How do you eat your Oreo's?

This is how Tanner eats his...

He's classic just like the commercials...

licks all the middle and leaves the cookie's for me to dip in milk!

It's a great team effort to get rid of the Oreo's!

gift bags galore

I was asked to do a craft class for my church and came up with some simple and inventive gift bags.

I love having cute bags on hand, especially for the upcoming holidays!

The brown lunch sack is just simply stamped and turned into a cute giftsack for goodies!!

The white bag which can be bought through Stampin' Up/Walmart is just covered on the one side with a stamped piece of paper. You can accessorize as needed, or add any setiment you want to personalize the bag! So cute!

The other gift bag is made from 2 pieces of designer cardstock. These are fun and simple...add ribbon for handles and voila!

Lastly the little cello bags are fun to put treats in and decorate for any holiday and add the greeting you want!

I love Stampin' Up and their adorable stamp sets and accessories.

If you would like to purchase a set of these bags from me let me know, I can also personalize them for you!!

yeah for monday

I love ALL of my sisters!!!!

I'm so excited this one is coming to see me!

Jaylynn is coming tomorrow to visit for a few days. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

We are going to have all sorts of fun.

Who wouldn't want to come visit if I offered a FREE flight!

Our fun events will be revealed at a later date...

Sunny Saturday

Today was a great day.

The weather was beautiful. Tanner was happy. The day was eventful. It was fun!!!

(you know, the kind of day worth repeating...those don't come often)

I have to share a funny story about Tanner. The other night we were reading from the Book of Mormon and talking about the "wicked" people. He asked me

"mom, what is wicked?"

I told him wicked people were naughty and that I hoped he never became wicked or naughty and always did what was right! He looked at me and said with all seriousness

"I'm not wicked, I'm angry and grumpy."

It was sooooooooo funny and I did all I could to contain myself from busting a gut laughing. I didn't probe anymore and left it at that, but then today I wanted to know more about that answer so I asked Tanner,

"do you remember yesterday when I told you not to be wicked...what did you say?"

He remembered his answer and said

"I'm angry and grumpy."

I just started busting up laughing right then and there. I was laughing out loud so hard. It was so dang funny. I asked him

"why were you angry and grumpy?"

and he said

"I was angry to you and grumpy to dad!"

Kids are SO funny. I still need to probe his mind into what

that actually meant!

Then today in the car as we were driving around I told him he had been such a good boy today and I was proud of him, and that I loved him so much!!

I said

"you are being so happy today. I love it when you are happy. Will you always be happy!!??"

Then I asked him,

"what makes you happy?"

I was looking at him in the back seat through the rear view mirror and I see him give this beautiful genuine smile and point his finger at me!! Then he said:

"YOU! You make me happy!"

It totally melted my heart. I love that kid soooooooooooooo much!!

We had fun today at Lowe's making our free project building a fire truck!!

It was jam packed full of kids.

After Tanner got his first nail in successfully he was absolutely thrilled!

He was so serious working hard to hammer in the next nail.

After he finished he said his hands hurt!! I had to help the rest of the way :)

Having fun makin his fire truck!

All done! What a success.

Backyardigans

Sing it with me folks...dah dah duhduhduhduh dah.

"We've got the whole wide world in

our yard to explore.

We always find things we've never seen before.

That's why every day we're back for more."

LITERALLY!

I don't know if I'll be back for more though.

I think we had enough adventures yesterday to last awhile!!

I don't necessarily want to be like the Backyardigans.

They sure are cute though.

(Rachael, I know you are still singing the theme song. lol)

Yesterday we found this visitor in our grass.

That was a fun adventure!

Dad scooped it up and chucked it back into the deep forest of our yard.

Always a fun adventure is trying to stay away from the

poison oak growing on some of our trees.

SCARY!

Another fun adventure I found was my new garden-by default.

The other day when I posted about Tanner playing outside with the beans and rice...well, he made a mess all over the deck and porch. I wanted to clean it up, so I swept it all on to the grass. The though did breeze through my mind rapidly about the possibility of it sprouting beans, but the thought quickly vanished.

Well, obviously now, I have found sprouting bean leaves!

Fun adventure!

Last adventure for the day is trying to keep this boy

OFF the railing of the deck.

YIKES.

The other morning I was inside the kitchen cleaning while Landon was mowing the grass, and Landon came around the corner to see him straddling the top rail like a horse!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I think he got scared enough by dad not to ever do that again!

WHAT FUN BACKYARD ADVENTURES

we have!!

Don't forget your chance to win a necklace in post below.

FREE HOPE

What is HOPE to you.

?

Measurable.

Alive.

Wishful thinking.

A feeling of expectation.

To trust or believe.

Desire.

Optimism.

A town in Arkansas.

Lost.

Belief of attaining.

To me, hope is worth living for.

In difficult times it encourages my heart to beat another day.

Hope is the virtuous desire for future good.

Hope is looking forward with confidence or expectation.

It is human nature to find cause for optimism and hope.

These are some quotes on HOPE I like:

Hope springs eternal in the human breast.

Never lose hope.

Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.

Hope is only the love of life.

Take hope from the heart of man, and you make him a beast of prey.

"Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of perseverance — i.e., believing that a positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary."

Hope makes us hold on when we could let go.

The truth is, some bit of hope is within our reach as long as there is breath.

Obviously I have HOPE on my mind.

This year I've been focusing on this word, along with JOY.

These are words that bring me peace, comfort and strength.

I hope we can all find the true JOY in our lives.

I hope you all have HOPE in your lives as well!

I just recently bought this necklace to remind me there is always

HOPE!

I love this necklace!

I asked cute Christina to personalize this necklace for me with the word

HOPE.

Christina has her own jewelry business HERE at Simply Ornamental!

Check it out. She has pre-stamped jewelry items, or you can build your own, with several different designs to choose from.

I asked her to make me one more necklace with HOPE because I want to give one to

YOU!

YES, it's giveaway time!

It's been awhile since I've given gifts...so here we go! I want to give one of you some

FREE HOPE!

If you would like to don this necklace as well,

(which is so versatile and so adorable)

to remind yourself to

ALWAYS HAVE HOPE...

just leave me a comment here on this post.

I will allow comments up until this Wednesday, Sept 24th, at midnight.

This is for anyone! Everyone deserves HOPE, so old friends, new friends, lurkers, family...just leave me a note and I will

announce the winner

THURSDAY MORNING!

exhausted from fun

I've been on a great spiritual high lately...and today was another addition to it. We had a fun Enrichment Meeting! We had to travel over an hour to get there

(no walking over a few streets like in Utah)

but it was well worth the trip.

I also had a FUN day in the Park yesterday. 9 hours total. Landon was in charge of his staff work party, so of course that meant me helping out too. The weather was beautiful and we had a great day!!!!! Croquet, mingling, good food, kickball, frisbee, playground fun, great friends...

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Master chef, and entertainer!

I sure wasn't a pro at croquet, but I was chosen as

MVP

in kickball...

now that's my game!

(sorry, no pix from that)

I even slid on third base to force an out and got grass stains on my favorite white capri's!

I'm dedicated!!

Tanner even had a great weekend. He got to hang out with each of his

girlfriends!!!

They are all so cute! How am I supposed to choose between them?

Each one is adorable, smart, and loving to my son...

I even love each of their mom's too! They are some of my best friends, so the in-law thing wouldn't be a problem!

Contestant #1

Skyla: sweet, shy and adorable!!

Contestant #2

Rylee: well rounded, fun and adorable!

Contestant #3

Alyssa: smart, sassy and adorable!

SEE...they are too cute!!!

I guess I have a few years to stress about it yet.

Plus, I don't think arranged marriages are too popular anymore, so I will just let him choose.

Problem solved.

I hope!

Jane Clayson Johnson

Jane Clayson Johnson

My personal notes/thoughts from Jane's talk during TOFW.

Jane began her career in broadcasting at KSL-TV in SLC, Utah. A graduate of BYU, she was the former co-anchor of The Early Show on CBS, as well as a network correspondent for the CBS Evening News and 48 Hours. She has risen to national prominence and what looked like "having it all", to her was nothing she ever wanted or planned for.

"Stop. Listen. I’m here."

I loved Jane’s talk, and her comments about finding the still small voice in our busy and distracted lives, and how to listen to it personally...

plus she shared some of her personal story which is amazing.

Having been a host of CBS’s morning show and having achieved just about the top rung of the ladder in the news/entertainment arena...she was living the high life while seemingly having everything at her fingertips, yet her dreams were not fulfilled. When she arrived at the doorstep of Tingey Hall on the BYU campus in the fall of 1985, she had a plan for her life — detailed, precise and perfect.

(She had the list, just like we all did, right!?)

"The wedding colors were set-peach and teal. My dress was picked out-McCall’s pattern #7847," and she had compiled a list of baby names.

She never set out to have a career in television news.

As it is for many of us, Jane’s life turned out MUCH differently than she supposed.

She proceeded to talk about all the rage that "Survivor" was when it first aired on TV. MILLIONS of people watched the show. Each week as a cast-off left the episode, they would come to her TV station the next morning and she would interview them, along with host Bryant Gumbel. Jane had to eat bugs, just like the contestants...and do similar re-enactments of different activities and events.

One of her experiences the producers had her do was go to a training facility where the army troops trained.

HARD CORE.

She was given a real life drill sergeant. The drill sergeant told her upon arrival:

"I’m going to ask you to do things here you thought you couldn't do."

She had to run obstacle courses, do push ups and sit ups, and exert every ounce of energy she had. The last exercise to finish her course was " walk the plank." A thin board elevated 3 feet in the air and what seemed an entirety to walk.

(yes, a net was below, but was no consolation for her).

The task seemed daunting, forcing her past any physical limitations she thought she had. Then she heard a voice say:

Stop. Listen.

As her drill sergeant repeated

"Jane, stop and listen, I will guide you step by step."

There was no visual contact of the sergeant, only his voice she had to rely on. Step by step she placed one foot in front of the other, as she listened for the reassurance that she could do it! She was able to do what she thought she couldn’t do.

We also have that offering of a voice,

The Still Small Voice.

(Holy ghost, 3rd member of the Godhead).

We must stop and listen.

The still small voice has to compete with the frenzied cries of the world and can easily be drown out, inhibiting us from the strength it offers. When we stop and listen to that still small voice, it will penetrate our hearts. We must listen. Then we must trust the Lord in every step.

Jane’s husband was in the naval academy and she found it fascinating listening to his stories. He flew F-18's and their training process of landing those planes on their ships in the middle of the ocean could often be overwhelmingly cumbersome. It was one thing to train mid day, on the calm ocean water with every favor at hand. But when night came and they were headed back to dock admist the darkness, in the middle of horrific storms, the waves rocking the ship through uncontrollable waves with practically zero visibility at their convenience...there was only one thing to do.

They had to give up their controls.

They had to trust and listen to the landing signal operator, and put all confidence in them, that they knew best and would safely land them on deck.

So shall we.

We must give up our controls when we’ve done all we can do.

We must trust in Him.

He knows best.

He will guide us.

He will bless us.

He will heal us.

Just let Him.

Jane didn't marry until she was 27, but divorced a year and a half later. She suffered much heartache waiting to get married and waiting to fulfill her desire to become a mother. She was living a life that was contrary to what she had planned for herself. She was asked to do things she didn't want or thought she could do. It wasn't until about 10 years after her first marriage that she remarried again. She then gave up her lucrative career to fulfill her dreams and became a mother. For more personal information on Jane and her life, click here or here, or just google her name. She is amazing!!!!!

Yes, I believe so.

Do all things happen for a reason??

I have LOVED reading your comments, thank you so much! I guess it's my turn to share my thoughts on the question.

It is something I used to always wonder. I too, like Holly, hated the cliche saying when I was given that as an answer during difficult times,

"everything happens for a reason."

BUT.

Now looking back, I see it all clearly. I do believe things happen for a reason. Life can often be trivial and not always need a deep seeded reason for every action or occurrence, but I do KNOW that the LORD guides our lives. He allows circumstances to happen, places people in our paths FOR A REASON, and directs us with every ounce of care and love that he can, while stepping back and watching us use our free agency.

If this was not true, I would still be living in Logan Utah on a spiritual plateau of dry ground. It’s the only thing that makes sense in understanding why we were put through Hell for two years. Why we were forced to leave that place we loved and everything we knew. Why the baby we loved so dearly and thought would be ours forever was taken away from us. We were just a stepping stone asked to sacrifice because we could.

I know someone else that sacrificed for ME. Because HE was the only one that could.

The circumstances in my life, I believe, have happened for a reason. I’m on higher ground now. I’ve left my plateau and am scaling a mountain that almost seems perpendicular in height at times. I haven’t reached the top yet. The mountain is steep and there are constant boulders I still struggle to get around, dirt that blows in my face that fogs my vision, and fighting the bitter winds are sometimes too overwhelming. But up ahead I can see a beautiful sunset in a new horizon. My journey was supposed to be up this hill all along, but the plateau was much easier to be content with. I’m so grateful for the horizon of a better day. I would have never known there was such breath-taking beauty on the other side of this mountain.

But, there is!

I am a lazy person. I easily quit if something seems too hard. I even become too complacent with things...thus I would have never personally picked such a steep mountain to traverse. But these experiences in my life have happened for a reason, to get me to higher ground. So I could see the beauty from a different view! When pushed through pain, a deeper meaning of joy takes on a whole new look. Thank goodness we can taste the bad, to know the wondrous good.

I see the Lord patiently waiting for us to understand. Him telling us "I promise, this is for your good. There is a reason for this that you might not understand YET. Be patient. Trust ME. I love you!!"

I love these scriptures:

Be still and know that I am God. -Psalm 46:10

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. -Proverbs 3:5

Thank you for sharing your stories and experiences! Here is another girl who I think believes this.

Cjane

Do you?

Do you believe everything happens for a reason?

I had a recent discussion with my friends about this.

I would love to hear any thoughts you have.

I do.

Do you?

TOFW continued..words and music are power, and tears are okay!

A few other things I want to share about

Time out for Women

(see post below for what TOFW is)

before I recap some of the talks, was a

question and answer session.

We were each able to write any random question, and the presenters selected one they wanted to answer. It was fun to listen and hear their words of wisdom.

Next, they wanted to represent women and thank those who lived a joyful life.

Previous to the event, they randomly selected people through email to submit a letter about someone they thought fit the profile. They announced several ladies names and had them stand while we recognized them. Hilary Weeks was the presenter, and she then went on to read 3 submissions of personal stories.

One of the letters started like this:

"From the moment you meet this woman, you feel that you have just met your new best friend. She is a devoted wife, who willingly left behind her comfortable Utah home, surrounded by family and friends, and followed her husband to an unfamiliar rural Missouri town, where ticks, snakes and mosquito's are her only neighbors."

I turned to my friend Bev and laughingly joked, "oh someone submitted a letter about me and you!!" She just smiled, and I continued on listening only to hear more familiar descriptions... "She is a super-Mom, who savors every moment with her sweet son, and will readily do whatever she can to make him happy, even if it means staying up all night cutting out paper masks for his 4th birthday party or letting him wear his batman costume to the supermarket because it makes him feel like a super hero. Spending time with her, you would never know the heartache that this strong woman carries with her. While I've never known a more energetic or fun mom, she has not yet been blessed with a biological baby of her own. For eight years, this strong woman has struggled to fulfill the measure of her creation, doing everything within her power to bring life to the earth. In the mean time, she has watched as friends, sisters and sisters-in-law, become pregnant and have babies. All the while, she smiles, cheers and celebrates with them, while her heart silently aches to know the joy of bringing a baby into the world. With every frustration, every let-down, every failed attempt to create life, she never loses faith that Heavenly Father has a plan for her, and that one day she will be able to give birth. She never gives up hope. I have learned a lot from her. I have learned that sometimes even our most righteous desires are not fulfilled on our time schedule. I have learned that even when they're not, we must never lose faith in our Heavenly Father's plan for us. I have learned that we are given a choice each day to focus on what's good and choose to smile and be happy, or to focus on our trials, and be downtrodden. She chooses to smile. I love her for that."

Tears were streaming down my face as I realized this was ME they were describing. I was in shock. I was nagging my friends trying to figure out HOW this happened and WHO wrote this!

Hilary then stated, "Will Jill Kirk please stand so we can recognize her joyful life!"

I then proceeded to stand and skim through my audience of several thousand women nervously as they clapped for me. It was a fuzzy dream as I gazed through my

fogged up contacts.

I’m not one that gets read about, that gets noticed because of her trials, that people stand and cheer for because of their example...at least I thought. But that day, I was.

It was humbling. I almost felt unworthy to have been read about because I’m just a little ol gal living in Missouri trying to make the most of her life, and here I was being recognized in front of thousands and thanked for my example.

My dear friend Bobbi is the one who submitted the letter. She was even as shocked as I was that they were reading it, because they never notified her that they had chosen her letter!! It was funny, her heart was pounding as much as mine!! Lol.

I truly am touched and humbled by her kind words.

I don’t seek for attention because of my heartache. I've only chosen to share in hopes it may help someone else who can relate.

I KNOW we all have our heartaches.

I know ANYONE in that room could have had a story read about them.

I know that we all deal with pain, but it’s what we choose to do with that pain that makes us who we are. I am still learning and growing, and trying my best. I am in no way shape or form, close to conquering my trials and imperfections, but I am trying and that is what the Lord asks of us. I believe this is how we reach our potential as we are refined day by day.

Bobbi, thank you for recognizing my attempts. I sure do love ya.

I love ALL of you for your support and words as well. You have all brought such strength to me,

even amidst your own trials

you have reached out to me.

You've been a life-vest desperately needed. I am not a good swimmer!

It’s a circle that we can all unite in and give and take from each other...helping one another...whether "taking" while being a recipient in our times of need, or "giving"in our times of strength!

Hilary Weeks has so many songs that relate to this that bring me such peace.

I love her words. I love the power she portrays. She sang one of her new songs titled

"Just let me cry!"

It was sooooooo good. When people have tragedies in their lives we often don’t know what to say! It’s hard to find the appropriate words. The song tells about not needing to find any words to say.

Sometimes all we need to do is step back and just let them cry!

So often I have felt that. At times encouraging words can make all the difference! They buoy us up, and strengthen in times of need. They push us forward, armoring us for times when the opposite occur where nothing can change the outcome, or any words can heal us at the moment. Sometimes we are just dealing with the reality and learning to accept it and we don’t need to hear words,

we just need to

cry!!

This weekend many words have been healing, and I’ve found comfort in them.

YOUR comments and offered words to me have touched my heart.

This letter will forever bring me strength and encouragement.

But later this week amidst the thoughts of a random day, reality will subtlety hit again as I think about my body and the thought of never creating a life,

and the wonder of where my new path is leading me and

how my family will come to be.

My heart will again beat in pain and pleading

and I’ll deal with it,

but

just let me cry!

Here are the words to her new song "Just let me cry!" I hope these words will help any of you who are needing it right now...and they will give you strength in your moments of tears, as they have mine.

(PS buy her CD as soon as it comes out. It’s amazing.

Hilary Weeks: If only I had today.)

Just Let Me Cry:

I believe that everything happens for a reason

We’re not just tossed by the wind or left in the hands of fate

But sometimes life sends a storm that’s unexpected

And we’re forced to face our deepest pain

When I feel the heartache begin to pull me under

I dig my heels in deep and I fight to keep my ground

Still at times the hurt inside grows stronger

And there’s nothing I can do but let it out

Just let me cry

I know it’s hard to see

But the pain I feel

Isn’t going away today

Just let me cry

Till every tear has fallen

Don’t ask when and don’t ask why

Just let me cry

When I agreed that God could put this heart inside me

I understood that there would be a chance that it would break

But I know He knows exactly how I’m feeling

And I know in time He’ll take the pain away

But for now

Chorus

I have felt joy the kind that makes my heart want to sing

And so my tears are not a surrender

I’ll feel that way again

But for now

For this moment

Chorus

I believe that everything happens for a reason

TOFW

This weekend was AWESOME.

I had an all girls weekend with friends and attended

"Time out for Women!"

It's a church sponsored event with presenters and musicians, all there for us WOMEN, to rejuvenate us and help us focus on the JOY in our lives.

Well...they did just that.

I feel so refreshed. My cup is full. My soul is lifted. My heart is renewed.

I think we get used to smelling the muggy air and polluted atmosphere around us that we don't even think about it...but when we can find a breath of fresh air to inhale, there is nothing more refreshing. That is what I feel right now!!

As much as a good breath of air is essential to our health and well being, so is a good dose of the Spirit.

Some of my amazing friends!! Lisa, me, Bobbi, Lana, Nancy and Bev

There were about 15 total in our group.

We had sooooo much fun eating out at yummy restaurants, staying up late and chatting about everything under the sun, sitting in the hot tub, sharing and building our testimonies, laughing and crying, eating chocolate of course, strengthening the bond of our friendship and enjoying a night out while our wonderful hubbies took care of the kids.

I also ran into a wonderful friend I haven't seen for probably 7-8 years. Brooke and her husband (then, boyfriend) were EFY counselor's when Landon and I were.

It's been fun reconnecting with her after all these years. Brooke, you are so beautiful and sweet!!! I'm so glad we saw each other.

All of the presenters were awesome.

They are all high caliber people, and wonderful representatives of our LDS faith.

We were privileged to hear from:

Jane Clayson Johnson

(previous KSL broadcaster, and former co-anchor on "The early Show")

(I stole my friends adorable baby, so he got to be in all the pictures! I wasn't willing to give him up :)

S. Michael Wilcox

(author of When your Prayers seem Unanswered)

Jason Wright

(author of Christmas Jars, and Wednesday Letters)

Cherie Call

musician

Hilary Weeks

musician

Pam Hansen

(author of Running with angels, and Finding the angel within)

It's hard to pick favorites, because all of them collaborating together is what made it a fabulous weekend! But. I did have favorites.

Jane's talk was POWERFUL!

She is amazing. I could totally relate to her.

AND

Hilary's music was BEAUTIFUL and inspirational.

There is nothing that can bring the spirit faster than music. She is so funny, cute and fun! I've listened to her CD's forever, but have never seen her in person. She was AWESOME. I don't think the event would have had the magnitude of effectiveness and success that it did, without her.

I want to recap some of the talks and some of my feelings.

I'll try and summarize some of these in my next post!

I just wish we could all have a daily dose of this in our lives.

We need it.

Our spirits need it. Our families need it. It is essential. It lifts us from our plateau and propels us to another level in life. We are reminded that we are a daughter of God, because we so often forget we are! I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church on this earth because it has the fullness of truth. When we abide by it's principles and constantly seek for the spirit in our lives, the Lord can and will do amazing things with our lives.

We are SO blessed.