***FAVORITE THINGS FRIDAY***

Does this cute argyle sweater look like J.Crew or what? (I didn't get this since I've seen it on 2 girls in my ward already). The pink and khaki is my favorite though.
I love green. Don't know if I would wear these a lot but I love 'em.

This cute tee is available in lots of different colors and patterns. (Again, have seen it on 2 girls in my ward. Our community obviously shops there alot).
This shirt is cute on and the crochet detail reminds me of a shirt I once saw at Anthropologie.

One of my favorite places lately is Target. I've always liked shopping there because I could get lots of things with just one stop (and only one unloading of children). But it seems like lately, they're stuff is even better than normal. So, I'm including pictures of a few of my favorite finds (some I got, some I didn't). Who doesn't like finding a cute (and affordable!) pair of shoes when they stopped "buy" for milk and a loaf of bread? I love Target!

Halloween in May

Something happened last week that I wanted to blog about, but I forgot to take my camera so I decided to skip it. But then I went to Lyn's blog and she had blogged about it and guess what? Right there was a photo with two of my kids in it. So, I stole this photo from her blog (sorry Lyn. I hope we can still be friends even though you know now that I am a thief. Maybe I could pay you a royalty or something...) Anyway, Hannah is in the pink and Charlie is running through the background with his Jedi robe on.

Anyway, to make a short story really long, we celebrated Halloween in May last weekend with several families in our ward. We did a "trunk or treat" at a nearby park and the kids had a blast dressing up and running around. Who doesn't love candy and costumes regardless of the time of year? Anyway, for the full story, click here, and thanks again for the picture Lyn! I'm glad somebody else came prepared...

Guest blogger

While my younger sister is at Disneyland, I'm guest blogging on her blog. Which means mine will be a little neglected.

Imagine...

Imagine....

David Archuleta as the next American Idol.

You may say I'm a dreamer. Well, I'm not the only one.

Our miracle

Saturday night, I got a call from the primary president who told me she was planning sharing time and needed our help. She asked several kids to share personal experiences with the Priesthood and she wondered if Hannah (and CJ) would talk about her recent illness and stay in the hospital. So, we talked about it and agreed. Sunday morning, we get to Sharing Time and a few other kids talk about when they were baptized or confirmed and our P.P.'s husband talked about blessing their new baby girl (she's 2 months old and so cute!) And then it was Hannah's turn. She went up to the front and the P.P. said, "This is Hannah and a few weeks ago she got very sick and had to go to the hospital and she's going to tell us about the blessing her dad gave her before she went." And Hannah started to say, "My dad's blessing helped me to feel better." And then she started tearing up and she managed to say, "and I knew that somehow I would be okay." And then CJ talked for a minute about giving her the blessing. But I was totally in tears as I realized two things:

1. One of the greatest miracles in life as a mother is seeing your child feel the Spirit and hearing your child express their own testimony. The Spirit was strong and I know she felt that.

2. I wondered on numerous occasions why I took Hannah to the Dr. that day. My kids have been sick plenty of times before and a stomach virus is not something I would normally take to my pediatrician. Yes, she was a little more lethargic than normal and she'd been sick for several days, but I had to take all 3 kids for a "stand-by" appointment which usually means at least an hour in the waiting room. Not something I would normally do. But as Hannah said those words on Sunday, I realized for the first time that I was prompted to go. That Heavenly Father was watching out for Hannah because He loves her so much and He was answering her prayers and getting her the help she really needed (and that I could not provide for her). It reminded me yet again how much I need the Spirit to raise these kids and it made me especially grateful that CJ had given her a Priesthood blessing.

Laser Tag

We have some friends that are always doing fun things. You know the type: trips to Mexico, spring break at a dude ranch, etc. Well, excitingly, they recently invited us (and a few other couples too) to enjoy a night of laser tag. So, tonight's the night. We've got a babysitter coming and we're off for a night of hiding in the dark, sneaking up and down the smoky ramps, shooting our guns and anxiously awaiting the results. Why didn't I think of that?

***FAVORITE THINGS FRIDAY***

I am a flip-flop girl. My husband is always making fun of how many pairs I have. But when I saw these braided grosgrain flipflops from J.Crew I decided I might need another pair. And they're on sale...

I also definitely have a sweet tooth and although I'm not usually that into ice cream, I recently tried this flavor and can't get enough. The graham cracker swirl is heavenly. I have to buy them in single serving sizes or it scares me to think I could eat in one sitting... If you haven't tried it yet, let me know what you think. Yum!

Stephenie Meyer

This is Stephenie Meyer's latest book, The Host. I really liked her Twilight series and can't wait for the 4th installment due out in August. But I saw this at the store today and almost bought it. If any of you read it, let me know what you think...

Since last Thurs., I have finished 3 books and it was really fun to really "get into" some books for a few days. I haven't done that for awhile. But now I'm tired - for me, the best time to read is after the kids go to bed and I end up staying up way too late. Plus, I think my family (the kids especially) are feeling a little neglected. What books are you reading lately?

Shoes

I don't know about other 18 month-olds, but my little girl is OBSESSED with shoes. She spends lots of time every day putting her shoes on and then taking them back off and when you take your shoes off, she WILL find them and she WILL wear them (and I should add, she WILL lose them - at least one of them). I loved this shot of her in Daddy's shoes with her "I love Daddy" bib on. Too bad I left her pink crocs at Chick-fil-a today.

***FAVORITE THINGS FRIDAY***

I love this dress from Boden. And I'm pretty sure I'm getting it for Mother's Day. The surprise will be whether my DH ordered it in red, brown, white or green. Can't Wait! Then again, maybe I'm getting something else...
I also LOVE LOVE LOVE my ipod this week. CJ gave me an itunes giftcard for Valentines Day and I'm embarrassed to admit it's been sitting on a shelf for months. So, two nights ago I finally decided to use it and I was up until after midnight. The amount on the card was GONE in about 15 minutes but I had so much fun searching for and listening to music. And I'm addicted to the new songs I bought. So much fun.

Happy Friday!

Have you seen this yet?

My friend mentioned this youtube song on her blog and when I checked it out, I just couldn't resist posting it here. Love it! I've had the song in my head all day!

Projects

Since today is Tuesday, Charlie has preschool and I'm home alone with only 1 child. I usually use this time to grocery shop, run errands, go to the mall, whatever. But I've been feeling SO lazy lately, so I've decided that I'm going to use at least one day a week to work on PROJECTS. I have about a million on a list. Things like:

• Going through, organizing and getting rid of toys (yes, AGAIN)


• Going through and cleaning up my children's dressers and closets


• Cleaning up kitchen cabinets and drawers


• Organizing and sorting my closet (I have SO much stuff in there that I don't wear)


• Our office (needs to be painted, needs curtains, needs a little more cleaning out)


• Clean out the cabinets in our butler's pantry


• Clean out our pantry - it's HUGE. I should actually do a post someday about my pantry. You wouldn't believe it. It's like my own mini-grocery store (if I keep it stocked, that is)

That's just a small sample. Anyway, today my project was to work on my recipes. About 2 years ago, I decided to type all my recipes and print them and make my own little recipe book. I've done lots and lots of typing over the years but I am sadly realizing it's just not ever going to be finished. So today, I'm organizing and putting all of my recipes into those clear sheet protectors and in a binder. They're not all "printed" from my computer, in fact, most are just scribbled down on scraps of paper, but I'm taping those onto sheets and putting them into my own personal recipe book. Lame, I know, but I'm so sick of shuffling through a thousand scraps of paper everytime I need a recipe. My mom's recipe for breakfast casserole is on a yellow scrap so I can always find that one pretty quick, but still, I waste lots of valuable time searching for the right scrap. I'm hoping this helps. We'll see.

By the way, I'm hosting Book Club tomorrow night and I'm trying to decide what to serve for snacks. I'm thinking maybe stuffed mushrooms and spinach/artichoke dip. Maybe something chocolate. Any ideas or suggestions?

Mother's Day Card

Yesterday we got home from our weekend getaway and while we unloaded and unpacked, Hannah and Charlie made a fort out of our two huge umbrellas. They had a blast together and we were able to get lots done. Later on, Hannah was quiet and secretive in the office and it turns out she was working on an early Mother's Day card for me. And it was so sweet, I had to share. The outside says, "ok moms use umbrelas only in rain"
And inside it says, "the best moms let their kids make tents with them. Love, Hannah"

How cute is that? It made me smile!

By the way, I have a friend who told me the other day that she hates blogs because they are so often used for bragging. So sorry if this post seems like bragging. I just thought it was a sweet thing of her to do and it made my day.