Comfort!

When you have a really crappy day, a day like today, what do you reach for?? I personally look for one of two things- clothes or food! :) Today was a mostly crappy day! I have been long term subbing for a 6th grade class and mostly they are good kids! but this one class had given me the run around and today i got so mad that i left the class!! ;) okay i just stepped out of the class but still! so today i needed some comfort food! i took a jaunt to good ol McD's and got myself a crispy chicken honey mustard snack wrap! oh yum! i don't know why but i freaking love those snack wraps! and then another drive down the street to the sno cone shack for a strawberries n' cream sno cone! :) and those two things together make for my mid day snack and a little pick me up!

What do you grab for when you have had a crappy day!?

(not to make you focus on the crap of a day, but the comfort afterwards!)

Wishing I had something to say...

It's been a while since i've posted and that's because i have nothing to say! You know how when you write words down and send them out into the universe, or the world we call the internet, you want them to be witty and clever and the first thing that everyone you know wants to read... I don't have any of those words today! but i have some words, however less than profound they may be- i can guarantee that they will be almost completely and utterly incoherent!

Life is hard, but life is great right?! how can it be both at the same time? I don't know, but it's one of those things i've been thinking about. how can we be happy when so many things are crumbling down around us? how do we find the strength and the will power to get out of bed every morning, especially on the days we don't want to!? Why do we do half the things that we do?

I guess that lately i've fallen into a rut and i've been thinking a lot about why i do the things i do. i haven't been doing the things i want to do and i haven't been the person i want to be, at least not every day. I want to be someone who inspires others, and who makes a difference, but i haven't felt that lately! But i walk out in the sunshine, or hear an amazing song, or get a text or call from a friend i've been dying to talk to! or savor a delicious candy bar of perfectly mixed chocolate, caramel and peanuts all melted to the perfect state and it not only tastes good but makes all my worries melt away! Those are good things! Those make a good day!

but what about all the bad things? people not getting along, disappointment, grief, pain, loneliness, confusion and fear! what do we do with that? what do we do- we move forward! why do we do that, why don't we just let ourselves wallow in self-pity, why do we even try to pick ourselves back up and try again? i guess there's a million reasons why, but i know we do! we pick ourselves back up and we try again, and we try more and we try harder and we just try!

President Monson can say it better than me,

"Our responsibility is to rise from mediocrity to competence, from failure to achievement. Our task is to become our best selves. One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final."

wishing i had something to say, probably more appropriate is...i wish i had something concrete to say! i don't know what i'm trying to say! i guess, life doesn't always make sense but even so it's good! i see people with problems all around me and i want to fix them but we can't always fix them. We want to find just the right words to make everything okay but we can't, we want to say and do the right thing but there's isn't such a thing. we want to be ourselves but always be better! we change our minds from day to day, week to week- we change, we grow, we progress and we always live in a state of contentment and anxiousness for the next stage. We live today and plan for tomorrow! and we think about yesterday!

we write a blog post and hope by the end of it we've said something profound, and if we haven't, we hope people don't think we're crazy and have lost our marbles! because sometimes the only thing we can do is write and let what comes, come

and we wake up tomorrow and try to make sense of it all...and hopefully we figure out more than we did today!

A New Adventure!

Well some of you know, but for those of you who do not, I am starting a new adventure! 4 months ago I graduated from college and was really excited about what was coming next. i had no idea what that was, but i was excited about whatever was coming next. Things started off pretty rocky, but things have been quite good lately! I got a job that i liked, and started a calling that has been going well!

And now, things are changing! which makes life an adventure!

here's what makes life an adventure- work, school, church!

WORK! I have really liked substitute teaching and it has been a great thing for me. I've learned that i really like being in the classroom and teaching those kids, however crazy they might be! which has helped me to decide that i am going to go back to school for math education. right now, it seems like the right thing for me! i still want to do school psychology, but it may be a few years until that happens. but...unfortunately, i'm out of a job come June, so i have to find something to do for the summer- lame! so i have to figure that out right now

SCHOOL! although i think i have decided to do math education, i am in the process of figuring out how i'm going to do it. i applied to Utah State and Boise State and have been accepted to both, and although i'm pretty sure that i will be going to BSU there are still some other options that i'm thinking about and i'm not sure which one to do- ugh! and i need to figure that out in the very near future!

but the main reason that life is a new adventure...

CHURCH! A few months ago, I was called to be the 2nd counselor in my singles ward Relief Society presidency, which was a really great thing for me! it helped me feel like i had a purpose here in Nampa, for however long i was here. Well, it appears that i will be in Nampa for long than anticipated!

because yesterday i was set apart as the Relief Society president in my singles ward!!! WOW, right?! I KNOW! i am feeling so many things about this new calling- anxious, excited, nervous, humble, grateful, overwhelmed! so many things! I am excited about the chance that i have to serve the Lord and serve the sisters in my ward, but i know it's going to be a lot of work and responsibility! i already feel that responsibility!! i've been thinking a lot for the past 2 weeks about relief society, the Savior and His characteristics, love, leadership, divine nature, belonging, i've been studying like crazy! I want so much to get this right, to do what the Lord would have me do in this calling, i just hope that i can!! this is kind of a big deal to me! when i graduated, from the talks that were given and graduation speeches, i felt that i had had the opportunity to learn at BYU-I and now i was to take that knowledge and go serve! well i now know that the Lord wants me to serve in Nampa Idaho! not where i thought that i would be after graduation, but i think that helps me know that this is where the Lord wants me! if it was what i planned on, He'd make me go somewhere else, or at least it always seems like that! but i'm here, in Nampa, and ready to give this Relief Society President thing a try!! "Be of good cheer and get to work" were the wise words of my bishop, so here i go!

These are some of the weightier things i've been thinking about lately! but i am so excited to get to testify of womanhood and the blessings of Relief Society! So that's what i'm going to do!

"I worry that some of you feel you don’t fit in Relief Society, that you don’t belong! Whether you feel too young or too old, too rich or too poor, too intelligent or too undereducated, none of us is too different to belong! If I could have my heart’s desire, it would be that every one of you feel like you fit, like you belong. I testify that you do fit, that you do belong to Relief Society—the Good Shepherd’s fold for women."

Bonnie D. Parkin, “Belonging Is Our Sacred Birthright,” Ensign, Nov 2004, 106–8

Input needed...

I found a pattern for this dress online!! two words- IN LOVE! i have decided that once Joann's has a great sale (one weeks time) and once i finish my other projects currently in the works, i am making this dress!!!

this is how it looked when the designer made it!



i need some input! what color or pattern do you think would look best?? i really really really like the light grey and olive green! i'm half tempted to do the same, but i'm also feeling some multi colored floral or something! but that's where you come in! Please let me know what you think i should do!

Next order of business...
remember when my hair looked like this- (all my life up to 2006)

and i cut it to look like this??- (Spring 2006)

well it looks like this now... (Present)

and i very much want to cut it like this... (Summer 2010?)

although i would be a brunette, not a blonde! (and don't judge me on these horrible pictures...they're horrid, i know!)

i've been wanting to do this for a while now, so maybe it's time! i've been planning on donating my hair and i think it's the 10 inches it needs to be!! what do you think?? should i go for it....again!??!!?!

these are just some of the things that i've been thinking about lately!!
anticipate a post in the near future about the weightier things i've been thinking about....

Birthday and Craft Update!!

Yes I am going to put those two things together! Yes i blew out all of the candles! and Yes this post is going to be awesome! Today is my 23rd birthday- hooray for me! Today has been a great day thanks to family, friends and just the fact that it is my birthday! :) i highly anticipate that tomorrow might be the worst day of this year because in the past i always have a super bad day sometime around my birthday, i guess the best day has to be followed with a not so good day, BUT today is my birthday and i am going to enjoy it! I had a nice day with my family, relaxed at home and got a ton of wonderful birthday wishes from a ton of dear dear friends! I have a strange goal of getting the same number of birthday comments on Facebook as my age (not that there's anything i can do about it but it's fun nonetheless) and thanks to my wonderful friends, i more than met that goal! It's a good day! we had Italian chicken for my birthday dinner, chocolate heaven cake and ice cream for dessert and watched the Blindside! it really was a good day! i didn't go out on the town or frequent any bars but i did have a great b-day! complete with some superb presents! Because of my recent craft obsession, a lot of the things that i asked for are craft related but really my presents are a random hodge podge of awesomeness that anyone would die for!

1)Diploma Frame

at the age of 23, Yes i have graduated from college! YEAH! i am super glad that i have accomplished this task by this time in my life! it is a big thing! so i have a diploma, so i needed something to put it in! i do have a diploma cover but then you can't actually see that important piece of paper, but now with a frame, you can!

2)Scents Burner

although i wanted a Scentsy burner, i will take the off brand scents burner! it's cute and it gives off a lovely scent, so it will do- i'll keep it!

3)Windshield Wonder

when we watch TV at home, there are more than enough cheesy infomercials on and my brothers and i either make fun of them or totally want whatever they are selling. ones we make fun of- pop can Bottle Toppers, Bump its, Big Top cupcakes, Smooth Away, ones we love and totally want- Windshield Wonder, Bump its :)
so my dear brother Taylor got me a windshield wonder for my birthday! naturally he wants to use it for his car too, but he also cleaned my windshield- and it was so fast and easy, only with the Windshield Wonder!!

4)Picture Frames

i will always have a love for pictures frames! i'm not sure what i'm going to put in them yet, but i'll find something! i found the gold one today and i actually think i'm going to paint it black or if i'm feeling crazy, maybe a turquoise or a red! I smell a craft project!

5)Fabric!

as i mentioned, i found another purse pattern that i want to try out! this bag doesn't take a lot of fabric, so i got these two fabrics for pretty cheap! i also got a gift card to Joanns so that i can get some more fabric to fuel my creative side! i wonder how long this craft obsession is going to last...

6)Tool Set

okay, i know that this is totally random and seems totally not like me, BUT while i was at school, there was more than one occasion when i, or someone i knew, would need a screwdriver or a hammer so i always thought that i should get a tool kit! and of course i wanted a girly one! these tools are pink- LOVE IT! i know that my brothers won't touch them so now if i ever need to fix something, which probably won't happen until i live away from my 4 men and handy mom but the day will come!

7)Food Chopper

this will also come in handy when i have my own house and my own kitchen and cook for myself again, but at the very least, i am slowly but surely getting myself some nice kitchen stuff!

8)clothes!!

i really don't need any more clothes but i sure want some more! i got this nice skirt and some other things...but there are a few other things that i have found that i want...so i'm going to be going on a shopping trip soon!

9)NEW MOON!

last year for my birthday i got TWILIGHT! and lucky me, this year NEW MOON came out 6 days before my birthday so that completes my current Twilight series DVD collection! until Eclipse comes out! i know that it's cliche to love Twilight, but i do and i don't care that i'm excited to get New Moon for my birthday! and i'm going to really love making my brothers watch it! ha ha ha ha (evil laugh)!

10)New Journal!

i got this present for myself! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! i love journals and even though i have just barely started on my next one and have another blank one, i really love this one (the pink one on the top) and it has been promoted to next on the list!

And for my craft update...this week for our Relief Society activity, we made the temple plaques! i made this one and i think that it turned out pretty well, i'm not sure that i like the ribbon to hang with, so i just tied it but i could always change it if need be!


I have also almost finished this bag! I'm not quite finished and i'm going to add some embellishments to it to spice it up, but all in all, i think i like it! :)

There's something in the air...

I'm not sure what it is but i am feeling awfully crafty lately! I'm sure it started when i got my sewing machine for Christmas, and it has just escalated from there! I love this sewing machine- not only is it easy to use but it has so many cool gadgets! my absolute favorite part- automatic bobbin threader! i always hate threading the bobbin (the thread underneath) on my mom's machine, but mine does it for you, no sweat! LOVE IT! not to mention there are tons of neat stitches and thread cutters all over the place! because of this new toy, i've been finding all sorts of things that i want to make! combine my new sewing hobby with my old scrapbooking love...and you've got a lot of projects on the brain!


1)i found this bag online and it is at the top of my "things to make list"! it's just cute and easy and if i'm brave enough, i'm going to try my own twist!


2) i'm really loving this! i don't know what i'm going to do with it yet, but i just want to make it! maybe a memory book or birthday gift for someone special!! we'll see what and if this materializes!


3) we are making this for our relief society activity this coming week! the supplies are all gathered, everything is almost all set and i'm excited to see how they turn out!!


4)this bag is a work in progress right now, the first one Simply Legendary! my neighbor Betsy gave me the pattern and i have the fabric cut out and everything ready to go...but i have not gotten the fleece yet, so this project is on hold! hopefully one of these days i remember to pick some up! mine will have a turquoise and brown paisley fabric on the front and a brown fabric for the lining and straps, and i'm thinking of putting either felt or organza flowers on the front...we'll see!


5)i have aspirations to do this to one of my shirts, but i'm not yet sure how i will go about doing it...i would need to find another shirt to match or go out and buy two new ones, so i've yet to decide which i will do!
Needless to say there are a lot of things that i'm thinking of doing and i'm having trouble deciding which i'd like to do first! i don't know what i'm going to do with all of these crafty thing floating around in my mind, but i think the best idea is just to get started!

The sun is shining...

the tank is clean!!! ha ha ha, i just naturally put those two phrases together, and i forever will! But don't you just love it?! i know i do! Thanks Peach for that great catch phrase!

The reason for this Finding Nemo reference is because today the sun was shining and life feels so good today! I think that the sun being out has a lot to do with the brightness of this day, that and wearing a spring dress to church! It was just a really great day! Today i realized that life is so great! Right now, I have a calling that i love, a job that i love, a family that i love, friends that i love, and what more is there to ask for! a month ago, i could not say anything close to what i'm saying today- ONE MONTH! that's 30 days, but that one month was February so it was even less! it amazes me how quickly things can turn around, and how quickly they have turned around! One month ago, i had a job that i hated, no purpose in life, nothing that really motivated me to get out of bed for, and now things are looking up! I can see things a lot more clearly and am happy with what i see! The tank is truly clean!

Today i am reminded of two quotes that i really love and i'm going to share them with you! I gave one of them in my lesson and another i have been searching for and finally found!

"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities."

Ezra Taft Benson, “The Great Commandment—Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988, 4

“When you are filled with the Spirit of God, … that [Spirit] satisfies and fills up every longing of the human heart, and fills up every vacuum."

Eliza R. Snow (Woman’s Exponent, Sept. 15, 1873, 62)

Shan'tel, this is the quote that i was asking you about a while back! And you will never guess where i found it? I count this as a tender mercy- I have been looking for this quote and looking and looking and couldn't find it anywhere. This was in January when i first came home and also the same time that i was rereading my old journals- i really wanted to find this quote, and just when i had given up, i got to the part in my journal where i had copied it down almost 3 years ago! i'm so glad that i did write it down so that i could find it again at a time when i needed it! just some things i've been thinking- things work out! i don't know why we ever doubt because i know we all have a testimony that the Lord will make things work out! They aren't perfect by any means, but right now, i'm happy with the view from this sunshine filled, spic and span little fishbowl i call life!

p.s. i just had to add this because it makes me happy! hope it makes you happy too! i only like 0:45 through 1:45 though! My favorite lines in the whole movie are in this clip, which if you know me, you know i say on a regular basis- "The sun is shining, the tank is clean" and "CURSE YOU AQUA SCUM!"