All of My Excuses...

This is so lame that I haven't blogged in so long. First, the keyboard wasn't working and I didn't have time to go get a new one. I was packing and cleaning like a mad woman - because - Second, we decided kind of last minute to go to Utah during the kid's fall break. I had to clean because while I was gone, my niece had her bridal shower at my house.


I have to post a few pictures of the trip, then I will feel caught up and then I can get back to my non-relevant blogging. The weather was so great, it wasn't too cold. We got to see all of Alan's grandparents and Aunts, Uncles and cousins. And I got to spend some time with my BFF Nicole.


For your viewing pleasure:

Cousins
Silverlake (?) at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Whitnee, we just love this little girl.

Sydnee and Haylee, Whitnee's big sisters - we love them too!

Nicole asleep in the back seat on the way home.

Winner! and Conference...

Last night for our Family Home Evening Activity - after Root Beer Floats - I put the names of the commenters from the last post in to a Tupperware bowl and Nicole picked out:

jt - Jane from This is Us

Jane, I'm pretty sure you already get Family Fun Magazine, since I WON MY SUBSCRIPTION FROM YOU! So, if you want to get Paper Crafts Magazine or maybe a Sonic gift card - just let me know.

Thanks to everyone for your money saving advice. I especially loved Nicole's advice to only shop at Wal-Mart where you can buy lots of fun things like craft supplies, underwear etc... and it will all look like groceries in the check register. We are in a major financial crack down over here and I was going to post about how I am trying to support my husband and be frugal and all that but it is too depressing to think about/write about so I changed my mind. I'm not going to do it. I mean I'm not going to write about it - I still have to do it. Budgeting sucks.

So, lets talk about conference instead. I loved it. I needed it. I'm so glad I watched all of it. It was much better than Cats, I'm going to see it again and again. [painfully old SNL sketch] Saturday morning, my Mission President, Neil L. Anderson, spoke. His address really spoke to me and lifted me up. His voice is so familiar to me [and I have been home for a really long time] that as soon as he started talking - I felt the spirit.

He said that we don't need to know everything - we know enough. I really do feel like I know enough. I know that God lives and I know that he loves me. That is enough. I know that God wants me to succeed. That is enough. I know that when I do all that I can do, our Heavenly Father will take over. That is enough.

President Anderson also told us that faith is not just a feeling, it is a choice. I tell my kids all of the time that happiness is a choice - but I really needed to be reminded that faith is a choice as well. I can choose to have faith or I can do it on my own. President Hinckley described it like an airplane - it can run on one engine but it is much more efficient with two. We can do things by ourselves, but we can be more effective if we let the Lord help us.

I also loved when Pres. Anderson told us that as we have moments of "spiritual power", moments of revelation that we should store them up like food storage to be used when we need them. I am storing up all of the feelings I had during conference while listening to the prophet of God speak, while being moved by the beautiful music and by the inspiring words of all of the General Authorities so that I can draw on them when I need to.

Which talks are you storing up? What was your favorite?

Give Oh Giveaway... Sans Exclamation Points

The top row of my keyboard is on the Fritz... Only 5,6,- and = work. I can't type out my e-mail address or use exclamation points. I didn't realize how much I use that little key. I think I use exclamation points more than I use periods. So this post might be a little bit of a downer. Just plain old periods at the end of each sentence. Maybe I will throw in a question mark now and then to spice things up.

About a year ago, I was checking out all of the blogs on Kelly B's sidebar. Kelly B is an uber cool blogger in my ward. One of the blogs I started stalking was her sister-in-law Jane. Jane is fantastic as well - and last year she had a little give away. She gave away a subscription to Family Fun magazine and I won. I used to subscribe to Family Fun back when my kids were younger - we have loved having it again so much this year. My teenagers have been all over the experiments and fun things in the magazine. Here are some pictures that they took using a tip they found in the magazine. You just put a colored post-it note over the flash. It is awesome. Devon in Green [the instructions said a dark room works best - so that is why all of these are in the downstairs bathroom]Scary Nicole in Hot Pink.Morgan in Orange.Courtney during her Blue Period.

Devon and Courtney thought they were going to be tricky and put a pink post-it on half of the flash and a blue one on the other half - thinking that it would turn out half pink and half blue. Instead it is a little bit purple.

Anyway, my subscription is running out and I am going to renew it as well as gift one to one of you. That is right - I am giving you the opportunity to have these same good times. Just leave me a comment before Monday morning [10/5] with some money-saving advice for my next post and I will have a drawing for the winner sometime on Monday. Do it. [Please, don't put "stop giving away magazine subscriptions" as your money-saving advice]

News Flash: I got another great offer in the mail today - if you don't want Family Fun magazine I will send you my other favorite magazine {after the Ensign of course} Paper Crafts. When I draw a winner, you can let me know which one you prefer.

The afore-mentioned Kelly B is also having a give away on her blog for this fabulous t-shirt. Go leave her a comment for your chance to win. Do it.

I love the green jello mold detail.

There is one more give away I want to tell you about. A new website is giving away 24 great handbags in a couple of weeks. One bag every hour to celebrate the opening of their on-line store. You can choose the bag that you want to be drawn for. I chose this one:

Go sign up but pick a different bag so that my chances to win this one will be better. Do it.