Today I am Thankful For...

This little boy...

Only... He isn't so little. 

In fact he isn't little at all. 

He's been my baby, my side kick, my joy, my pain in the rear, my life, my insanity, my everything. He completes our family so much. I love the love he has for us. I love when he is in a good mood and is silly and giggling. I love how he is so proud of himself when he thinks he has accomplished such huge things such as climbing up the side of the stairs. Oh... I just love him.

Today, this first day of November. I am thankful for him.

Who wants to join me and post one thing they are thankful for each day until Thanksgiving? Are you with me???

I'm Back...

Phew... moving is a pain in the rear. I'm so glad to be done. (For now, we aren't renting forever.)

After a small glitch with Century Link we finally have the right modem and our internet is connected! Hurray.

I've got 162 emails to sort through... ack...

and I've got to get over this ick. Why is it every time we move we all end up sick? Change in the atmosphere? Who knows. But I was hoping it didn't happen this time. I was wrong.

But... I'm back... and I've got some fun things in store... and I'm loving having my own home again! Not that I didn't love being with my family!

So thanks for sticking with me~!!! I hope you're glad I'm back too!!! It seems like it's been forever!

My Sunday Thought...Every Woman Is A Daughter Of God

I strongly believe everyone is a Daughter Of God. There is this amazing Father that we have. That we used to know, that we used to live with, that we used to talk with. But it isn't all a used too. He is still here with us and he still loves us. I encourage you to find him. To get to know him. To share him with others. He is real. And one day we will be with him again. Talking to him, walking with him, living with him.

Guest Posting Over At House Of Sarager...

In case you missed it, I had the incredible opportunity at the House Of Sarager and was able to guest post during Jackie's impact week!!! Here's my post for those who didn't head over there...


Jackie! And House Of Sarager Readers!

I am THRILLED beyond words to not only have just recently met Jackie... In Person first and then in blog land... (not very often that that happens)... but to be here posting! What an amazing opportunity. And what's even more amazing is why I am here posting.

I strongly believe in what I am going to share with you. First off, I think everyone can have a huge impact on anything or anyone... it's your choice to or not... And that is what I am going to chat with you, or to you but hopefully you'll come chat back, about today.

HAVING AN IMPACT THROUGH HAVING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.

(yes, that is a period. not a but or an or or a if... it's a period.)

My name is Shannon. I  blog over at Shannon Makes Stuff... Don't let that throw you off, it's changing soon, because I don't Just make stuff. I talk about stuff. I read stuff. I eat stuff. I learn about stuff. I laugh about stuff. I raise stuff. I give away stuff. I'm married to stuff. Hey, I try to balance stuff. Don't we all?

In my life, I seem to end up surrounded by a fast paced current that could easily sweep me off of my feet and knock me back on my rear end. That is If I let it.

If you ask anyone around me what my motto or what I stand for or if life had a theme to me what it would be, I hope it wouldn't take them long to answer. And I hope there answer would go something like this:

"Stay Positive, Be Positive, Eat Positive for Dinner, and Serve Positive to everyone around you for Dinner."

That's the first thing that would come to your mind right? Well, it is now. And it will be forever more. And I want you to make it your motto too.

I have been married ten years, almost eleven. I got married at age eighteen. I chose to. It was not an arranged marriage. I dropped out of college after one year to let my husband complete his. I started working. I hated it. I did it anyways. We tried to start having kids. It wasn't as easy as we thought. We finally had kids. It was even harder than we thought. My husband graduated and became a Paramedic. Then he moved me to this hole in a rock town names Blackfoot. Yep, you've probably never heard of it. I HATED it there. I didn't know anyone. I had one young son, my husband was gone all day. Then we just couldn't make it there financially. So we moved. To St. George, in to take care of my Grandpa and so my husband could finish Nursing School. That didn't go so well either. It was cramped. It was Hard. So we moved again. This time to a Basement. It was dirty. It was old. It was dark. We had another child. It was another boy. My husband started Nursing school and left me in that basement as he moved on with his life. As he gained alot of friends. As he moved on mentally. I was left behind. Then he graduated and we bought a home. And that's where things got even harder. We bought at the top of the market. Our payments were killing us. It was hard. We struggled not to lose our home. We had another baby. Another boy. My husband applied to grad school to help secure us a future. He didn't get in. He got wait listed. Three days before school was to start he got a spot, and he left. The very next morning. I stayed and raised our three boys. I sold our home. Then I moved down to another state where I knew no one and where I didn't even have a home. We put our stuff into storage and stayed with someone from his school. Once again I was left behind. My husband lived at the school for another year. Then clinicals started and he moved to a new state every single month. I was literally alone with my three boys. Just me and them. So I moved back home into my mom's house. I left all my belongings in a storage unit. I moved in with my five siblings that still lived there. I had a room. My boys all share. They sleep on blow up mattresses. For nine months. My siblings all started to act like mom's towards my children. Then my husband finished. And he studied all the time for his test. Well this Monday he passed and we are finally moving on. We don't have a house yet. We need a car but can't afford one. But at least we made it through school.

Doesn't that sound like your dream life? It was mine. Do you know how I made it? Having a positive attitude. It makes all the difference. You know that awful story above called my life. It doesn't have to be. That isn't how I saw my life. This is how I saw and how I see my life.

At eighteen I met the man of my dreams. I chose to drop out of school and find a job that could support him so he could focus on studying. I loved the people I worked with. They made each day fun to go and see them. My husband and I were blessed with a child after trying for over a year. He was an angel sent down to us. I was able to stay at home with him. He pulled me through the times where my husband was gone. He meant the world to me. His little cries and coos. He needed me, and I needed him. My husband graduated from Paramedic School. I knew he could do it! We then found his dream job up in a little town, like he was raised called BlackFoot. He loved it there. However we decided we needed more schooling if we were going to support our little family. So we moved down to St. George where we could also help by taking care of my Grandpa. It was so fun to be able to spend that one on one time with him and let our relationship grow. After not being able to find steady work we moved back to Salt Lake where my husband got into nursing school. We lived in a basement apartment that was through the backyard of my parents house. We had another baby boy, who again brought more joy to my life than anyone will ever know. We got up every morning and walked through the backyard to visit Grandma. Right before my husband was able to graduate from Nursing School we had the opportunity to buy a home. We loved our home. It was fun to remodel it and update it. We had another child. Another boy. So different than the last three. He completed us for the time being. Then we had a whirlwind of an opportunity and my husband left to start Grad school. I was able to sell our house in record time of two weeks. We were able to get the full price we asked during the crash of the house market. We walked away losing hardly anything. We moved down to Arizona and the Lord had us wait to find a home because he had the most perfect one in mind for us. He led us right to it. And there I found the best of friends. I found my kids the best of friends. They were my family while my husband was away. I still miss them grately. We had the blessing of having my family welcome us with open arms back into their home when my husband left for clinicals. I have had the help of my parents and my siblings the last nine months to take care of my boys until my husband could join us again. We found our dream job and now we are off on an adventure of a lifetime. To settle down and start our life as a little family with three boys...

See what a difference that makes. Amazing isn't it. A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. It completely changes the way you can see things. It changes the people you affect. It changes everything. EVERYTHING.

So what are you waiting for? I'm serving you Positive Attitude for dinner. Take a little for yourself and pass it on!!!

And I'll let you in on a secret. When you have a positive attitude God seems to be everywhere. He's there holding your hand. He's there pointing the direction you should go. He's there leading and guiding. He's always there, don't get me wrong, but when you have a positive attitude you can see him there. And everything you see is through him. Because it is. It's just easier. And once you start seeing him in everything, everything becomes a little bit better and a little bit easier. And more blessings and opportunities start coming your way. Because everyone would rather be around someone with a Positive Attitude than someone who chooses a life without.

Guest Blogger. Jen-Lee From Moments By Jen-Lee

Hello Readers of Shannon Makes Stuff! 

I am so excited to be here today with you.

Thank you Shannon for the incredible opportunity!

Shannon and I were blessed to meet first in person at Deseret. She did an sweet job sharing with you about it here. I shared my thoughts on it here. And now we are blog friends! 

Usually it happens the other way around.

A little introduction, 

My name is Jenn-lee. My little slice of blog Heaven is over at Moments by: Jenn-Lee.

I am married to whom I lovingly refer to as Conan man. We have 4 beautiful daughters and I am due to have our first baby boy in the next 2 weeks or so.

We are beyond excited. (I am also a little bit nervous for a boy!)

I love to blog, craft, sew, homeschool my kiddos, travel, dream and make new friends!

So, in pondering what to share with you today I decided we all needed a little crafting eye candy and some fun craft inspiration! Especially with the holidays coming up. 

I have been scouring Pinterest, blogland, and my own little stash of ideas in binders for Holiday decoration crafts I can easily do on a simple budget and little time.

My favorite Holiday craft that immediately fills your home with a festive feel is the wonderful door wreath. The first thing  you or guests see when entering your home. A door wreath of some sort also is a great 1st impression and statement of hospitality.

I am in need want of a Thanksgiving wreath. 

Here is the wreath I created two Seasons ago. Just a basic fall color scheme.It actually matched my Christmas tree decorations for that year. Now I see it less as a Christmas wreath since I created a new theme and new Christmas wreath to match. 

(I sort of like to switch things up every few years. Makes things fun!) 

Here is the wreath for Christmas I created last year to match my gray and Fuchsia color scheme on my tree. Very simple. You can easily add any sweet little ornament or craft item from the store without having to spend alot of time creating your own.

I will stick with the gray and Fuchsia color scheme this year so all I need is a Thanksgiving wreath and then maybe in January, a winter themed one. Lots of white! 

The ideas are endless. Check these out! I found them on Pinterest or blogs.Each one made by someone so talented! I've gathered ideas of all themes and looks to help your creative brain cells out a bit. 

Image source: ItzFitz

Image source: Joann.com

Image source: Two Junk Chix

Image source: Handmade collectibles

Image source: ItzFitz

Image Source: Shanty2chic

A tutorial I LOVE for creating felt flowers is found on Purlbee with Pages Felt Flower Winter Wreath.

Image Source: Purl Bee

I used her patterns for the flowers I put on my first wreath. Super fun and easy to make. 

Her printable templates and directions are wonderful!

The project of creating your own wreath can be super easy or super difficult. Depends on what look you want.(I like the easy projects!)  For the yarn/felt wreaths you can easily spend an evening making one while watching a movie, or chatting with girlfriends. Or create one while sitting on your favorite comfy chair/sofa while rocking out to some good tunes watching your kiddos play. Beware, they will want to help! :)

Best of luck to your Holiday crafting moments! Stop by Moments anytime to say hello. 

Thanks Shannon! Hope your move is a success and that all goes well. :)

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Oh my heavens! Isn't she the BEST? she is. And she is a doll in person. Breathtakingly beautiful! I am so glad she shared all of these fabulous wreath ideas because I've been pinning like crazy to pinterest because I'm finally going to have a front door to decorate again!!! So little did she know... It's just what I needed!!!

Thanks Jen-Lee!!!

Just a few more days and I'll be back from my moving hiatus! Hopefully all will have gone well... Still having the moving company nerves here... Pray for me... Or for them that they will be fabulous and honest!!!

Guest Blogger. Ashley Jones. Yes, the Ashley Jones.

I am so excited to share Ashley with you! She is the most darling girl alive. Seriously. I had the opportunity to meet her through blog land and then she invited me to meet her in person at Deseret Book Corporate offices! I love what she has to say here and I am sure you will too!!! Thanks Ashley for helping me out while I move!

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Hi! I’m Ashley – I blog over at Between West and Main. I’m so excited Shannon gave me this opportunity to guest blog!



A couple weeks ago my older brother sent my siblings and me an email entitled, “You know you’re frugal when…” In the email he listed a few things he thought of that fall under the category of being frugal, as well as maybe a little cheap. But the gist of the email was, “It’s cool to be frugal.” I concur. What followed after was a chain of emails from my siblings throwing out tried-and-true tips on being frugal. Here are a few ideas for you to test:





1. Make enough dinner so there are leftovers for you and/or your husband/ boyfriend to take to work the next day for lunch. It is amazing how quickly eating out adds up.

2. At work each day, after you eat last night’s leftovers for lunch, take the plastic snack bags home with you to reuse. (Wash them out, of course.) (This might be border-line cheap, I know.)

3. Don’t eat out unless you have a coupon.

4. Instead of buying your husband a new pair of shoes, consider having them resoled. Give them a nice polish, and they’re as good as new.

5. If you have children, consider “retiring” certain toys. Instead of throwing the toys away and buying new ones with each child, store them in a bin and hide them from your kids. Once you have a new child in the age range of those retired toys, pull out that bin. It will be like Christmas. Or maybe only pull out one toy at a time. Give one to them for their birthday then save the rest for Christmas presents. And instead of buying new toys for their birthday or Christmas, consider putting the money you would have spent, $50 for example, into a college education fund.

6. Who cuts your husband’s hair? Who cuts your childrens’ hair? Ever considered learning the basics on how to cut guys’ hair? You could save a lot of money in your family with your husband not going out every couple of weeks to get a $12 haircut. Invest in a pair of electric trimmers or hair scissors – the investment will pay off. My mom cut my brothers’ hair all growing up, and she still cuts my dad’s hair to this day.

7. If you rip a shirt or pants, don’t just throw it away. Grab a needle and thread and mend it. My man ripped two of his nice white shirts at work a couple weeks ago – he was about to throw them away when I took them and looked at the rips. An easy fix! I quickly hand stitched the rips and they were as good as new. He saved about $60 by not having to go buy two new replacements. (Now I know why my mom made me take those home-economic classes in middle school… and I’m grateful.)

8. I know a lot of us could work on this one, me included. I don’t know how long you go between haircuts and colorings, but try and stretch it a few weeks longer next time. Try coloring your hair a bit closer to your natural color so you don’t have to go as frequently to get it touched up. Or, just stop coloring your hair and go au natural. There are so many times I wish I wouldn’t have started highlighting my hair – it is an expensive chore to keep up! The last time I had my hair done, I had her go back to my natural color, with a few small highlights, so I can go a lot longer without spending money on having it touched up.

9. I know we all love ironing (right?!), but consider buying wrinkle-free shirts for the men in your lives! Saves on your time (and remember that your time is precious) and the dry cleaning bill.

10. When I go shopping, I completely avoid “dry clean only” items. Dry clean only items for me mean I either run the risk of throwing them in the wash and ruining them, thus wasting them money I used to purchase it, or sending it to the dry cleaners and spending the money every month to get it cleaned. It’s cheaper for me to just avoid them.

11. Try becoming friends with the local library. Instead of going to the bookstore to buy new books for your kids, go to the library and check them out. A widely unknown secret is you can get DVDs at the library too! Free, free, free.

12. These are give-ins, but just in case: turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth; turn off the light when you’re not in the room; turn down the AC/ heat when you leave the house.



There are 101 other ways to be frugal. This is just the beginning. I will give you one warning: once you start being aware of ways you can be frugal or save a buck here, you’ll get addicted. It becomes a fun challenge for you to see how much you can save. And may I give one last suggestion? With the money you save here and there, consider, when able and appropriate, putting a few dollars away for you to go buy a new shirt or pair of shoes! You deserve it.


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I love this because it's true. I follow several of these and I am totally going to continue while we pay down our student loans... It is worth it... Even if I despise giving four boys hair cuts every other month... That's a lot of money we aren't spending...

Guest Blogger... The Incredible Stephanie

Okay. Blog Followers. Listen here. This gal is amazing to say the least. She's a dear friend that welcomed me with open arms when I moved to a new state knowing no one. She's incredible to day the least. I really can't express the love I have for her. She's a true gem. Thank you Stephanie for sharing your great wisdom with us. And by the way... I'm very envious of that degree you hold... And I love that you use it to be a stay at home mom! That's what I'm trying to do myself... Because you know that degree is going to be worth more to you in the life after than it is here... Knowledge... It's all we get to take with us!!! Thanks so much for sharing with us Stephanie.

So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket—the ticket that they believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about. For some, the golden ticket may be a perfect marriage; for others, a magazine-cover home or perhaps freedom from stress or worry.



There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings—we hope and seek after things that are “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.” The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event—our golden ticket—to appear.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf



I listened to these words a few weeks ago when President Uchtdorf reminded us to be patient with ourselves and “forget not” the important things in life. A friend came up to me after the meeting and told me that when she heard about the “golden ticket” she thought of me. What? That wasn’t the part of the talk I thought really spoke to me! I’m not any better an example than anyone else on this – am I?

Turns out – I am.

I thought I held my golden ticket after I was able to easily get pregnant with my daughter. I was going to be one of those moms who stayed home with her kids for 20 years, eventually figuring out how to make a little fun money, and then kick back with my husband for the rest of my days. When, after a couple of years of trying, we weren’t able to get pregnant again, I didn’t give up on that golden ticket, I became obsessed with it. Two more years of counting days, shots in the stomach, hormonal drugs, three failed fertility treatments, huge credit card bills and a major surgery left me defeated and a more than a little bitter. If I could just get pregnant, things would be better, right?

It came time to enroll my daughter in Kindergarten. I knew that meant that I needed to do something with my life beyond being a mother. Having an only child brings a new kind of guilt to the party – thinking there is just not enough work to do in the home to warrant me being a “stay-at-home” anything. I picked myself off, dusted myself off and began looking at my good life. We knew there were other ways to have children, but we didn’t want to go through the adoption process and we were done with fertility treatments. That left us with a very big “IF” on our plates. A little solemnly, we came to the realization that we weren’t getting any younger and we sold all the baby stuff and I enrolled in graduate school.

Turns out, you can swap golden tickets!! All of a sudden, my life was about being the best mom I could be to my only child, the best wife I could be to my amazingly supportive husband and creating a better me at the same time. I could do it all – and I wanted it all! I was happy as I studied hard and made sacrifices that I knew would benefit me and my family. I could finally see the light at end of the tunnel. I signed up for graduation, got my cap and gown and started applying for jobs. I was confident that my new golden ticket had arrived.

That’s when it happened. Eight weeks before graduation at the age of 35. I started counting the days again and realized that the “IF” happened. I was pregnant.

The golden ticket that I was wanting for seven and a half years, that one I had given up for a new golden ticket, was in my hands again. “Surprise” doesn’t begin to cover the emotions that began to sprout up. It was a shock to my system, a blessed shock – like defibrillator would be to someone whose heart stopped. It was traumatic to think that my golden ticket, the one I had been working so hard at for two years, was slipping away and I now needed to grasp onto the “older” golden ticket that was dangling in front of me. I never thought I would feel ungrateful to be pregnant – but there I was, wondering what this new world had in store for me.

And here I am, eight months pregnant . . . with a master’s degree. We’ve decided to hold on firmly to the “stay-at-home” golden ticket for now and I can honestly say that I couldn’t be happier. The other golden ticket has been tucked neatly away in my back pocket until it’s ready to be used again.

As much as I like planning my life and as much as I thought I knew what was best – this is the life I am living. I was determined to be happy with whatever was in store in my life – that hasn’t changed. Golden tickets come in all shapes, sizes, places and timelines – and they aren’t always the blessings you are looking for. I’m lucky that I can know a golden ticket when I see one, but I’m also grateful that a golden ticket has never kept me from becoming the person I know I want to be.

Three cheers for golden tickets and all they mean in our lives! And four cheers for the people who yearn for happiness and goodness even when their life isn’t what they planned for themselves.



Guest Blogger... Shauna From Trying To Stay Calm

Hey everyone! I'm excited to share with you another guest blogger while I transition to a new state! I smiled ear to ear when I saw this post because I just recently posted about the exact same thing over at another blog! How fun...Enjoy:) I'll be back shortly!

How is your attitude today? 
Is it negative? Is it positive? 
The difference between the two can have a profound effect on your life. Attitudes are contagious.  Are yours worth catching? Our lives become a series of habits over time, including our thinking process. You must begin each day with a choice about your attitude.


Life is too short to go about it grumpily, moaning, and complaining about how unfair it is.

Having a positive attitude helps us to cope more easily with the daily affairs of life. It brings optimism into your life, and makes it easier to avoid worry and negative thinking. 


A positive attitude leads to happiness and can change your whole life. If you look at the bright side of life, your whole life becomes filled with light. This light affects not only you and the way you look at the world, but also your whole environment and the people around you.


One thing that really helps me personally is to think of things on an Eternal Perspective. An Eternal Perspective makes every problem temporary, no matter how permanent it may seem right now.


I am thankful for all the awesome positive thoughts people share daily by clicking on my button I made below. They truly uplift me and make me smile :)

Let us all...

Choose to be happy


Look at the bright side of life


Choose to be and stay optimistic


Find reasons to smile more often 

Meditate on our blessings

Have faith in yourself and in our loving Heavenly Father and Savior

Associate yourself with happy people

Keep a daily gratitude journal

Give more hugs

Learn to master your thoughts
 

Read inspiring stories


Read inspiring quotes 

Learn concentration and meditation

Visualize only what you want to happen

Repeat affirmations that inspire and motivate you

Find something to laugh about

Make positive thinking a habit

I was excited to be able to guest post here Thanks Shannon! Hope you will all come visit my blogs :)

Shauna from 
http://www.trying2staycalm.com/
http://bookgiveaways.blogspot.com/
http://seekingsisterhood.blogspot.com/

Field Of Blossoms... Another White T-shirt spruce up...

I think this is my favorite of all the white shirts I have remade lately... and it's the last. So if you are tired of them... don't worry, I used them all up! (I will however be dying a lot of them and may post pictures once that is done... The flowers on this one are just so fun and antique and delicate.

Let's get started, shall we? You will need two white shirts. Take one of them and cut out five large circles. Mine were 4-5 inches wide. They don't have to be perfect.

Then head on over to your sewing machine. Select a stitch used to finish an edge. Each machine will be different. While you are sewing along the edge of the circle using your hands pull the fabric as tight as you can. This creates the rippled edge when you are done.

Sew all the way around all five circles.

Then take your circles and fold them in half.

And in half again.

Then sew an x in the point.

Open the circle up and it gives it a center pucker.

Then cut a strip of the t-shirt for all five flowers. They can vary in width and in length. I cut mine around 1 inch wide and 5 inches long. I also cut mine along the neckline and arm hems to give it a finished edge.

Take that long piece and sew it to the center of the flower by circling it inward as you sew.

Then place it on your shirt where you would like it and sew an x through the center.

Repeat with all five flowers. I had my flowers go up one shoulder and down the back.

And you don't have to look at me today in this shirt... Today you get to see my little sister modeling it...

I just love the flowers. They are so pretty.

What do you think? I hope you love them as much as I do!!!

My Sunday Thought...Opportunity To Do Good

All around us we have the opportunity to chose to serve. To chose to do good. I grew up with a mother who couldn't say no. If someone needed help, even if she were ill and taking care of her ten children she would have bent over backwards for them. And that has rubbed off on me. I love to serve. I love to help.

It amazes me how many good people in this world help. And choose to do good. It's amazing the things we can accomplish and the things we can do, when we choose to do good.

So I encourage you all today... Go out and DO SOMETHING GOOD. I know someone is waiting for you... and only you can help them... and God needs you to be there because he can't... Go do God's errand... Go do good! Because when you do good, good comes back to you a hundred fold.

Guest Blogger... Cocoa Shares Her Fun Mail!

I'm so excited to share with you today another FABULOUS blogger that I met recently at a blogger meet up at Deseret Book!!! I could not be here. Nine kids... a farmers wife... oh and she home schools them... poke my eyeballs out with a fork please... I could NOT do that. EVER.... She's amazing... and she looks amazing... here just check her out!!!

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Hello! I'm Cocoa. I'm a farmer's wife, mother of nine, chocoholic, homeschooler, photographer, blogger, and classical piano player. I also enjoy playing an intense game of Scrabble. Come visit me some time at Chocolate on my Cranium.

I'd like to thank Shannon for inviting me to guest post while she and her family are in transition - moving, recovering from surgery, etc. Hope they are well!

Don't you just love to get mail? A happy surprise or a hand written note can really brighten someone's day. This fast paced age of texting, e-mail, and online chatting makes those letters even more precious. Today I've got a simple, fun way to send mail to someone you love!

When my sister served her mission for our church she had a signature style for sending her letters. When anyone received a kraft colored letter in their mailbox they immediately knew it was from her. She folded the letter in a special way, added a cute label to keep it shut, and mailed it as is. No envelope was needed. Genius, right?

Here's how to fold your own.




Fold a sheet of regular sized paper (8.5 x 11 inches) in half, bringing the short sides together.




Open it up and bring in the edges to meet the fold line in the middle.




Fold the bottom up so the edge is about 2/3 of the way up.




Fold the top down so it overlaps by about an inch.




Tuck the bottom edge of the letter into the pocket of the top edge.




Secure with a label. Flip it over, address and stamp the letter. Send it to someone special!




Since the cost of a stamp covers sending two or even three sheets of paper, my sister would also include tiny notes inside the big one for my children. She would just use a half sheet or even a quarter sheet of paper for their letters, fold them the same way and place them inside the big letter before folding it up. My kids LOVED getting these tiny pieces of love in the mail.

Now go brighten someone's day. Send some snail mail!

Eleven Years Baby!

Well, I'd love to share a picture with you of me and my husband on our big eleven year anniversary today. But once again... he is there... and I am here...

Story of my life, eh...

O'well. It's all about to be done. If we can make it through the next three months, we will be good to go...

And I am so flipping nervous right now. This whole paying a moving company thing is stressing me out. Stressing me they won't treat my stuff nicely and will ruin it. Stressing me they will lose or steal my stuff. Stressing me they will overcharge me for boxing. Stressing they will lie to me with the final weight just because we estimated extremely high. Stressing me they won't pick it up on time. Stressing me that I won't be able to find anyone to stay at the storage unit until they are done picking everything up. Stressing that they won't drop it off on time.

I just need it over with. I'm stressed beyond belief. So this year... I don't have anything profound for my anniversary to share with you. No lovey-dovey lists. No looking back pictures...

Just a lot of stress... I would have much rather rented two moving trucks and moved my stuff myself.

We'll put this one in the history books as the most lame anniversary ever... That's how it's progressively gotten as the years go on...

Next year... we'll make up for it. We will. I'm demanding it.

Guest Poster: Jackie from The House Of Sarager

I am so excited to share Jackie with you! I got to meet her at my meeting at Deseret Book a few weeks ago, And I must say... She's amazing!!! I am so glad I got the opportunity and I am so glad I can share her with you...
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Hi Kids!
Jackie, from the House of Sarager, here.
{Come follow!}

I feel really strongly about this one thing.
Most times it's what gets me through the day.


So listen up.


Have you seen Meet the Robinsons?

You know the theme song, by Rob Thomas?

Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours
These small hours
Still remain

This is a song for mothers.

Being a mom is hard, I ain't gonna lie.

I may not miss

diapers

potty training

being up all night

having a child that wants to be held ALL THE TIME

But one day I WILL miss

snuggling with a baby

when my three year old says, "I'm a big strong guy!"

The kisses/hugs/smiles/waves

the smell of my baby

You can't have the easy and not the hard.

So, the next time you find yourself thinking:

"Can't this kid just leave me alone for one second?"

Remind yourself that one day you will wonder:

"Won't my child talk to me for just one second?"

I frequently remind myself,
one day, Jackie, you will look back and long for these days.

Single days.

Young married days.

No kid days.

New baby days.

Crazy toddler days.

Even crazier teenager days.

I promise.

One day, you will miss this.

Time falls away, but these small hours still remain

Yes, that's right. Another White Shirt Makeover...

If you can't tell, I'm getting pretty tired of my boring old wardrobe. I have a lot of plain shirts that I decided to make over to give it some umph... If only I could lose my tummy weight I'd feel better about how I looked in them:(. But even with that belly pouch, I'm liking the new variety... and hey, they are free. That's the best part.

So you will need a plain shirt and one in the same color to cut up. This is perfect for the stained shirts you've been holding on to. Take the shirt you want to cut up and cut strips of fabric out of them. I made mine slightly curved and they vary in length. 

Then gather the top edge of all of your strips. 

Sew them one one side of the neckline however you think is fun! Here's mine...

It's a great way to spruce up your cardigans!!! Let me know if you give it a try! I'd love to see it!