get minted

i love sending handwritten letters to people.

it's such a rare thing these days, but i try to do it very once in awhile.

and i try to have my kids do it too. just because i think it's something thoughtful i can teach them. and i'm sure grandma's and aunts love getting sweet handwritten cards. i know i would.

in comes minted.

they have the cutest stationary. and i am so in love with their journals.

one of my new years resolutions is to keep a journal.

so i ordered this cute journal and put on the front

Thankful

Have an Attitude of Gratitude

it turned out super cute i think.

i ordered a travel journal too. just for fun.

plus when you sign up through this link, you'll get a $25 credit.

i got an email a couple days after i signed up that said i could get free shipping too.

so for $7, i got two of the cutest journals around.

check it out. they would make adorable gifts.

twisted silver ... i can't stay away

i used to wear jewelry every single day.

since having kids, i don't do it as much. but i do at least wear earrings.

that's where twisted silver comes in.

i am DYING over their jewelry. i just love it.

i secretly bought myself three pair of earrings to sneak them in my stocking.

then jake kept seeing the little twisted silver boxes around the house wondering how many things i have bought from them. i don't really want to admit that, but i can't pass up a good thing. and right now, until december 20 they're offering 50% daily deals.

i seriously can't pass it up. you can get free shipping too.

check out their upcoming deals, you won't be disappointed.

i'm loving the tibet necklace and the flatiron brass bracelet.

love them!

christmas books

thanksgiving for us is never too exciting.

since we don't have family here, we usually go out to eat.

it's kind of lonely.

so i'm already looking ahead to christmas and getting excited.

one of my favorite things is reading a different christmas book each day.

the kids love it and we usually end up reading 15 books a night by the time christmas comes around. they love to read them over and over again.

here's a list of our favs. i'm hoping to add a few new ones, so leave any suggestions you may have.

merry christmas curious george

you can do it, sam

a christmas dress for ellen

yes virginia, there is a santa claus

llama llama holiday drama

Santa Claus: the world's number one toy expert

the night before christmas

the longest christmas list ever

my story of the first christmas

the christmas sweater

a wish to be a christmas tree

the berenstain bears and the joy of giving

duck and goose, it's time for christmas

bear stays up for christmas

merry christmas big hungry bear

mrs. wishy washy's christmas

merry christmas mom and dad

merry christmas stinky face

snowmen at christmas

polar express

mortimer's christmas manger

it's christmas david

clifford's christmas

maisy's christmas day

olivia claus

froggy's best christmas

a very marley christmas

i've seen santa

merry christmas, splat

shall i knit you a hat

when we're helping we're happy

we didn't do very well with day 7 of the Happy Day Prjoect.

but we will for sure do it soon. it takes a little more preparation than the others.

i think it would be fun to do on thanksgiving day or weekend. what a good way to think of others.

one of the days when we gave something to someone who is homeless, kelan was with me.

he asked me why they don't have a house. and told me we have room at our house for them. so why i don't i let her get in the front seat of the car and let her live at our house. it made me tear up, and i wish i could have. unfortunately that is not the way the world works. but it's hard to explain that to a 4 year old.

i love this image that poprocksdesign has over on etsy. my kids absolutely love this song, so i think it would fit perfect on our home. but as i was doing this project the past week i realized it is totally true. and doing service is addicting. i couldn't stop thinking about what i wanted to do next, or who i wanted to do something nice for. it wasn't the best week for me personally, and i had some lame health stuff going on. i was happy to have something else to think about instead of feeling sorry for myself. service is addictive! so try it, see for yourself how happy service can make you.

day 6

day 6 of the happy day project was to appreciate those in service.

we made some super yummy pumpkin choc chip bread and had some vitamin water ready to run out to the mail-woman. she passed our house so quick that jackson had to chase her half way around the block. i've started christmas shopping and i always do a lot of it online. i realized that our mail-woman had to get out and deliver stuff to our door a whole lot lately. i told her the other day that i was sorry, and she told me that it's just the beginning for her. she'll be getting a good work-out in the next month and a half. i don't personally know anyone serving in the military right now (at least not to my knowledge), but i really appreciate them. i think about the sacrifices they make, and the sacrifices their families make on a daily basis.

my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip recipe

2/3 C. shortening

2 2/3 C. sugar

4 eggs

1 (16 oz) can pumpkin

2/3 C. water

3 1/3 C. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

2/3 C (optional) nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips

heat oven to 350. grease pans.

mix shortening and sugar. add eggs, pumpkin, and water. blend in flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves. stir in nuts, raisins, choc chips. pour into pans.

in the small pans i get 7-8 loaves. bake for 45 min.

i dropped off a book by richard paul evans to a sweet friend of mine today.

day 4 of the The Happy Day Project was one of my favorites.

i love books, so how can you go wrong?

i'm reading unbroken by laura hillenbrand right now.

i've heard nothing but greatness about it, so i'm excited.

there's nothing i love more than wrapping myself up on the couch in my heated blanket, next to the fireplace. sipping on hot cocoa. the quietness after the kids go to bed. it's the best.

we went to the book fair at the school tonight. it made me happy that i've already instilled in my kids a love of books. i only let them pick out one book each, and it was such a tough decision for them. they wanted too many of them. here's a few of our favorites.

The Magic Tree House Series

Library Lion

Magic School Bus Series

any book by David Shannon

Guess How Much I Love You

Pat the Bunny

Leslie Patricelli books

i can't wait until december 1st to start reading our christmas books.

so happy i started the tradition. and i can't wait to add to my christmas book collection this year! any must-read christmas books you suggest?

plum district + pear tree

so excited that plum district is offering pear tree greetings today.

you can get $40 worth of the cutest stationary, christmas, cards, invitations, announcements, and more for only $20. i bought a few of these last year for christmas cards and stationary for the boys. they had really great customer service too.

if you haven't signed up before, i think you may even get $5 for signing up.

day 3 + rascal and natasha

today was day three of the happy day project.

which was give a giftcard (or two or three) to someone that's homeless.

i love love loved the post by jeanette at life rearranged.

read it. it just may change your way of thinking. cause it did for me.

oh and p.s.

did you watch the cma awards?

taylor swift was perfect as always, but i really loved rascal flatts and natasha bedingfield.

have you heard there song together? these are two of my favorites so i have to love it.

today

today we did the happy project. day two.

i used my cute postcard art from the dreamy giraffe to write a few notes.

aren't they adorable?

so excited that HowDoesShe blog is having their second birthday.

that means you can get $30 to spend at paper coterie FREE.

and you know me, i love free.

torn between two honda colors. crystal black pearl. or polished metal metallic.

opinions?

today i'm thankful for two things. more than that. but these two stick out today. #1 - that my husband has a somewhat flexible schedule. if i need him in an emergency he can tweak things to help out. #2 - pinterest. i just love it so much. i love all the inspiration. it makes my mid reel, and i love that. if you need an invite tell me. you'll soon be thankful for it too.

happy day project

i started a fun project today.

have you heard of it? it's called the happy day project.

and it's all about spreading the sunshine.

can't wait for all the fun things we'll be doing this week.

check it out, they have the cutest printables to go along with each day.

holy smokes. this rug is amazing.

i would never want my kids to lay a finger on it though.

the colors are perfect. love.

i have a new favorite brand of shoes.

and i'm obsessed.

have you heard of seychelles?

i hadn't until my girl trip earlier this month.

we were shopping at nordstrom and i fell in love.

i'm kinda picky with my shoes. and i usually don't spend very much either.

but i'm a changed woman after seeing these and buying my first pair.

they are super comfy and so cute too.

6pm always has them on sale too which is nice.

and endless is one of my favorite shoe sites to shop through. i like that they have free shipping and returns, just in case they don't fit.

i love these wedge sandals. perfect for summer.

and these pumps are adorable too. kinda sad my birthday is over, now i can't buy myself presents and feel ok about it. i'll just drop some hints to the hub for our anniversary in a few months. size 7.5

blurb book

i was super excited to see the package from blurb on my doorstep.

i was so surprised when i opened it to see how thick it was.

it is at least double the size of my last one.

but i love it. i mean really love.

it is a lot of work to keep a blog and even more work to get it printed.

i have been doing them 12 x 12. and i think i'll stick with doing that size.

i love looking through them and remembering all the fun things that i would have otherwise forgotten. and reading all the funny things the kids say and do.

decisions

a rug can change the entire look of a room.

luckily jake's in the business so he can score us one for an insane deal.

i am dying to repaint my red wall something a little more soft and subtle.

but i'm waiting to get a new rug to make sure it matches well.

this is number one on my list, i just need to commit and it's mine.

what do ya think?

i think i'm in love.

and i'm definitely in love with the fact there is no fringe.

pretty sure it's a keeper.

love this lamp from pier one.

think i want one.

and this clock is amazing in real life.

just wish it was a different color.

McCall Getaway

at the end of the summer last year we took our little family up to McCall.

it was such a fun trip that we wanted to do it again this year.

the only thing we didn't like was the price. we stayed at the shore lodge.

it was amazing, but it was also $250 a night after fees and whatnot.

so this year we're going to stay here, at the hunt lodge.

there is a deal at livingsocial. it's less than half the price.

it includes a jacuzzi suite, breakfast, cookies, and bonus for my kids....an indoor pool.

woo-hoo! it has great reviews on tripadvisor, so hopefully it will be great.

too bad it's not on the lake like the shore lodge is, but for this price i couldn't pass it up.

it must be used by june 30.

randomness

i'm so sad. one of my kids' favorite places to play, rafiki, closed. and they aren't

opening a new one anytime soon.

holy moley! i am almost done with my blurb book for 2009-2010. i remember paying around $80 the first time i made one. i just checked prices after spending hours making this one, and it is going to be around $180. WOAH! i guess i have a ton more pages, and maybe their prices went up.

do you patch your kids' jeans? or buy them new when they got holes?

jake got me the cutest prints from etsy for christmas . now i just need an ikea so i can go get their ribba frames for them. i can't find any frames i like as much. i'm so excited cause i got a utah, brazil, idaho, and california print. love them!

we got our parents these family trees for christmas this year. i think they turned

out so pretty. i want one for myself someday. my favorite thing is that the green leaves show the country/state the person was born in. it's fun to see where our ancestors are from.

i wish that i would come home one day to find this in my master bath. it's so much better than a plain builder mirror. pretty sure jake would never do it for me though.

someday i want a house with a hidden room. preferably a book room full of books and comfy chairs with electric blankets to keep me warm. this one is pretty awesome.

toys

i love when we buy gifts for the kids that get played with over and over.

here's a few that are extra popular at our house.

automoblox

have you seen them? you can take them apart and switch parts with different cars.

kel loves them. he doesn't have a ton since they are a little pricey, but i think they are

something to buy a few every now and then for gifts cause they get used a lot. i just hate

when pieces go missing.

magformers

my mom got these for the boys for christmas and they have already been played with for so many hours. kel is still a little young to follow the directions, but he makes up his own ways of making things.

Fisher Price TRIO

kel is obsessed with these. he loves to make all sorts of things. the boys always

fight over the eyeballs so they got a couple new sets for christmas. the zoo set is pretty cool and includes a lot of pieces. kelan has played with these more hours than i would have ever thought.

any popular toys at your house?

bachelor talk

what did you think of michelle on the bachelor?

wow. i am convinced she is doing this just to get attention.

she totally wants to have the villain image.

and that's exactly what she is.

i'm thinking he ends up with chantal.

and emily will be the next bachelorette. she is too sweet for brad.

that's all my bachelor talk for the week.

i'm obsessed with the color yellow right now. i just can't seem to get enough.

i love my oilcloth tablecloth, because i can just wipe it so easily.

i bought one awhile back from modern june on etsy, and i have been so happy with it.

but this one has caught my eye at anthro. i keep waiting each week for it to go on sale, but i'm not sure i will really buy it when it does. i'm just afraid the kids will ruin it. because really, there is not a day that goes by that they aren't painting, coloring with all sorts of things, playing play-dough, stamps, and everything else messy. isn't it pretty though?

clutter

i cleaned the office today. sort of.

the most annoying thing about living where we do is that there aren't basements.

therefore, there's nowhere to put storage.

i really dislike clutter, but since we don't have much storage, there's a lot of it around.

and after having these 9 frames for close to two years now, i finally got some pictures printed and hung them up. i love them. now i need to get making some cute magnets for my huge black magnet boards. it would be nice to find something cute for storing all the papers that clutter up too. plus i have a stack of scrapbook stuff that doesn't have a home. i'm telling you the clutter never ends.....

i don't want this to be a deal blog, but this is a good one.

a $20 amazon gift certificate for $10.

check it out cause it ends soon.

i seriously did over half of my christmas shopping at amazon.

love them!

groopdealz

this is THE CUTEST necklace.

it's one of those necklaces you can wear everyday, and i don't have many of those.

the deal ends today, so if you want it......get it now.

or forward the link to your hubby, as a subtle hint.

Ebates

i did a ton of my holiday shopping online. it is so much easier to not have to haul three little boys out and about, cause really they don't like to shop.

one of my favorite online cash back sites is Ebates.

have you heard of it?

it's so great. you just shop through their links after signing in, and get cash back credited to your ebates account. then every three months they will send you a check.

right now they have a referral program where if you refer three people you get $30. refer 20 people you get a flip hd, refer 50 people and you can get an ipad. the referral needs to spend at least $25, so i'm not sure how many referrals you'll actually get. but i always use this site when i'm doing online shopping. you should too!

i love how you can create your own art with this wall frame.

it has nine metal clips to hold photos, notes, postcards, or anything else you can imagine.

if jake ever took hints, he would totally get this for my birthday.

i really love this table too. i keep looking for something like this. just wish it was a cute color.

i was just thinking this would be too easy to make. maybe i don't need jake to buy it.

but will i ever get around to making it?

movies

a couple weekends ago we rented Grown Ups.

have you seen it?

it doesn't have the greatest reviews, but we were rolling.

i don't even remember the last time i laughed that hard in a movie.

after it was over jake wanted to watch it again. it was just his kind of humor.

i have been wanting to see Babies forever. better get to redbox before it's gone for good.

waiting for superman gets released feb 15. can't wait.

i still haven't seen inception. not sure i want to any more after several people have told me they hated it. it sure looked interesting.

can't believe i haven't seen the social network.

maybe i should just lock myself in my room for the weekend and have a movie-a-thon.

any other movies i should add to my list?

wooden dolls

i am sure everyone out there reads this cute crafty blog.

today's post had me giddy because i have been wanting these forever. just never knew where to get them. hopefully one day when i'm done having kids they'll still be around. or if you're up for painting your own, they sell them unpainted here.

oh and i'm so excited that a new j. crew is opening at boise towne square.

too bad jake won't be happy.

have you tried the oatmeal at jamba juice?

it is delish.

swagger wagon

i think we sold the passat today.

is it sad that a tear fell when jake told me?

it has been our car since we got married, and it has been a good one for us.

i have driven it with three kids for the past 14 months, and while they have been squished, i still hate to let it go. i am a small car kinda girl. but jake keeps telling me we all need more room.

so maybe i'm a minivan kind of girl.

have you seen the new odyssey? i saw one today, and i freaked a bit. it looks like a torpedo.

so maybe one day you'll see me in the swagger wagon.

more diligent and concerned at home

i loved this talk by elder bednar from conference in oct 2009.

he gives three ways each of us can become more diligent and concerned at home.

number one: express love and show it

pres. monson counseled: " Often we assume that [the people around us] must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. … We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.”

number two: Bear Testimony - and live it

our testimony of gospel truth should be reflected both in our words and in our deeds.

number three: be consistent

elder bednar said: "As our sons were growing up, our family did what you have done and what you now do. We had regular family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening. Now, I am sure what I am about to describe has never occurred in your home, but it did in ours.

Sometimes Sister Bednar and I wondered if our efforts to do these spiritually essential things were worthwhile. Now and then verses of scripture were read amid outbursts such as “He’s touching me!” “Make him stop looking at me!” “Mom, he’s breathing my air!” Sincere prayers occasionally were interrupted with giggling and poking. And with active, rambunctious boys, family home evening lessons did not always produce high levels of edification. At times Sister Bednar and I were exasperated because the righteous habits we worked so hard to foster did not seem to yield immediately the spiritual results we wanted and expected.

Today if you could ask our adult sons what they remember about family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening, I believe I know how they would answer. They likely would not identify a particular prayer or a specific instance of scripture study or an especially meaningful family home evening lesson as the defining moment in their spiritual development. What they would say they remember is that as a family we were consistent.

i love that because that is so much how our house is. kicking or poking during family prayer happens almost every night. made me laugh that we're not the only ones.

another season of biggest loser begins

why is it that every week while watching the biggest loser i feel like i need a bowl of ice cream, plate of cookies, or some other super unhealthy snack in front of me?

the challenge i'm doing prevents me from doing that, but i feel like i'm going through withdrawals. the show just makes me want to eat i guess.

i was excited to find out that there are two teams from utah. one from idaho too.

so i will have plenty of people to cheer on this season.

i already like arthur though, he makes me laugh.

and what about rulon losing 32 lbs in one week? craziness.

i'm kind of cheering for courtney though, she already lost 100 pounds before she got on the show.

i'm wondering about the unknown trainers too, should be an interesting season!

one of my fav reality tv shows is back on.

the bachelor.

although, i'm not a fan of brad.

but it looks like it will be a drama filled season.

who's your favorite?

of course i already love emily (the race car driver's widow),

think ashley (the first imression girl) seems pretty down to earth

can't wait to see the drama michelle (the utah girl) stirs up

and madison (vampire) seems pretty interesting. i still can't believe her teeth.

it's sad that i'm already looking forward to monday!

what lies behind us and what lies before us

are small matters compared to what lies within us.

- ralph waldo emerson

rug dreamin'

i don't really NEED a new rug, but i have been noticing some pretty ones lately.

makes me think i want a new one. and since my hubby is in the business, it may be an option.

have you seen these amy butler rugs at rcwilley?

they are PRICEY. plus they aren't SHAW, so i'm pretty sure jake wouldn't go for that.

but i love them.

this one is pretty too.

if my boys had wood floors, i would have to get this one.

i still love this persian tapestry in the kathy ireland collection. we have the lighter version, but i love the dark rich colors in this one. the only downside is the fringe. hate the fringe. with little kids and a dog, fringe won't be happening again in this house.

maybe one day.

need a harpist?

i have a little sis.

and she's a pretty cool chick.

she is drop dead gorgeous.

ridiculously hilarious.

studying social work.

and is incredibly talented.

she plays the harp, and is booking for northern utah.

check out her new website.

i can only wish that i had her talent.

jan 2

i have a few goals this year, one being that i need to meal plan a little better.

i don't understand how people can go shopping only once in a two or three week span.

bread expires and all the milk as well as fresh fruit and veggies are gone.

so i still plan on going shopping once a week or week and a half.

i'm going to have breakfast for dinner night a couple times a month and use my new waffle maker.

these waffles look super yum. and the syrup sounds even better. can't wait to try it!

i'm wondering what all the boys in my house would think about these chicken fingers.

does anyone get the new oprah winfrey network channel? i don't.

and i'm pretty bummed about it. there are some shows that i know id love.

but i'm not really willing to spend an extra $30 a month to get it.

this challenge starts tomorrow. it's the second time i've done it, and it was such a good thing for me the first time around. i'm really dreading a couple things (eating veggies), but i have to do it. for me. want to join?

date night

this past week my hubby and i went on such a fun date night.

we went to FASTLANE indoor kart racing in boise.

i had talked a bunch of smack, cause i really thought i'd beat him. i'm much more

of an aggressive driver than him, so i just thought i'd leave him in the dust.

once we got out there though it was a different story.

i was eating his dust. i still can't believe how fast they are.

can't wait to go again.

if you're looking for a fun date night, check it out!

then we headed to spoon me. we got out and there was a note on the door saying

"it's too cold to spoon."

bummer.

across the street is a new place that opened called u-swirl.

and OH.MY. it is by far the most delish frozen yogurt place i've ever been to.

they have a great selection of flavors, more than i have ever seen anywhere.

i got york chocolate peppermint, raspberry, and cheesecake. it was divine.

and i have been craving it each day since.

looks like they have locations in idaho, nevada, arizona, and more states soon.

stones into schools

i'm feeling the reading bug again.

this time it's stones into schools.

i read three cups of tea, which is the first book. loved it.

it seems that i have a stack of books ready for me to read since i haven't been in a reading mood for such a long time. read any good books lately?