What wagon?

Hey friends, How are you? The weather has been LOVELY here (Wow, I wrote this part EARLY last week) and it just makes me happy.

You know when someone is trying to stop a bad habit, like eating, or smoking, or um... shopping and when they have a bad day (or four) they say well, I've "fallen off the wagon" or do they say they're "back on the wagon"? I can never remember...

Anyway, just wanted to confess that I've been shopping just a *bit*. Yes, of course I know all about my "NO SHOPPING CHALLENGE". Let's just say I'm doing better than I used to. Does that count? I'm planning to, I think it is, "get back on the wagon" TODAY. I just feel like I need to confess...

I'll list my stuff later... I've been busy with Pampered Chef and it has been SO fun. I really like running a business and choosing my own hours and seeing people excited about the products and well, a little extra money is always nice, right? I think I'm giddy from a bit of spare change in my pocket...

Okay.... I'm finishing this post in two days...

I'm back. Today, I woke up with a bit of a cold/allergies... I'm trying to clean my house, but it just feels so much nicer to sit down.

Okay, here I am confessing.... I'm going to add all of these "confessions" to my list as well.

On Gabe's birthday (has it been THAT long since I blogged? about shopping? probably.) I just HAD to find a green scarf to go with the skirt I was wearing that day before we went out to dinner. And now, I'm having serious buyer's remorse about it. It just wasn't what I was looking for, but it was only $4. I can move on.

Remember how I said I was going to give myself permission to buy a new white shirt? Well, I did. So that's "okay". It was on sale for $15 and I really like it. I liked it so much, I bought another one just like it, only turquoise..... oops. Another $15. I'll spare you the pictures, because, well, there was this gray sweater thingy I found on clearance that just goes so well with BOTH of them. It was only $12. I "NEEDED" a few things to update my wardrobe, okay?

And then, last week, I went to the thrift store looking for a bike for Zoe. She's all legs right now and her old one is just bruising her knees every time she pedals.  So, I found a great bike for $30 (I'm not confessing this nor counting it as part of my "NO SHOPPING" -- this is okay shopping, but I'm just telling you why I was at the thrift store in the first place.) So my first mistake was "just looking" at the shoes...

And this is what I came home with: ($4 each!) You should have seen the purse I put back... the clerk thought I was nuts... I'm mumbling to myself, "okay, you can't get everything... put the purse back, good girl... ohhhh." I have enjoyed the shoes SO much... is it sad or wrong just how much a new pair of shoes can make you so happy? No, I don't think it is either.

Okay, and then my dear friend, Tawnya, gave me THE most adorable skirts... she is so good to me. And well, one of them is this lovely tangerine color and I just happened to be in Seagull Book looking at scriptures for Kaia's upcoming baptism and I found this scarf:  Let me just say it was only $5, people!! They have LOTS of different colors.... you should go get one (or two).

 It's kind of a swirly Creamsicle color with embroidered flowers...

Okay, maybe it doesn't really go with this shirt, but I was trying to hurry with the picture. By the way, the other day, I asked Zeke, "Do you honestly think I dress frumpy? I just don't know sometimes." Being the good and wise husband he is, he said, "No, not frumpy, maybe wacky, but I like it." Wacky is good.

I love the fringe at the bottom (see my skirt!!)

 And then, last month, I ordered a really cute custom sign from my good friend, Sharon. I love the saying. I'm going to chalk this one up into the "self-help/therapy" category. It's hanging in my living room and I truly love reading it every time I walk by.

and well, I just HAD to get this cute little bird to go with it...

I think I spent $20 for both. Her shop is called "Paisley Cinnamon" on Etsy -- you will LOVE it!

Okay, so if my math is right.... I think that's $83... what the!!!!!!!!! YIKES. That looks really bad all totaled up like that. Mind you, this has been over the last two months. You know, I kinda hope Zeke doesn't read this post... when I fall off the wagon, I really fall and hit the ground HARD (with my head, I think). But after the shoe spree, I promised myself I would get back on the wagon and stay there. Oh man,  other than the green scarf, I enjoyed every $79 I spent. Okay, carry on.

P.S. I just wanted to share a WONDERFUL blog post written by my dear friend, Lora. I think this is an important one to read. There are so many couples out there struggling with infertility. Past and present and beyond. Lora is truly amazing... go check out her blog, you will love it!

THE most important job...

I remember LONG ago saying I was going to post this poem as soon as I found it...

I've been praying to find it because I always feel better when I read it OFTEN and I wanted to share it with my fellow MOMMIES:

The most important job in the world

 doesn't offer an hourly wage

 or days off

 or paid vacations.

But it does offer real feelings,

shining faces,

bedtime stories,

small victories,

priceless memories,

and many wonderful moments of joy...

Always remember,

there's no more important job in this world

than the one you do every day with all your heart.

On Facebook the other day, my friend Bree, said this: "I find so much strength, yet so much insanity through my kids. (Ironic how that goes) I love them each for different reasons, & each gives me a gift that no other can give."

Being a Mother is without question,
 THE hardest and THE most rewarding thing you will ever do. 

In spite of all the chaos, tears, empty bank account, and messy house...
it's completely worth it, 
because it can also be SO MUCH FUN!

This is one of my all-time favorite songs that never fails to lift my spirits, especially on this rainy day.

Instead of cleaning the pencil drawer in the kitchen...

Hi friends, how was your conference weekend? Mine? Well, you know that scripture about "opposition in all things"?  That's pretty much our typical conference weekend.


Wonderful messages... when I was able to listen. I'll comment on conference in another post. Our kids are in such different phases in life, it's hard to come together and do one thing at the same time. Anything. Well, lately, we can watch "Puss in Boots" together. (at least that's SOMETHING!) Man, I LOVE that movie... I think we've watched it at least 8 or 9 times this weekend and it still makes me laugh.

"What a strange thing to give a cat boots, but WHOA! I look GOOD!" :)

Okay, I'm getting off the subject...


Anyway, this week is Spring Break and I'm already feeling discouraged (Yes, I know it's only Tuesday).


I always wake up in the middle of the night feeling so worried about the future and about my kids and just  kind of hopeless.... I pray really hard to go back to sleep and escape that feeling and escape the dark... sometimes I am lucky... other times, I just have to wait for the sun to come up so that feeling will subside.


I try to read my scriptures everyday, but sometimes I need a bit more. I know this sounds terrible, but I need some simple language of our day that I can relate to. Sometimes my mind is so full (and my house is so noisy) it's hard to concentrate on the language of the scriptures. When I feel like this, I turn to the Church magazines. This morning, I found a great article (of course I did!) called, "Taking Time to Talk and Listen" by Rosemary M. Wixom, the Primary General President.  I also like hearing a woman's point of view now and again, we see things differently, and I can relate better.


This article didn't magically "fix" my family or instantly make me a better Mom, but it gave me HOPE and made me SMILE -- that is BIG for today.


Here's a few of my favorite points:


"Time together is precious time -- time needed to talk, to listen, to encourage, and to show how to do things."


"If we desire our families to be together forever, we begin the process TODAY. Spending time talking with our children is an investment in our eternal family as we walk the path toward eternal life together."


She talked about Helaman and the stripling warriors, "It was 'the words of their mothers' that taught them. While talking to their children, those mothers taught the word of God."


"Satan futilely attempted to prevent the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this dispensation when he tried to halt a critical conversation between Joseph Smith and God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ."


My FAVORITE QUOTE: "The adversary would love to bind our tongues—anything to prevent us from expressing verbally the feelings of our hearts face to face. He delights in distance and distraction; he delights in noise; he delights in impersonal communication—anything that would prevent us from the warmth of a voice and the personal feelings that come from conversing eye to eye."


“If we listen with love, we won’t need to wonder what to say. It will be given to us … by the Spirit."


"One Latter-day Saint father said: “I do a greater amount of good when I listen to my children than when I talk to them. … I have gradually learned that my children don’t want my ready-made, time-proven, and wise answers. … To them, being able to ask their questions and to talk about their problems is more important than receiving my answers. Usually when they get through talking, if I have listened long and well enough, they really don’t need my answer. They have already found their answer."


Sister Wixom said, "Last spring, while I was visiting a class of young women, the teacher asked the class to write our 10 priorities. I quickly began to write. I have to admit, my first thought began with “Number 1: clean the pencil drawer in the kitchen.”


HA!!!! This made me laugh right out loud -- that's something I would think of first. Why are most of us women like that? It's hard not to focus on all the mess around us and the things we should get done.


Nephi wrote: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ.” Why? “That our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25:26)


All I can do is change ME. Try to do better each day. Love my family more and hope for miracles.


One of my FAVORITE quotes from "Puss in Boots" is said by none other than "Frisky Two Times" himself:

"It is NEVER too late to do the right thing!"