Stay at Home Couple

Travis and I are jobless and not enjoying our Stay at Home Lifestyle. We are bored.

Last week before my family came to town we deep cleaned the apartment. And I mean Deep. (I spent 4 hours cleaning the kitchen). I discovered the power of "Mr. Clean Erasers" and there is no way I am ever cleaning the oven, fridge, shower with out one agian. It is incredible!


We also finished decorating the apartment by hanging our new pictures and shadow boxes.




Having my family for the weekend was great. We enjoyed shopping of course and crafting! We went to Porters and Down East! My mom spoiled us so much! It was great. Our cupboards are full and we loved spending time with them!

I have been sewing and working on projects I haven't finished practically everyday. I finally updated my craft blog so check it out HERE

Finally here is a pic of us together (They come far and few between!) Travis smiled so I guess I can't complain that his eyes aren't off the TV.

Clara Is Back

My little sister is living with us again and I couldn't be happier! I love her staying with us! She isn't the biggest fan of Rexburg.

I tried to get a picture with Clara. She was sad to be in Rexburg but I got her so smile eventually. We love each other!









She is just so fun and we get along great (now that were older) and it's so nice to have her company.

I made her this minkee blanket and when we went to buy the material with my mom she said it will be so nice to lay on. Clara said "ya naked" so I took this pic. She's not really naked but we love being goofballs!

Pedis with the Bestie!

Before Mindy had her baby she wanted to get her toes done. She took me for a thank you for throwing her baby shower and making her crib bedding. It was so fun to have a girl's day!

Victory!

I finished the Praxis! I felt pretty good about it even though I haven't taken a class since last July! My good friend Krystal and I took it together and we both are done with student teaching and I think we were the only ones there from our major that had graduated! We had a good time studying and having an excuse to hang out this past month or so. There were only 3 questions I had to completely guess on so hopefully that means I got the others right and passed.

Here are some tips for you that haven't taken the praxis.
*Find someone else who is taking it as well and study together. You can talk through problems and help each other
*Get a lot of sleep and eat a good breakfast
*Decide on a strategy on how you want to take the test. I did the written questions first and wrote down quick notes then answered them in full. Then I did the multiple choice. If I wasn't certain on the answer I circled the question and came back to it at the end.
*I had crazy core skittles in my pocket and popped one in my mouth when I needed a boost!
*Study techniques to reduce text anxiety as well as the topics the test covers. It helped me relax so much!
*Don't listen to rumors or talk to dramatic people before the test. It will just psych you out. Krystal and I talked about babies and crafts while we were waiting and then right before we started we motivated each other by reminding one another that we could do it!!
*Celebrate after with someone who understands what you just accomplished. Krystal and I left out hubbies at home and went to Twizel Berry together because we both knew how hard that just was!

Opal's Graduation

I am so proud of my freaking best friend Opal! She is officially graduated from Brigham Young University Idaho! I watched her walk and it was such a happy event. Hooray for her!

Travis is also done with the semester and his Associates degree! We are done with Brigham Young University and on to Washington State University for the fall! I am so proud of him and love him so much. It's been a tough semester and he is finally done. After taking 18 credits and working nights he definitely deserves a break!

Hooray for my two best friends all grown up and graduating from college and stuff!

Some days are bad

But some times a single picture can bring a smile to your face and everything is going to be alright.


I can't wait to see Abe (and my family) later this month!



and give this little one lots of loves!!

Laid off and Jobless

Today was an unlucky day.
I was let go from my job at TNT Satellite.
It is horrible timing (but like it is ever good timing right?!) But Travis looses his job next week too. (He works for the school but you have to take 12 credits to have a job at BYU-Idaho) So we are just out of luck.
SO if you know of some place that is hiring in Rexy let me know.
Prayers are welcome for our well-being.
I loved my job and don't regret it. I made a ton of friends at Wolfe Lighting and learned a lot of great office skills.
I am trying hard to be strong and am lucky to have such positive optimistic friends and family to cheer me up!
Until next time with hopefully better news... Love you all
and for your viewing pleasure.... My friend Christie's adorable dog Marley thinks he is a lap dog... A HUGE lapdog.

New Sewing Blog

Ok so I look over my family blog and realize it is being taken over by the things I've made. So I decided to move it over to a new craft blog. The blog is

watchmesew.blogspot.com

I will post pictures and instructions (sometimes if you want) on all the things I sew and make and create! So follow that blog too and check it often. I also have a link to it on the side of this blog. So let me know what you think! Spread the word! Thank you all my loyal fans!



I took these pictures of Benton last night and thought they were so adorable I had to share!

Travis and I are doing very good! We are so excited for the end of this semester so that we can go back to a some-what-normal lifestyle. Travis will have his Associates Degree in less then 2 weeks! I am so proud of him! Its definitely a tough semester for him! He is taking the most credits he's ever taken and working nights!

I am doing well also. Still working full time. My boss has given me the opportunity to write business proposals for the company each week. I am enjoying reading business articles and coming up with ways to build the company.

We are on the look out for a bulldog puppy! We have been reading and studying about them for almost a year for the chance we could finally get one! So if you know any breeders or connections we are looking into getting him in August!

Hope all is well. My mom, sis, bro and victor are coming in 19 days and I am SO excited. I miss them so so much!

New scrappy Layout

My good work friend Christie is so CRAFTY! She is amazing with paper! I had this picture I just love of travis and his Grandpa Orville. So I really wanted to make it into a page and frame it in a shadow box. Christie is especially good at making things look antique. SO I made a trade if she helped me make this page I'd help her sew a new purse. So tonight we made this page.


I took some close ups so you could see the detail! Christie is so good at attention to detail and just loved all the stuff she taught me to do! This is the first of many I am sure!

More baby crafts!

One of the sweetest girls I have ever met had a baby shower on Tuesday. I love Ashley! She is so nice. Anyways Her husband is in the Military and she is expecting a baby boy in July. I am so excited for her. I made these up this weekend for her!


I thought this fabric was appropriate! I made 1 tag blanket, 2 bibs (one blank and one says "future Hero") three burp cloths and 4 "wee wee wigwams" *tutorial by Make it and Love it*



I also made this Dinosaur! It was so adorable I almost couldn't part with it! I got the pattern is from the one yard wonders book


This is the bottom of the dino. It was so cute and could stand on its own!


All the gifts ready to be wrapped and given to Ashley! She loved them!!



Here we are! So cute two happy pregos!

Jetta

I am thankful to have a car to take me around in style. Although I am not always grateful for the bill I am thankful we have good credit and jobs to pay for it.

I have had some great memories in our car. Its been able to take us home and from state to state on all of our many travels.

I am thankful to have a patient husband that teaches me to drive better and safer. I am thankful he does most of the driving.

I am also thankful for contacts because it makes it much easier to see while driving at night!

I am thankful for Pigmataro in Everett because they had excellent customer service and such a nice showroom. We took that for granted until we had to get our car fixed in Idaho Falls. That was a horrible experience!

Green!

I love green and am thankful for Color. I thought it was appropriate for this Saint Patrick's Day to appreciate color. I am also thankful for my sight. I love my contacts and am thankful that God made his world so colorful. I love the beautiful colors in nature. I love bright clothes. I just love to see!

Reality TV

Ha Ha I have to give a shout out to my favorite TV shows... they are all reality TV. What a great invention. I am thankful for the entertainment they provide!


I love Tool Academy. It is a silly show about boys that are horrible boyfriends and Trina (this adorable british therapist) fixes them. Each week they have to earn a value badge (maturity, honest, fidelity etc) and the one that does the worst in proving themselves gets voted off. Then the girlfriend decides if they want to stay with them or finally break up! It is hilarious. They are on their 3rd season.


Next I love America's Next Top Model. If I was taller I would totally be on this show. Tira Banks is the host. They are on their 14th season and I have totally watched all the seasons... they have improved A LOT. Some seasons I've watched more than once! Love the shots the challenges and the costumes.

I love Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant. It is dramatic and real and I love to see it unfold and see how they adjust. I feel bad for them and love them at the same time. I like to think it prepares me for the future.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition or "the move that bus show" (I always forget the name so thats what I call it) I cry almost every episode because I am so so happy for the families. I love to see the things the designers come up with and the happy grateful families

I also love Secret Life of the American Teenager. Its not reality but it is so dramatic. I love it and I can't get enough. A friend of mine and I watch it and talk about it and freak out together.

High School

This is a random thing to be thankful for. I loved Highschool and it really helped me be more confident and happy. I always tried to do my best to be a good friend, to show I cared about others. I also learned so much and knew I wanted to be a teacher. I spent half the day working in a Special Education Classroom. It was so fun. I swam every year and won homecoming queen. I had so many friends. It was a great time in my life.


I am thankful I had such a great experience. I know it isn't the same way for everyone.
Here are some pictures from "back in those days"


When I got asked to Senior Prom the guy gave me a bunny. This bunny still lives at my parents house. My mom loves him. But when I was a senior I had a leash for this bunny and took him to soccer games. It was fun.

I wore this white dress to prom and then my grandma altered it and took off the the black and I wore it as my wedding dress. Going to prom and homecoming was my favorite. I always went with good friends and it was such great times.


Taking pictures of yourself. Man good times.


Seminary graduation with the best friends. Opal and Kaci! I sang a duet in french at seminary graduation!


And here is one with me in my crown. I loved dressing up purple and gold for spirit days. When I was voted I thought it was a joke. I popped out of a suitcase when I appeared in our assembly. My boyfriend at the time pulled me in a suitcase and then when he got to the middle he unzipped it and I popped out. It was so fun! The crowd was wild. I couldn't believe it!

There you go. Hope you enjoyed that little blast from the past.

Childhood

I am thankful for my Childhood.
I love to think of the past and it always makes me smile.
I have a really good memory of my childhood and almost all my memories are happy ones.
I love my mom and dad for raising me and providing for all my needs they are the best.

Top 10 Stories that come to mind Right this second

10. My dad built us a swing set. He brought this huge net from work and turned it into this tree house. I loved my backyard because there was two levels, grass and sand. We played on it all the time swinging, climbing and digging to china.

9. We had a giant white board in our shed and we could color on it.

8. We had SO much barbie and American Girl stuff. I played with it until I started dating... no joke!

7. My mom used to give us Beanie Babies when we swam our best in races. We could pick them out of a selection she had. We all had a huge collection. We were so careful with the tags so they wouldn't ruin the "value" of the toy.

6. I have a TON of cousins and extended family. We had giant major holiday gatherings at the "coco cabana" We used to play cards games and dolls in this little room. I always played with my younger cousins because my older boy cousins never let me play pool because they were a year older always changed the age rule!

5. My mom used to dress me until middle school. I wore the fanciest catalog clothes. I had these sweaters with animals and shapes and designs. I also had this rule I had to wear a skirt or dress once a week to school. She loved to match us girls. Clara hated matching so she got her "own" color. So Chloe and I would wear the same dress/outfit, Clara would have the same dress/outfit but a different color.

4. Every year we went and saw santa and got our picture taken. Santa still brings us gifts on Christmas.

3. We never had a pet (other than fish) but our neighbor had a black lab and our other neighbor had a bunny. We played with them all the time like they were our own pet.

2. Clara and I shared a bunk bed for most of our time growing up. We used to hang from the top bunk. My came in once and turned off the light. Clara said "we're bats" We laughed so hard we fell off. Once the top bunk bar fell on Clara and I freaked out and told my mom "the bunk bed fell" on her. She ran down stairs and started crying because she thought the whole bed fell on her. Then she was kinda mad when she saw Clara was playing and it was only the bar.
Years later my friend Kaci and Opal were sliding from the top to the bottom and Kaci got stuck. We laughed so hard we almost peed the bed.
Bunk beds are the best!

1. I had the best adventures with my siblings. We always made up games to play. We had the best times when we got along.

So great!!