One HOT weekend!

I didn't realize just how sunkissed I was getting this weekend! I normally don't burn but since it was my first time really spending any time in the sun so far this summer, I probably should have been a little more careful! HAHAHA well now I have some very interesting tan lines (they were more like red lines) I made this homemade pizza Monday night and wanted to take a picture thinking it was funny how the crust ended up nearly 3 inches thick, but I think the joke was on me and my "red lines". Check those arms out! (not visible in the picture is the ring of red from my watch, on my chest, and at my knees. I figured I probably shouldn't pose nude just to show you my awesome lines!) ;)
And YES for all you wondering this really is a pizza! I was trying to make a chicken alfredo pizza, similar to my favorite pizza in the world from The Pizza Factory, but it ended up more like a casserole...still tasted yummy though!

Happy America Day....Land that I LOVE!

Did anyone else have 3 days full of 4th of July fun?! We had such a blast this last weekend hanging out with family and celebrating our wonderful country's independence. With Jeremy and I both having experienced living in a foreign country for a long period of time we've really come to appreciate just how blessed our lives are for living in America!

We started our celebrating on Saturday but BBQing and playing at Eagle Island with Jeremy's family. It was a beautiful day! Not too hot and not too cold!

The boys all played bocci ball. . . (Jeremy's dad's favorite game, probably because he always wins!)

Us girls relaxed and soaked up the sun. . .a little too much sun I would find out later in the day. :) This is my sister-in-law Erin and her two girls Kelsey and Halley.

After the park we headed to a little podunk town called Melba where we watched fireworks. For being an itty-bitty town they sure do put on a good show! This was our second year coming and they didn't let us down. The only thing that would have been nicer is if it wasn't FREEZING outside! Kinda weird to have to be in a sweater and snuggled up in a blanket on the weekend of July 4th.

On the actual 4th of July we all headed up to Jeremy's brothers house in Emmett where we went to church with his family and joined in their ward BBQ after church...yummy! Then we headed out to "the island" and played around until "the big bang" fireworks show started. Yes I was a little skeptical about how good the show would be...this is Emmett, Idaho we are talking about...but....it was pretty good! The fireworks were great I just hope they do a little better job with the music next year.

This is us waiting for "the big bang" to start. These pictures aren't great because we just used Jeremy's phone but oh well. Beats having to carry the camera around, and with my luck I would loose it somewhere.

Relaxing on the blanket with my sister-in-law Brittany. She actually got to start the fireworks show and had her picture taken to put in the Emmett newspaper...yes, this is a very small town!

I had a blast hanging out with my nieces. They are very entertaining! We watched airplanes, birds, and then mosquitos fly above us. Kelsey and I talked all about kindergarten and her High School Musical backpack. Then we spent nearly an hour seeing how many knots we could tie in a single blade of grass. She LOVED it and actually got really good at tying knots. Her record was 8 knots! The whole experience made me really want to be a mommy....*sigh*....some day.
On Monday the 5th we woke up super early and went to our ward's celebration! We had a big outdoor breakfast, a visiting firetruck from the station next door and then the kids all decorated their bikes and rode around the parking lot in a little parade. It was pretty fun.

While our country has it's fair share of troubles and problems I'm so grateful to be a citizen of the United States of America! This is truly a country where if you work hard your dreams really can come true! If I could choose to live ANYWHERE in the world I would still choose America...with many vacation homes in other countries! I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

Back to Crafts

So I haven't done a cute craft in a couple months but had the urge earlier this week. So, I remembered my mother-in-law had given me a magnetic board framed in unfinished wood. And, this is what I did to it! (Okay don't judge me, this is an awful picture! But hopefully you can kinda decipher what it is). Crazy what you can do with a little paint, craft paper, and modge podge! It was a fun and easy craft and can't wait to put it up in my craft room!

What next?

Well after looking at some of my favorite craft blogs I really fell in love with this unique table runner. It's made out of doilies! I think it's just too adorable, and will be scanning the thrift stores for different shapes and sizes of doilies in the coming days!
What do you think? Are you working on anything fun? Do you have any awesome craft ideas?

Tender Mercies

"I delight in the Lord's mercies and miracles. I know that His tender mercies and His miracles, large and small, are real. They come in His way and on His timetable. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Jesus's disciples on the Sea of Galilee had to toil in rowing against a contrary wind all through the night before Jesus finally came to their aid. He did not come until the "fourth watch," meaning near dawn. Yet He did come. My testimony is that miracles do come, though sometimes not until the fourth watch." -Sister Susan Tanner I never cease to be amazed at how my Savior KNOWS me. He hears me when I cry, when I speak, and when I plead. He knows when I'm happy, when I'm nervous, and when I'm sad. I've known this since I was a young girl, but have been continually reminded of it, of which I am so grateful.

Just yesterday I was reminded that His miracles ARE real. I woke up yesterday feeling very bad for myself. I had an ENORMOUS weight on my shoulders. I was in tears for most of the morning before composing myself and making my way to work. . . and that's when the miracles started happening.

-Starting next week I will be working 40+ hours a week as opposed to 20, until grad school starts! Being the sole provider right now, that translates to us not being thrown out on the streets and actually being able to eat!

-My amazing employer offered to pay for the entire cost of getting my mandatory child care worker license. (That's $73 I saved)

-Jeremy was offered yet another grant of $3,000! (He already has scholarships/grants that cover tuition, so this one goes straight to us)

-One of our monthly bills was just decreased!

-And. . . the air conditioning in my car has been working wonderfully without the terrifying squeling sound that generally accompanies it.

I could go on an on about the miracles that have happened in only the last 24 hours. I'm just so grateful to know that my Savior loves me and that in my "fourth watch" he knew my pain and exactly what to do to relieve me of my burdens. I'm so grateful for my new-found peace and lightness.

Oh Sweet Silence

I've had a lot on my mind lately and feel like life has been too busy to really contemplate about my goals and what I would like to accomplish in the coming months.

Do you ever feel like there's just too much noise or always something clamoring for your attention. . . Yes I know I sound like a mom with a bunch of small kids. But if you count all the kids I work with at the gym I do have hundreds of kids!

Between work, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, paying bills, spending time with friends and family I have been finding myself falling into bed at night exhausted and not having spent a single moment alone in silence to really re-coop or contemplate. I've been in need of some heavenly guidance but haven't made time to tune out all distractions and listen for answers.

SOOOOOO..... I decided this week that I spend a lot of time in the car and I could use that time a lot wiser to be alone with my thoughts and really think about how to find "the joy in my journey" more effectively.

And that lead me to the difficult decision to TURN OFF my radio whenever I was in the car!!!! That's pretty big for me 'cause I REALLY enjoy singing at the top of my lungs in the car. But not this week. . . Just silence. . .Me ALONE with my thoughts and a lot of talking to my Heavenly Father.

4 days down and. . . It's been AMAZING! I feel calmer, more confident and refreshed.

"A quiet mind cureth all." -Robert Burton

"Silence is more musical than any song." -Christina Rossetti

So what do you all do to find some alone time amidst your crazy days?