In the Garden

And to think, we almost didn't even plant one this year.

We thought we were leaving, MOVING....and who know's, there is still time left in this year!

Dan is up for a promotion and a few months back he interviewed for a new position back to California. But after much consideration, I mean A LOT, we decide for now, we are ok where we are. He is still up for the promotion when an opening comes available, but we just didn't want to go back to Cali. Not right now.

The one thing we look forward to each year is planting a garden. In the past we've used the community garden but after our small garden in our yard last year, we decided we'd opt to do another one. At first, due to the very thought of moving, I didn't want to go and do ALL that work just to leave when our garden started to bloom. So I stalled a bit. Meanwhile, my sweet husband cheered me on saying "let's just plant it and see what happens". Me, I just was so hesitant. Probably because on our last round of moving, well, it was very hard. I still think about it, and the fig trees and all the work we put into remodeling and then having to move. Nonetheless, you can say I drug my feet about the whole garden thing.

One morning, Dan went out and started to till up the garden boxes and for a moment I saw his vision- Not putting our lives on hold anymore due to things that were out of our control at that time. So I gave in...and in went the garden. My sweet husband worked so hard, he even gave me a pretty new space for all of our squashes..it's sort of the spot away from home because the kids can never find us over there. Gracie is the biggest give away! Where ever Dan and I are, there sits Gracie.

I am so grateful for my sweet husbands willingness in helping this little garden thrive. We now have 18 squash plants, 9 cucumber plants, 2 butternut plants, acorn squash, broccoli, green beans, lots and lots of tomatoes (salsa here we come) onions, eggplant and asparagus.

Everyday when I look out the kitchen window I am reminded of how much I am loved and how grateful I am for the garden that almost wasn't.

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Gracie Mae

She's been home for a week now. We LOVE HER. She is by far the cutest puppy ever! With her unique color, and squishy face we couldn't be happier. She's had a really good week learning her new environment and bonding with our family. Just in a week, she's sleeping up to 7 hours in her crate, using the doggie door and mastering the stairs. She's a smart girl. Dan and I are working on the sit command, maybe in a week we can master that...she is just to distracted by play time. She's definitely a cuddle kinda girl, as she was the pup at the bottom of the pile she loves to be surrounded by a one of us, a pillow or a snuggly blanket. Today she climbed into her crate on her own for nap time...it was so so cute!! Dan and I did the whole 'Aww...how cute'.
This was a week prior to her coming home...a puppy visit to make sure Tucker would like her...

Kyle fell in love with one of the black males, but once we heard Gracie was available-we chose her...he loves Gracie just the same. I think he really wanted to replace cute Mr. Bentley....But he is now Mr. Ruger, living on a Ranch outside of town.

The kids playing with Gracie her first day home...she loves the SNOW!! Our first real snow of the season, Gracie was up to her neck running, playing and eating snow.

See...Kyle really loves his puppy! Gracie loves being carried and bundled up. I just think this is so cute!!

Dan LOVES his new puppy! This was my gift to him-a MAN DOG. The kind you can put in the back of your truck and their ears flop in the wind, or they sit next to you in the passenger seat...going to the lake, fishing, going on hikes kinda dog. Gracie adores him, from the first moment they first bonded...lots of kisses!

The second day Gracie was with us, Dan was still on vacation and I had to go back to work-at lunch time, he showed up at work with this little pup in his arms...it was so cute! All the girls at work went crazy and how cute was Dan with his little pup..he was so proud. He whisked me off to lunch, bundling Gracie in his jacket and letting her sleep in his truck...It's so cute how much he loves her and how excited he is about her.

And if by chance you are wondering, Tucker is doing just fine with Gracie. They are learning to play together, and keeps watch over her, letting us know if she's being naughty. Tucker is such a good boy-he's so gentle and loving, we are so blessed with an amazing dog!

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Speaking of Love..

Wanted to share the video and some of the pics from Krystina & Ty's wedding in August..

Thanks to the awesome Jess Curren for the awesome photos! Funny story-As I was researching photographers on a very short notice and who's work needed to be approved by my girls, I came across Jess and her beautiful work. We immediately fell in love with her and she agreed to do our photos...A few days later, I saw a post on Ty's Mom's Facebook page from Jess Curren, who just so happened to be in Ty's parents WARD. Crazy! Small world. It was so much fun and we are so grateful for her beautiful talent.

Bridals:

Wedding:

What a blessing it has been...They are so HAPPY...and doing very well living in Utah. Ty's Grandparents have a ranch, so they spend a lot of time there tending to their horses, cows and sheep. They are in Arizona at a stock show-Krystina is so excited, she gets to 'show' her first calf! I'm so glad she found her happy place, with an amazing guy who just so happens to love being a cowboy!

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Project Life 2012

Let's just start by saying that Lyndsie-Lou is my major motivator in this project! If it weren't for her, I might not ever scrapbook again. My stuff has been packed away for so long! I'd have to really dust the cob webs and search high and low for all my goods-and I mean ALL. This project gives me hope that I can finally accomplish something and feel good about it. We all take pictures, its finding a way to simplify how we do it. I believe this is the simplest way to do just that! I'm so happy that my girls are on board, especially Lyndsie-she purchased all of her kit materials in November to get started.

Look at all the new patterns..super cute!

This is the *new* Clementine kit cards...new colors, new patterns, new kit choices. Simple. Clean. Fresh.

A little motivating quote...I LOVE the words "Simplify". We all need that now, don't we.

And as a gentle reminder to *Simplify*... I can't help but think that all this time, well lack of time, lack of space, lack of places to shop, I've put too much emphasis on 'why I cant' work on my albums instead of remembering 'why I should' ... Thank you to Becky Higgins and her amazing kits, it saves me money, time, and there is no need to drive hours to a big city to find supplies. As the new year begins, I look forward to capturing our life and recording it, whether it be day by day, or month by month...just getting it done is all that matters!

5. Save time. Save stress.

The organization and design that is Project Life is already figured out for you. Different from traditional scrapbooking, there is no stress about where to place photos, which papers to use, techniques to incorporate, products to coordinate. The work is done. You just add your photos and journaling.

4. No more guilt.

Gone are the days that you feel bad about not doing something with your pictures or your kids' pictures. Now you can actually get those pictures off the computer and into a format that can be enjoyed. Project Life makes photo-displaying story-telling fun and easy.

3. Improve your skills.

Knowing that your pictures and memories are going to be preserved and enjoyed in Project Life, you will naturally improve your photography and writing skills.

2. Incredible value.

We love making scrapbooking not only simple, but affordable. You will have a hard time finding better prices for what you get, especially given the impeccable quality.

1. It's therapeutic.

Whether you add pictures and stories to your Project Life album on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even sporadic basis, you will inevitably find yourself more keenly aware of your blessings and priorities.

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I know Christmas is barely over but....

I can hardly stand my excitement for Valentine's Day!!

Did I mention that I LOVE Valentine's Day? Uh huh. Sure do. Already planning out dinner, decorations, the decor on the mantle, and treats to make the kids, and fun things to send in the mail. I love how even though my kids are older (and married), they still look forward to the celebrations of the holidays. Not really sure how or why I started the whole thing, but as the years pass, it only gets better AND the kids talk about how they will continue with the traditions as they start their own families-and they each have their own ideas on how to improve/simplify them...new fresh ideas are awesome!

One of my most favorite things to make:

You can find directions at the Idea Room...It might require some patience, but they are super cute, and well worth the effort! Last year, Krystina and I spent an entire Saturday making roses, hers of course were BETTER than mine...hahahaha! No, really she has a nack for whipping these suckers out. Try other colors, attach a dowel and place them in a small pot with moss...makes a great entry way piece of candy.

A new little something I'll be making is this adorable wreath:

This can also be found at the fabulous Idea Room!

How about a cute printable? I'm addicted to printables! Living in the middle of nowhere and not having a source for great ideas other than the internet, at times you feel as though your creative juices are drained. For me, my creativeness is what I long for, it's what makes 'me'. So I search and scour for ideas to fulfill my inner creativity. Can anyone say Pinterest? It's addicting, in a bad way...good thing I don't have a lot of time to waste so I keep it short and sweet. Back to the topic...Printables. Here are a few cute ones for Valentine's Day...enjoy!

Found them on The Fickle Pickle last year...so cute! If you want MORE..click the tab at the top that reads *FREE STUFF* I will post more in there.

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We're back!

It's been quite the year, to say the least.

It all started last year with Kyle's crazy bike ride turned horribly wrong and him ending up in a full arm cast with a very bad fracture in his wrist. In October, I end up in the E.R. with severe back pain & stomach issues which led to an infection in my pancreas which resulted with surgery to remove a terribly full stoney gallbladder. During all of this Dan and I were in the process of purchasing a home. When December rolled around, we celebrated our 23rd Wedding Anniversary, signed the closing paperwork on our house and headed to Idaho for a 2 day quick trip to move the girls home. January and February, flew by pretty smoothly.

March and April brought a medical scare with Jessica...but thankfully with a small biopsy, everything is well. We were also so very blessed when Jessica and Lyndsie hit black ice coming back from Stake Conference weekend in South Dakota-they were driving Dan's truck when they hit black ice, and crossed into on coming traffic going into a ditch and almost rolled the truck. As the truck hit the snowy ditch, it slid sideways and thankfully, the tires of the truck came away from the rims and kept the truck from rolling. Besides a few screws needing to be replaced on the bumper and the tires put back on the rims, the truck didn't take a dent-but the girls scare will forever stay with them.

When May arrived, we anticipated the arrival of Dan's parents who were coming from California for Lyndsie's High School Graduation. On the morning of the graduation, we had gone to Church that morning and noticed a rather handsome young man sitting by the wall-now mind you, we live in Nebraska and there just aren't any young single LDS young men here, and if there are, they are usually young married interns for the Church ranch. So when Sacrament was over, I quickly went to find him when one of the ladies stopped me to tell me he was SINGLE and she was going to match make with one of my 3 available girls! I kind of had my own idea of match making so I walked over and introduced myself and made small talk, then invited him for dinner the next week. I then introduced him to Krystina...He was so handsome and so nice and had such a nice smile. All I could think about was a nice friend for the girls, someone to hang out with during the summer. My thoughts quickly changed and then I said, "Hey, you should join our family TODAY for Lyndsie's graduation and dinner"..he said "sure". The morning was going so nicely and we were all so happy and excited for the rest of the day. When I got home from Church, I noticed the answering machine light blinking so I clicked the button and soon realized that my day was changing, in a way I had not hoped for. After making a phone call, I learned that my Father had passed away that morning. Sad news. Very sad. As a Mother, you want to protect your children and make life HAPPY for them. I didn't know how I was going to be HAPPY for this special day for me wasn't so special anymore. Knowing as well that my In-laws were here, I had invited a guest, and we were hosting a High School Graduation dinner with friends. Honestly, I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry until I fell asleep. Somehow though, after talking with the kids, I pulled myself together and entertained a house full of people for the afternoon. There is only one place that my strength came from..a loving Heavenly Father...he loved me so much that he surrounded me with people and my loved ones even as difficult as it was.

June, we traveled to California for my Father's Services. A beautiful VA Inurnment and a memorial with all of his friends and family. I knew my father was a great guy, but I didn't know the impact that he had on other people. The stories we heard were so needed and I was so grateful for each and every one of them.

July, wow...where to start. We had love brewing right under our roof. Krystina & the handsome young man we met on Lyndsie's graduation was now a permanent fixture in our home. One Sunday dinner turned into every Sunday and dating my daughter. It was wonderful! And if things couldn't get better, they announced their engagement to be married. Life was good. As the month came to and end, we walked our daughter into the Denver Temple for the first time. It was an amazing day as we were surrounded with family of Tyrell's...how blessed we were knowing that in just a few short weeks, we would again enter the doors of a Temple for our daughter's sealing.

Well, as one would assume, the plans were in full swing...and everyone was excited to make the trip to Utah. August came altogether too quickly! But we made it. Our daughter was sealed to her Husband on August 27th in the Salt Lake City Temple for time and all eternity. What a beautiful sealing, and a beautiful day...many friends and family traveled to be with us for this wonderful day. We are so happy for Krystina and Tyrell!

Now that life is settling down a bit, September brought new changes as well. Dan was released as our Branch President after 3 years. It was bittersweet to say the least. I am so happy to have my husband back, to have more time as a family and to have more time with him myself. That might sound so selfish, but we had so little time with his schedule. For Dan, he grew so much while he served as Branch President and our family was so blessed, even through difficult and most challenging times...but I know that through faith and with the love of our Heavenly Father, he carried us through each and every hurtle, and for that I am truly grateful.

Big things are coming...we know it, we feel it. We know that it won't be too long now that we will get the opportunity to move-we have two picks, Fort Worth Texas, or Idaho...can you guess what our top pick is..? We'll keep you posted. Until then, we look forward to sharing more of our life with you and we hope you'll stick around with us!

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