Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Update!

I know Merry Christmas is late and Happy New Year is early, but the holidays are always a hard time for me to keep up on things especially when working retail. Here I am wishing you all the very best holiday season even if it is late. I also wanted to post an update on how we're doing.

I am so appreciative of my bosses for working with me this last crazy week. Last Saturday Erick had to go to the ER for a really bad flare up of his Crohn's. He was admitted and spent the night there. It was the busiest day at work but Nicole wouldn't let me stay. Thank you for that because despite what he said at first I'm sure that Erick was glad I was there with him.

I'm also thankful of how patient my bosses have been with me being sick. Not just with morning sickness that still hasn't gone away, but with the stomach flu I came down with this weekend. I called in sick Friday, but didn't dare call in sick again today so off to work I went and Nicole sent me home. Which I am very grateful for the extra rest because it's miserable being sick at work and now I won't have exposed everyone else to it.

We had a wonderful Christmas at Mom's house and when I remember to get my camera from there :) I'll post pics. Myelle had a blast and I had more fun watching her excitement than ever before. Erick and I are so blessed to have her wonderful little spirit in our family. Quick side story: Myelle just loves Jesus. She is always pointing out the baby Jesus in every nativity we see and today we got out our Christ with the little children statue and she was trying to give it hugs and kisses.

We are really sad the weather and the roads kept us from going to Burley this weekend, but we are so thankful for family that understands. It is great to stay safe and sound at home. Know that we love you and that we will visit as soon as we can.

Now I am going to head off to bed and hope that when I wake up this darn flu bug has run it's course.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

More Crafty Christmas Gifts

I finished a few more gifts today. Good thing too since Christmas is only a week away. I finished a coloring book for Myelle. Just have to wrap it up with some crayons. She's going to love it. This pillow is for Erick.

I hope he likes it.

Erick made a couple of these. I think he did an excellent job! Very cool and I wouldn't mind having one for myself. Not mentioning who they're going to until after Christmas, but I hope the people they are going to are going to like them.

Fun Christmas Tag

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Depends on what it is. Mostly wrapping paper, but gift bags are occasionally more convenient. Santa presents always come wrapped in Santa paper.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real
3. When do you put up the tree? Shortly after Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever I decide I need the space more than I want the tree up.
5. Do you like eggnog? Heck Yeah! Just finished a glass.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmmm. Not sure. Maybe our puppy Chief. Or the Winnie the Pooh train when I was really young.
7. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad
8. Easiest person to buy for? Definitely Myelle. The hard thing is not going overboard.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. I have 3 at least. I think I have more.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? You mean people actually get them sent out? :D Mail or hand delivered for sure on the ones that I get sent out.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Never had a worst Christmas gift.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Anything other than The Christmas Story and Jim Carey's Grinch.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? The day after Christmas. :D I'm always looking for good deals and great gifts.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Any kind of Christmas candy.
16. Lights on the tree? Yes! I love motion lights. Erick loves white lights. We trade years who gets to pick, but my bro and his wife were ingenious and put white in the branches and around the trunk and the motion lights around the outside of the tree.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Pretty much all of them. Favorite favorite....Carol of the Bells. The list of ones I don't like is shorter than my favorites.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? This is the last year we will be traveling. We're going to my parents house since Brett and Brianna will be there. It will be the last year Mom'll get to have the whole family together for Christmas morning.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? You betcha. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (is it Donder or Donner I never knew), Blitzen and Rudolf! Haha and I didn't even look.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? This year a star, but we alternate between a star, angel, and a big red bow.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Some years we get pajamas to open on Christmas Eve, but otherwise everything on Christmas morning. Except for open early presents of course ;)
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? How cranky people get while they are doing their Christmas shopping and how they take it out on the employees of the stores.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Eclectic.
24. Favorite time for Christmas dinner? Anytime
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Lots of stuff....Top things on my list.......Not having to work so I can stay home with my kids....a clean house......a good full night's sleep.........Being able to go to church every Sunday instead of working......Getting closer to my Heavenly Father......good health.

I TAG Mom, Rachel, Jessica, Jen, and Scott.

Scentsy Giveaway

Hey Ya'll! I don't know if you've heard of Scentsy or not, but a couple of my friends are into it and sell it and I've been dying to try it. Can't wait until I've got a little money in the budget to try some out. But I digress. My friend Jessica is having a giveaway! Our friend Maria (check her site out here) donated some product to Jessica to giveaway. So go check it out here and enter to win! AWESOME!

SNOW!

Yay! It snowed today! Now it definitely feels like winter. :D Sadly I was too busy getting housework done before work to take a picture. Myelle really liked it, but she wouldn't keep her gloves on Grandma said. She wasn't such a big fan after her hands got cold. LOL

Our Christmas Tree

We almost didn't get one this year, but I'm glad that there was a little extra in the budget to get one. I sit at night with just the tree lights on and feel such peace thinking about the Savior and the meaning of Christmas.

Myelle and her "Wesee"

Myelle just loves Wesley. She's going to be an awesome big sister.

Update to Grumble....Grumble

We're back from town. What a day! But thankfully the only thing wrong with the car was the battery. Yay! And since we went to Les Schwab I was able to put it on our account for now until things are a bit brighter as far as those things go. I said a prayer of thanks as soon as they said it was just the battery.

Now to enjoy the Christmas season and then I can worry about finding a solution to the next problem on the list. :D

Grumble...Grumble

We have a lot of stuff going on in our lives right now. No need to bother you with the details, but let's just say I have been in tears many times the last few weeks trying to figure out what we're going to do. I finally felt like we had hope and what happens this week? My car won't start. We jump it and it works fine all day. Next day....won't start again. Jumped it this morning and let it run for 15 min. Turn it off and try to start it back up right away. Just clicking as it tries to turn over. Dh is going to jump it again on his lunch and I'll take it in to Les Schwab. I'm praying that all it is is a bad connection or a bad battery and not our alternator.

It's just one thing after another it feels like. *Sigh* Oh well. I'm done grumbling about it and what doesn't kill us will make us stronger. Our trials will bring us closer as a family and closer to God. We'll just keep paying our tithing and doing the things we need to and just plug along and everything will work out.

Finally a Breather

Whew! It's been quite a week and life is just going to keep speeding by. We ended up spending Thanksgiving at the McKinnon house this year. We sure missed the Wood's, but between Erick's and my work schedules the trip to Boise just wasn't feasible. We hope to get to see you guys around Christmas time.

Black Friday was a fun and very long day. Sportsman's opened at 6am and it was busy! I started work at 5:30 am and left at 5pm. Then it was off to play games with the McKinnon family. I think I provided most of the entertainment since I was so tired. :D

Erick surprised me by getting us a Christmas tree while he was out getting me some powerade and soda today. (I think I've got the flu because I just can't keep anything down and we had nothing on hand that would work to keep me hydrated.) So we got that decorated today along with a few other things put up in the living room. I'll post pics as soon as I get my camera from Mom's house.

Not sure when my other day off this week is. It was supposed to be tomorrow, but I'm covering for a coworker and my boss didn't know which other day I could get off. If there isn't one then I'll be grateful for the overtime and for the next week when I can have 2 days off. :D

I hope ya'll had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Sending our love.

Reflection

At the end of a busy and productive day I love to plop down in my chair, take a deep breath, and reflect back on the day. I don't get much time to myself, but there are a few minutes at the end of everyday when I can relax and think about my day and contemplate the next. This small habit I've started has helped me see how much I have in my life and has truly brought joy and peace in my heart.

It's become my favorite part of the day.

Being Grateful

Seeing as though Thanksgiving is less than a week away I've been contemplating everything in my life and I came up with a list of things I'm thankful for.

Things I'm Thankful For:

- Erick being able to get OT at work right now

-Having food in my pantry

- Being able to pay all of our bills somehow even though it didn't look like we'd make it this month

-The fact that both Erick and I still have stable jobs in this ever weakening economy.

-A good babysitter since I have to work and leave Myelle with someone

-A warm place to live that is inexpensive

-Prayer

and most of all

Family

These are another gift I'm really excited to work on and finish. Erick is cutting and sanding the boards today and hopefully I'll be able to paint them tomorrow. It's going to be fun decorating them.

Just trying out this signature thing.

Christmas: One Down..

I'm super excited for Christmas this year! Last night I made these for my little brother Wesley. They were super easy and I did it while watching a movie. I'm thinking I might make a pair for Myelle also.

I've got a bunch of other projects in the works and I'll post pics when I can. Some I won't be able to post until after Christmas because they are for people that read this blog. ,

A Clean and Organized Home

Isn't it so nice when you get your house completely clean? Even if it only lasts a short while it brings some kind of peace knowing that everything is clean and in order. Our house can get pretty untidy in a hurry, but I'm trying to keep up and I love nothing more than the feeling of it being clean. And I know that a tidy home is one where the spirit can dwell more easily.

One of my goals this month is to be more organized, which when working FT can be quite a challenge but is absolutely necessary. I've started by making a list of things that need to get done everyday. It's short since I don't have much time, but it includes washing the dishes, one batch of laundry, and tidying up 5 min in a room of my choice (usually the Living Room since it's the most lived in).

I just started doing this yesterday, but already I feel more energy and not so overwhelmed. I also have a big sense of relief and a little bit of accomplishment (because I'm not usually organized with my housework). The biggest thing I noticed....with the dishes done up and the kitchen clean I actually want to be in there cooking dinner and baking treats (which I love to do BTW). :D Funny how that works.

My next step in becoming more organized.....Coming Soon. LOL Pretty much I'm open to suggestions. Do you have a great way you keep organized?

Singing

Singing is a new thing that Myelle has picked up recently and it's the cutest thing. All day long she'll sing her own tune or tunes from other places she's heard. I can't always understand the words, but it's fun to have her sweet little voice ringing throughout the house. However, if you look at her while she's singing she immediately gives you "the look." I have yet to catch it on camera, but I can't wait until I do.

One of her favorite songs right now? "I Lub You" from Barney. LOL

John McCain

I just want to say briefly how impressed I was with John McCain's concession speech. Very classy and graceful. Even if I don't like him very much I really gained alot of respect for him tonight.

Election Day

Happy Election Day!

Today I exercised my right as a US citizen and voted. Hopefully you all get the chance to go out and vote also. My vote may not count for much, but I feel that I'm doing all I can. "If you don't vote...you can't complain...Right?" :D

TAGGED 2

WHAT IS YOUR HUSBAND'S NAME? Erick McKay
HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN MARRIED? 3 Years 7 months
HOW LONG DID YOU DATE? Officially 3 weeks before we were engaged, but were really good friends for 3 months before that and then engaged 10 months.
HOW OLD IS HE? 26
WHO IS TALLER? Erick by about an inch
WHO CAN SING BEST? Not sure we're about equally matched.
WHO IS SMARTER? I catch on to stuff faster, but he knows alot more
WHO DOES LAUNDRY? I wash and dry and he folds. :D
WHO PAYS BILLS? Me, but he's trying to learn
WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED? He does
WHO MOWS THE LAWN? We don't have a lawn anymore, but when we did he did mostly, but occasionally I would.
WHO COOKS DINNER? Mostly me. He has to when I work late.
WHO'S THE FIRST TO ADMIT THEY ARE WRONG? Me. I can be wrong alot.
WHO KISSED WHO FIRST? He kissed me first. I didn't object. LOL
WHO WEARS THE PANTS? we share them, I wear one leg and he wears the other. <-----Yeah that.

I tag Mom and Ainslie.

TAGGED

Jessica tagged me a couple of times. On the first one I'm supposed to post my 4th pic of my 4th picture album and explain it.

LOL I forgot I took this picture. This is Myelle helping Daddy stack the firewood at our old house. This was back in May I think. She sure had a blast. :D

Now I tag Ainslie, Mom, Rachel and anyone else that reads this.

We're Off To See the Wizard

Here's Myelle on Halloween. She was Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. (Too bad she wouldn't take her pacifier out) She was just too cute! And she had a blast Trick or Treating with the girls. And she is not happy when we tell her she can't have any more candy for now. LOL

Back from Boise

A short trip, a very long drive, but a great time had by all! We drove to Boise Friday night with Brett and Brianna (Not sure if they'll ever do that again. ;) ) and went to Sizzler with Darren when we got there. Yum! I love their salad bar.

After that it was back to the hotel to watch scary movies. :D We had to...it was Halloween. House on Haunted Hill and Return to House on Haunted Hill were our picks for the evening and we stayed up until 3am watching them. LOL

Saturday was fantastic weather for the races and Keeley and both the Firth boys' and girls' teams did fantastic!! Keeley took 3rd and broke 20 min. YAY! Congrats Kee! We're so proud of you! The girls' team took 2nd and the boys' team took 1st. And I am proud to announce that I am not the only one that cried (because we're so proud of her) while Keeley was racing! Brett and Brianna did too. Well so did Mom, but she's the mom so it's okay. :D

Afterwards we ate out as a family and then went and visited Chris and Jen for awhile. Watched the last quarter of the BYU vs. CSU game. GO BYU!! They pulled off a win even though we didn't think they would. :) We're looking forward to going to Jen's house for Thanksgiving in a few weeks.

Hope ya'll had a fantastic weekend!

Happy Halloween!!

Hope ya'll are having a great Halloween! We sure are. Myelle and I went to my work and a couple other stores and then to see Uncle Brett and show off her costume. She was too cute in her Dorothy costume. And she's figuring out that people will give her candy if she's dressed up. LOL My only problem is I can't find my camera to take pictures. I'll have to hunt a little more.

Happy Halloween!!!

Baby Checkup....and more

I had my monthly checkup today. Had a good chat with my new doctor. I LOVE this new clinic btw. Everyone was so pleasant and nice and even though I had to wait quite awhile it didn't seem like that long.

After discussing the option and risks of a VBAC it was time to listen to the heartbeat. I don't know about you, but I hold my breath until I can hear it pumping away. Then I can relax. They're lucky I'm not in there every few days going "Can we just check the heartbeat?" But all is well.

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One more day of work (after a 9 day marathon) and then I have 4 whole days off! Woohoo! We'll be traveling to Boise Friday night with Brett and Brianna to watch Keeley run in the state XC meet on Saturday. Good Luck Kee!!

I'm really sad that I don't get to take Myelle T-O-T, but she's going with Cousin Cassie and her 2 favorite little aunts Jay and Nicole and she's so excited to get to have a sleepover at their house. :D I'll post pics of her costume. Thanks Carley for those. She's going to be either Dorothy from Wizard of Oz or Raggedy Ann. Both are super cute!

Our New Favorite Movie

Or should I say Myelle's new favorite movie. I think we've watched this 3 times in the last 2 days. LOL She's got a cold and doesn't want to run around much so we've been spending some quality cuddling time on the couch watching........Finding Nemo! She can even say "Nemo" now.

Only problem is that now I have Dori's voice in my head singing "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming." Ah well maybe I can get her to sing "Just keep working..." so that I can keep up with my housework. LOL

Victoria's Secret Deal!!

Victoria's Secret has a promo going on right now where you can get a free Beauty Rush Lip Gloss set when you order a sweater. Just enter offer code RUSH08 at checkout. They even have some way cute sweaters on sale for only $19! Offer is good through Nov 19, 2008.

A Lighter Load

Have you ever experienced the joy and the lightened burden that comes after working your budget over and over and finding ways to find more money in it? I just finished scouring our expenses and our budget and seeing where we could cut to free up more money each month. I found enough money this month to pay off one of our many medical bills freeing up a little money each month and easing and lightening our burden.

I can't even thank our Heavenly Father enough. He has blessed us so much and we find answers to our prayers come in many different ways.

Announcement!!

Did I get your attention? Hahaha. So I decided it's finally time to make the official announcement. Some of you already know this, but we would like to officially announce that:

BABY WOOD #2 is on its way and will be here around April 13

We will be finding out what the sex is sometime in December. I thought about waiting for the surprise, but Erick won't stand for that. :) Erick is hoping for a boy and I don't really care about anything other than the morning sickness going away. LOL Mom also thinks it's a boy since I've been so sick this time.

Other than me being sick a lot things are just plugging along same old.

Lil' Cheddar Meatloaves

I got this recipe off of a frugal community I belong to called Frugal Families. I made it for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Although there were a few changes I would make.(noted in the recipe) Oh and it actually didn't take all that long.

Lil' Cheddar Meatloaves Recipe #59056

We have given up all other meat loaf recipes for this one. I love the individual servings and every bite has the yummy catsup sauce where in "regular" meat loaf it's just a small strip on top! With the smaller loaves it also makes the cooking time a bit quicker. This recipe came from '99 TOH magazine but I added the rubbed sage for some extra flavor. Enjoy! by DDW
1 hour 15 min prep SERVES 8

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4oz)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oat
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rubbed sage (optional) (I used thyme I was out of sage still just as good)
1 lb lean ground beef
2/3 cup catsup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar ( I wouldn't use so much it was waayy too sweet for me, Erick liked it though)
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

In a bowl, beat the egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion, salt and rubbed sage. Add beef and mix well. (It will seem runny at first but will thicken up as you mix.) Shape into 8 equal sized loaves (oval/egg shaped) and place in a greased 9X13X2" baking dish.

Sauce: Combine catsup, brown sugar and mustard. Spoon over each loaf so they are all covered in the sauce. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

We have some left over that I'm going to freeze into homemade TV dinners for lunches and when I have to work late.

Fun Fall Day

After a very long night of no one sleeping I was dog-tired and would have loved to just lay around the house on my only day off this week. However, I made myself a promise after listening to General Conference that I wasn't going to be idle that way anymore.

So Myelle and I went to Tautphas Park and played on the playground equipment, played in the leaves, and chased each other around until we were breathless (which isn't very long for me, but I tried to keep up with her).

It was so nice to run and play without having to worry about a thing. Hopefully next week we'll be able to do the same thing and roll around in the leaves a little more.

My Frugal Way of Drying Laundry

Okay so it's not my first choice, but right now we don't have a dryer. How do we get our clothes dry you might ask? A drying rack. It takes longer and the clothes are a little stiffer, but it saves on electricity and gets our clothes dry.

Now we finally have our washer and Erick will hook it up tonight so I can start getting caught up on laundry. Thanks again Mom and Dad for bringing it up and helping us pick up our new (to us) furniture.

I'll post pics once I get our camera charged. I have to find the charger first. :D

Happy Wednesday!

My Little Bro's Wedding

I can't believe that my little brother Brett got married. :D Okay yes I can, but it feels just like yesterday when we were fighting at home over stupid stuff and pushing each other over open dishwasher doors. LOL Congratulations! I have a few (oh so very few. Why don't I ever remember to charge my camera battery before things like this?) pics to share.

Brett and his beautiful new bride Brianna. Aren't they adorable?

We almost forgot to get stuff to decorate their car. :D But a quick run to Stop and Shop and they're set. They even came out and caught us and then finished helping. LOL Too Funny!

Congratulations you two!!

Many Thanks

...Go to my awesome Mom who came today and helped me get our new apartment in shape. Without her it would have taken me a ton more time to get it done.

And to our new ward. We felt so welcome in just the first 5 minutes from when we stepped in the door. It really made it lots easier not to feel homesick for our old Kimball ward.

New Address

We have our new address now. If you want it email me at eawood05@msn.com and I'll send it to you.

Moving is going pretty good. Erick is doing most of it and I'll do all the unpacking. I can't wait to decorate it all cute for fall and especially Christmas! Life is going to be crazy for the next week or two. My brother Brett is getting married a week from Saturday so I have to work Monday through Thursday and then I'll be trying to help Mom with whatever I can for the wedding and that. Oh yeah it's also homecoming for my alma mater(aka Firth High School) and I believe we'll be going to the game right after the open house. So if any of you are going to be there I'll see you there!

Moving!.....Again

LOL Yes we are moving again. Just to Idaho Falls. We're going to miss getting to hang out with our friends here all the time, but we won't be that far away and hopefully we can get together at least once a month.

We got our apartment yesterday and I LOVE it! It has a fireplace and a huge living room and is just so cozy. I'll post pictures as soon as we get moved in. I'm taking the first load down today and possibly even one or two more loads later tonight.

Wish us luck!

Fair Time!

Okay so it's actually the last day of the fair today, but it's been a fun week. Monday both Erick and I worked in my dad's booth selling grills and fireplaces. I almost sold an instant hot water heater too. Wednesday night just I worked for Dad. Good times hanging with my daddy. :D We got ice cream that day, but the chocolate just didn't taste the same as it used to. :(

Today both Erick and I are both going in to work for Dad. Then we'll wander around the fair on the very last day. Take in some of the sights. :D

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On an update for us....We're all finally feeling a bit better after our colds and being sick. Myelle had strep throat and I ended up with a cold. It's busy, busy at Erick's work right now and he has been getting tons of overtime hours. Yay for that because I wasn't quite so sure how things were going to be financially this month with all of our surprises.

This last week I quit my job at Winger's and started back at Sportsman's Warehouse on Friday. It was good to be back there. I missed a lot of my coworkers. Of course many things have changed in a year, but there are still some familiar faces. So now even though we like Rexburg we are needing to move to Idaho Falls since it will be closer to both Erick and my work and will save us a ton on gas. It just makes more sense that way. :D In order to move we need to sell our contract so if you know of any one needing an apartment in Rexburg send them our way.

That's all for today.

Happy Saturday!

My hubby is so awesome!

So even though I asked him to finish a "Honey Do List" tonight and he didn't get it done, I still have to give praises to my hard-working, freakin' awesome husband! Lately I've been taking him for granted and shame on me for doing so because he works so hard to support this family. Tonight I got home tired and a little cranky from work to find that Erick hadn't done any of the things on the list (except eat cake which was the last thing on the list), he hadn't cleaned up from dinner, and he was already in bed. :( I was sulking on the couch for a few minutes when he got up, came into the living room and rubbed my shoulders and told me about his day even though he was exhausted! I wanted to cry it was so sweet and meant a lot to me. So here is my tribute.

My Hubby

....gets up for work by 5am everyday. I don't even budge until 7!
....makes the 1/2 hour commute one way without complaining even when there's construction
....tries to be in to work by 6am, 6:30 at the latest.
....works a minimum of 10 hours a day, often more, and only gets 45 min lunch and one other break. His work....woodworking so he's always lifting heavy things, stressing about precise measurements, he's constantly moving and only gets to sit down at lunch.
....never complains about how much he works or how long the hours are. I complain I'm tired after a 5 hour shift of serving.
....only occasionally complains about me talking to him into the late hours.
....will stay up late with me even though he's got a long and early day ahead of him.
....is the best father to my little girl.
....stays worthy of his priesthood.
....keeps me humble.
....does all he can to provide for our family.
....motivates me to go to church when I just don't feel like it.
....spoils me rotten.
....listens to me complain without saying a word.
....gives me really great massages. I love to be pampered.
....always has what's best for me in mind.
....loves me for who I am even with all my flaws and ramblings and misgivings and no matter what kind of mood I'm in.

Erick you are the best husband in the whole wide world. I love you so much. ~ Aud

Things Myelle Say That Make Me Chuckle

paco, pocky, pockysicky - popsicle
pahee - potty, but she actually means bathtub. LOL
hokgok - hot dog
cahcky - cracker
Seesee - means she wants to watch TV or rather she wants me to turn it on and then doesn't watch it
Sigh - Outside
caclate - chocolate milk
waher - any type of drink other than milk
pahk - park
to, sik, go - ready, set, go (she then proceeds to run as fast as she can to whatever destination wants.
Nanan, Sashel - Brandon and Rachel our good friends and her heroes. :D
Bhama (with a very gutteral first syllable) - Grandma - she almost sounds like she's growling
Gampa - Pretty obvious on this one
Limpi - Olympics
Dan - dance
sahee, I sahee - I'm sorry

.....and many, many more. Yes we're proud parents and yes we're just like everyone else that thinks their own child is the one and only in the universe.

Pictures...Lots and lots of Pictures

Myelle never ceases to amaze me. How she fits into those tight spots I don't know. She was really peeved when she couldn't get out though. LOL

From the family reunion when Sarah and Alex got baptized. Lots of cousins and aunts to love Myelle up. The Twin Falls Temple was beautiful and we topped it off visiting Shoshone Falls.

And this is a whole bunch of Myelle just being Myelle. With Mommy and Daddy, Grandma, and her buddy Kobe.

Moving was fun and scary. Myelle wanted to help alot. She was really good at making sure the shelves were up right. LOL As you can see everything was a mess.....still is kind of....okay, okay is really messy still. One of these days we'll find a place for everything.

A Quick Update

Soooo....lots has been going on lately. Not only have we been still settling into our new apartment we've had some crazy "Welcome to Rexburg" moments. Erick ended up in the ER...twice....in the last week. After an emergency surgery and then a quick procedure the second time he's feeling tons better. He's back to work this week and man is he back to work. He worked until 10:15pm tonight!

Myelle likes going to Maria's when I have to go to work and playing with her girls Tylee and Ellie. Thank you Maria! Work has been okay. Love the people and the place is great, but boy is it slow on this 7 week break. I keep telling myself just wait 3 more weeks until the college kids are back and then it will be busy.

Not much more than that going on with us. Happy Thursday!

Is it just me?

or are all of the sales for junk food?! It's probably just me since I'm working on eating healthy, but come one people What happened to our $.49/lb for a whole chicken? I haven't been able to find that anywhere. Sigh. Oh well. I'll just keep adjusting our grocery budget.

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On a cute sidenote: There is a car just outside our apartment whose car alarm beeps every 10-15 min and it is quite startling at first. Poor Myelle cries "Mommy!" and then puts her hand over her heart and says " 'Care me." Aww. I wish there was more I could do to make her feel better about it.

Hello from Rexburg!

Well, we're here. Moved in. Definitely not unpacked though. :D I start my job at Winger's tomorrow and then I've got to find a babysitter for the rest of the time. If anyone knows of anybody please let me know! Thanks! I'll update and post pics when we're unpacked and settled in a little more.

Checking In from Burley!

So we're doing pretty good here. My niece and nephew both got baptized today and then we had an awesome family reunion. Of course it ended with a little too much excitement when Aunt Arlene and Aunt Fonda got in a car wreck. Thankfully everyone is okay except for a few scrapes and some stitches. What an amazing thing having so many priesthood holders around.

Unless I get to post again before we leave Burley this will probably be my last post for awhile. Tuesday is the big moving day and we won't have internet for awhile. With all the new expenses we just don't know how much we can afford so we do without. :D I think I might just go through withdrawals from the internet and Blogger, but what doesn't kill us makes us stronger....right? LOL

Have a happy weekend! TTFN and See ya after the move!

Getting to know me, Getting to know all about me

What time did you get up this morning? 6am
During the week? Usually 9 or 9:30
Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Gameplan. We don't go to the movies much.
What is your favorite TV show? Hmm I don't watch much TV. Probably Good Morning America
What did you have for breakfast? Instant Apples and Cinnamon Oatmeal
What is your middle name? Lee
What foods do you dislike? Lima Beans and Liver
What is your favorite type of music? It depends on the day, but I listen to EVERYTHING!
What kind of car do you drive? Volkswagon Jetta and Ford Bronco2
Favorite sandwich? Reuban or a French Dip
What characteristics do you despise? fakeness - Have to agree with Rachel on this one or Liars, but that goes along with fakeness
Favorite item of clothing? Capris - denim or khaki
If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Brazil, Europe, Any other tropical place
What color is your bathroom? pink tile, purple-ish flowery wall paper
Favorite brand of clothing? The cheap stuff. LOL I don't have a favorite
Where would you retire to? The Mountains
Favorite time of day? Evening
Where were you born? Blackfoot, Idaho
Favorite sport to watch? College basketball on TV, Track and Field in Real Life
Are you a morning person or night owl? Night owl Fo Sho!
How many kids do you want? 6, but I'll take as many as the Lord blesses us with.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Finishing school and getting a REAL job!
Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? We're moving to Rexburg in less than a week!! Oh but you knew that already.
What did you want to be when you were little? Mainly a Mom and then a doctor.
Favorite Candy Bar? Snickers and Reeses
What is your best childhood memory? Camping with my family
What is the one thing you wish you were doing right now? Vacationing anywhere
Nicknames: aud, auj, aujibijani (don't ask LOL) sister bear, Booboo
Eye color: I think hazel, but they use to be blue
Ever been to Africa? No
Ever been toilet papering? No, I was a sheltered child
Loved someone so much it made you cry? Oh yeah
Croutons or bacon bits? Croutons
Favorite day of the week? Hmm all of them
Favorite restaurant? This fantastic one in Twin Falls called the Garden Cafe *drool*
Favorite flower? calla lilies or daisies
Favorite ice cream? chocolate
Favorite day of the year? Hmmm I love them all unless I'm having a bad day. LOL
Favorite fast food restaurant? Subway
Favorite website? Blogger.com, Frugal-families
How many times did you fail your driver's test? None I passed on the first try
From whom did you get your last e-mail? Angie Dunn
Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? A sports store Like Big 5 or Sportsman's Warehouse
What do you do most often when you are bored? blog stalk <<Yeah that
What time do you usually go to bed for the evening? Midnight
Last person you went out to dinner with? Erick
Ford or Chevy? Chevy
What are you listening to right now? Good Morning America
What is your favorite color? dark green
What is your most prized possession? A hand sewn quilt my Great Grandma made (one of the last ones she did)
Who is your hero? My Mom and Dad and My hubby
Lake, Ocean or river? River, but maybe ocean I haven't gotten to experience the ocean much
Bottled Water, purified or spring? Spring I guess
Dog or cat? Dog
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The Chicken
What is your favorite band? Don't have a favorite
What book are you reading right now? None, but I would love to read some classics
What is the one thing you could not travel without? Money

Tag You're all it!

Myelle's First Baseball Game

Erick's company party was hosted at the Idaho Falls Chukars game this year. The Chukars are the local minor league team and while not major league they are still pretty fun to watch. We had a blast spending time with all of the coworkers and their families. Not to mention the food was pretty darn good! ALL YOU CAN EAT BABY! hahaha. Myelle and Daddy sure had a good time.

Just look at all the junk food that Mommy let me eat! I was in Heaven! I ate 2 1/2 hotdogs, 1/2 hotdog bun, baked beans, 1/2 can 7up, tootsie rolls, suckers, popcorn, and cotton candy!

Mmm Ketchup and Mustard on a hotdog sure makes for a messy face. Ah, who cares!

Thanks Falls Cabinet for a fantastic party and Chukars for a great game! Great job on the win 12-5! Thanks Erick for working so hard and taking us to your party! We loved it!

Today was the last day in our ward. :( We are sad about that, but still can't hold in our excitement to move. There just comes a time in your life when it's time to move on and push yourself forward and this is our time.

Packing is going alright. Very slow and I have no clue how we got all this junk! Half of it is just trash I swear! I have the next 2 days off so it will be packing, packing, packing. Except for a couple of breaks.

*****

On another note: Here are some pics of me, my cousin, and her boyfriend that I stopped in Boise and visited on my way to Spokane. We had a blast! We went to Fuddrucker's and had these awesome salads, burgers and shakes! I wish I had taken a pic of it. Afterward we went back to their place and played a little bit of Guitar Hero! Yay for that! LOL

Apparently Fuddrucker's had to cut somewhere because in order to get Gourmet Salt you get Value Priced Pepper. LOL

Have a happy Sunday!

Grrr! What a night!

Well I am the biggest chicken ever. At 11:30 last night I was sitting in the LR on the computer working on blog stuff and that when somebody pounded on the plexiglass of our outer door. Scared the crap out of me and I threw the computer and ran screaming bloody murder into the bedroom waking dh up. I was so upset that he called the police and let them know that someone was doing Knock and Runs (we used to call them something else, but I dt think that it's politically correct anymore) Well shortly after that Brett called to say that they had been gotten too. Not even 5 minutes later they came and got our house again. Since I had no clue who was doing it or what was going on (I seriously thought someone was trying to break in and kill us) that I started screaming again which made Erick scream and got him all shaken up.

To make a long story short the police showed up, patrolled the block and caught the little punks that were doing this. They apparently were knocking over garbage cans and that too. I hope they learned their lesson. Afterwords it took quite awhile for us both to calm down. Thankfully Myelle slept through the whole thing. I think I've had my share of excitement for awhile.

Memories

A lot of my friends are doing this and I thought it was cool.

1.As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2.Now, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

If you haven't noticed....I LOVE CHANGE! And so my blog will probably change as often as I change clothes. HAhAH just kidding! But it will change a lot. I think I get a thrill from it. Ah good times....good times.

It's Official!

We are moving to Rexburg on July 29! I start working at Winger's on August 1! So we have 2 weeks to pack, 3 days to move, and the rest of our lives to stress and freak out about it! LOL We will be living in the Peterson Pointe Apartments. They're really nice and we're pretty darn excited. Have no clue where we're going to put all of our stuff, but hey we have a roof over our heads. :D

I almost posted in 2 separate entries(one about the move and one about the job) just for Rachel since she was giving me a bad time about writing 3 or 4 entries at a time. :D

On a random note: Here's a pic of Myelle on the 4th of July.

Introducing: Wesley Dallas McKinnon

Here he is: My new baby brother! Yep that's right I'm now a big sister for the 7th time. After 1 1/2 years on the adoption waiting list Mom and Dad are currently in Texas with little Wes in their arms. They jus have to wait for the finishing paperwork to clear before they can come home. Hopefully they'll be able to come home quick.

Wes is about 4 weeks old and about 7 lbs. Mom didn't say how long he was, but he looks like a little chunk! LOL Our whole family is soo excited for them to come home! Myelle keeps pointing to the pictures and saying "baby, baby". :D

If you want to see more pics and video check out my mom's blog: http://joy-ajoyfullife.blogspot.com/

Our New Car

Well while I was gone to Spokane Erick took my car in to be looked at. Sadly to say, it's not worth fixing. So we are selling the tires, scrapping the car, and bought a new one. Here it is. :D

I love it! It's a 5 speed, gets great gas mileage (like 30mpg), it's blue :D and it's dang fun to drive! However, now I have a stupid car payment, but with our frugal skills we will be able to come up with extra and pay it off before the 48 months is up.

Coming Soon!

An update...about all the crazy stuff going on in my life! HAHAHAHA!

I'm Back!!

Whoa! What a great and wonderful, but long trip. I spent the week in Spokane, Washington doing something I love.....Throwing and Coaching Throwers! It was fantastic and I learned a lot and hope that the kids learned a lot.

Me and Holli lookin so cool in our shades during roll call in the Pine Bowl. Holli is one of the coolest people I met at Ironwood this year all thanks to another super cool person Jenn who brought her along! Holli is my hot hammer throwing date. :D Love ya Holli!

Yay! Here's Jenn! Woohoo! We had some good times. Like I almost tried to kill us on our way to Walmart one night! :D Room checks...skipping lectures....discus...late night chats. Ah good times! Jenn you da bomb! Love ya!

Some of the fantastic throwers I got to coach! I'm super sad I can't remember all of their names, but I do remember Katie in black, Amy right next to her, and I want to say Emily in front she's from Virginia, and I can't remember the last girl's name, but she's a doll and awesome to coach! Thanks ladies!

Three of the greatest men in the discus world! We are so blessed to have them come to camp every year. In case you don't know the one in front is Wolfgang Schmidt. The two in the background are Mac Wilkins (left) and Dr. L. Jay Sylvester (right). All three are Olympic medalists and amazing men in their sport.

Last of all the leader of us all! Bart Templeman! "The sky is blue...the grass is green....it's time to throw.....It just don't get any better than this!!" IWT - "I Wanna Throw!"

Love you all from Ironwood and I can't wait to see you again next year....and hopefully before then. :D

Happy 4th of July!

Hope ya'll are having a fantastic holiday! I know we are. We're just now taking a break from shooting off fireworks. Check out the package that we got. Plus we had extras from last year. LOL

Here's my smokin cool bros at battle of the bands.

*******

So I'm going to MIA for the next week. Tomorrow I'm headed to Boise and then to Spokane the next day. I'll be in Spokane for a week at a throwing camp. Go Ironwood Throwing Camp! Woohoo!

Sadly Erick won't let me take the computer and the camera so I won't be able to post for a week. Pretty much....Ya'll have a great week and I'll "see" ya next Saturday!

:D

Enjoyin' The Night in Rexburg

Last night I had an interview at Winger's in Rexburg. It seemed to go well so cross your fingers that I get it. We didn't want to just go up and back so we hung out with our supercool friend Rachel the rest of the night.We decided to go to Applebee's and here's a funny video of Myelle. She just loved that lemonade!

Rachel is one of Myelle's best friends. :D Ours too of course!

Then we got to visit our good friends Bethany and Morgan. They're gonna have a baby soon! YAY! We're so sad that they are moving to Boise a month after we move to Rexburg. :(

SHOPPING!

Today I needed to go to the doctor since my cold just isn't clearing up. Sinus infection/borderline bronchitis was the diagnosis. Grrr. But I have enough meds now to kick this in the butt.

After that I decided to run to Walmart for a few groceries and they were having 50% off already marked clearance! I got a ton of stuff.

I got these shirts for $1.50 each! The blue one on the left I got for only $1! I also got enough of these for my little sisters to have 2 each. And some for Myelle.

I thought these were so cute for Myelle and they were only $6!
Now she has some awesome shoes that are easy for me to put on her!

I also got me 2 pairs of shoes and my little sister a pair of shoes. My shoes that are on the outside were $2.50 each and the pink ones for my little sister were only $3!



Erick is probably going to kill me once he finds out how much I spent, but doesn't it feel great to get a good deal?


****

For tonight we're having our ward 4th of July party! Homemade ice cream, good food, and one of my dear teachers and coach is going to speak. Coach Portela is one of the best military speakers I know. He's written 2 or 3 books already! I'll post pics when I get home.

Have a fantastic evening!

Today we sent in our application for an apartment! Yay! I'm getting so excited to move that I couldn't even sleep last night.

Please cross your fingers that we'll be able to get this apartment. It will be fantastic!

In the meantime I need to start packing. LOL

Another Tag

Sorry Bethany! After doing some research I realized that your tag had different questions so here goes on yours.

1. What is his name? Erick McKay Wood
2. How long have you been married? 3 years
3. How long did you date? Officially? 3 weeks, but we had known each other for 6 months and were best friends for 3 before that. Plus we had a long engagement.
4. Who eats more? Sadly I do.
5. Who said I love you first? I don't remember for sure, but I think it was Erick
6. Who sings better? We're both good singers, but I'll always say me. ;)
7. Who is taller? Erick is unless I am wearing heels.
8. Whose temper is worse? Definitely mine. I got mad at him the other night because he wouldn't pick a fight with me. *blush*
9. Who does the laundry? I do the washin and the dryin and Erick does most of the foldin. I put it away.
10. Who does the dishes? The dishwasher
11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Erick
12. Who does the cooking? My Mom. LOL We eat there alot. I try to, but with work poor Erick has to grab what he can when I'm gone. When I'm home I usually do, but Erick is a pretty dang good cook himself.
13. Who is more stubborn? Again I think it's me, but we're both pretty stubborn.
14. Who proposed? Erick did June 15, 2004 up in the mountains while we were looking at stars. Same thing we did on our first "official" date.
15. Who is more likely to admit when they are wrong? Me. Erick rarely admits it, but it smooths over anyway.
16. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine just because they are a mile down the road. With gas prices and our busy schedules we just don't make it to Burley often enough.
17. Who pays the bills? Me, but Erick is good at reminding me sometimes.
18. Who wears the pants in the family? I think that that role changes depending on what is needing to be done, so I think that we end up sharing the responsibility alot. Ditto to this!
19. Why do you love your husband? He is so patient and unassuming and trusting. He easily forgives me for my faults (which I have a lot of) and loves me for me. He always keeps up on current events and he explains it all to me when I get confused. He's a hard worker strives to support our family. He perseveres over everything. He makes me laugh and loves to do a lot of the stuff I do and he's a fantastic daddy to our little girl. To sum it up: He's my hero and my life. I love him so much.

K so now I am tagging all of ya'll! Jessica, Rachel, Jen, Steph, Mom, Ains, Tesha and everyone else!

Tagged

I've been Tagged by Bethany and Jessica...I'm bad at this so I hope they're the same questions and sorry Beppy it took me sooo long.

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE? The Gameplan
2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING? None right now, but I've been dying to read the Twilight series that everyone's been raving about
3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? Scene-It
4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE? Self
5) FAVOURITE SMELLS? The smell of summer and fresh cut hay
6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS? The breathing of my hubby while he's sleeping, Myelle's babbling, a really hard rain storm
7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? Feeling like you won't make the cut
8)WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE? Usually it's "Man I slept in AGAIN!"
9) FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE? Subway
10) FUTURE CHILD’S NAME? Bentley McKay for a boy and Piper Lee for a girl
11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D… Pay off all our debt, invest some, give some, and have a whole lotta fun!
12) DO U DRIVE FAST? Heck yeah! With gas prices I've been slowing down some though.
13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? nope
14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? Way beyond Cool! Storms feel so powerful!
15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? The Blue Beast....a 1984 Dodge Caravan
16) FAVOURITE DRINK? Iced lemon water, italian sodas, lemonade
17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD… do all the things I've been wanting to do. :D Travel, relax, hang with family and friends
18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? You betcha!
19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? Auburn
20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN? Firth, Pocatello, Firth, Twin Falls, Firth. LOL See a pattern? Soon to be Rexburg BABY!
21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Do I have to pick a favorite? How about just about all of them!22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Jess - there's always a special spot in my heart for you and Beppy is the most perservering and strongest person I know
23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED? Drawers filled with clothes
24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN?? Heck yah! I love being me!
25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? Depends on how much sleep I get Ditto to that
26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? Over easy
27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? In the mountains
28) FAVOURITE PIE? Chocolate Cream
29) FAVOURITE ICECREAM FLAVOUR? Again I have to pick a favorite? Pretty much all of them
30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? Oh I have to tag OTHER people? :D

Okay anyone that reads this you are tagged! And so will everyone else when I get around to it. LOL

Favorite Funnies Part 1

This is the first installment of many to come of some of the funnies I've come across.

#1 - While checking on some customers when waiting tables one night the lady says to me...."This Country Fried Steak tastes like beef." (Okay for those of you who don't know country fried steak is cubed beef steak breaded and fried. It appears under the beef section of our menu)

#2 - This was seen at the airport while we were waiting for Brett's plane to get in the day he got back from his mission.

Learning how to upload pics

Love this pic. I couldn't find Myelle forever! Then she started to cry and I couldn't help but snap a pic first.

I'm a terrible blogger!

But I'm gonna get better. So it's been 2 months since I've posted and here comes the update................We've just been working. LOL

Although we have decided to move to Rexburg so I can finish college. I'll be getting my degree in Exercise Science. Pretty much we're moving as soon as we can find an apartment, which BTW is looking like it will be sometime next month. YAY!

I'm totally horrible at figuring computer stuff out, but I hope to learn how to put more pics and that on here. Just have to get Erick to bring the camera home from work.

Hope everything is going well with all!

So it begins...

Myelle...is not even 2 yet and the terrible twos are upon us. It was National Crisis Day at our house where everything was a tragedy! The slightest thing would send her into a tantrum. I made her come inside because it was cold outside and she threw herself on the floor and kicked her feet and cried. Sigh. I just told her to kick her feet harder because she wasn't going back outside. Finally we were able to go play with toys inside.

Fast forward to bedtime. Time for pajamas and I tell her to let Mommy help you. She defiantly looks at me, clutches her jammies and says "NO" I couldn't believe it. It was all I could do not to laugh! But I'm sure I'll tire of it soon and "no" won't be so funny.

Have a great night!

Warm weather = Exercise Outside! YAY!

Now that the weather's warm I've been working out more. I even made myself jog a whole 1/2 mile today. LOL That's a ton since I haven't run much since Myelle was born. Myelle just loves the stroller and being outside. My goal is to walk a mile or more everyday. I got 3 miles in today.

I got served

or so I've been told. LOL Erick told me I'm supposed to be posting on my blog more. So I'm going to be attempting to post more. Between family, work, and track I haven't had much time for online and I never know what to write about so you're going to get to hear a lot about track right now. :D

Saturday was a great day. We had the Tiger/Griz track meet in Idaho Falls and the weather was just beautiful. Very sunny as my legs show. :D My kids did well. Colter threw 148'6" and took 3rd in the discus and 43'5" in the shot taking 5th. Stephanie threw 93'6" and also took 3rd in the discus and then 29'2" taking 8th in the shot. Jordyn threw 73' in the discus. All 3 got their Personal Records for the year.

We're working hard this week prepping for our Bingham County meet. Time sure has been flying by. We only have 3 meets until district. All we can do is work our tails off to get ready. Next week I will be traveling with most of my throwers to Provo to the BYU high school meet.

A little Update...

Well, not anything out of the ordinary going on right now. Work for Erick is picking up though and he was just informed he will be getting a raise mid-May.

Just work and track and mommying and keeping house clean and...LOL seems like my list goes on and on. I am staying rather busy though.

Myelle is growing up so fast. She is starting to say more words and has definitely developed an attitude. She's loving playing outside and cries when I tell her to come in.

We are all super excited for warm weather and for summer to come so we can go camping and go to family reunions. We just had some dear friends get married and had a lot of fun with that. We have a lot of weddings this year it seems like. We have 3 more in May. Congratulations to all those people.

We hope all is well with everyone. Love ya tons!

Why? Why? Why?

Does it have to snow again? WAH. I was so looking forward to Spring! Warm weather! Green grass! And what do I wake up to? Snow! There's at least 2 inches already. I think I'm just going to sit in a corner and cry. Boohoohoo. Okay back to your regularly scheduled day. :D

Run out of food?

So I belong to an online group called Frugal Families. I love it. It's a group of mostly women who are doing all they can to live frugally to keep up with the demands of an evershrinking paycheck next to quickly rising costs. Some work others are stay at home moms. Well the owner of the website posted an interesting article she found. Here's the article if you are interested in reading it. http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/SuperModels/CouldWeReallyRunOutOfFood.aspx?page=1

Very interesting and gives some food for thought. My own opinion: We're not going to run out of food anytime soon, but I think we definitely need to heed the church's council about becoming self-reliant and supporting ourselves. Foodwise for myself that means planting a better garden and canning wisely. Planning menus and trying to stretch my grocery money as far as possible. I don't buy much meat since I get a lot of beef from Mom and Dad, but I do buy chicken and check out the quick reduce bin for other deals. With rising costs I'm trying to trim my budget even more by substituting one meatless meal a week. So far we've had spaghetti with tomato sauce instead of meat sauce. LOL But I'm working on more. Lasagna and baked potatoes with chili are on my menu.

I'd love to hear of any other ideas you have for meatless meals that I can implement into my menu. It might be hard, but we can keep our budgets low with rising costs. We can do it!

Life just doesn't slow down does it?

Here I was thinking after the holidays life will slow down. Yeah...right. LOL We've only gotten busier. I've had to pick up extra shifts so I am working 4-5 shifts a week. Track season has started and they informed me that I would be the full-time throws coach this year. :O Don't know why this has me stressed out, but it does. Between that and keeping the house tidy I have also been exercising everyday. Sure takes a big chunk out of my day, but I feel pretty dang good.

Erick isn't nearly as busy right now, but work is starting to pick up and he's heading to Jackson every few weeks.

Myelle..well she just thinks she needs to be busy getting into everything. I've lost count on how many times I've put the books back on the shelf or put her toys back in her basket. It doesn't even matter if she's playing with them she just wants them out. LOL

I'm grateful though that I have things to do and I don't have much time to be idle.

Bittersweet Passing

Last Sunday a friend of mine from high school passed away. We grew up in the same ward and he was only a year older than I was. He's battled cancer for almost five years. Several times it's gone into recession and he was doing soo good. In November he got married to his longtime girlfriend. I think they dated in high school even. I can't even imagine having only been married 3 months and losing my husband. My heart goes out to her. I'm so glad that I believe what I do and know that they will be reunited and that if anything should happen to me or Erick we too would be reunited after death because we were sealed in the temple.

Bellydancing?

So I went to the library today to see if I could find an aerobic workout dvd. The result of my search was about 15 bellydancing dvds. LOL Now I'm sure that bellydancing is a great aerobic workout, but I wanted something a little less uh...strange for me. :D So what did I end up with? A 60 minute aerobic workout VHS from the 80s. Yeah you know the ones I'm talking about...leggings and the whole bit. :D We'll see how it goes.

Musings

So I know it's been awhile. Life seems to get in the way of me getting on the computer much anymore. Life gives you so much to think about sometimes doesn't it? Much has happened since my last post. First that comes to mind is the passing of our dear President Hinckley and the passing of the mantle to our new prophet President Thomas S. Monson. I will miss President Hinckley greatly, but I'm very excited for the things President Monson will bring with him.

Next I want to congratulate all of my friends that have just gotten engaged, had babies, or will be having a baby. Love ya tons and I'm super excited for all of ya!

I have another one about sports, but I haven't pieced it all together yet. Let you know when I get that worked out.

Hope ya'll are having a great night!

I'm surprised I'm not sleeping on the couch!

Because my Giants beat Erick's Packers!!! and are going to the Superbowl!! I am so stoked! Way to go for the kicker getting that 47 yard field goal! Erick was sooo steamed. Apparently I'm in my Father-in-law's bad graces too since I was rooting against the Packers. Oh well. I'm sorry boys, but I just had to root for Eli! Sadly I will miss part of the Superbowl, but it's for the Rexburg Temple Dedication...way better IMHO! But I will have to keep reminding myself...chaff from the wheat, chaff from the wheat! :D LOL

Separating the Chaff from the Wheat

Erick was just called to be a primary worker! We will now be teaching the 11 year olds together. :D I don't know which is worse teaching 3 year olds that don't listen to you or 11 year olds that don't listen to you. LOL JK Today was our first day teaching and Erick did a pretty darn good job. We decided we need to find a happy medium between us though. Today he asked a question with that was pretty deep, but could have been worded simpler and a boy in our class said, "What?" LOL Poor Erick had think hard to rephrase the question in simpler terms. Our poor class will probably laugh at me next week as I hold up a picture of Jesus and ask "Who's in this picture class?" LOL This calling will definitely make us stretch and grow.

Tonight there was Stake Priesthood meeting. I asked Erick if he wanted to go with Dad. He answered with "I'm soo tired." I chuckled and finally convinced him to go. How can the Lord bless us if we can't even do the minimum? When I told Mom the story later she said "Remember in the scriptures where it says in these latter days there will be a separating of the chaff from the wheat?" Today we passed, but what about in a few weeks...when the Rexburg Temple Dedication is at the same time as the Superbowl? LOL We are going to the dedication, but how about in our other doings? Are we chaff or are we wheat?

A Diagnosis

After several doctors visits and a colonoscopy they have diagnosed Erick with Crohn's Disease. Thankfully the doctors said it's only stage 1 so there's a lot more they can do to allow him to go about daily life with fewer symptoms. He's been put on a couple different medications and he's still adjusting to them. We're both a bit shaken about it, but we have no doubt that we can get through.

We want to thank you all for all your continued love, support and friendship. We are truly blessed.

Now to figure out a way to pay for all of it! ;) LOL

Question: What do you do when there is a snow day?

Answer: If you are babysitting your brother and sisters while your parents are away you make them watch a movie for "quiet time." Their choice....High School Musical. That's what I get for having 5,7, and 12 year old siblings. However, when the movie is over quiet time now becomes "Let's learn the dances off of the movie"! :D Thus we spend most of our afternoon either learning the dances or choreographing our own to the music. Yes...we do have a new dance to "Getcha Head in the Game." I might even post the video when we do it. LOL