MY first GIVE AWAY! Thanks to Yo-"Plait"

I have joined a new networking group! I am so excited about this new thing! It is so fun for me to blog. I love winning things, (although I have never won anything in my life, except for one day I guessed a song on the radio, and called in and won an All American Meal from McDonalds), and so, I want one of my lucky readers to get the chance to win something too!!!

Here is what you can win:

The yummy Yo-plait drinkable yogurt is my girls new favorite thing! She speaks in a language in-translatable when she drinks the stuff. (Sort of like her mom, making up words and stuff like that!) And, No, it has nothing to do with Dora! She doesn't even know who Dora is. But if that is what it takes to get your kids to have the Omega-3 DHA in their diet, by all means, GO Dora! Did you know, Yoplait Kids yogurt cups and yogurt drinks have Omega-3 DHA which is an important nutrient that supports brain growth during early childhood development stages? So, if you have small children in your life, this is a giveaway, you cannot afford to miss out on!!!

Rules and details:
1) You must post a comment in this post.
2) In your comment, you need to tell me, what was your favorite subject in school?
3) You are only eligable for one entry, HOWEVER... if you create a post on your blog, linking back to my blog, you can be be entered 1 more time. Just leave another comment with the link to your blog.
4) All comments must be recieved by Sunday, November 30th at 11:59pm. At that time, a winner will be chosen by random.org. The winner will recieve an email from me, and your prize will then be mailed to you.

This is my first time doing this. I have a few more prizes in the works, so be sure to check back next week, where I will be giving away 3 more prizes! If I am doing something wrong, please forgive me... it is only my first time! Also, if you are interested in doing prizes as a part of your blog, contact me, and I can fill you in on all the fun details!

My Thankfulisims!

This has been a busy week for the whole family. I really have felt like a blog slacker. Slacking at posting, and slacking at commenting! Please forgive me. My mind has been a million different directions since last week. So, let me just recap...

Last week: A group of friends, and HUSBANDS! went to see Twilight! I am thankful that our men, are so manly, that they indulge in a MAJOR CHICK FLICK for the women they love! In a theater packed with people, we had the sexiest men there. Even compared to the one on the BIG screen!

Thoughts on Twilight: If you are in the group of friends going to see it this weekend, please skip ahead, DO NOT READ this. I would hate to ruin it for you. 1) I was not at all surprised to see my googlereader FILLED with Twilight posts on Monday! 2) I hated the glittery skin! That was the dumbest, cheesiest thing ever! 3) Exactly like the book, I kept saying, "Kiss her or eat her, just kiss her, or eat her... GET IT OVER WITH!" 4) I thought the character of Jacob was too dramatic! I pictured him Indian"ish" but not Wolf"ish". He was too WOLFY for me. 5) The Cullens house was brighter, and airier then I imagined it to be. Like Bella, I figured vampires lived in dark, spooky haunted mansions. 6) Even though I didn't finish entire series, (have to say, I am not a nerdy fan like everyone else on the planet!) I did remember how I got lost in the book, and for a moment, it took me out of reality. Maybe I will continue on with the series... I SAID, MAYBE people!

On Saturday, our YW met together and made our 72 hour kits! The Young Women in our ward, are so strong, and amazing! I love them, and they filled my heart with their joy! I am thankful for them and the strong faith they have! I would love to post the pictures of their awesomness, but that may break a under 18, minor privacy law. I will post them on their blog. here are two, that I can legally post. Only damage done, MY PRIDE!

Monday and Tuesday, Nora and I traveled to a HUGENORMUS indoor water park. Their we partied with more friends! And had a blast doing it!!! Nora made super great friends! What a blast! Thank you for allowing us to crash your "Annual Kalahari" tradition!!!

I am thankful to babies, that pass out on long car trips!
I am thankful for crazy bearded friends, that keep my life silly and interesting!
I am thankful for little girls that love to play with my little girl. For them she is like a little doll, for her it is pure attention, and entertainment! And for me, it is a tiny break!

I am thankful for the one thing in my life that can annoy the heck out of me one minute, and make me leap for joy the next!
Happy Thanksgiving to all. There are countless ways for everyone to give thanks this year. For me, I know that everything I have, is due to God. Thank you!

What to say, and how to say it....

What a week filled with excitement, and wonder! We have been wondering if this is something we should blog about. It goes back a few weeks, and didn't know for sure what the outcome would be. We are still up in the air on a few things, but, after much consideration, and even more prayer, we have come to a conclusion. Joel accepted a new position with his company in Virginia. We are unsure of when we will be uprooting to go down, but the process has begun. We live in a housing market, that, well, houses just don't sell. So, our prayers will be towards that of selling this house. The house that we built, on the land we were given, in the only town I could ever call home. So much thought has gone into this. Research has been done, not only on the area, but on the technique of what we are about to put ourselves through. I have grilled friends that have done this, and I have yet to hear, "Don't do it, you are going to regret it." I have heard, "Your family will become so much closer." As I type this, my eyes have filled with tears. Tears from the deep roots that we have sunk in this area.

The last few years, I have worked very hard to create meaningful relationships with people that I deeply care about. I have invested so much of my heart into our home. I keep telling myself, "There will be a Brighton Ward in Virginia. I will find friends there that will change my life as much as the ones here." In all honesty, there could never be another Brighton Ward, or other such faithful, and spiritual friends. I know that. I do not know how our life in the south will fair. I do not know very much at all about the area. What I do know is this, we already will have a bishop. We have a Savior that will follow us to Virginia Beach. We will ALWAYS have each other. The job opportunity is one that is really great, in an economy that is also great. Joel has spent years with this company, trying to gain a valuable reputation. He has worked so hard for our family. This position is the final piece to that puzzle, and the beginning piece to a new one. I am honored and thankful for all of his hard work and dedication to our family. I am so thankful to our Father in Heaven that has endlessly provided opportunities for us. I know that He will continue to do so.

So, now down to the details:
The job is in Norfolk, Va. From talking around, and other research, we decided that we would like to live in Virginia Beach. It is right on the coast of Virginia. Norfolk is home of the LARGEST naval base. And the 2nd largest natural shipping port. It is a very old city. The area we live in now, has 195 people per square mile, and the area we are moving to, has over 5,000 people per square mile. WOW! I am sure we are not going to find a house with 5 acres down there. The week after Thanksgiving, Joel and I are going down to take a look around. And get a feel for it. Unless we are totally turned off by the area, we will start the "Home Hunting". Once we get home, Joel will begin looking for his replacement, then training them. From what he says, there aren't any candidates in line, and it could take a while. He is thinking he will be down there after the first of the year. The next few weeks aren't going to be any different. We will be looking at life through different eyes, that is all. When we come home, we will know more. It has taken me a long time to write this post, because I am so sad. I cry every time I start to write, and I don't want it to come out like we aren't happy about this. It is the true meaning of BITTER SWEET! This morning Nora was standing at the back door, and said, "Uh, Lulu's house." I lost it! She has never known life without lulu in her back yard. She is my world. I just pray that she doesn't hate us for this.

So, we will keep the blog posted on any further developments. I hope that if we didn't tell you personally, you aren't offended that you had to read it on the blog. There are so many of you that we love so much. My blog is just one mean to let out my feelings, my life, my emotions, my frustrations, my joys, and what ever else is on my mind. As a blogger, you can expect the future of my blog to be all about our life in Virginia. It will be mostly keeping relatives updated on our daughter. They really don't care about the rest of us anyway. So... I guess there is not much more to say. Is there? Ok... bye y'all! (Oh great... that is really how they talk!)

Mondays with Maggie

I don't think I have ever gone 11 days with out a post! Life is busy and stressful. More on that later. There is a new segment on my blog, and it is called...? You guessed it, Mondays with Maggie. I babysit Maggie (7) and her borther Ryan (5 today!!!) They are both home schooled, and on Monday and Wednesday they come over to my house so that their mom can run her business. (Selling fiber and spinning wheels! Quite an interesting art for sure!!!)

I decided that Maggie and I needed to take our relationship to a new level, and introduced her to cooking, (something other then PB&J). I bought a few kid friendly cook books, and had Maggie pick out some recipes that make her mouth WATER!!! I like to change up the recipes a bit, beucase they seem a little bland, and I am all about kids appreciating different food. So, now ever Monday, Maggie and I spend some time learning about cooking! Today we learned the abbriviations for tsp, and tbs, and what the difference between the two are. Maggie spins fibers like her mom, so she knows about ounces. It is great to have a super smart student!!!

Today for our first class we made: Lettuce Boats



You will need:


12oz canned chicken
1 can whole kernal corn
1 sliced scallion
2 tablespoon Mayo
juice from half of lemon
salt and pepper to taste
6 boston lettuce leaves

Step 1: Add ingredients & Mix together


Step 2: Assemble boats (Confession: I didn't think Maggie would do it right, so I did it for her. Turns out, I didn't do it very well either!) Here are our boats!

Peanut Butter Fudge: Light on the NUTS!

Since before we were married, Joel has been asking me to make peanut butter fudge. I have never really made fudge. I was intimidated. When ever we go to Macinac Island, after I see the Grand Hotel, I just want to go and watch them make fudge. I could sit there all day, and be mesmerized with its beauty. The HUGE marble slab, that extra large copper kettles, the way that man handle that fudge, is amazing to me. Since I don't have a 15 foot long marble counter top, and a 55 gallon copper kettle pot, it seemed intimidating to make fudge. That, and I hear it is pretty easy to screw up. So while Joel is home, in bed, suffering, I felt an ounce of pity. I decided to make fudge. I knew by doing so, I was opening myself up to all sorts of "CONSTRUCTIVE" criticism, and feedback. After reading and searching through MANY MANY recipes to find the right one, with the right ingredients, and not much time involved, I FOUND IT! I thought, if it is this easy, it can't be that good? I even amaze myself sometimes! It was really easy, and "CP" LOVED IT! Partially because he is heavily sedated, but he made me feel very special, and valued because of the quality of the fudge. He asked me if it was hard, and I haven't told him yet. Between you and me, it was so stinkin easy! If I tell him that, then he will expect it more, so I have to keep it hush hush! Then I can prove that he really only looks at the pictures on the blog, and "skims through" the rest! Here is the link to the fudge recipe! It is so easy, and tasty. Here is my sick little patient, in his fudge coma! Don't ask me about the hat. It has been in the 70's here, and he feels like he is outside in the freezing cold. The sooner he can get off these meds, the better!

Seriously...?

I LOVE THIS KID!!!

Baby Steps PART 3!

In September, Joel and I went through a few fertility tests that couples must endure. It was then, that we learned that Nora was a miracle, and the chances of another miracle were VERY LOW. However, there was a simple, routine procedure that Joel needed, that would not only increase our chances, but change our situation to, no situation at all. That procedure took place on election day, at the UofM hospital. Up until the day, he was sure that he didn't need the surgery, and that all would be well without it. When Tuesday came, he conceited well before John McCain. The surgery lasted about 2 hours, and then another hour or so for the anesthesia to wear off. The ride home was... interesting! He was loopy, to say the least. He is always sort of quirky, and cute, but this was something else. I politely asked him; "Please don't talk to Nora when we pick her up, I wouldn't want to traumatize her." Then he replied, "I AM THE ONE THAT WAS TRAUMATIZED!" Before the first dose of pain meds wore off, he was getting ready to pop round two! Anways, the last few days have been nursing him, along with the other daily happenings. We are both hoping he will be back to work on Friday. He has a follow up appointment with the surgeon in two weeks. Thanks for all of your support and prayers. We are so blessed to have family and friends that are concearned for him, and our family.

Professional Thriller!

We have the coolest ward! The dean of the dance department at Wayne State University, also the writer/director of the Nauvoo Pagent, also my home teacher!! (He is going to be very embarassed, but he is truly talanted at what he does.) taught The Thriller Dance at the ward Halloween party. The youth, and others love it! I got some sweet shots. I think MJ may have some feirce competition!

Election Day is OVER!!!

It was a hectic day yesterday! Once it has been approved, I will soon post about it! I was so blessed to be able to exercise my right to vote! I new that my vote wouldn't matter. I knew that by voting, I wasn't going to change this election. However, I also knew that there are men and women, that have lost limbs, and died in order to give me the right to express my political opinion freely! For that I am blessed! and grateful. Throughout this campaign, supporters of Barack Obama felt that he had given "HOPE" to them and this country. I find my hope through the Savior Jesus Christ. I know that our God is all knowing. He is our ruler. We live in a time, that regardless of the leaders, it will be tough. I choose to find hope in following Jesus. I am grateful that this election has come to an end. And now that the decision has been made, lets all try to be better people, and make this the thriving nation it is known for!

Halloween Costume Mania!

You may call me crazy, but Halloween is such a fun time for me, now that I have a child to celebrate it with! If there is an event going on, that includes wearing a costume, we were either there, or wanting to be there! Because we attend so many events, we want to make sure the costumes don't get too destroyed. That is why Nora has... more then one costume! Here is her costume week in review...

I already posted about this one... but part of my OCD means I have to compartmentalize, so just bear with me! The Bee at Ashley Court Nursing Home.

The Lady Bug at Roller-Rama! Meeting Roller-Roo for the first time!

The Dino at the Brighton Ward Halloween Party, and Trunk-or-Treat.

That is MY squeaky little mouse... in the tutu at the bucket. This is at the Story time Halloween party in the library.

This is my happy, chocolaty, Cruella D'Ville on Halloween night. HIGH ON SUGAR!!!
When Nora gets in costume, it is really hard for her to concentrate on pictures. She is all in character. We had a lot of fun Trick-or-treating with her. She was so funny. Instead of saying "Trick-or-Treat" she would say, "Thank you!", then when she got her candy, she would say, "Trick-or-Treat". But because of her squeaky shoes, a few houses gave her extra candy. She has earned a lot of mileage out of those shoes! Great investment! By the end of the night, she was tip-toeing around. I think she was tired of squeaking. Soon she is going to be too big for squeakers! Then we can retire them to Nora's cousin, Marmalay! Haha for Uncle Matt!