Guess what???

I want to share my excitement for learning about and obtaining long term food storage and items for emergency preparedness. I’m not sure what has sparked my sudden drive for being prepared… maybe it’s because I’ve got children to care for, maybe it’s because I’m getting a pressure canner for Christmas early (thanks Mom and Dad!), maybe it’s because we’ve been told for decades by church leaders to prepare, maybe it’s because even world economists are telling people that the best way to spend the government incentive check is not to invest in stocks but instead in food storage… regardless of the source I’m excited to LEARN and PREPARE!

To help me and others learn all about preparedness I’m hosting a FOOD STORAGE/EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOP right here in Mesa! It will be on Saturday June 14 from 9 am –Noon at my house. The first hour will be packed with presentations and information – after that it’s come and go and we’ll try to answer all your questions!

There will be a presentation at 9:15 on canning everything from meats to cake (you will be AMAZED at what you can can!!!). Following that there will be someone to speak about SHELF STABLE milk, butter, and whipping cream… as well as SOLAR OVENS, wheat grinders (manual and electric), stackable water buckets, and MUCH, MUCH MORE! She’s got an amazing story to share! To top it all off we’re going to have a distributor from Mountain House (freeze dried food that is “to die for” good and all you do is add water – that I can do!)… AND she’s going to let us all order at her distributor prices! Can you believe it? If you can’t make it and still want to order at these low prices… let me know and we can place it for you EVEN if you live out of state!!!

You won’t want to miss out on this opportunity to learn and prepare! I’m so excited I can hardly wait! I’M TRYING TO GET AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE AT ONE SPOT. TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, and RELATIVES TOO - THEY WANT TO LEARN. Please forward this on to anyone you think might be interested and I hope to see you there!!!

(IF YOU CANT MAKE IT BUT WOULD STILL LIKE INFO OR TO ORDER OR IF YOU DONT KNOW MY ADDRESS, POST A COMMENT AND I'LL GET AHOLD OF YOU)

What: Emergency Preparedness / Food Storage Workshop
When: Saturday June 14th
Time: 9am - Noon (Presentations 9:15 - 10:15 and come and go/stay after that)
Where: My House (leave a comment and contact for directions)

Missing the cool weather...

Last week yielded some drastic weather changes. Monday and Tuesday both had "Heat Advisory" warnings. Then Thursday, Friday, and Saturday it was cool, overcast, and rainy! I LOVED the rain! Days like that really make me happy. I practically lived outside on those days - thank goodness for the patio furniture :). It actually got a little chilly with the rain and wind so we all put on light jackets or sweaters. I even drank some hot chocolate and munched on a candy cane. I am ready for Christmas time again! When went to Tucson this last weekend we listened to Josh Groban's Christmas CD "Noel" on the way there and back. Then I told Jared that I wanted to put the Christmas tree up. He said that he had to draw the line somewhere and that was it. :) I'd love to live somewhere that has a high of 74 degrees year round, doesn't get colder than 50 degrees, and regularly has rainy overcast days. That's the life! Oh well, triple digits here we come.

I love how he sucks his bottom lip in... so cute.

Oh and here are some pictures of G. I regularly find him trying to put on random pieces of clothing that he finds. He loves clothes, shoes, and accessories.

Stake Conference

This last Sunday was Stake Conference and it was so enjoyable - probably because I volunteered myself for the choir and so had a comfortable seat and no kids to wrangle. Jared on the other hand didn't get to listen to much of conference. I wish I'd had a pad of paper with me to write down the words that spoke to my heart, but my memory will have to suffice.

- Take time each day to visualize your children as you want them to be throughout their life. See them giving service. See them honoring the priesthood. See them as a full-time missionary. See them entering the temple.

- Allow your children to experience consequences. When they're young the consequences are small - they don't get to play outside that day or they might have to sweep the floor after they made a mess at the table. This helps them understand cause/effect or action/consequence and it helps you get in the habit of administering consequences so that when teenage years come on and consequences may incur great sorrow and prolonged suffering they will be even more inclined to choose the right.

- Give service in your community. The view exists among many community organizations that "the Mormons don't care." We sometimes get caught up in serving within our ward, our families, and in global efforts, but it's important to remember to serve in your community too - and even more important that our children are given opportunities to serve. I remember going to nursing homes with my sisters regularly to sing to the elderly people there. We would always go at Christmas time and sing favorite Christmas songs to them - what a great way to serve and brighten their day!

- The 8 W's: "Work will win when wishy-washy worry won't." When you have a problem or struggle, stop just worrying about it and get to work doing what you can to fix it. If it's not within your power to fix it... stop worrying :)

I'll have to add more thoughts if any more come to mind...

Milestones we've reached...

Jared went on his first Fathers and Sons Outing with G. It was even more exciting since Grandpa T was able to come along for the fun. Although it was a lot of preparation and chasing around for Jared, G absolutely LOVED it and came back quite tuckered out! I can see how it would be nice to have all boys so that they can go off on their outings and leave me at home to have some time to myself... I could get used to that. While they were away I spent time with sisters and aunts, went to a food storage/emergency preparedness workshop, painted miscellaneous projects, etc.

My major milestone is that I mowed a lawn for the very first time in my life! Our yard has gone 2 weeks without being mowed and it was looking quite shaggy. It's hard for Jared to find time to do it, so when both boys went down for a nap at the same time I started. I took the monitor with me and proceeded to mow the backyard and then the front yard and even got a shower in before they woke up! I felt quite productive that day. It's interesting to me how doing yardwork was the most miserable chore I could be given - I didn't even like gardening one bit! (Thanks Mom and Dad for making me do it anyway). My Dad always mowed the yard growing up because we lived on an acre and he used a riding lawn mower. He stopped making the girls do it when Mindy ran into the fence :). Anyway, now I enjoy pulling weeds, raking leaves, trimming trees, and mowing lawns - there's a sense of fulfillment in working hard, being outside, and beautifying your surroundings.

G's milestones: He's 18 months and weighs in at 33 lbs with a height of 34 inches. His biggest accomplishment is that he will finally eat something other than fruit and bread! He will happily snack on a carrot now! And he even enjoyed some meatloaf and Creamy Chicken Italiano - where before he wouldn't be caught dead eating any meats or pastas. He still doesn't appreciate chicken but the ground beef was okay apparently. Great job G! His other milestone is rather notable too I suppose. He is now sleeping in a "big boy" bed. We got a second set of bunk beds from my Aunt and put the top of the bunk beds in G's room in addition to the existing crib. That night when it was time to go to bed we decided to just try it out and see what he did. We followed the same routine and he went down without a peep! Since then he's done extremely well with only one or two yearnings for his crib. That transition went WAY better than I thought it would!

B is now 6 months old. He weighs 18.5 lbs and measures 28.5 inches tall. He's been sitting up for a few weeks now and has also been working on rocking back and forth on his hands and knees. Every now and then he'll get fancy and get in position to do push-ups on his hands and toes. Silly boy! He loves to put anything and everything in his mouth, especially paper and rice cereal. I'm getting ready to make him some squash and green beans soon, too. Unfortunately I can't claim "sleeping through the night" for B yet, but I'm hoping I can soon.

Why does it have to hurt so bad?

My heart is full of aching and sympathy, wishing I knew what to do to help... hoping that he's not hurting too badly. I got a call this morning from my friend Andrea who taken her 2 month old son, Kyson, in for a well-child check-up. After telling the doctor that she'd noticed his breathing has been hard, they rushed him to the hospital with really low oxygen levels. They said they'd call back when they knew more. Two hours passed as I prayed and anxiously awaited the diagnosis, hoping it would be nothing major - after all, what could possibly be wrong with cute little Kyson? So sweet. So innocent. So perfect.

(Taken just 2 weeks ago on his Blessing Day)

After some testing at the hospital Jared and Andrea were informed that Kyson's heart is missing the left ventricle - the most important ventricle. His little heart has been working overtime to compensate and just couldn't handle it for much longer. He was experiencing congestive heart failure. Kyson will have to undergo open heart surgery. My heart reaches out to him - that he will be okay, that he won't feel too much pain, that he will feel of the huge number of people that are praying for him and that love him. Who couldn't?

(One week old)

So I'm asking that you please say a prayer for this little angel - and for his family. He needs our faith more than ever. How hard it must be for Jared and Andrea to see him poked and monitored and on oxygen. How grateful I am that they have Phil and Heather to look to for comfort. How grateful I am that Andrea was prompted to tell the doctor about the difficulty of his breathing - instead of responding to the doctor's question with the observation that he's just a fussy baby. How blessed we are to know that Heavenly Father is mindful of us - that he knows Kyson and has such a love for him. I'm sure He's missing Kyson's valiant and loving spirit even though he's only been gone for 2 short months.

In search for comfort of my own, I came across these words of President Hinckley:

Behold your little ones. Pray with them. Pray for them and bless them. The world into which they are moving is a complex and difficult world. They will run into heavy seas of adversity. They will need all the strength and all the faith you can give them while they are yet near you. And they will also need a greater strength which comes of a higher power.

Andrea, I'm here for you. Whenever you need me. I'm ready to fulfill my covenant to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. Even if you just need someone to cry with you... I'm great at that.

When we truly behold our little ones, we behold the glory, wonder, and majesty of God, our Eternal Father. Regardless of physical limitations or the challenge of circumstance, their souls are endowed naturally with divine potential that is infinite and eternal. - M. Russell Ballard

We love you Kyson!

FHE

On Monday we went to Organ Stop Pizza - that place reminds me of so many childhood memories and piano parties with Janeen Noble. I remember that Mom took Becca and I after each of the 3 Hepititis B shots we had to get - I don't think we ate any pizza when we went. We just listened to the music. What a great idea/incentive for us when doing such a scary thing of getting shots. Good thinking Mom!

It was so fun to go as a family (at least for me... Jared wasn't impressed with the food or lack of lighting). G enjoyed it most of the time. We put in our requests and all of our #1 choices were played! We requested the Train Song (not sure of it's actual title), a Puppet Show, and Take Me Out to the Ball Game. The Gunnell's came along and had their #1 choice played as well - Send Me Into the Clouds - or something like that. Afterwards we went to Mesa Frozen for a tasty treat!

A fun and free date...

When we were in Tucson a few weeks ago my in-laws offered to watch the boys while so Jared and I could do something together. As usual it took forever to decide what to do - why is it that I can always think of a million things I'd love to do without the kids, but when given the chance to follow through my mind draws a blank. We went through the normal ideas of going out to eat or going to a movie, but I just wasn't thrilled with those ideas. Then my "FIL" suggested going to the classic car show being held at a Hilton that he'd heard about on the radio. Perfect! So we grabbed some ice waters and the camera. There were tons of cars there and naturally I don't remember the types of many of them. I do remember seeing a "Hudson Hornet" though and I thought of G and wondered if he'd get as excited about seeing it in real life as he is when he sees his Cars Movie. The most memorable car was a 1910 White Steamer! It was AMAZING! To think that this car runs of steam and has absolutely no electrical components is mind boggling. The headlights run off of kerosene or propane or something like that - so it burns a little flame and then there's a mirrored cone/lens that magnifies and directs the light. We were there at the tail end of the show and so got to talk to the owner and watch him fire up the engine after pouring water in the tank.

Thanks for a fun date... and better yet a free one!

So Amazed

I am so AMAZED at my talented sisters! My sister Holly started it all... this excitement for photography and documenting real life. Mindy is now getting involved in professional photography as well and has been working on developing her website which is quite inspiring (check it out at http://www.mindykiddphotography.com/). She's been wanting family pictures of her own family since she finds herself behind the camera all the time now. So she suggested that we swap - get together with both our families and take pictures of each other. I'm afraid I got the far better end of that bargain :). Here are a few of my favorites - really they were all favorites, but I don't know that blogger.com could handle all of my favorites :)

If you or anyone you know is looking for family pictures captured in real life (not in a studio with props that mean nothing to you), book a date with Mindy. I guarantee you will love the pictures and you'll love Mindy!

Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over Mindy! I absolutely LOVE them!

What do you do...

when you get to watch your favorite movie? G is all about "Cars" lately. He has a "Cars" shirt, and a "Cars" book that he goes bonkers for. I've turned this movie on for him twice and he only lasts for ~30 minutes, but those 30 minutes are pure enjoyment! I just love him!

So what's your favorite movie... and how excited do you get?

My Gratitude List...

I've got a lot to be thankful for, but I'll just mention a few specifics here that I've noticed lately - not in any particular order. (this is a long one)

1) Exercising - this has made a huge difference on my outlook on life. It's amazing what a little physical activity can do! Our day begins with diaper changes, scripture reading, and breakfast. After that routine is competed, G knows that next it's time to go for a walk. He finds my shoes for me and starts "barking" at the garage door so that we can load up in the stroller - he won't let me miss a day! Thanks G! And thank goodness for double strollers. I will admit that its a little challenging to push, but as long as you're going straight it's great!

2) Birds - this may be kind of a strange thing to be grateful for, but G really gets SO excited when he sees a bird of any kind (or animal for that matter). On our walk we always see this family of ducks with 12 babies! Well, recently there've only been 9, but I think they're starting to get weened from their parents because today we found them all alone sitting on the bank of the canal. Later their parents joined them... they're growing up so fast! We've remembered to take bread with us a few times. When we've forgotten to bring bread, they seem to still remember us - the babies came up and were walking underneath the stroller and were trying to eat my shoes. G never wants to leave them. On our walk we also see horses and plenty of dogs.

3) Scale - I don't know that I'm terribly grateful for the scale itself because I probably weigh myself three times a day hoping to see a miraculously lower number than 4 hours ago... but I must share my happy news. I'm in the 140's now! I haven't seen those numbers in 2+ years! I'm not quite to pre-G yet and definitely no where close to pre-marriage, but at least I'm heading in the right direction!

4) Tutoring - I've been doing some tutoring lately and I LOVE IT! Not only does it bring in a little $$, but I get some time to myself (with two HS kids) doing something that I totally enjoy! Math! It's nice to use my brains to help others get some brains.

5) Patio - One of the things that I've loved about this house since we bought it is the fact that it has a huge covered back patio. For 8 months now I've been looking for patio furniture that I love and can afford. Checking craigslist has been a daily routine for me and I've emailed on dozens and dozens of patio sets, but never able to follow through with a purchase... until last week! This girl posts a picture of a set including two chairs, a bench, and a table stating that they can probably be tightened with a wrench and that there's a gold emblem with "SCAM COM" on it $150 OBO. I replied as usual but added the fact that I was a serious buyer - she called me the next day and we picked it up the following day. It sure was a little rickety... but with a lot of sanding and oiling, look at what a treasure we've got! Come to find out Scamcom is a high dollar teak patio furniture maker and this set sells new for over $3000! Lucky! A big thanks to my parents and Jared to helping! I finally finished the project last night and am still working on acquiring cushions for the bench. I'm looking forward to several enjoyable evenings out on the porch.

Original

Sanded

Stained

6) Cute hair - I've been toying with the idea of going short with my hair. It's been 6 years since I've had short hair and I'm always afraid that I look fatter with short hair, but I went the full 9 yards. I went short and got swoopy bangs. I haven't tried to style it by myself too many times yet - my mom's bringing her flat iron for me to use in 2 weeks so that should help. But it's just long enough to squeeze into a pony tail which is super nice when we're out walking.

7) Good deals - G is growing so fast that I can hardly keep up with the rate that he's outgrowing his clothes. We're up to 2T and 3T stuff. So we had to go and find some good deals. Children's Place, Old Navy, and Gap helped us out. 18 shirts, 2 jackets, 6 pants, 1 tie for $90 AWESOME! I also found some darling white dress shoes for me for $15!

8) "I Am A Loveable Me - Sleepytime Messages" - this is what we put G to bed with (and B eventually) and it's great! People are always impressed with how he goes down without a peep... and all the while he's getting positive reinforcement. After I changed his diaper and put on his jammies tonight he walked right over and turned on his CD himself. I guess he was ready for bed - he then reached for his crib. Miracle! Thanks Holly for introducing me!

9) The Zoo - and friends to go to the zoo with. Andrea and I went last week and we're going again on Friday with Teri. It's good for G and B to get out and about and see the wonders of the world around them - what better place than the zoo? G loved the birds, turtles, chipmunks, zebras, etc. He wasn't sure what to think about the petting zoo - I think he likes the animals from a distance.

10) Nursery - they let G into nursery a few weeks early and WOW, what a treat that has been! We actually get to go to Sunday School and I get to listen to all of the Relief Society Lesson! The transition has been amazingly smooth - not even the slightest struggle. He sees the toys in there and just bolts for it. They did say that the first week he got a little sad after singing time, but next was snack time so his sadness didn't last long :). Apparently his first week they talked about being grateful for birds and insects. He came home with a little coloring page and carried it around with him for days. I LOVE Nursery!

11) My Calling - This last Sunday I conducted the ward choir in Sacrament Meeting for the first time and it went amazingly well. I thought my legs would've been shaking and my heart racing but I was totally at ease - that's a miracle! They sang "Where Love Is" as performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with a flute descant. I will say that our first rehearsal was a wreck - and in retrospect I can definitely see that it's because I hadn't been set apart yet. After having that blessing my attitude and ability greatly increased - and I wasn't in tears at choir practice :) I can't say that I enjoy my calling yet, but I no longer dread Sundays with fear and trembling. My faith has grown as I've strived to fulfill my calling knowing that it comes from God - that's reason enough to be grateful for my calling.

I'm sure there's tons more, but these are current favorites... and as usual I'm grateful for my boys and husband, that I get to be a stay-at-home-mom, the gospel, etc.