Thanksgiving & Craftiness

Happy Thanksgiving from us of the red noses! It is really cold out here in Vernal, but we had a very warm Thanksgiving full of great family, food, and fun. The best way to have Thanksgiving, yes? Husband even got to participate in a little bit of Thursday night Black Friday shopping with my mom and a couple of my siblings. I guess those $2 DVDs at Walmart were a pretty big hit. I stayed home and relaxed instead.

Part of the fun stuff that happened today was watching all of the boys watch a movie. Husband and my two brothers on the couch had a great time. It was fantastic. I love them all.

Last week, I went with my mom to a Relief Society activity where we made this cute craft. I am not a crafty person normally, unless I have a very set pattern that I can follow to the letter.  This gave me a little more freedom than I felt comfortable with, but I think it turned out great. My mom made one, too and hers turned out great. I really love the way mine turned out overall. I wish that I would have had the time and money to make a couple more or one of the other crafts to give for gifts. Maybe next time. :)

I hope you had a marvelous Thanksgiving!!! May you have many reasons to be grateful throughout the next year.
xoxo

Thankful Day

I love Thanksgiving Day. It's one of my favorite days ever. I love being with family all day and eating good food and the Spirit that is present. Beautiful. Happy. Awesome.

This is a poem by Joseph Auslander that I love:

We thank thee for our daily bread,

For faith by which the soul is fed,

For burdens given us to bear,

For help that lifts the heart's despair.

We thank thee, Lord, for eyes to see,

The truth that makes, and keeps us free:

For faults - and for the strength to mend them,

For dreams - and courage to defend them.

We have so much to thank thee for,

Dear Lord, we beg but one boon more:

Peace in the hearts of all men living,

Peace in the whole world on this Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving. May your day be full of love & happiness.

xoxo

Look at my belly grow!

{6 Weeks}

{10 Weeks}

{12 Weeks}

{15 Weeks}

{20 Weeks}

{20 Weeks 6 Days}

{23 Weeks 1 Day}

{25 Weeks}

{27 Weeks 1 Day}

{28 Weeks 2 Days}

{30 Weeks}

{31 Weeks 4 Days}

{33 Weeks}

{34 Weeks}

{35 Weeks}

 

{36 Weeks}

 

{37 Weeks}

 

{38 Weeks}

 {38 Weeks 3 Days}

 

{39 Weeks}

{40 Weeks}

Phew! We made it full-term! It's been a wonderful pregnancy & adventure.

Now we just need baby to make her appearance... ;)

Dan-the-Music-Man (The Forgotten Carols)

Dan-the-Music-Man put his amazing music skills to work this weekend singing in The Forgotten Carols. Ok, I was there, too. So were my parents and Brother P and Sister L. It was a blast to sing with all of them and be on stage again. I always forget how much I miss being on stage until I go awhile without performing and then get to do it again. It was awesome.

One of my favorite parts was when before the evening show Michael McLean came over and told my dad thanks for doing the show. Dad said that he had enjoyed it because he got to spend time with his kids, and pointed to Sister L & I since we were standing right there. Michael looked at both of us and said, "Wow! These are your daughters? They are beautiful! They must call you two the Babes of Vernal." Sister L, without missing a beat, said, "Yup. Every day." I just laughed. Then Michael noticed I was pregnant and asked when I am due. I told him next week and he told me thanks for hanging on and doing the show, then he bent over, patted my belly, and told my belly thanks for waiting, too. :) I laughed pretty hard, I'll admit.

Singing in the Forgotten Carols was a great way to start out the holiday season. I felt the Spirit very strongly and was reminded how blessed I have been in my life and how grateful I am for the Savior and all He has done for me.

Dan-the-Handy-Man

We got a dresser from my mom. It was upstairs, but wasn't being used, and so she gave it to us for our baby. It was covered with stickers when she gave it to us, and so Husband put on his Handy-Man shoes and got to work. We scraped off the stickers, then he sanded it down and painted it after we looked online to get some ideas.

Stickers mid-scraping and then after. Already a huge difference, yeah?

Dan-the-Handy-Man sanding the wood down. He worked in the garage so it wouldn't be quite as cold.

The finished product! I think it looks incredible and absolutely love it! What do you think of his mad skills?

Journal Writing

I've never been great at writing in my journal. It's something that I always try to do and yet never seem to be able to make the habit. I look up to and admire my mother so much because I don't think she has missed a day of journal writing since she went to college. Amazing. College was definitely when I had the hardest time writing because of my night-owl social life that I had. I kind of regret it now, because I learned some amazing things and wish that I had written down my thoughts and experiences more frequently. Hakuna matata.

Since getting married, I had done a great job about writing in my journal once a week. I would write on Sundays either after church or just before going to bed and it worked! I was able to write every week and only missed a week if I was sick or too tired, but then I would usually try to catch up the next day. I was so impressed with myself and figured I had it made.

Sometime in July, I had the desire to start writing every day. Every day? thought I. How and when will I manage that? Am I even interesting enough to have something to write about every day? Well, I decided that I would write as often as I could and not feel bad if I only wrote once a week. However, the more I wrote, the more I enjoyed writing. It was easier and easier to write - and a new habit was formed. I write in my journal every night. Sometimes one page, sometimes more than that. Occasionally my entry consists of a list of things I did during the day, but I also try to share personal insights and feelings about experiences. I have grown to really love it.

I found it very interesting that I started the pink journal above a few days before we got married. It documents most, if not all, of the experiences that we shared in the first two years of our marriage. I have now filled it all the way, and I am starting a new journal a few days (give or take) before we welcome our first baby - another life-changing experience. I feel as though I was inspired to write more often so that I could have a new, fresh start with this new experience.

:) Have I mentioned that life is good? Cuz it is. :)

Book Review: A Timeless Romance Anthology (Autumn Collection)

Reading this anthology was a lot of fun. I loved that the each story was short enough that I could read it in one sitting, but long enough to really develop the action and suspense. Getting a variety of authors and writing styles in one collection is really a rarity, but I appreciated each author's contribution to the anthology. Each story was unique and different from the others, and the quality of the Timeless Romance Anthologies is unmatched.

Here's a quick bit about each of the stories in the collection:

A Hound Dog Named Elvis by Heather Horrocks

The cute dachshunds - named Elvis & Priscilla - are the connecting links bringing their owners together once again after a year of separation. This story was humorous and romantic, with just enough suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat.

Eye for an Eye by Stephanie Black

False accusations, unclear motives, and an unseen enemy lay inside this story. Very suspenseful throughout and filled with twists and turns as the bigger back-story is slowly revealed.

First Heist by Heather B. Moore

The action/adventure feel to this story made it more than 'just another' suspense story. The main characters are undercover agents in Jerusalem and it is clear that the author really knows her stuff.  There was also just the right amount of romance to make it exciting and believable.

Letter for Two by Sarah M. Eden

I have to admit, this was my personal favorite. I'm all for suspense and drama and will read Agatha Christie-quality stories any day. However this story was wonderful to read because the action wasn't dangerous. It is about a letter delivered 60 years after its postmarked date and two friends trying to find out to whom it belongs. Very romantic, mysterious, and exciting.

Silver Cascade Secrets by Rachelle J. Christensen

Murder mysteries always give me a special thrill. In this story, two strangers are brought together by a common appreciation for gardening and get involved with trying to solve a murder. The end result was different than expected and the entire story was a joy to read.
 

Chocolate Obsessed by Annette Lyon

Anything with chocolate in it has to be good, and this story was no exception. The romance in this story was top-notch, blossoming between two unlikely figures and the action didn't let up until the very end. It was a thrilling ride through Manhattan that I loved.

FIND HERE ON AMAZON
FIND HERE ON GOODREADS

My review of the Winter Collection HERE

Staying Busy

I think I have done a great job at staying busy these last two weeks. I was worried that the last month of my pregnancy would be the slowest and most miserable. However, I have put off doing so many things for so long (i.e. "I don't need to do this or that until November") that now I have lots to do and it keeps me busy. Because I am busy, (purposely having planned one thing per day to do to get ready for baby) the days go faster, hence - the last month hasn't been the slowest month. In fact, it seems to have been one of the faster ones. That is good and bad because suddenly I find myself wondering if I'm really ready. :)

Other people have been busy, too. We have received three hand-made baby quilts. (One we actually got a year or so ago, but that's still keeping busy!) I want to show you them, because they are beautiful and perfect:

One from my Grandma Pearson (who made me a quilt when I was a kid which I still have & love) :

One from Sister Slaugh in our ward (snowpeople! the cutest!) :

And one from Sister L that I could have sworn I had a picture of, but apparently I don't and so I will show it to you sometime later. Probably when there is a cute little baby all snuggled up in it. :) (So, Sister L, don't hate me for not showing it off. I will. So there.)

Such talents. I love it and can't wait to wrap our bundle of joy up in these gorgeous gorgeous quilts. Yay!

Monday Thoughts

-- I love Hypnobabies. I was talking to a friend of mine who is due to have a baby any day now and she was telling me how nervous she is for birth. This is her first baby and she is praying she doesn't need a C-section and that she can get rid of her cold before the baby comes. She sounded so unsure about what was going to happen. It helped me to realize that I'm not afraid to give birth. I am excited. I feel powerful and confident and I know that the birth will be amazing. I owe a big part of this confidence to Hypnobabies and the affirmations that I listen to every night that help me keep thinking positive.

-- I also love our midwife, Donna Young. She called me the other day just to check up on me. How many healthcare professionals will actually call their patients to make sure that things are going well? Our last appointment went great and so she had no reason to believe that anything would change. But she knows that we are getting close to a baby coming, and so she called to make sure that I still felt great and didn't have any questions or problems. Wow. I am so grateful for her care & consideration.

-- I have done really well throughout this pregnancy with making sure that I get up and get ready every day. Starting about week 30, I decided that I would wear sweats once a week and so I have been doing that on the day that I stay home all day. It's lovely. And I decided just the other day that every day after 40 weeks I will most likely be in sweats. Because I can be. So there. :) It will be awesome.

-- Doing baby laundry is SOOOO much more fun than doing my own. The hard part is when I am trying to match up little pink baby girl socks that all look the same. Maybe I will show you a picture sometime and it can become a game - how fast can you find all the matches? It was tough. (oh the woes of me. ha.)

-- Speaking of baby clothes, I never wanted to be that mom that posts a picture of her baby in every single outfit every single day. But after doing laundry today... Some of the outfits I know I won't be able to resist taking a picture or two or three of baby girl in. I hope you'll forgive me & that I don't get annoying.

-- Singing in the Forgotten Carols is very different from being Stage Manager. I keep catching myself looking for sound and light cues in the music. Old habits die hard I guess.

-- Although there are very obvious reasons that I wish that Cold Stone was up and running, there are some not so obvious blessings that have been brought to our attention from it not being up. Such as (and this is the biggest, most important one for me at this exact moment): Daniel will be with me for 100% of our birthing time. I won't have to worry about whether or not he is at work when all the fun begins and whether or not he'll get someone there to work for him and then him driving crazy through town to get to me in bad weather (or even good weather). He will be with me the whole time and I know that I will need him. I am positive that God knows that and so that is one of the reasons that Cold Stone is not up yet. It is a testimony to me that Heavenly Father knows my needs & wants and is blessing us in many many ways.

-- I am grateful for the peace that comes with knowing that although things are going the way we expected or planned, God is in charge and things are going the way He expected and planned. His way is the Best way and we are being protected and provided for in ways that are best for us at this time.

-- In that same train of thought, I am grateful for the earthly angels that God has sent to us. I could never list or adequately express our appreciation for everyone who has prayed for & assisted us over the last few months. We feel so humbled & grateful to know that we are so loved by God, family, and friends.

The Forgotten Carols

So... SURPRISE! Husband and I are doing The Forgotten Carols.

 

VIA 

Well, it isn't a surprise that Husband is doing it. My mom got asked to direct the choir for the second time since she did such an amazing job two years ago, and she asked Husband to do be involved in the choir. She didn't ask me, because my baby is due three days after the performance. I was perfectly happy to go watch with my littlest sisters. But... I'm singing!

What happened is this: My mom told me that one of the girls had to quit, and since there were only 4 rehearsals left, could I fill in since I already know all the music from being involved with the Forgotten Carols for three years at Snow? I said yes. I am super excited... and hoping that the baby doesn't come early. :)

In case you're interested in seeing The Forgotten Carols, the performances are on Nov. 23 at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm. It will be super fun to be on the stage again. I'm very excited.

Yay for Christmas!

Missionary Brother

My littlest brother got his mission call yesterday.

It reminded me of when my other little brother got his mission call 3 years ago. Husband and I were only dating at the time. In fact, we'd only known each other for a couple of months. I made the three hour drive to Vernal to watch him open his call and drove back to my grandparent's house in Orem where I was living later that night. It was a long day, but a very fantastic one, too.

Well, yesterday it was Brother P's turn.

First, each member of the family made their guesses. One guess state-side and one somewhere else.

Next, all of Brother P's friends showed up. Obviously this was a very different experience than when Brother T opened his mission call. He started shaking really bad as he opened the envelope and pulled out the papers.

Turns out, dearest little brother Parker is going to NEW JERSEY. Super cool, right? He is going Spanish speaking and so will be going to the MTC in Mexico on April 2, 2014 before coming back to the U.S. and New Jersey. :) Awesome.

A picture of Sister L as she face-times Brother T. Yay for technology that allowed him to see & hear all that was going on as Brother P got his call. And a blurry picture of me & Brother P. Cute little boy wouldn't hold still for anything because he was shaking so bad.

I am not freaking out as much as when Brother T got his call. I think the reason is because my mind is more all-consumed with baby right now. I'm sure I'll still cry & get super emotional when Brother P leaves and everything else gets closer, but right now my mind is divided. With Brother T, he was the next child after me and we've always been close and so it was crazy to me that he was old enough to be going and it all happened really fast. I also wasn't living near my parents and siblings, so I didn't get to hear the count-down that comes before the call like I got to this time.

I'm so proud of Parker and his decision to serve. He will be an awesome missionary - and come home to a two-year old niece who will only know him from pictures. That will be a crazy day for sure, and in fact that thought makes it a little more real for me, too. Wow. :)

Yay for missionaries!!! And brothers, too. ;)

Shifting the Paradigm of "What If?"

This is an article that is in my Hypnobabies Workbook. I did not write it so I'm not taking any credit for it. However, it is the perfect sum-up of my thoughts lately and each time I read it, I cry. I think the ideas expressed can be applied not only to birthing, but to any positive thing we want to change about our lives. I am including the article exactly as it comes out of the workbook. I hope you enjoy it!

Shifting the Paradigm of "What If?"

By Leilah McCracken

[Hypnobabies Note: This is all about how we can use the "What Ifs" in our lives to our advantage. It was written about VBAC moms and I have added Hypnobabies Notes for reference to birth hypnosis.]

We need to shift the paradigm. Instead of thinking, "What if?" in fearful ways before VBAC birth - "What if I need to transfer?" "What if my pain is so terrible?" "What if I have a rupture?" "What if my baby can't come down?" "What if I lose control?" - and so on.

[Hypnobabies Note: "What if I haven't practiced enough?" "what if my partner hasn't read my my hypno-scripts enough?" "What if I get off track during birthing?" "What if there are complications?"]

Why not think "What if?" in powerful ways? "What if I have the most beautiful experience of my life?" "What if I could actually feel a wet, mewing baby on my belly - just after birth - and fall in love with that feeling forever?" "What if I give birth and feel pure ecstasy?" "What will happen in my life if I give birth as a powerful, free woman - What will happen in my life if I claim to my right to give birth as my biological destiny impels me to?" "What if if emerge victorious, free, sentient, powerful?" "What if - what if my baby never feels anything in her first moments other than my body, and my love? "What if I push my baby out into my own hands - and pull her up - and kiss her wet head - and cry and moan and weep my joy in privacy, darkness and love - What if... what if my birth is the most loving, sweet and gentle moment of my life?" "What if..."

What will happen if we stop asking the medical profession (family, friends, horrid TV shows, and others) to feed us fear about our VBAC [hypno] births? We will finally become as powerful and wise as we are intended to be. We will finally stop rushing to be rescued, induced and C-sectioned. We will change the way the world spins...

What if - what if the women reading this think what I'm saying is radical and strange? What if ... what if they understand that birth can be the most fantastic catalyst of love in the universe - What if they give the births of their dreams - and feel raw beauty, love and power ... What if they go on to teach others the sweetness and beauty of what birth really can be?

What if ... the very future rests on our blissful, ... empowered ... "What if's."    

Weekend Events

First of all, I have to mention that I am ridiculously disappointed in myself for not taking pictures this weekend after making a special effort to make sure I had brand new batteries in my camera. Fail.

But it was an awesome weekend anyway.

Friday night, Husband and I went on one of our last dates pre-baby. We had a gift card to go to Wendy's, and we debated back and forth about when we should use it. I LOVE gift cards, but it's hard for me to use them because I always think I'll want to use it later. However, we realized that we only have a couple of weeks until Baby comes and we should use our gift card to go on a date and have some one-on-one time outside of the house before we have to have a babysitter to do such things. So we went and had a blast. Plus, my mom gave us a coupon to use and so we only paid 87 CENTS for our meal. Boo-yah.

Saturday, I woke up early and left with my mom and sisters to drive out to Provo & Salt Lake. First, we stopped in Provo at a dance store to get sister M new pointe shoes. Next, we stopped at Shopko in Orem where my mom bought a bunch of Halloween and Fall time decorations for 90 percent off. Winner winner. Last, we drove up to Lehi and my aunt's house where my aunt was hosting a baby shower for me.

I cannot tell you how blessed having that shower and seeing everyone who came made me feel. It meant the world to me to have my family there, and Husband's family there, and a couple of my friends were there, too. I went into that baby shower having close to nothing for our baby (a few 5-8 lb onesies, a pair of pjs, an outfit, and a pack of diapers). I left that shower having what we need and more. We are SO blessed and I am SO grateful for my aunt's inspiration from God that led her to be willing to host the shower.

We drove back home Saturday afternoon after the shower because my mom had to play the piano for a show the high school was putting on. We also went to Stake Conference (both the Saturday night adult & Sunday general sessions) and it was amazing. Other than the baby decided she was sick of me sitting on her and so she made me very uncomfortable. The spirit was very strong & I learned a lot.

It was an amazing weekend. I was reminded how blessed we are & that the Lord is aware of our needs and will always supply them - even if it isn't in the way we expected.

Blessings

Sometimes I feel a little guilty when I check Facebook and see that all of my friends are doing the 'gratitude a day' thing that happens during November. I don't do it. I'm not ungrateful, I'm just not on Facebook. But I did get thinking about what I am grateful for and what I would have said I was grateful for the first week of the month. It was hard to narrow it down to individual things because I have been made very aware of the blessings in my life lately, but I wanted to share what I came up with.


1. Daniel - Hopefully it comes as a surprise to no one that my most spectacular Husband would be first on my list. He has been the greatest support & help to me through the last several months, putting aside his own wants to help me in any and every way he can. I know that not working has been extremely hard on him, but he has remained optimistic all the way through and is always the one to cheer me up when I get discouraged.

2. Baby Girl #1 - I am sure that part of the reason I am so happy despite the trials we've been going through is because of the baby growing inside of me. She seems to know just when to move around and do silly things to make me smile. I am so excited to meet her face-to-face & tell her every day what a huge blessing she is in my life.

3. My parents - We would have been in a much worse situation beginning a couple months ago than we are. We have my parents to thank for that. They have been supportive of us and our decisions and have been helping us out along the way until Daniel gets to work again. I am so grateful for their love and care and all they do for us - including letting us eat dinner with them frequently and borrow their movies. :)

4. The Gospel of Jesus Christ - Without the hope & peace the Gospel brings, our lives would be very different. It is because of the knowledge that we have a loving Father in Heaven who is watching over us, protecting us, and making sure we have what we need that we have been able to stay positive & recognize the blessings in life. We have been provided for in every way, and I know that we have God to thank for that.

5. Extended family & friends - I wish I could list everyone by name who has helped us. The truth is, there are too many. I am grateful for the gifts we have received for our baby (because of which we have not had to buy anything on our own yet), as well as for the numerous prayers & kind thoughts that touch us every day. Thank you.

6. Our warm house - I love our home. It is so warm (which is great since the temperatures have really dropped) & just perfect for us for lots of other reasons, too. I love every part of our home and I am so grateful that we were blessed to find it. Kinda weird, I know, but I am very grateful.

7. Music - My mom, Daniel, & I auditioned for a brand new choir that is being organized in the Uintah Basin. We all made it in, too! As the audition was approaching, I started playing the piano & singing more again. It's been a long time because we don't have a piano. We have a keyboard that I dink around on occasionally, but playing on my mom's piano is very different. Music has always been a huge healing power in my life, and that has been especially true over the last couple of weeks. Plus, Christmas music shows up on the radio now & then and I've stopped skipping it when it comes on my iPod and Christmas music makes me happier than almost anything else.


What are you grateful for this year?
Happy Weekend! :)

Baby Break

As you are all aware, we have a baby coming very soon. This means that I will be blogging very irregularly - especially at the end of the month. I am sure this is no surprise to anyone. I will be cuddling my baby and enjoying time with her and Daniel. Plus, there isn't an internet connection at my house, so in order to blog or do anything else I'll have to traipse through the cold and likely snow to get to my parent's house to use the internet.

However, I do promise that sometime soon after the baby is born I'll make sure Daniel puts up a picture for all you lovelies to see. :)

In the meantime, don't worry if I disappear here and there throughout the month. We are trying to get things ready for our little one's arrival and so I won't be blogging like usual. It's pretty safe to assume the baby isn't coming until the very end of the month (read: Thanksgiving or after), so if I'm not posting it isn't because she has come yet. Just so you know.

Anyway. I hope your holiday season is going well and that life is happy.

xoxo

What I wish I would have said

On the first Sunday of every month, our church has what is called Fast Sunday. It is a day where members of the church voluntarily skip two meals and donates the money they would have used for those meals to the needy. During our meeting on Sunday, time is given to the congregation to stand and bear their testimony to those in attendance. Fast Sunday is one of my favorite meetings because I love hearing the testimonies of young and old alike. The Spirit comes so strong and I learn so much.

Yesterday, I felt the need to stand and share my testimony. I chickened out. There was a steady stream of people and just couldn't get myself to take the walk to the stand and jump in line. I had a second opportunity during Relief Society, but again, a steady stream of people deterred me. I still want to share, so I figured this would be a great opportunity for me to publicly share my testimony:

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He is my Savior and that as such, He knows me personally & intimately. There is no thought or feeling I have had that He does not know about or understand. He is my Friend at all times and my Guide through trials and hardship. I know that Christ loves me and wants the best for me. I know that He knows where I have been, where I am, and where I am going. He knows how to get me where I am supposed to be in the best way so that I can reach my fullest potential. I know that Christ is protecting my family and me. I know He knows our needs and is seeing that they are met in His way and in His time so that we can learn to rely more fully upon Him. I am so grateful for the surety that I am of Christ's love for me. I know that He will never leave me alone or unprovided for. His ways are higher than mine, and as I put my trust in Him, I can become more like Him and receive all the blessings that He has in store for me. I love my Savior and I am so grateful that He cares so much for me and takes such an interest in my life. I know that He has the same love for & interest in each of His children that ever have or will live. I hope that I can always live my life in a way that will enable me to proud of the work that I did on this earth when I see Him again. I am grateful for this knowledge and the love of God that is so clear in my life. I know that the only way to true happiness is by staying close to our Savior & I pray that each of us can feel of His love. I bear testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's restored church on the earth today and that we have a living prophet who gives us guidance and speaks the words and will of Christ for His children. This is my testimony, and I bear it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Christmas!

That's right. It's the first of November and I am skipping Thanksgiving and looking forward to Christmas.

Part of the reason is because I have no Thanksgiving decorations, so I'm not excited to decorate for Thanksgiving. However I have a plethora of Christmas decorations, and so I AM very excited to decorate for Christmas.

The other part of the reason is because I'm secretly hoping that looking forward to Christmas will make the wait for Thanksgiving shorter, hence the wait for our baby shorter since she is supposed to come around Thanksgiving time. Think it will work?

Yeah... me either.

But that won't stop me trying!

Don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays, probably because of the food, to be honest. I love turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, and all the awesomeness that goes with it. So I am excited for Thanksgiving, just trying not to think about it.

I hope you have a magnificent weekend. We are house cleaning and baby-prepping. And maybe sneaking in a few Christmas tunes here and there. ;)