has a friend who has a business called TomKat studios. She designs darling printable, invitations, cupcake toppers... you name it. Anyway- she made a darling little "You've been booed" sign to take to your neighbors when you secretly drop off treats- such a fun idea! You can get the template to print it here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21427928/BOO-FLYER-The-Tomkat-Studio and you can check out her blog and a link to her store here : www.TomKatstudio.blogspot.com

Morning Inspiration

A few weeks ago, I went to a women's meeting put on by our church. There were 4 speakers, all of various ages/stages in life. Every single speaker was wonderful- they ALL had great ideas to help in making our days as women possibly go smoother.

One of the women in particular talked about how she wakes up an hour before any of her children and spends that time reading scriptures/conference talks/a good book and has even a little free time for herself. She said it was such a great way to start the day. I was sold!

I've been making this a habit the last few weeks. Instead of letting my kids be my alarm and waking up and making my feet hit the ground running, I wake up on my own, feed myself spiritually, plan out my day calmly and sometimes even get a few things done ahead of schedule so that I am in control of my day/life instead of my life being in control of me. I thought I would for sure miss the sleep. I have for sure felt more energetic, more happy, more peaceful and have been able to get a lot more done in the day- even when I go to bed earlier to make sure I still get 8 hours of sleep. I really feel like I have discovered an amazing secret to a happy more vivid life for moms!

The past couple days I have been re-reading talks that I heard in women's conference (a conference for women put on by our church). I LOVED all of the talks I heard there. These are the two I read yesterday and today. Both SO good!

A few things I was reminded of in these talks:

* The Relief Society has an amazing ability to bless the lives of those involved (to learn more about what the Relief Society is click here)

*Remember, it’s not just what you get out of active participation in Relief Society but what you can give and contribute as well.

*It is the duty of each one of us to be a holy woman. We shall have elevated aims, if we are holy women. We shall feel that we are called to perform important duties. No one is exempt from them. There is no sister so isolated, and her sphere so narrow but what she can do a great deal towards establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth.”

*“If you associate together [meaning older and younger women], your minds are improved, you are gaining intelligence, and you are retrenching from ignorance. The Spirit of God will impart instruction to your minds, and you will impart it to each other. I say, God bless you my young sisters. Remember that you are Saints of God; and that you have important works to perform in Zion.”

*Remember to mind this gap and to not let doubt and uncertainty enter into your minds. Be assured that God loves you dearly and you are His precious child.

Maybe I'll start writing more about my "Morning Inspirations" here... I so often want to share what I read with someone and Carson just doesn't seem to be terribly excited sometimes...

I am so grateful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is a firm foundation in life that I am so happy to be able to stand on!

Newest Pages...

After making a flyer using some of my digital scrapbooking supplies for our ward Halloween Party, I remembered how much I love it! I decided to reward myself and do a few pages tonight since I was a good girl and got almost all of my chores done...almost...

Kaitlyn's Birthday 2009

My sweetheart is 5!! Where did the years go! Kaitlyn talked about her birthday for almost the entire year since her last birthday. When trying to decide what she wanted to do for her birthday, we must have gone through at least 10 possible scenarios; small birthday with just a few friends at build a bear, big birthday so that we didn't have to leave anybody out with a scheme of Princesses, no scheme of Pink, no purple....

Kaitlyn got to bring (only store bought) cupcakes to school. SO exciting! Her teacher even gave her a princess crown to wear that day.

The day of her party she had been waiting patiently to decorate her barbie cake. The final them of choice was "Kaitlyn's Favorite Things" so that we could just encompass all the ideas :)
Target had all the colors of her birthday invitations decor on sale- so that made for a nice surprise when I went to purchase everything :)

Kaitlyn made the marshmallow pops with me the night before (and Carson helped us eat them). She had so much fun making these- I highly recommend this to any mom of a 4/5 year old- they were really easy to make (much easier than last year's escapade with the cake ball recipe)

All the girls that came to the party of course got a parting gift consisting of hair accessories- shocking, I know!

Kaitlyn's lunch buffet consisted of many of her favorite things: carrots and dip, crackers, mini sandwiches, pasta, candy, fruit...

The kids all made party hats when they first arrived...

They played one of Kaitlyn's new favorite games bobbing for doughnuts and of course hit the pinata- a party just isn't a party if there's isn't a pinata- according to Kaitlyn.

Posing for a quick picture before caked and ice cream and presents

After the party, Kaitlyn got to open the long awaited Grandma and Grandpa Hartman gift. Grandma was so sweet, she even included a little surprise for Carson!

I can't believe we are entering the 6th year of our sweet little Kaitlyn's life! She is truly a joy to have in our family. Some of Kaitlyn's traits this past year:

*Always so thoughtful of others

*LOVES to give HUGS- tight ones!

*Loves Family Home Evening

*Still pronounces Animal as "Aminal"

*Loves to brush her teeth

*Loves to please people

*Loves to give gifts

*LOVES the new swing set her daddy built for her

*LOVES to look through old photo albums of herself and have us tell her stories about when she was younger

*ADORES both of her grandmas

*LOVES to be with her cousins

*LOVES to learn and play on the computer

How blessed we are to have this little girl!

Grandpa and Haircut Sep 2009

Several months ago, my dad took Carson to get his first much needed haircut. Needless to say, it was a bit of a nightmare. So, last month, my dad came to visit again and took Carson for his second haircut. My dad was sure he would do much better because this time he would take him to a *fun* haircut place and not a barbershop full of older men.
Carson was still a little unsure of the whole situation once we took him away from the toys in the front and tried to get him to sit in the chair.

Still a bit scared...

Getting a little relaxed as he starts to get into the cartoon playing on the TV in front of him... All in all it was a MUCH better experience the second time around...

and then Grandpa of course rewarded him with one of his favorite things, an "ice cream drink" aka a smoothie.

He is my little sweetheart, even though he is a bit of a terror at times.

I kind of love that he's a bit of a fraidy cat. He's so rough and tough, but such a little baby when it comes to a lot of things :) He's a lot of work- but he is so fun!! (and squishy :))

The next day while dad was in town we took the kids to this giant golf haven. I think the kids had just as much fun as my dad did.

Mike always loves when my dad comes. It's a free pass for him to golf :)

Thanks for coming Dad!! We love you!