While Ladd and Ethan were away, the Girls did play!!!...in Ethan's room that is. We changed the Garden bedroom into the Game/sports bedroom. Ethan now feels comfortable in a more male setting!!! :) Here are some pics.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Weekend Project...Ethan's Bedroom
While Ladd and Ethan were away, the Girls did play!!!...in Ethan's room that is. We changed the Garden bedroom into the Game/sports bedroom. Ethan now feels comfortable in a more male setting!!! :) Here are some pics.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Cancun
I went on Ladd's business trip to Cancun, Mexico on Oct. 22 to 25. It was wonderful! We stayed at the JW Marriott Spa/Resort...beautiful! All the workers wait on you hand and foot whether you are at the pool, beach, or just walking through the front door. We enjoyed snorkeling off a neighboring island, Isla Mujeres, in the pouring rain, but nonetheless amazingly beautiful underwater!...sadly no pictures of that. We went to shops, walked the beach, played in the pools, listened to the waves from our room window each night, went to 2 banquets, danced, soaked up the sun!!! I also went to the spa for a manicure and spa pedicure...very relaxing!!! I spent way too much money, but thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!!! Sometimes it is worth it to get away!!!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Wild Cherry!!!!
Unlike my dad, this is not my favorite flavor of ice cream! :)
Wild Cherry is the name on the box of the non-permanent hair color I applied to my hair last night! YIKES!!!
I absolutely love red hair! I have always been attracted to guys with red hair and have thought women with red hair are stunning! On me....I'm not so sure. Ladd has always said, "why don't you try red" for the past 10 years or so and I never could bring myself to do it. Well, with the every increasing amount of greys on my head and the lack of money for the salon, I clipped a coupon for Clairol's Natural Instincts...or something like that...and did it myself!
I've been leery of red because I never thought I could pull off the orangey red color, so I thought I'd go with a cooler tone. Here are some pictures....you be the critic! I kinda like it...makes me feel like a different person! hahaha! Let me know what you think!
(I played with the color a bit on the photo shop...the one showing my full face is closest to what it really looks like....the others are a lot brighter than the real thing!!...fun!)
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Hardwood Floors
Yippee! Our floors are done! It is so nice to have hardwood installed...not only because I don't have to walk on plywood floorboards anymore like we have for the past YEAR, but also because we hired someone to do it!!! Sometimes do-it-yourself projects are better left to professionals. Anyway, we put in a natural finish Red Oak...it is light and airy, yet cozy. It just makes everything look so clean! Here are some pictures.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Karina Shoots Again!
Well, Karina loves photography! She especially loves taking pictures of nature as you have seen in the past....and once again she took my camera out to the backyard. she took pictures of some of our vegetable plants, some with veggies on them!..yeah! Anyway, I thought you would enjoy these...some of them may even be the same flowers she took pictures of last year, but oh well, they are still beautiful. Some of the pictures I played around with on photo shop to make some abstract art!!! Hope you like them! Once again, I'd like to frame some of these!
ps...some are blurry cuz I think the lens was foggy or she got a little close, but she is learning! :)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
We are Swimmers!
Wow! I'm going crazy with the posts here, but I thought I'd share what we have been doing this summer....SWIMMING!!! :) Yes, we are the SWIMMER WIMMERS or the WIMMER SWIMMERS, which ever way you want to say it!!! hahaha! Here are some pictures I took on their swim team picture day...it sure beats paying for the picture packages they offer! I'll have to include pictures of them actually swimming later on in the month. They have had fun swimming laps each morning and being in the meets on Tues. and Thurs. evenings. It's a very fun, laid back swim team program...I think they give out ribbons up to 6th or 8th place so that everyone is a "winner". :)
So far, Karina is the back stroke queen, Ethan excels at Freestyle and Breast stroke, and Jenika gets marks for form rather than speed!! I think butterfly and freestyle are her best strokes. Enjoy these pics! :)
To Teach or Not to Teach, that is the Question!!
Ever since having my baby, people left and right have been asking me if I will continue to teach Seminary. Answer: I don't know!!!
Honestly I have really not felt up to it and I talked to the Bishop today. He explained to me that he has been thinking about it a lot and that he is quite torn. I guess he spent an evening up at Girls' Camp and my student Janine bore a powerful testimony...he said he was really blown away by how much she had grown...Not that I had something to do with that, but that the Seminary program had influenced her.
Five years ago, while still in North Plainfield, Ladd and I began looking for a bigger house. Everywhere we looked it was soooo expensive with not much more space. We kind of gave up looking for awhile. All of the sudden in March of 2004, I felt this incredible need to move...quickly!...and to move west....well further west that is!!! That's when we looked out this way, but still it was so expensive!! We ended up coming west and north to find cheaper property. I really didn't want to be that far from the church/highway, but this location just seemed like our home. So, we moved.
The first few years here I was rather miserable....I didn't like the ward and felt very lonely. It was difficult to talk to the members, no on seemed to invite us over or call or want to be with us. I kept thinking: "Why did we move out here? why did I feel such a need to move out here? what was the point...the purpose?" I really couldn't figure out what had pulled me out this way other than the Spirit. When the Bishop called me and asked if I would be Seminary teacher I actually wasn't turned off at all by the idea....I instantly had this feeling..."this is why I am here!"
When I look back now, it seems like the Lord was preparing me to teach Seminary...my first calling in this ward was the Beehive advisor...there were 2 beehives in Young Women: a less active girl...don't even remember her name and Janine. When I was released from YW after having Alia, I was called as a teacher in the RS and to head up the Scripture Reading RS group that met at the church on a weekly basis. What does this have to do with anything? Well, I was able to get to know Janine and have her become comfortable with me and my family. I also spent a year in a teaching role, getting experience with that. And, I was also diving into the scriptures more deeply with my assignment in the Scripture group for Relief Society. All these callings lead up to where I have been for the last 2 years....teaching Seminary to Janine! Yes I have one other student, but he is from a large family and has grown up with the church in his life. Janine is an only child, joined when her mother joined and is very irregular in her church/mutual attendance....I honestly feel that I am here for her.
I know it sounds odd, but I feel it is true. I know that my family comes first, my kids should come before someone elses child. However, my children are included in most of the activities I have with my students.....they get the same rewards for reading and memorizing the scriptures, they get the object lessons I use, they share with their friends at school what I do, they share with their teachers at church the lessons they have seen me teach. They love that I teach Seminary....they want me to be their teacher when they are in Seminary (YIKES! I don't know if I could do it for that long!) Even when they filled out a questionaire about their moms for Mothers' Day, this was one of the questions: "My mother is most happy when she___________" Ethan filled in the blank "when she teaches Seminary". I was really surprised!!...that he would notice that yes, it does bring me great joy! I took down all the pictures the other day here in the study where I hold classes and all my kids were worried that that was the end! I said I was still unsure and they all said, "you have to keep doing it, we love Seminary, where will Janine go?"....etc. etc.
So, will I teach again? I don't know...I have pray about it more because my heart is telling me YES and everyone around me is telling me NO! So, we shall see...the first Seminary meeting for teachers is in a week or so....I better get crackin'!!! It is definitely one of those "forget yourself and go to work" callings!
Honestly I have really not felt up to it and I talked to the Bishop today. He explained to me that he has been thinking about it a lot and that he is quite torn. I guess he spent an evening up at Girls' Camp and my student Janine bore a powerful testimony...he said he was really blown away by how much she had grown...Not that I had something to do with that, but that the Seminary program had influenced her.
Five years ago, while still in North Plainfield, Ladd and I began looking for a bigger house. Everywhere we looked it was soooo expensive with not much more space. We kind of gave up looking for awhile. All of the sudden in March of 2004, I felt this incredible need to move...quickly!...and to move west....well further west that is!!! That's when we looked out this way, but still it was so expensive!! We ended up coming west and north to find cheaper property. I really didn't want to be that far from the church/highway, but this location just seemed like our home. So, we moved.
The first few years here I was rather miserable....I didn't like the ward and felt very lonely. It was difficult to talk to the members, no on seemed to invite us over or call or want to be with us. I kept thinking: "Why did we move out here? why did I feel such a need to move out here? what was the point...the purpose?" I really couldn't figure out what had pulled me out this way other than the Spirit. When the Bishop called me and asked if I would be Seminary teacher I actually wasn't turned off at all by the idea....I instantly had this feeling..."this is why I am here!"
When I look back now, it seems like the Lord was preparing me to teach Seminary...my first calling in this ward was the Beehive advisor...there were 2 beehives in Young Women: a less active girl...don't even remember her name and Janine. When I was released from YW after having Alia, I was called as a teacher in the RS and to head up the Scripture Reading RS group that met at the church on a weekly basis. What does this have to do with anything? Well, I was able to get to know Janine and have her become comfortable with me and my family. I also spent a year in a teaching role, getting experience with that. And, I was also diving into the scriptures more deeply with my assignment in the Scripture group for Relief Society. All these callings lead up to where I have been for the last 2 years....teaching Seminary to Janine! Yes I have one other student, but he is from a large family and has grown up with the church in his life. Janine is an only child, joined when her mother joined and is very irregular in her church/mutual attendance....I honestly feel that I am here for her.
I know it sounds odd, but I feel it is true. I know that my family comes first, my kids should come before someone elses child. However, my children are included in most of the activities I have with my students.....they get the same rewards for reading and memorizing the scriptures, they get the object lessons I use, they share with their friends at school what I do, they share with their teachers at church the lessons they have seen me teach. They love that I teach Seminary....they want me to be their teacher when they are in Seminary (YIKES! I don't know if I could do it for that long!) Even when they filled out a questionaire about their moms for Mothers' Day, this was one of the questions: "My mother is most happy when she___________" Ethan filled in the blank "when she teaches Seminary". I was really surprised!!...that he would notice that yes, it does bring me great joy! I took down all the pictures the other day here in the study where I hold classes and all my kids were worried that that was the end! I said I was still unsure and they all said, "you have to keep doing it, we love Seminary, where will Janine go?"....etc. etc.
So, will I teach again? I don't know...I have pray about it more because my heart is telling me YES and everyone around me is telling me NO! So, we shall see...the first Seminary meeting for teachers is in a week or so....I better get crackin'!!! It is definitely one of those "forget yourself and go to work" callings!
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