I DO!!!

I think I've scrapbooked all the photos that I want to scrapbook from Emily & Tommy's wedding day.  Feels good to get those done!  Check-out the beautiful cake that one of my other sisters made.

2009 in Review

**What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

Hired a moving company to move us across the country.  It's amazing what a few guys can get done in a day!!

**Did you keep your New Years' resolutions?

Don't know that I really wrote anything down.  I have daily, weekly, monthly as well as yearly resolutions that I'm constantly making ... mostly in my head.  I tried hard at mothering, home schooling, supporting my husband, church stuff, etc.

**Did anyone close to you give birth?

My cousin Shelley gave birth to her 3rd child and several of my close friends including Natalie & Audra had babies too.  Our friend Madelyn also had a baby and gave her baby the same name as Penguin & my friend Mikelle's baby boy was given the same name as Turkey.  Kinda cool!

**Did anyone close to you die?

Jeepers ... this is awful.  Don't think so.

**What countries did you visit?

I like the good ol' U.S. of A!  Good food, clean water, toilets  .... all good stuff!

**What states did you visit?

UT, VA, PA, DC, NC & MI; Just drove through: OH, IN, IL, MO, OK, TX, NM, MD, & WV

**What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

More patience, 3 children who use the potty, & income for all 12 months

**What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Monday, August 10th ... the day we said good-bye to Pittsburgh.

**What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Job hunting & moving were probably the biggest jobs, but one acheivement that was a bit more rewarding was watching my husband walk across the stage at Heinz Hall at graduation & hearing him being called "doctor" for the first time.

**What was your biggest failure?

Bad days ... days when I have no patience.

**Did you suffer illness or injury?

Probably nothing more than a runny nose.

**What was the best thing you bought?

A big screen TV ... we are no longer watching our favorite movies on a 10-yr old tube TV!

**Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

People in society, the news, & government figures.

**Whose behavior impressed you?

This may sound weird, but I'm always impressed by Paula Deen ... she's upbeat, happy, & beautiful!

**Where did most of your money go?

Housing, utilities, food, holidays, & student loans.

**What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Graduation.

**What song will always remind you of 2009?

I probably didn't buy any CD's in 2009, so just something that I heard on the radio like:

**Compared to this time last year, are you: much happier, richer, nicer?

Warmer!

 **What do you wish you'd done more of?

Spent more time with friends, played in the snow more & I always wish I would have taken more photos!

**What do you wish you'd done less of?

Looking to the future.

**How did you spend Christmas?

Christmas morning was at home and Christmas night at my parents' home.  Christmas Eve was spent with my in-laws.

**What was your favorite TV program?

American Idol ... probably the only show I watched ... at least faithfully.  Can't forget Steelers football!

**What was the best book you read in 2009?

Twilight series.  I was somewhat skeptical before reading them and I still don't really love the author's style, but all that aside I thoroughly enjoyed my Twilight reads!!

**What did you want and get?

Sell our home.

**What were your favorite films of this year?

New Moon

**What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Went to Del Taco for lunch with my mom & the kids and I think I went to Pei Wei with my family, parents & a couple siblings for dinner.

**What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

My year was pretty satisfying ... it would be nice to be a perfect person.

**How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Cozy & comfy in the winter!  Lots of jeans.

**What kept you sane?

Music ... listening to music, playing the piano & participating in symphonies.

**What drove you insane?

Potty training & drama

**What political issue stirred you the most?

Health care reform, Same-sex issues, Government spending, Abortion

**Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009

Do what is best for me & my family ... not what other people think is best.

**What are you most excited for in 2010?

Hmmm ... don't know.  I'll be an aunt for the first time (on my side of the family) this year.  I'm excited to have a newborn around!  Mostly just moving forward & progressing with life.

**What are you least excited for in 2010?

The possibility of another job change which may mean moving.

Luncheon Guests

One last page & now I'm off to bed.  Good-night!

Feel Good Song

I NEED this today!  Hope it brightens your day too!! 
Crank that volume!  :)

Cutting the Cake

Eternity With You

Today during nap time I needed to do something to relax & chill-out.  A certain child of mine has been making me totally insane the past several days & I'm at my wit's end!  Playing on the computer and doing something creative was JUST what I needed.  My "little" sister married her sweetheart way back in September and it's about time I scrapbook some of those photos!

Ocean Blue has Competition

If you're like my dad who visits Ocean Blue at least weekly, you have to try a new spot for your self-serve frozen yogurt ... Swirl It.  We went there last night with my dad & I liked it so much better than Ocean Blue.  They had 10 flavors of frozen yogurt & sorbet last night (but it looks like they have many more flavors that they rotate) and at least 2-3 times more toppings to choose from.  Their yogurt flavors are SO much better ... richer & more flavorful.  I'm not typically a fruity frozen yogurt girl, but I tried a little bit of their orange & mango ... very delish!  The pistachio was outstanding, the cable car chocolate was very chocolately & the Reeses had a much stronger peanut butter taste than the Ocean Blue peanut butter.

Give them a try and use this COUPON for a buy one get one free until May 1, 2010!

Swirl It is located on Williams Field Rd just west of Val Vista in Gilbert, AZ.

Rancho De Tia Rosa

If you love the food at Rancho de Tia Rosa over near Lindsay & McKellips in Mesa but it's a bit of a drive for you, I think you'll be excited to know that they are opening two new locations this spring.  A taqueria on Baseline Rd just east of Gilbert Rd is supposed to open in the next few weeks and a new restaurant & taqueria is opening in Chandler near Dobson & Germann Rds.  YEAH!  Just had to share!!

Little Break

I have a little break for the next two weeks from teaching YW lessons.  I do not teach when there is a 5th Sunday and I do not teach on the 1st Sunday of the month.  Check back for ideas for lesson 7 during the week of Feb 8th!  Thanks!!

That Easter Morn

It's getting to be that time again ... time to think about buying tickets to see Penguin & I perform with the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization. 

Easter Concert Info:

Friday, March 5

7:30 pm

Ikeda Theater - Mesa Arts Center

**Tickets are available beginning Monday, Feb 1!!!

You can call the box office: 480-644-6500 or go to http://www.mesaartscenter.com/

I am going to buy tickets on the morning of Feb 1 ... if you want a seat by my hubs & other family members, I'll be buying seats together and will purchase a ticket for you too if you make those arrangements with me.  We had some sad people a couple days before the Christmas concert because they had waited too long to buy tickets....  I don't know what the prices for seats are yet because they are changing, but as soon as I know, I will let you know and we can decide together where everyone wants to sit.  If you want me to get a ticket for you, please let me know BEFORE Feb 1st.  I've heard that the Easter concert is the favorite one of many audience members.

Obeying Commandments Helps Us Fulfill Our Divine Roles: Lesson 4 Manual 2

If you are working on lesson 4 in manual 2, here are some things that might help or that caught my eye....

I really like THIS object lesson.  Oranges are in season.  It's very simple for the instructor to put together yet it makes a clear & strong point.

Hymn #303: Keep the Commandments ... I am on the look-out for a nice arrangement of this song for the girls to listen to while they enjoy some ....

Divine "Rolls"  aka Cinnamon Rolls.  If you're looking for a recipe for cinnamon rolls, I hear The Lion House has a nice recipe or you can try something new off of http://www.allrecipes.com/  I think a nice dinner roll would also be yummy or even Tootsie Rolls could work. :)

I made up a little handout with one of my favorite quotes from the lesson.  It is 4x6 inches and can be printed at home or I recommend printing it at Costco with a lustre finish.

Christmas Morning 2009

The Women in Our Lives

School Bells are Ringing

I have been homeschooling my oldest child for a few years now & we've gotten to a point where something needs to change.  As things currently stand, they aren't working.  We either need to come up with a new homeschooling plan, try cyber school again, or find a school for her to attend outside of the home.

Yesterday morning, "Penguin" (that's what I'll name my oldest daughter for now) & I looked at schools for 6 hours!  It was exhausting, but it needed to be done.  We found a couple of schools there were absolutely a big fat NO and a few schools that I'd like to research more & possibly visit again.

We drove over to Edu-Prize.  At first I didn't even want to consider this school because by the time I drive there & back & fight school-type traffic two times a day, I'm looking at about 2 hours out of my day just transporting Penguin to & from school.  It sounds like they could have some options that would work very nicely for Penguin, BUT they won't let her start before July ... it's a "year-round" school & July is when the new school year starts.

Another school that was unexpectedly very nice and only about 7 minutes from home is Imagine Charter school.  The school had a very warm, friendly atmosphere, but I need to talk to them more about how they are going to challenge Penguin in certain subjects.

American Leadership Academy is getting ready to build a whole new campus, but their current campus is a bit drab.  Because of their cut-off date for entering Kindergarten, Penguin would fall into 2nd grade at their school instead of 1st grade.  BUT they are wanting to do testing and possibly put her into 3rd grade, if we were to choose that school.  I just don't know how I feel about that.  As with everything there are pros & cons, but 3rd grade???  One thing that jumped out to me while visiting this school was that there seems to be a lot of really good kids attending school there.

San Tan Learning Center was also very nice and they have some aspects of a montessori school, but this school is very small and probably too small for me.

One school that we didn't look at that I've heard good things about is Bright Beginnings.

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions about any of these schools?  Anyone looked into private or montessori schools & have thoughts on those?  Please feel free to email me privately if that's better for you.

Building the Kingdom of God continued ....

I made a page with 4 handouts on it incase that's easier for you to use :

Today I roamed the aisles at Home Depot a bit looking for something somewhat cute to attach to this handout with a construction theme.  I ended up getting carpenter pencils for $0.19 each.  If you don't know what I'm talking about they can usually be found at the cashier table & here's a photo:

Photo courtesy of Homedepot.com  :)

I also considered nail polish since we use "nails" in construction or just getting a large screw, washer & bolt to tie to the handout.

Building the Kingdom of God: Lesson 3/Manual 2

If you taught a YW lesson this past Sunday, hope it went well.  It looks like girls recieved the handout that I designed in places other than my ward, so I'm happy that people other than me were able to use it.  This week the lesson is "Building the Kingdom of God".  I found this cute handout on Sugardoodle's website that I think I'm going to use rather than designing something.  I'm not quite sure that I'm going to do with it but I think I want to stick with the building/construction theme.  Any ideas? 

Does anyone have any great ideas of where to get tableclothes that fit those small classroom tables that are in the church buildings?  I might just sew something, but thought I'd ask first.  Also on my to-do list this week is to stop by Ikea to pick up a bunch of their $0.99 easles & my own chalk & eraser because the library in our building is not stocked very well.  Oh, I think I'll also get my own pencil box and pencils so I can hopefully avoid the library all together.

une Fete du Chocolat

On Friday night, I hosted my second Chocolate Party ... I think this might become an annual thing!  It was so fun to see some friends who I hadn't seen in many, many years, to make new friends, & I always love spending time with my groupies!  I made some scrapbook pages in hopes that I'd be more motivated to get them printed & actually into a scrapbook.  If you're looking for an idea for a fun Ladies Night Out, chocolate is always popular!! :)

Fondue

There's something about walking into a Williams-Sonoma store that speaks to my soul.  I love the smells, displays, gadgets, unique baking supplies, and FOOD!  Usually when I stop into a WS store, I like to make my way to the back where most stores have a sale table set-up.  I found a couple new treasures during my last visit to WS ...  one of which was a cherry-red, trendy fondue pot ... normally $30 marked down to $10.  If you've been desiring another fondue pot to add to your collection, hurry to your nearest store.  I looked online and do not see this particular model on the WS website.  FYI: I bought mine from the Scottsdale Fashion Square store & they had several left when I was there.

TOMORROW!

TOMORROW!  That's the day winter rehearsals begin for EVMCO.  I highly, highly recommend participating with this group.  Ages 4 through adult are welcome as well as instrumentalists.  Go to their website to get info about auditions & rehearsals and to learn about upcoming concerts.  Hope to see you there!!

Other bloggers who participate in EVMCO:

Shawn & Crystal

Cami's Kids
Damon & Julie  (her blog might be private)

Anyone else?

**UPDATE: Rehearsal for the first 2 weeks is open to parents so you can come watch and get a better idea of what your child is learning on Jan. 7th & 14th.

Spiritual Gifts Handout: Lesson 2 (Manual 2)

4" x 6" Handout for Lesson Two in Manual Two: Spiritual Gifts

Give to YW with blueberry muffins (I'll probably bake blueberry-banana bread) & say something like, "Sometimes we can't see the blueberries on the surface but if you take a bite there they are. Our talents are much the same way. We must make the effort to find our Godlike qualities."

I believe you can click on the photo above & save it to your desktop if you are interested in using it.  Email me or leave a comment if you have questions or are having problems getting it.  I may have to educate myself on a better way to share my handouts.  I recommend getting them printed through Costco with a lustre finish.

Back in the Saddle Again

A couple weeks ago, I recieved a new calling at church ... there seem to be certain callings that must be plastered on my forehead.  :)  I'm super excited to now be the Laurel Advisor, but I will no longer be playing the piano for primary.  I know when I was asked to play the piano in primary that I had a really rotten attitude about it, but it ended up being a lot of fun and the primary in this ward challenged me in ways that I didn't expect.

So, I had a short break from YW this summer and I'm now back into my groove. :)  One of my big jobs is to teach the lesson every Sunday (except Fast Sundays & 5th Sundays), so about 3 times a month I will be posting my lesson ideas & helps for anyone out there who might also be teaching in Young Women.  I'll do my best to post early in the week, but we'll see how that goes.

One of my favorite websites for lesson helps & ideas is http://www.sugardoodle.net/

I think THIS hand-out is going to be a winner for me ... very touching!  Sugardoodle recommends burning a CD for each girl with these testimonies of prophents & apostles.

Easter Messiah

I lost my little paper with all the info, so I'm going to do my best to give you some info that's in my ol' brain.

I'm going to be playing my violin for a performance of Handel's Messiah.  This performance will be held on Sunday, March 28.  Everyone is invited to attend, but my purpose of posting today is to inform you of this event incase you'd like to perform.  I believe they are looking for more singers.  All rehearsals are on Sunday evenings, but you will have to call Bob Marshall (480-350-7440) to get more info.  As of last Saturday, they are not looking for more violinists, but other instrumentalists may be needed.  And if lots of singers show-up, more violinsts as well as other instruments will be needed.  So, if you like to sing, this might be something to check-out.

Adoption FHE

Because I'd like to promote events that I feel strongly about ....

This event is a Family Home Evening for couples considering adoption, just starting the process or waiting for the placement of their first child.  A lesson will be taught that will focus on adoption followed by treats & games.

January 25, 2010

7:00-8:30pm

Merrill & Mary Jordan's Home

3270 E. Ford Avenue, Gilbert, AZ  85234

Please RSVP 480-239-5056

Love Story meets Viva la Vida

Hope you enjoy this little diddy as much as I did!!

2010!!

Happy 2010! 

Please excuse my mess while I'm under construction!!