Home

"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." (Maya Angelou)

I've always told Jared that I just want our home to FEEL like home. It doesn't have to be "beautiful" or "spotless". I'm ok with cute and organized/clean enough if that means it feels like home to my family, especially my children and their friends.

Our house was first on the appointment list for the people we rented it to. They came and were so excited they wanted to rent on the spot. But they went to their other appointments anyway, just so they could see what was out there.

When they came back we talked and found out they just couldn't forget our house. Anyone who has seen our house knows it isn't fancy, but I think it is cute and perfect for us. They said the reason they had to come back was because... "It just FELT like home."

Whew!

Got our house rented today. Such a relief. I've been showing it a minimum of once a day and up to 4 times in one day, as well as taking 10-15 phone calls each day. But we found the right fit for our house and for us, so it was worth the wait.

Have the new place all lined up, the paperwork is officially done.

Pre-move survey of our home done.

Baby-sitter lined up for the girls while we pack, load, clean and unload. (Thank you, Mom! You're the best!)

Hotels lined up for the interim nights.

Change of address completed with Post Office.

My last sharing time is almost completely planned and ready.

Now on to the last minute errands, repairs, random packing, shopping and cleaning...

So close!

Robbed

Went out to my van this morning and something felt weird when I opened the door. It was an eery feeling. And I looked around and noticed papers moved, a drawer opened and a fuse on the floor. Then I saw the gaping hole where our portable DVD normally is.

Seriously?! Yep, I'm still fuming.

They broke in, disnegaged the alarm and took it. I'm sad about the DVD player, but I'm especially sad that Emma's 4 favorite movies were in the case.

I did get the last laugh, however, when I found the piece of the cord that plugs into the cigarette lighter they must have broken off in their hurry, so I don't think they'll even be able to use it. And some of the movies in there were church movies, so I doubt they'll be keeping and watching them. Which means they will probably throw all of it away somewhere. Wish I knew where so I could get it back.

I just feel really violated to think someone went through my things. Such a weird feeling...

Lazy Baked Chicken

Tonight I wanted to try something different for dinner, but didn't want to go to the store for extra ingredients or do much work. I might just feel like that every night. :)

Anyway, I decided to try a recipe I found called "Lazy Baked Chicken." Sounds perfect, right? It was! Jared and his brother loved it. And my girls devoured it. As for me? I used chicken thighs and don't really love dark meat, but I still thought it was delicious. I just used regular chicken stuffing and probably more butter than it called for but it was great!

4 boneless chicken breast halves OR 8 boneless thighs
2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 c. herbed stuffing mix, crushed
4 tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking dish with foil (for easy cleanup). Mix onion powder with stuffing mix. Dredge chicken in butter, then in stuffing mix, pressing to coat thoroughly.

Place meat in prepared pan. Drizzle remaining butter over the chicken. Bake 25 to 30 minutes for breasts, 35 to 40 minutes for thighs (meat should not be pink). Makes 4 servings.

Bookworms

Emma and Maddie LOVE their books. They will probably have to be the last thing we pack because no naptime/bedtime is complete without a stack of books at least this high...

Under 100

I have a little countdown over on the sidebar that I notice every once in a while. Today it went from 3 digits to 2- only 99 days! I'm 26 weeks! Crazy! So maybe we should be getting closer on a name, right? Ha! Our list changes weekly, sometimes daily. I'll probably put up a poll one of these days for some input, but I think I just really need to meet this little guy to decide.

We only have 10 days left here in Twin. We moved here right after getting married. Jared's job is the only one we've ever really known. We've been in this house almost our entire marriage. Which means we've also been in the same ward almost the whole time. Both our children were born here. So many of my closest friends are like family because they don't have family in town, either. I'm going to miss so much here.

But I am so excited for the move, too. A new job for Jared, better benefits, closer to family, a new baby and a new house! I can't wait to move into the new house and share pictures! It is so cute! There will be lots more room and it is a perfect way to start our new beginning. (This is a picture of part of the food storage room! Can't wait to fill those shelves up!)

I'm also glad that I will get to have Jared sit by us in Sacrament Meeting. Maddie saw Jared 2 weeks ago on the stand and gave me a wondrous look and exclaimed, "Dad!!" I didn't realize until then that she didn't think he was even there all those months. That's all she's ever really known.

Anyway, to end my ramblings, I thought I better say Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads in my life. I have been blessed to have loving grandpas and a great father-in-law. Their work ethics and love for their families is inspiring. I'm especially grateful for my amazing dad who has does so much for me and has always been my #1 fan. I'm lucky to have him. Even on his most tired days he always took time to play or read to me. I can even keep him on the phone for 30 minutes now. ;) And what in the world would I do without Jared? He's the best dad to our girls that I could ask for. I don't have to drag him away from football games or video games or anything else to get him to help out. He just does it because he loves being a dad. And I love watching him because I know what having a dad like that in your life does for you. It truly means everything. So thank you!

Official Announcement

Now that Jared has given notice at his current job and has officially accepted his new job, we wanted to let you all know we are moving to Pocatello! We will be moving the 1st of July. We are going to really miss our friends here, but we are so excited for this new change in our lives!

We are going to rent our house here, so if you can help us spread the word, we would really appreciate it!

3 bedrooms
1600 sq. ft.
Large, fenced yard w/ garden space & mature shade trees
2 Family Rooms
Gas Heat
Appliances: Oven, dishwasher, garbage disposal, refrigerator
Washer/Dryer Hook-ups
Large laundry room w/food storage space
Pets Negotiable
$875/month + $800 deposit

Control

I like to think I'm in control, that I can direct my life in the direction I want to. But lately, through a series of events that cannot be explained or labeled as coincidences, I have realized I am not in control. Heavenly Father has much bigger and better plans in mind.

I haven't been able to get Proverbs 3:6 out of my head, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

So true.

Sunshine

There hasn't been a lot of sunshine around here lately. We have random days and hours here and there, but for it already being a week into June, the sun is sadly lacking. I should mention that I am secretly grateful since I may possibly die of heat this summer with the pregnancy and all. And I actually really love the rain. I especially love that I have had to do very little watering of my yard and how green and beautiful everything is.

My cousin started a gratitude blog, and as I've been reading her posts, I can't help but think of the things I'm grateful for.

Today I'm grateful for new adventures. I can't wait to see where this summer takes us.

Freebies(or almost)

As the weather gets nice, I start dreaming about taking our family somewhere exciting for a vacation. It always sounds like fun but time/money restricts us. When we have free weekends or holidays we spend them around here or with our families. Sometimes I still think of all the things that would be "more fun" to do even around home like taking the kids to the movies, to dinner, to a carnival, and other things like that. Those things are fun, but as we've tried to stick to our budget, we've found ourselves still coming up with plenty of fun. Our kids don't know the difference and we still make some great memories. In the last month we have gone 4-wheeling, horse back riding, made homemade pizza together, swimming(we have a membership to our gym/pool through Jared's work), a city parade, to the temple grounds, to the Shoshone Falls, out for $.59 ice cream cones and playing at Artic Circle. I love my little family and that we had so much fun doing such simple things! Here are some pics of some of what we've been up to!

Someday

It seems like the last couple of years I have been playing the someday game. I have lots of good intentions and big plans, but then when it comes down to acting on them, I often play my "someday" card.

Someday when I don't have little kids. Someday when I have more time. Someday when the weather is nicer. Someday when I have more money. Someday when are callings require less of us.

I'm tired of hearing myself make this excuse. So I've been trying to change this, slowly, but it is changing. I've realized that there will always be things going on in our lives that make us busy, that allow us to make excuses.

Last year, I kept waiting for Maddie to get on a sleeping schedule. And once she did, Jared's calling became even more time intensive. Then the girls were sick. Then I became pregnant.

One of somedays that I have put an end to involves scripture reading. Several weeks ago, a speaker in church mentioned that if you read 7 pages a day for an entire year you will have read the entire standard works. I've always wanted to read all them all the way through consecutively like that, but it has always been just outside the reach of what I thought I was capable of.

This has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Jared and I have seen so many blessings come our way since making this decision. The other day I found Emma curled up on the couch with a pillow and blanket thumbing through my scriptures. She told me she was reading her scriptures and they make her happy. I love that little girl, and that she is seeing me read my scriptures on a daily basis.

One of my other biggest somedays lately is my health. It's not that I eat a bucket of ice cream every night(although right this moment that sounds pretty good:), but when I don't have the scale/waist size to help motivate me, I'm not as dedicated to a healthy lifestyle as I should be. I have hit the point in my pregnancy when I sometimes think it doesn't really matter because I'm just big anyway. Terrible logic, I know.

So remember the Fitness Challenge? We're bringing it back around our house! Jared and I are both ready for a fit and healthy summer. He lost 30 lbs with this simple little thing, by the way. I lost 13. We are big fans. So if anyone wants to jump onboard... http://danielsfitnesschallenge.blogspot.com/

I used to say that Jared and I just couldn't go to the temple together, that it is too hard to do with little kids. Just another excuse for me.

My other major someday is my house. It is so easy to put it on the back burner, and I just clean it when it needs it. But lately I have been more consistent with a morning and night routine, and checklists during the day. And wow, I am a checklist girl!! I LOVE it! Even when the house looks messy again at the end of the day, I can look at my checklist and have proof I really did do something. I like to make a game of it, accomplishing the 6 most important things list on my home list and my business list. The sooner I get the lists done, the sooner we can just enjoy the day!