CLICK HERE FOR FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES, LINK BUTTONS AND MORE! »

March 24, 2011

The Undertaking

 So, as mentioned, for Madysen's bday I have been
WORKING
WORKING
AND...
WORKING
On redoing her bedroom.
- - - - -
Matt and I did this crazy paint job when we were building. The ceiling is purple, the trim is a faint pink, the top half of the walls are bubble gum, and the bottom half is...well 5 different colors. It is adorable but oh my goodness was it a taping nightmare. We did the chair guard also as complete amateurs. Thankfully I didn't take any closeups :)
When Madysen was two I made her this fun GIGGLE from a fun
show inspiration on Good Things Utah.
Everything was painted in all the fun colors of the walls!
Right down to the 5 bedroom doll house! :) This one is hard for me to part with. Madysen says she never plays with it...and that makes me sad. Seriously...no more Barbies at 9 years old. :(
The bench was always one of my favorite things...
well until I saw the bench I am about to unveil! :)
So...ya ready for a sneak peek.
Gotta say...I am a lil jealous of Madysen myself.
I want one for every room in the house they are so cute.
 It started out like this...
 Sanded and primed...and a whole lot of Matt and saws and drills and glues and...well ya know
 Many honey-do-list hours later...
***WA LA***
Super cute huh....but wait for it
Then...
The completed project, pillows and all!
DON'T YA LOVE IT?!
 My good friend gave me the idea for this BEYOND ADORABLE petal pillow.
Wasn't nearly as hard as it looks either! Gotta love that!
Ok Ok
So I was gonna save it all till the finished product is ready to show...but I am just too excited

After all, I have been working day and night for weeks...I gotta atleast let my blog know I am doing
SOMETHING :)
- - - - -
So I found this hidious chair.
But I saw its potential.
 I started ripping it apart...man I hate that part.
 I am such a germ freak I wore my pink polka dot gloves
 After priming...and waiting.


And waiting...


I randomly decided to go with blue rather than white. Call me crazy!
 Then we had to jazz it up with some of the fun fabric we are using in the room!

That and a chair with a hole in the middle isn't all that great.
Least not in my opinion
Stay tuned...maybe in another week we will actually have something done?
- - - - -
Ah...I best not hold my breath :)

March 22, 2011

St. Patrick's Day

So it is official.

I am completely and utterly and entire week behind in my life.

I am redoing Miss Madysen's room for her bday next month and it is truly taking over my life. Luckily...it is turning out amazing in every way but I'll share that tid bit with ya in a few days! :)

But now that St. Patty's day is a week in the past....here is our fam's lil celebration!
We always go green in every way possible on the big day!
- - - - -
I made a chicken and artichoke pasta dish and magically turned it all green ;)
Obviously we each wore green...

And Juddie got this fun frame at preschool in honor of the celebration!

We all had a super fine time.

It always makes me laugh each year how nervous the kids are to eat "GREEN" food.
Thankfully they dive right in eventually!
Then we finished it off with pistachio oreo pie!
It was very fun and as always we had a great time!

Hope you all did too!

March 10, 2011

Happy Birthday Baby!!!

Happy Birthday Matt!
- - - - -
This week we celebrated Matt's 33rd birthday!
To start we all gathered at McGraths Fish House for some yummy dinner!
Mmmmm!
- - - - -
Everyone but Ash and Justin were there...:(
The highlight of the evening...well atleast for me...is always the fish hat!
Oh Matt...just seeing the joy this brings you makes it ALL worth it hehe
Then we came back to our house for presents and ... of course cake!
Finally...after 11 years...
I took Matt's glory day college basketball tapes in and had them put on dvds.
Then a friend helped me design cute covers for em too!
He was geniunely surprised and has always wanted to do that! Yeah for us!
Look at ALL THAT FIRE!
Happy birthday darlin!
I love you more than words can say!
xoxoxoxoxoxo

March 7, 2011

If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear

Anyone who knows me knows that I am very serious about food storage and emergency preparedness.
It scares me to death how MANY people do not take it seriously.
I am going to decide this post to anyone who needs a push to get started!
- - - - -
I gained a very strong testimony shortly after Matt and I were married. We had been married about 9 months and I kept getting the urge to start one my emergency preparedness. I lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment in NY that had one closet, and I knew that NY was only our home until graduation. Logically it seemed silly to store things I would just have to pay to move in 2 years. Still, I felt very strongly that I needed to start.
- - - - -
So, I jumped on the wagon of collecting information and supplies to do our 72 hour kits. Less than 3 months later, I had them all but done.
- - - - -
Then one morning, I dropped Matt off at school and headed to work. A little after 9 a.m. a gentleman told me that a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers in the city. A few minutes later, another. Within an hour my entire world was turned upside down. People were in chaos. Terror was in everyone's eyes. I was pregnant with my first baby and in a place far far from home. I was terrified of the unknown. I left work early and bought the last few things for my 72 hour kits and sat at home watching the horror on t.v. that I know we all remember. Living in NY was just THAT much scarier and unknown.
- - - - -
Our Bishop called every single family in the ward and asked us if we were prepared for what could continue to be more and more emergencies striking our state and country. I felt a calming overwhelming peace that I would be ok. I had a month supply of food and I had our backpacks in case we had to flee suddenly.
- - - - -
THANKFULLY we have NEVER had to use them. But I assure you, living only a half hour away from a terrorist attack solidified that even though we may never be in a true emergency, we will be blessed for being prepared. Even if it is just the sweet peace that Heavenly Father allows us to feel knowing we have done what we have been asked.
- - - - -
It has been my tradition ever since to rotate our 72 hour kits during general conference in April each year. My kids think it is fun to empty them out and eat all the snacks, and it is a fun way to keep them excited about General Conference. Plus, it helps to have the time to sit and do them while listening to GC. This year, I tore them apart a little early because our family situation has changed and I felt very uneasy that Judd's would be outdated due to all of his newfound allergies and I never want to be found unprepared :)
- - - - -
So I started by emptying out all the packs!!
When I was getting started, the HARDEST part was always the meal plans.
Seriously what in the world can you eat without all the wonderful luxuries of running water and a microwave anymore. It took some contemplating...but here is our daily meal plan!
I try to keep it simple. Remember, in an emergency, you don't want to go hungry but its not super likely that you will be sitting around bored waiting to be fed either. I try to keep it simple, nourshing when possible and most of all, LIGHT. Remember you have no idea how long or far you and your little ones will be lugging their things.
I put everything possible into gallon sized baggies to keep them protected and dry.
Each person has a toiletries bag, a clothing bag, a bag with plates and utensils etc and a bag with their own emergency supplies such as mylar blankets, waterproof matches, tent, candles, flashlights etc.
If you really want a full list you can just lemme know :)
After I purchase all the food, I divide it into gallon baggies labeled
 Day One, Day Two and Day Three
I have always done this so that if you were in a situation, you would know how to ration your food to make it stretch for 3 solid days. I also print out the above meal plan and laminate it for everyone, so each individual knows what to eat and what to expect to find in the bag.
Here is a photo of our kitchen supplies. Plates, bowls, collapsible cup, utensils and can opener.
Don't forget the can opener or all your planning is a bust haha
I also include several garbage bags in the kitchen stuff. Just in case ;)
Each of our kids has basic first aid such as bandaids and neosporin, but this year I finally just added an extra backpack filled with 2 complete first aid kits and lots of extra water.
Again, if you need help with ideas, just lemme know!
We also have lots of battery operated lanterns,
flashlights and each a set of scriptures in our kits.
Here is a shot of our emergency baggies. Hot hands, poncho, blankets, tent, fire starters, swiss army knives, medial masks, gloves and a few other things. Gloves are one of my highest priorities. In an emergency, you have NO CLUE what you would be facing. These to me are just as important as shelter and blankets.
Lastly, your clothing and toiletries. I give each member of our fam their own stuff. Each has shampoo and conditioner, soaps and washcloths, toothbrush and paste, deodorant, floss etc.
Each person also has a pair of undies, socks and a long sleeved, long pants outfit. You could always cut them to be less if its warm, but you can't add more if its cold :)
Lastly, the kids have a bag filled with crayons, playdoh, coloring books, reading books and gum. They may very well need to be entertained and you need things without batteries. A world they've never known haha
It took me a few days, but ultimatly it didn't cost much money at all to redo our kits. This year we redid all the food, batteries and clothes and I switched to backpacks on wheels for the kids (Just in case). I still was able to do all that for about 40 dollars (because I am such an avid couponer).
I found this quote by the prophet, President Monson, that really helps me stay motivated:

 “Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year’s supply of food … and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year’s supply of debt and are food-free.”

I have also been told on several occassions that the general authorities are not really telling us much about the need for our emergency kits and supplies anymore. They feel that 100 years of preaching it was enough, and we need to step up to the plate.
- - - - -
I am FAR from perfect in my preparedness. But I have a strong testimony that if we are prepared, we shall not fear. I hope this helps inspire a few of you to make a pack to atleast get started. The blessings of blind obedience are always such a strong powerful source for good in my family and I know that the faithful are truly blessed!
- - - - -
As always, I am more than happy to help any of you! And you few couponers I have inspired must know by now how much further those dollars stretch when you are working at it! Please let me know if I can help any of you. The more of us who are prepared, THE BETTER!!!

Love--ME