Finding Joy in January

I've mentioned this before, January is my least favorite month. The main reason is that January is so gray, the sky is cloudy and days of blue sky seem rare. So this year I have had this idea of finding joy in January bouncing around in my head, and as I've thought about this past week I've realized that so far so good. Let me share why.

First, in our Relief Society our ward is focusing on making "Home a Heaven" each month has a room for you to work on in spiritual, physical, financial, and emotional ways. There is a scripture that goes a long with each month and a FHE to have to work on that room. This month the room is the bedroom. This week Target had a 3-shelf bookcase on sale for $16 dollars I went a picked one up; and now it serves as my night stand, but clears all the books that I'm working on reading right now, that I have stacked throughout my room, into one place. I love it! I have also decided that I am going to finally get Shelby's room done. Do you remember that quilt I started a year and a half ago? Well, I'm going to finish it, get her room painted, paint the picture frames and shelf in her room, and get new ribbon for her mirrors, and get it done. I am working on binding her quilt and I have two sides completed, so I'm almost done. Sarah's room has also gotten some attention this week. I rearranged; hoping to make it easier for her to make her bed; I also realized her room could use a new coat of paint, that will have to wait-one project at a time.

The next thing bringing me joy is reading. I have always loved reading. I haven't set some great New Year's resolution, I just want to be healthy -physically, spiritually, and mentally. I have found some books that I am really enjoying that are helping me on that journey. I have been kind of a snob about what I will read; trying to stick with classics (not just old books, but books that have something I can learn) I'm starting to see how broad the definition of a classic can be. I was inspired by Hayley and her list of books she read last year, and I have decided to copy her and make my own list, so that I can look back at the end of the year at what I've read and hopefully what I've learned. I signed up on Goodreads this week, and like having a list like that of books I want to read, and I also like being able to get recommendations from people I know and trust, because there is a lot of garbage out there. Be prepared to hear more about the books I'm reading.

Blogging is giving me joy. I have found some blogs that I really enjoy. I have added the links or buttons on the left. I have made so many yummy things from Our Best Bites, and I love the Fashion Blog (sometimes she talks a little strange, but I found some great tutorials and tying a scarf), reading Nie Nie keeps me humble, and I love Pioneer Woman, and I love reading updates from my friends and family too. I check the blogs in the morning; its my little minute (that can turn into 30 if I'm not careful) that starts my day happy before we jump into school. I know that facebook and twitter are more popular, but I love the blog.

Finally(I know this has been long, thanks for sticking with me), last night we took Shelby to the Temple to do baptisms for the dead for the first time. What an experience. The spirit I felt last night as I was there with her was such a boost, such a confirmation of the truthfulness of temple work. The temple workers were so sweet to her, knowing that it was her first time; taking every opportunity to explain to her what was going on, why they did things a certain way, and where she should go next. Darren got to baptize and confirm her, I was so happy to be there. We learned that only the youth can do temple file names, we adults need to bring family names, just a little info for those of you that haven't done this before. I didn't know that, so I didn't do baptisms, I just watched. But, it did not diminish my experience at all; plus it was great to be able to just be there for Shelby and help her through her first time. It was a great night. I left feeling a desire to be more diligent in my temple attendance. Thank you Shelby, for getting us to the temple last night.

There it is, my Joy in January. There are also some great things to come this month that I am looking forward to. Tomorrow is Ward family FHE, and I'm really looking forward to seeing my family; we really do have a great time together (I'm using the word 'really' a lot). Sarah gets to go to 8 is great next Sunday-I can't believe she is getting baptized this year! We have Christmas Jammie pictures on the 18th, that is always chaos, but the pictures are sooooooooooooooooooooo stinkin' cute! We also get to go to New Beginnings with Shelby, having a Young Woman is a new experience; we are having a lot of firsts right now, maybe I should write about that someday.

Here's what's awesome!

I'm home alone! Well, except for the dogs. I am decorating my house for Christmas- I love decorating for Christmas, it makes me happy! I am also listening to Pandora, which I love and customizing my own Christmas playlist, way fun! It plays on the laptop in the kitchen while I work in the living room. I have been distracted playing on the computer, reading blogs and stuff, but here's the awesome part-It doesn't matter! I'm home alone and I can do whatever I want!!!!!! I went to Holiday and got me a Diet Pepsi, with 2 shots of vanilla and I have a gingerbread scentsy thing melting (its not a real scentsy smell I got it a Robert's, but it is yummy). I think gingerbread is going to be my thing this Christmas(you know how candy corn was it for Halloween). I have already bought these yummy white chocolate gingerbread balls from Target and Little Debbie gingerbread cookies, I haven't had one yet, but they are only 90 calories so I'm looking forward to that treat, maybe later. How did I manage this little gift of alone time you ask? Well let me tell ya. Darren took the girls shooting, that's right my girls are with their dad and uncles shooting guns. I've warned everyone about Sarah's difficulty keeping the commandment of "Thou Shalt Not Kill",(see this post) so let's hope that everyone comes back ok. Have a great Saturday!

Saturday Sentiments

My friend Catey does this "Making a Happy Home" thing every Monday. I have loved the idea and wanted to do it myself.

This past Monday I had a great plan that I would start with my kitchen floor. I HATE my kitchen floor. It is vinyl and has this texture to it that holds the dirt, so unless I scrub on my hands and knees with a scrub brush it has these little flecks of dirt that stay stuck to it. I know there are those of you that regularly scrub your floors on your hands and knees, I am just not motivated enough to do it every week. I like the swiffer and use it pretty much everyday the the hard scrubbing only happens once in a while. So I was going to take a before and an after picture of my floor. Well, I did scrub the floor around the back door, in front of the oven and the fridge and in front of the buffet, the spots that get really bad. I didn't take any pictures.

Then after I was finished I took my wheat, rice, and oatmeal containers downstairs to the storage room to refil them. I couldn't open the containers on my own and enlisted my brother in law, Mike, to help me open buckets. I was in such a cleaning mood that, with Mike's help, I started organizing the storage room, mostly moving buckets around. The spot right inside the storage room door is where the soda goes, and has really been a mess. I have been thinking for months that if I had one more set of shelves that could hold the soda, as well as the cleaning supplies, and paper products it would make a huge difference in that room. I was planning on going into town anyway that day, so we added Costco to our list of stops. Mike had found some shelves there that would be the perfect size and didn't cost a lot. That night Darren and Mike put the shelves together and then we organized even more. I gained so much storage space by adding the shelves the room for my food storage also expanded. I can see what I have so much better now, and will be able to tell when I need to restock much easier.


This is how my storage room lookes now. The black to the left is the new shelves. This is seriously as good as my storage room can look.

Now, after all of that, the reason I chose this as my Saturday Sentiments post is that organization makes me happy. The storage room has been one of those scarry rooms in my house that I leave as quickly as I can (not just because its really cold in there). Now I go in there and just look around. I can with peace of mind say that it is finished. To make it even better Mike vacuumed the carpet remnants that are on the floor. It looks great. I am ready for a case lot sale, and have room to put it all. That is happiness.

The best holidays ever-Saturday Sentiments

I really had the best holidays ever. On Christmas I got to stay in my pajamas until 3pm, that was the best! We watched new movies, played the wii, and napped. Later that night my family came over for dinner and I really enjoyed visiting with them and playing some Guitar Hero. Our Shipley family Christmas celebration was moved to the day after Christmas because of the snow storm that was coming. We took the kids to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point (Sarah was almost more excited about that trip than Christmas itself). At the Shipley's Brett brought his 4-wheeler and pulled the kids around on a sled, they had a great time and played outside until they were frozen. We also got the exciting news that Melanie and Dan are having a baby! We are so excited. What will the kids do when their favorite aunt becomes a mom?

I also had some fun date nights with my brothers and sisters as well as Darren's and our parents. Its so fun to get to visit without the kids running around, we get to enjoy each other and I really love that.

New Years Eve we had our regular little party. Melanie and Dan came, and so did Daniel and Mindy and their kids. We played singstar, Guitar Hero and ate. The kids love to stay up late and then explode poppers (thats what we call those things that you pull a string and they explode and shoot colored streamers all over the yard) at midnight.

New Years Day was spent putting away Christmas. Tiffanie and I worked hard for 3 hours taking down decorations and moving furniture. Nothing like moving furniture to start the year off right. I have lots of goals for this new year, but today my heart is full of gratitude as I realize how blessed my family has been this past year. We have made it through some trials we weren't expecting and I have again realized that my life is in the hands of my Heavenly Father. I want to do all I can this year to show how grateful I am for that.

Saturday Sentiments return

I loved writing my Saturday Sentiments, the problem was that I was never very consistent. I have decided that the first Saturday of the month will be my Sentiments day. I like having a place to talk about stuff that I like and is important to me. So, here goes.

This wasn't what I had in mind for today, but when I saw it on Mandi's blog I thought I would copy her (seems to be a theme for me lately-see previous post-oh well Mandi's awesome!). I read the Twilight books over the summer, and they were the perfect summer read. I want to go see the movie, but I want to go with girls (I don't think Darren really wants to see it). So anybody game for a Twilight movie night? Garrett, I know you want to see it too I bet Hayley will go with you so it looks like your being drug there. I know Mandi and Kelly already have tickets, but you could see it twice. Mandi I have 2 of my books back from my sister if you want to borrow them.




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Saturday Sentiments- I Love My Dogs!

I really do love my dogs. They are great because they are always happy to see me. I can yell at them and they still love me. All they want is to be fed and loved, and told what to do (it really does make them happy to make me happy). Yes they get obnoxious, and I'm sure my neighbors have all heard me yelling for Molly to come home a lot, but I still love them. So let me tell you a little about each of them
1. Molly
Molly is a symbol to me. We got her on September 10, 2001. To me she symbolizes what an average American family would be doing before September 11 when the world changed. Part of what made that day so stressful for me was dealing with her. I had never had a dog before (my dad believes the best kind of dog is a dead one-love ya Dad!). So as I was watching TV, pregnant and wondering what kind of world I was bringing a baby into, I was also freaking out over this puppy that was peeing and pooping all over my house. I called Darren to find out what to do, and he told me I could put her in the garage. I didn't know you could do that! If you get sick of a dog just stick them somewhere else. Whoever invented "Time Out" must have had a dog. Not long after 9/11 Darren got lost his job. We were both so worried, I wasn't always the comfort that Darren needed because here we were getting ready to have a baby, which we had waited so long to do, and now there was no job, and how were we going to keep our house. Molly didn't care that there was no job, she loved him anyway. Did I mention Molly really is Darren's Dog. She is a German Shorthair, a bird dog. She goes pheasant hunting with Darren, from what I hear she's really good. I would love to see here in action sometime. Molly is also my running/walking buddy. The moment I wake up in the morning she starts whining and won't leave my side (she's worried I will leave her). When I pull out my gray sweatshirt she starts to pull on it, that is the signal we are really going for a walk. She can tell by what I put on first thing in the morning if we are going or not, on weekends she's always a little disappointed when I don't put on the right clothes. I love Molly.

2. Keno
Next is Keno. We got him just over a year ago. Keno has issues. He thinks he is a big dog, and not the Miniature Schnauzer that he really is. So, he gets totally mad if you try to pick him up. When we first got him, we were never sure if he was playing or really mad until he bit us. We got Keno from Darren's brother, when they thought they were going to be moving into an apartment, and couldn't bring the dog. When I first saw Keno I fell in love with him, he is just so cute. Once we got him home and we learned of his anger issues I wasn't so sure I liked him. Now after lots of work with the "Dog Whisperer" (Darren) he has gotten much better. He still rushes the door when people come over and he cries like a baby because he wants to bark, but knows he shouldn't. He also screams like a girl when we take him to the vet or the groomer. The minute we walk in the door of Petsmart he won't move, so we have to carry him (did I mention he hates to be carried?). I now see what a sweet dog he really is, and he tries so hard to be good.So even if there is a lot of this (insert growling here). They really are a part of our family. If I believed in putting vinyl sticker pictures of my family on my car I would have to include my dogs.

Chickens-Saturday Sentiments

My computer says its 12:22AM so, I guess technically this is now a Sunday Sentiment. I know that when I try to get up at 7:00 to "surprise" Darren with breakfast in bed I am going to regret being up so late. But, I felt bad that I have skipped my weekly Saturday Sentiments post, and I have been wanting to write about this so I am going to just do it. I should be able to get a nap tomorrow.

There is something that I just love about chickens. I started collecting different chicken things when we moved into this house. I think its the earthiness of them. I love that I look out my window and see my neighbor's chickens. I also love the rooster/chicken stuff that friends have given me, that just makes them special. The yellow chicken on the shelf is from Mandi, and has rebar legs-so cute. The white chicken is a pitcher that Darren brought home from his mission. It is called the barfing chicken and comes with a ceremony-weird missionary stuff.

When I saw this plate rack I had to have it, and I had a great time accesorizing and figuring out what I wanted to go on the plate rack. Yellow and red are my favorite colors, so I look at this and smile.

Now, this isn't a rooster or a chicken, its a Turkey. This platter was given to my by my mother in law, it belonged to her mother. No one else wanted it-I can't imagine why. I saw it and fell in love. My Grandpa Harward was a turkey farmer in Richfield. I remember going to see the turkeys (not pleasant, turkeys flock to the fence when you drive by ugly things happen to the ones in front and they stink, but I'm talking about happy memories here). Making marinated turkey is a close to a religion in my family, and eating is the best. My grandparents and uncle's homes where decorated with all kinds of turkey things. So, I love this platter. It gives me a connection to my Harward roots, even if it came from Darren's family. Like I've said before, it doesn't have to make sense to you, it does to me, and that's enough.

Sunday Sentiments

My Saturday Sentiments is happening on Sunday this week, that's the beauty of having two days in a row that begin with 'S'.


I have a lilac blooming! We planted these lilac bushes 7 years ago with starts that we got from my parent's yard. They have a beautiful "wall" of purple and white lilacs. As a kid I loved to go out and smell them. I would always think of the the Primary song "I Often Go Walking". I love the smell of lilacs, especially when you can just smell them in the air. I had planted these bushes trying to create my own wall of lilacs beside my porch. I had thoughts of just stepping out on my porch and enjoying my beautiful flowers. Although the bushes grew every year I've never gotten any flowers until this spring! Only this one bunch, but after seven years I was so excited, and reminded of why I planted them in the first place.

Saturday Sentiments

My thoughts today aren't particularly sentimental, but its still something that makes me happy. So, sit back and enjoy a look into my twisted mind.

I love angry music. Not angry teenager, I guess I would call it melodic angry music. I've written about music before, so maybe I'm being redundant, but oh well. My favorite angry song of all time is "I alone" by Live. They are a great band for angry music, they have mellowed a bit since getting married and having kids but still good stuff. Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Nickleback (to a point, they do turn angry teenager after a while) are all good. Once screaming starts in a so called "song" I'm done, but just general being pissed off is fun.

Along with this comes the angry break- up song. No, Micheal Bolton "How am I supposed to live without you" crap. More a long the lines of "You big jerk, you stomped on my heart, don't come near me ever again." kind of song. Erasure's "Love to Hate You" is one of my all time favorite angry break up songs. I know when you think of angry music Erasure isn't exactly what pops into your head, but I'm not hear to make sense of this. I'm just telling you how it is. I'm not sure why I like the angry break-up song, its not like I've had my heart stomped on mercilessly. The closest thing I've had to a broken heart was when Darren went on his mission, that was painful, but he did come back and now here we are Happily ever after. Maybe I just live vicariously through other people, I don't think I delight in others else's pain. So, there you have it. As Jack Nicholson says in As Good As it Gets "Its not that your mad you had it so bad, Its that your pissed everyone else had it so good." or something like that.

Saturday Sentiments

My thoughts today are about scrabooking. I love it! I started scrapbooking about 6 months after Darren and I got married. My sisters in law invited me to scrapbook with them at what was then Paper Hearts in Sandy (now its Pebbles in My Pocket). I was instantly hooked and even dreamed that night about a page that I wanted to make the next time I scrapbooked. Once Shelby was born, it just got even better! I quickly recruited my mom and sisters. I don't get to scrapbook as often as I would like, but mostly because I just don't let myself (which is a whole other issue I have). I try to have a set time, but that doesn't always work. It works best for me if I have a scheduled time to meet with friends or family to scrapbook.
I've been reading a book called "The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker". It talks about figuring out what inspires you and why you scrapbook. So I have posted pictures of what is inspiring to me that I keep in my scrapbook area. I should give some credit to Mandi. The ribbon ladder was totally her idea as was the vinyl Shipley with our names on top of it. I love looking at my ribbon jars, ribbon is just happy. I was talking with Carma once about her favorite photography store, she compared it to how I would feel walking into a ribbon store. As I thought about that I kept visualizing the joy of walking into a store completely dedicated to ribbon. Now that would be FUN! Everything on the black cabinet is something I love, reminds me of someone special, or just makes me happy to look at.
Now why do I scrapbook? Well I've come to realize that I love the stories. I love to tell stories. When I look through a scrapbook magazine I hold the magazine as close as I can so I can read the stories that go a long with the picture. For me its not about all the cute stuff, however I do love the cute stuff too, but the stories are what make a scrapbook. I have lots of albums to tell lots of different stories. One of my favorites is Sarah's "I'm just 3" album. I'm so far behind chronologically that I made this album first, so that she could see pictures of herself that weren't just baby pictures. Second, because three year olds are such stinkers, but they say and do the funniest things and I didn't want to forget. When I scrapbook I look at the pictures and remember great times and how much I love my family no matter how crazy they have made me that day. To me that makes scrapbooking special.

Saturday Sentiments

Friends.

This has been one of those weeks where I have been compelled to be humble. Having good friends is what has helped me get through. When I was having a particularly rough day I called Darren and my sister, and then went to visit Mandi. Talking to each person really helped brighten my day. Jenny sent me a great email that helped me a ton. I also got to say a quick "Hi" to Ashley as she walked past my kitchen window one morning. I got to spend Friday afternoon with Tiffanie and Liz, and just being with them was a great lift. Then, Friday night I went scrapbooking with my friends Carma, Daina, and Katie. Tiffanie spent the day here today during her open house, it was great to have her here especially since Darren was gone all day.

All of this time with friends has helped me to understand that we can't get through life alone. We need each other. Its funny to me what having this blog has done for me, its helped me connect with my neighbors in a way that I never have before. Sometimes I feel like I am short on friends, but since I started this blog and read my friends blogs I feel like we have more of a connection. Its silly to live by people for 7 1/2 years and it takes the computer to feel close to my neighbors. I guess through the wonder of the internet we can be there for each other when we have a minute to check and see how everyone is doing. I love it.

I want to thank all of you for the moments that you have been there for me. You may not even know how much you all mean to me. The times that you have made me laugh or shared something that was just what I needed to help me with what is going on in my life. Thanks.

Saturday Sentiments on a Monday/Topaz Mountain

I want to first thank everyone for your response to my last post. I was totally in a mood, and writing it down does help me feel better, I'm just usually not so public about admitting faults. It really is nice to know that I'm not the only one that struggles with these things.

Now, onto other things. This weekend we went to Topaz Mountain with some friends, and family. Darren had taken the scouts there last fall. Afterwards, he and the other leaders wanted to take their families back for another trip. We had a great time! We went the the Davis', Fletchers, and Palmers(even though we didn't really see them much) and Darren's brother Brett, and his family. Brett brought his 4-wheelers that everyone loved, especially the kids. Even Sarah learned to drive, and Shelby quickly became a pro. We dug, sifted, and broke rocks looking for Topaz, and found some really nice pieces. I'm wondering what do do with them now. (Jared, do you have any ideas-hint, hint?)

I'm combining this with my Saturday Sentiments because it really made me happy to spend time with my family and friends. I thought about how happiness really can come from small things, like sitting in the dirt looking for things that sparkle. The time spent together and relationships that are strengthened are priceless treasures.

I also have a new appreciation for how hard my parents had to work when we went camping as a family. The kids, just enjoy themselves while parents are preparing meals, setting up camp and everything else. But, its so worth it to watch them have a good time.

I really love camping, as long as I don't have to sleep on the ground, can stay warm, and have a toilet. I am really looking forward to our next trip. Darren is already scoping out new rock hounding spots!

Saturday Sentiments

I'm sticking with Saturday Sentiments for now, since that seems to work.

1. I can't decide what to call this first one, since its a combination of two things. I love bright colors, they are just so happy. My girls rooms are painted yellow and pink, and (when they are clean) their rooms are just happy. My favorite colors are yellow and red. The second thing is, I love the outdoors. I love nature, I love a beautiful sunset. I think I get this from my dad. When I was a teenager sometimes I would wake up in the middle of night, wrap up in blanket (made by my grandma-that could be another sentiment) and sit go sit on the patio and just think, and get my head head quiet and calm. When we bought this house I was so excited to have a yard, a place to sit outside and enjoy the quiet, Eagle Mountain is great for finding peaceful spots. The problem is we have a small yard, and an ally that runs down the back, I never felt like I had any peace in my back yard. I am so excited that we were able to get a fence this year! So, I am working on creating my own peaceful backyard where my kids can play and I can just go and sit outside and think. So I have decided to paint my old porch swing, and when I saw these bright pillows I knew they would be just the thing.

2. Music. Music makes me happy. There is nothing like a song to improve my mood, or to recall a memory, or help me feel like I am strong and can handle what is before me. I took piano lessons for 8 years when I was younger, and I was feeling so bothered that I couldn't sit down and play anymore that in September I decided to start taking lessons again. Progress is slow, its been 18 years since I took lessons, but I like playing. I even have a few Hymns that I can play pretty well. For those of you that have heard me play in Relief Society, those songs don't count, because I never got to practice them before I played them. Shelby also takes lessons I love listening to her practice. I have also chosen songs for my playlist that I feel are "me" and express how I feel or that make me happy. Hopefully all of you will listen to For Good, because I think of my friends when I hear that song.

Well that's it for today. I have written a ton this week, but it has been so much fun.