Jesse's Girl

Bucket List

2012-02-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

I made some revisions to my bucket list. In three years, in January of 2015, I will have {hopefully} completed 50 of these 100 things. Then I will add new ones to the list and start over again. It's just super fun! Can't wait to begin!

[Sorry about the formatting of the list.

It got messed up when I pasted it in.]

1. Writea novel

2. Makea complete book of short stories

3. Publisha book

4. Kissbehind a waterfall

5. Takea random trip

6. Jog along the beach early in the morning

7. Builda snowman

8. Go to the snow

9. Watchthe sun rise from my roof

10. Play with the pigeons in Italy

11. Learn to sew

12. Give a Book of Mormon to acomplete stranger

13. Get scuba certified

14. Start a mini-business

15. Donate money to agood cause

16. Get married in thetemple

17. Swim with dolphins

18. Attempt surfing

19. Overcome a big fear

20. Go parasailing

21. Raise a family

22.Learn some ballroom

23. Buy a cute outfit ata thrift store

24. Take an olddecoration and make it cute, fun and new

25. Be published in a magazine

26. Go to the Bahamas

27. Go to a temple dedication

28. Graduate fromcollege

29. Learn to make bread and jam

30. Organize a fundraiser

31. Ride an elephant

32. Teach something to a group ofpeople

33. Visit 4 continents

34. Join a writing club

35. Start some sort of group

36. Read 52 books in a year

37. Turn my house into my dream home

38. Have a library in my home

39. Celebrate a holiday every day withmy children one year

40. Take a picture every day for ayear

41. Dress up in nice clothes then havea mud fight

42. Go out in the middle of the nightand chalk someone’s driveway…as an adult

43. Learn to build something

44. Help someone accomplish a lifelongdream

45. Set foot in all 50 states

46. Attend a booksigning

47. Be on The Ellen Show

48. Go on an African safari

49. Do the 12 days of Christmas for afamily in need ending with a present nice for each family member on Christmasmorning

50. Meet and talk with 25 published writers (7)

51. Dye my hair someform of red

52. Have a Disney movie marathon daywith my hubby and kids

53. Have a vintage photo shoot

54. Own a vintage suitcase, typewriter, camera, and kitchen scale

55. Put a booth in my kitchen

56. Write for 6 hours straight

57. Visit every small bookstore I findin the East Valley

58. Have a day of random acts ofkindness with Ryan

59. Learn the rules of football

60. Handmake holiday décor for all thebig holidays

61. Throw a party for no reason otherthan it’s fun

62. Spend an entire day doing nothing but what mykids want

63. Grow my own cilantro

64. Read the Book of Mormon in a month

65. Repaint my piano a fun color

66. Eat only real, whole foods for a week

67. Pack for a long trip with only carry-ons

68. Finish my year supply

69. Use a home management binder

70. Start a brand new family tradition(non-holiday related)

71. Make milestone books for all mykids

72. Create my own manual of sorts filled withthings I’ve learned

73. Decorate cupcakes with my kids

74. Attend a writer’s conference

75. Learn to use DSLR camera

76. Attend a blogger meet up

77. Participate in Nanowrimo

78. Organize pictures

79. Bake cupcakes from scratch

80. Tour my own city

81. Go on an overnight girls trip

82. Organize paperwork

83. Take a Zumba class

84. Try lobster or crab

85. Learn basic Spanish

86. Do a zipline canopy tour

87. Watch a full show with Jess on the historychannel

88. Visit a spa

89. Do something to make my own money

90. Learn about my family history

91. Read 10 classics I’ve never read

92. Do abs 6 days a week for 3 months straight

93. Learn to repair something on my own

94. Read a novel with Jess

95. Learn to tie a tie

96. Come up with my own recipe

97. Make a dream playhouse

98. Visit penguins not at a zoo

99. Write in a one sentence journalevery night for a month

100. Dosomething brave

What's on YOUR bucket list?

Friday Laughs

2012-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Please, please watch this video if you haven't already.

Even if you have seen it, please watch it again.

You will DIE laughing. I know I did.

Funniest thing I've seen in a long time. It totally made me day!

And while we're on the subject of funny things, take a look at this. So cute and hilarious!

Happy Friday!

Book Review...Picking Your Battles

2012-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Picking Your Battles

Author: Bonnie Maslin

Genre: Parenting

Description: A parent herself, Maslin combines her knowledge of children with practical, tested advice to help other parents raise well-behaved children. She first teaches developmental stages and why children do the things that they do. This information helps parents understand that, "No, my child is not trying to annoy me. He is simply trying to figure out the world and this is the only way he knows how." Then, she lays out a few things parents should implement into their homes to prevent battles including creating a family policy (routines, rules, responsibilities, and rituals), having a commonsense parenting philosophy, and figuring out your bad go-to-in-a-dispute parenting habits and learning to eliminate them. Finally, she uses common and practical situations to teach how to act and react to children's misbehavior.

Rating: 5 stars

Thoughts: This is one of the best books I've ever read. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but this book really struck a cord with me. Maslin has great advice for parents! She doesn't suggest things that are impossible to implement because she is a mother herself and recognizes that parenting is hard. I highly recommend this book to any parent of young children! In fact, I checked this book out at the library but I have to go buy a copy for myself because I'm sure I'll be referring to it frequently. Too bad it isn't available on Amazon Prime...

Happy Reading!

New Year Blogging Party

2012-01-31T12:46:00.000-08:00

I went to a party! A virtual gift exchange party, that is.

And I was lucky enough to be paired up with the adorable Sue from Hello. Also, I love you.

My favorite thing about her blog is her section 101 in 1001. If you haven't heard of this, basically she chose 101 goals-dreams-wishes-call-them-what-you-want to complete in 1001 days. I LOVE her list!

She recently got married on November 11, 2011!

Oh, and she currently lives in Japan!

And here is her cute package that she sent me:

It's all from Japan! How cool is that?! I was a bit thrilled about that fact. Especially all the Japanese writing on the tags. Saweeeet!

1-Japanese candy

2-Hello Kitty chopsticks

3-Adorable heart pillow

4-Shopping bag

5-Make-up bag

6-Note from Sue herself

7-Japanese chocolate cookie things

Thanks so much, Sue! I love the stuff!

This Week's Faves

2012-01-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

Pins

Chalkboard Pedestal Frames

Car Book Holder (there was no link with this image)

Chalkboard Homework Station

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

Balance Quote

Random Craft Tutorial Generator

Weight Loss Inspiration Jars

Moon Pictures

Blogs

Coolest Playrooms

Balance

Love Is All You Need Decor

50 Fun and Cheap Date Ideas

Have a happy friday!

Random Ryan Cuteness

2012-01-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

Ryan is just the sweetest baby boy in the world. Now I might be a tad bit biased {just a tad though}, but he really is too sweet! He'll randomly run and give me and Jess hugs and kisses. So precious!

Yesterday we had two really cute experiences with him:

1) Out of nowhere Ryan runs up to me, grabs both my hands, and starts dancing with me. It was the cutest thing in the world! He would sway from side to side and then walk in circles with me. He even did a spin. I have no idea where he learned to do it all, but I don't mind it!

2) Me: "Ryan, what does the doggy say?"

Ry: "Woof!"

Me: "What does Nash say?"

Ry: "Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!"

Jess: "Nash just won't be quiet, will he?"

Me: *Laughs*

Classic. Our dog barks way too much. He's barking right now as I type this, in fact.

Here are some other recent cute Ryan experiences (please excuse the crappy phone pics...):

Look at how grown up my baby boy is getting! I can't even believe how old he looks in this pic! He is one happy boy eating his fave breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, bananas, and cheerios. But let's face it, any meal with bananas is his favorite. He'd eat only bananas if I'd let him!

I'm convinced that this is the most precious thing in the world. Love!

We had a play date and invited a couple friends over to make caterpillars. It was an experience for sure!

We also discovered that Ryan LOVES to walk Nash. The dog on the other hand...not such a big fan. But this moment was priceless! Ryan kept pulling in the leash and Nash wouldn't budge. He'd pull and pull until he finally fell over. Then he would try to push Nash to get him to walk. Hilar.

Trials

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

On this blog, I try to focus on the good things. The positive. The things that make me smile. The portions of my life I want to remember because they are the ones I most cherish.

But I also think it's good to share some of the not-so-good. Not to dwell on these moments, but to simply share them from time to time.

That way, years from now, I can see what I've gone through and realize that I can get through the tough times.

Also, I think it's good to show my readers that my life isn't perfect. I'm not {in any way} perfect. I'm a real person. I have flaws. My house isn't always perfectly clean. In fact, it's messy the majority of the time. I'm almost ALWAYS behind on laundry. I lose patience with my son at times. And I have stashes of random things I was too lazy or busy to put away in the first place hiding in a few {or more} places in my home.

And I'm okay with that. It makes me normal. It makes me me.

Ever since Ryan was born, I've struggled with a couple different health issues. Well, to be truthful, both these health issues were present before I gave birth to my son. But both of them have gotten significantly worse in the past 16 months since he was born. And they are continuing to get worse day by day.

And I, the girl who hates going to doctors and dwelling on her own pain, finally said, "Okay. It's time to figure this thing out."

And we're getting both of them worked out slowly. But it's a struggle trying to figure out exactly what is wrong and how to fix it.

It's also been really hard on me emotionally dealing with these issues. For multiple reasons.

Number one: They are both holding me back from being the wife and mother that I want to be. Among other things, I find it hard to get on the floor and play with my son as often as I would like. The pain is just too strong.

Number two: They have both contributed to weight issues and have made it extremely difficult to lose my post-baby weight.

Number three: This one has been perhaps the hardest for me to deal with. And I'm still struggling with it. These two issues have made a second pregnancy a thing for the future. My plan was to try to get pregnant again this February/March. But my doctor advised me to wait awhile, perhaps even one year longer. And I, with lots of thought and prayer, have agreed with this. In fact, I'd been feeling this way before my doctor even brought it up. I was just too scared to admit it to myself. I love being a mom. I want to be a mom again. I want to expand my family. Being a mother is what I'm here to do. And the thought of not being able to have another child now is heartbreaking. But I know it's the right thing to do. And who knows? Maybe these issues will get resolved sooner than I think and I will only have to postpone pregnancy plans for a few months. Maybe not. But I do know that things happen for a reason and what's meant to be will work out.

These three trials associated with my health have caused me to reflect on how sometimes life isn't fair. How is it fair that some women lose their pregnancy weight a few weeks later without even trying while others diet and workout and can't even lose a few pounds? Why is it fair that I have to change my plan for my family--the plan that I've had perfected in my mind with the perfect age difference between my children? Why does it have to be this way?

But then I had a complete change of heart. It's true: sometimes life isn't fair. But that's okay. We're all given different trials in life. And those girls who instantly lose the weight after popping out a baby have trials that I'll never experience. That's just the way it is.

And these trials that I have are meant for me and me alone. They are the trials that I need to go through to take me from the person I am now to the person I'm meant to become.

I know that everything is going to work out. And I'm grateful that I have my family, friends, and the atonement of Jesus Christ helping me through this tough time.

This Weekend's Dream Outfits

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

Friday Day: Out with Ryan

Friday Night: Date Night in With Jess

Saturday: Shopping with the Family

Saturday Night: Dinner with the Family

Sunday: Church

Recent Faves

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

Pins

ONE.

Tattle Boxes or Monster Valentines Day boxes

TWO.

Alphabet from fabric scraps

THREE.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

FOUR.

Home Rules

FIVE.

Cleaning Solution for hard water stains, appliances, and more!

SIX.

Book of Mormon Reading Chart Printable

Blogs

ONE.

The Wonders of Coconut Oil + Body Scrub Recipe

TWO.

10 Things to Keep in Mind While Keeping Your Pregnancy A Secret

THREE.

25 Kid Friendly Healthy Meals and Snacks

FOUR.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says i'll try again tomorrow."

FIVE.

How to be a great mom in 2012!

Lessons Learned

2012-01-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

{one} It's always nice to let the person behind you in line at the grocery store go ahead of you when she only has a couple items and you have a whole cartful.

{two} If you keep letting people with only a couple things ahead of you, you're never going to get home. Let one or maybe two people pass, then stop feeling bad and go yourself.

{three} It will always be scary when your son chokes on food. Always. Every. Single. Time.

{four} Letting your kid watch t.v. for three hours so you can reorganize your kitchen and laundry room pantry will make you feel super guilty. But it's best just to get over it. Plus, the kitchen looks amazing and because of that, you are now a whole lot less stressed. The kid NEVER watches t.v. One day won't hurt him.

{five} Pushing a stroller up the hills at the zoo is a workout. Especially when you have really bad knee pain to begin with.

{six} Having a child changes you. You can now, on occasion, be referred to as "Mama Bear." One of those times will include when some other baby pushes your baby down the steps of the slide at the zoo park. Even though you know the kid wasn't trying to be hurtful, you still feel very protective.

{seven} Decluttering feels amazing. Going through every section of your house and getting rid of basically anything you question really makes life less cluttered. You're welcome DI!

{eight} Learn to take more pictures--preferably daily. Make it a habit. One day I'm going to regret not getting my son's growth on camera.

{nine} Although you may feel like you have so much to do that playing on the floor or reading yet ANOTHER picture book feels like a complete waste of time, just do it anyway. It's really not a waste of time at all. When your son grows up feeling confident and loved, you'll know you did the right thing. Dishes and laundry will always be there. But your toddler will grow up and be gone before you know it.

{ten} Everyone is different. Everyone has a different life, different views, different priorities. We're all given different trials, challenges, talents, and weaknesses. So stop comparing your life and yourself to others. It's not fair to you or to them. And don't try and do something a certain way because that's the way most other people do it. Do what's best for yourself and your family. That's what really matters.

Health and Home Binder

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today I will share my Health and Home binder with you.

This is a place to keep emergency numbers in one place for quick reference. This sits in the very front of the binder.

In the binder, I have a section for Jess, a section for me, and a section for Ryan. These three printables are in each person's section.

My section also has this printable so I can track my personal breast exams. Breast cancer runs in my family, so I check all the time {yes, this means daily in the shower and weekly laying down in bed at night}.

Ryan also has this immunization record in his section.

I have a section for Nash with this printable in it.

This is where I can keep track of any home maintenance type experiences. Any time we need a plumber, electrician, etc.

I have two of these: one per car.

This is where I can track all of where all our utilities come from.

And this is a reference guide for our warranties.

All of these last printables are in a section labeled home.

I'm sure I will eventually add to this binder, but this is the most important stuff to have. It's a way to quickly find information and also a way to keep track of doctor's appointments (what was giving the person pain and what the dr. said) and home/car maintenance so you remember what was done/replaced when.

2012-01-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Part two of my home management binder.

Section 7: Activities

This printable helps me organize ideas for date night. This year Jess and I are focusing on having a weekly date night out, just the two of us. This is my planning sheet for those nights.

Jess and I also want to do a fun family activity one Saturday a month. This is where I collect those ideas.

Here is a planning sheet for group date night.

Section 8: Hobbies

This is where I keep track of all the books I read.

And this one lists books that I want to read in the future so I don't forget them all.

This is where I list all the projects I want to do most. Then, when I have the time, I can consult my list and complete a project.

Magazines are always sending you "the best deal EVER." But I never remember what I paid the year before. So each time I subscribe to a magazine I will list it here with the price and where I got the deal from. Then I know where to order from when my subscription expires, or what price to argue for.

Section 9: Blogging

This is how I plan my blogs for the week.

This is a place to keep all my future blog ideas.

Section 10: Future

Here is where I can list all my goals and the steps to getting there. I can also list motivators if I want/need them.

Here is where I list things I want so I can save up for them.

Section 11: Supplies

These are our 72 hour kit checklists. I don't have ALL of these things in them, but these are all possible ideas. We have all the most important things.

Eventually I will also have documents in here for our 3 month supply and our year supply. I just haven't gotten that far yet.

Section 12: Church

I'm the Bear cub scout leader in my ward at church, so this printable helps me plan my weekly sessions with the boys.

Section 13: Internet

Sometimes I forget to check websites when I need to, and thus rewards points go to waste or library books go past due. Here is a quick place to jot down important sites to check and when/how often to check them.

Don't you hate it when you can't remember your username/password and you have to wait for them to send you an email? So annoying. This will eliminate that. I got this one from Life Your Way.

Section 14: Planners

A way to plan for big projects and manage them the best way possible.

An easy way to keep all travel details in one place for quick reference. I got this printable from Life Your Way.

Section 15: Other

This will hopefully prevent losing items to lending.

And this will hopefully prevent me from feeling like an idiot returning something a year {or more} later...

I always forget family members and friends birthdays {other than parents, Jess, Ry, and a few friends...} So hopefully this will help me out.

A place to write down gift ideas for weddings, birthdays, showers, etc.

Section 16: Reference Sheets

Spiritual Directory Assistance from here.

Laundry Stain Removal Chart from here. I can't find the direct printable, but this site is listed at the top, so I'm sure that's where I got it from.

HTML Cheat Sheet from here.

Freezer Storage Cheat Sheet from here.

Internal Cooking Temperatures from here.

The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen from here.

10 Decluttering Questions from here.

That's my binder! So far, it's been a HUGE help. My time is used so much better with this thing!

Project: Organization

2012-01-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

So for the month of January, my goals are centered around organization {more on that in a future post}. Getting myself, my house, my family, my life in order. For me, the first step in getting there was making some organizational binders for myself. Over the next few days, I'm going to share these with you.

Today I'll share the first half of the most important binder: the overall planner/management binder.

In the front of the binder I have a pencil holder with pens, highlighters, and dry erase markers. Then, I have my monthly calendar.

{I got these cute calendars via The TomKat Studio as a free download here.}

Section 1: Britney's Planning

{I made this printable myself. It's a place to combine all my current projects in each category. Sometimes, certain ones will be left blank as I won't always have a craft or holiday project going on, for example.}

{This is a checklist I made up for the things I hope to get done. It usually doesn't happen, but this is a good way to monitor what I am and am not accomplishing.}

{This is one of my best ones. It's my lifesaver! I made this one as well. It keeps me on track day to day. Plus, I love the quote at the bottom. It's hard to read because of the glare. But it's from Dr. Seuss. It says, "You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so...get on your way!" Love.}

{My mom made this one and I added the colors and modified a few words to pertain to me. This one is a quick referral I won't use most weeks, but I'll use it sometimes.}

{This is a printable I made to help me accomplish my writing goals and to stay on task with my writing.}

{This printable I created awhile back and I've been using it since. I LOVE this printable. It saves my life! I've found it's practically impossible for me to have a productive week if I'm NOT using this. It's uh. maze. ing.}

All of the printables in section one have been laminated so I will be able to use them week after week without having to reprint them. Yay!!

Section 2: Family

{This is the printable I made to use for family council. Every Sunday, Jess and I sit down for a few minutes and discuss the coming week. We talk about appointments, tasks, what days Jess will be home late, family functions, etc.}

{I got this free printable here. It's so cute I can't handle it. I love bright colors WAY. TOO. MUCH.}

Section 3: Ryan and Jess

{A reference for things to do on Sunday afternoons. This is a way to stay on topic and try to teach Ryan as best we can. I just made this up and we'll see how it goes. We won't do everything each week and it may take us a month to finish each lesson. But it's something fun to do together as a family on the Sabbath.}

{Once again, this is something I came up with to try and teach my son. He's always checking everything out and trying to learn as much as he can. I want to help him and have fun in the process. So I came up with this. We won't use all the categories (word, shape, body part, color, etc.) every week. Rather, I'll just pick a couple and focus on that. Also, these will probably spread out over multiple weeks as well. Next week we will be focusing on the letter "B". Along with that, we will learn the color blue. I'll hopefully share some of our experiences next week or so with this. I'm aiming for 15 minutes of learning 3-4 times per day.}

{This is a place to keep track of all the things I think of that require a man's help. That way I don't forget about them like I currently do!}

{This is just a fun printable I found at Life Your Way. They have a ton of free printables that I used in my binders! Can I just say how much I love this site?!}

{This is another printable I came up with to aid in my paranoia of babysitters. Ahhh. But it's fun, it's cute, and it has all the information in one place for them. Whew.}

Section 4: Finances

{A place to jot down my own personal spending so I can track exactly how much I'm spending per category. This is where I will break down my receipts for each type of spending. For example, when I go to Target, I often get groceries, toiletries, baby stuff, and perhaps an item of clothing. This covers many areas. Here I can track all of that. I got this from Life Your Way.}

{This is where I keep track of money I owe people or money that people owe me. Mainly, this is for my parents and I. We constantly buy things for each other planning to pay back, but we always forget who owes who what. So hopefully this will help with that. Can I get a woot woot, Mom?!}

{I've wanted one of these for awhile now. It just makes things less stressful to have all the bills in one place. I got this printable here.}

In this section I also have a tax deductions printable where I can jot down anything that is tax deductible throughout the year. And I also included a copy of our monthly budget so I can track how well we keep to our budget in each area.

Section 5: Shopping

{This is another Life Your Way printable. It's a way to track all the deals that I find each week.}

{This is a printable I can take to the store with me to find the best deal. It's great when you have something specific you need to buy in bulk and you want to make sure you are getting the best possible deal. It's also great to use if you are trying to find which store has the best prices. I got this idea from Money Saving Mom.}

{Don't you hate it when you go to make your shopping list and you know there was something you needed to get, but you can't for the life of you remember what it was? Well, this printable makes it easy to jot it down as soon as I think of it. I love this one.}

{This printable helps me organize all my errands for the week so I can figure out the best order for my errand day (or two). I can also jot down any coupons I have or need to remember.}

Section 6: Food

{A great way to keep all our favorite take-out numbers in one place.}

{My mom made this one. It's where I jot down EVERYTHING I eat, my water intake, and my exercise. I also track how I feel that day--mentally and physically so I can track how what I eat and do affects me in various ways.}

{Here is where I will plan my menu for the week. Then all I have to do is stick to it...which happens to be the hard part.}

Some of these printables were my idea, others were a compilation from others ideas. I've viewed many, many printables and then I created my own using what I learned.

Coming soon: Part two!

*Please excuse my under construction blog. Thanks. :)

I'm Back

2012-01-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

Wow. I've missed blogging so unbelievably much. But, I've been sooooo busy lately. And for my own sanity, something had to be let go for awhile. So I let you, bloggy blog, sit on the back burner for a few months. And now I'm ready to re-start you for 2012. It's going to be a great year!

Since this is mainly a journal of sorts, here's a {short} recap since I last blogged on October 6th.

October

We went as the Scooby Doo gang for Halloween. I was Velma. Jess was Shaggy. Ry was Fred. And we had a stuffed Scooby Doo who went as a pirate.
I was on the ward Halloween party committee {again}. I had lots of fun planning, creating, and throwing a fun event for the ward.
Went to the Taylor swift concert with some friends.

Dyed my hair red! Love it so much!

November

We went up north to the Show Low area for Thanksgiving weekend with my parents. While there, Jess and my dad took me out shooting for the first time. It was actually pretty fun!

I got a new camera!! {Canon Rebel}. I still haven't had much time to figure out how to use it. But that will come. Even without knowing how to use it, it still takes WAY better pictures than my point and shoot. I'm in love.
Took Ryan to the zoo for the first time.

Got the CUTEST bench in the world as an early graduation present...to myself.

December

I graduated college!!! WOOOO! So glad that is finally behind me. The stress was really getting to me. But now I'm finished and ready to conquer bigger and better things!!
We all got way too spoiled for Christmas. I got a Kindle and a vintage pink typewriter {yes, it works!} I'm obsessed. Ryan got a Mater powerwheels that he can drive himself. He LOVES it! He also got a slide for outside that he goes down ALL. THE. TIME.
We went to California for New Years weekend and went to Disneyland with my parents. It was SOOOO busy, but we really enjoyed our time!

Now we are looking forward to 2012 and all that it has in store for us. I can't wait to get this blog back up and running and to share some new projects that are currently in the works.

Book Review of Watched

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Watched

Author: Cindy M. Hogan

Genre: Young Adult Suspense

Description: An extremely smart fifteen year old girl, Christy, feels out of place at home. She decides to go on a trip to D.C. to try and change up her image. She meets a group of "cool" kids and finds that she actually is able to fit in with them. Early on in the trip, the group witnesses a murder. The rest of the trip they, and especially Christy, have to wonder: Are we being watched? Is someone following us? Are we going to get killed? Have we seen too much? Do they know what we saw?

Rating: 5 stars

Thoughts: I thought this was an amazing story! The action got going pretty quickly from the beginning of the book and didn't stop until the very end. It had me gripping my pillow in anxiety. In fact, I couldn't stop reading this book. I've got to admit that it's been a long time since I've stayed up all night reading a book. But with this one, I just couldn't put it down. My tired eyes couldn't shut because I had to know what was going to happen to these characters. I had such an emotional investment in their lives. Another great aspect of this story was the love triangle Hogan created. It was captivating. From what I remember of my high school days, she did a great job capturing the voice of a teenager and mentioning the exact details that would make a young girl fall for a boy. Hogan did a great job of getting me, the reader, inside Christy's mind. I understood her: her thoughts, questions, actions, and beliefs. Christy was a well-developed character. Hogan also did a good job balancing all the different characters in the book without confusing me as a reader. There are several main characters in this novel, but I never lost track of who was who or what was going on. Anyway, you need to read this book! It's a wonderful story!

You can buy Watched here:

print version

Kindle version

Nook version

Be sure to visit the author's blogs:

Cindy M. Hogan

Watched

And her facebook page.

Also, since Halloween is Cindy Hogan's favorite holiday, she has a special going on! The e-book version of Watched is currently only 99 cents! Also, Cindy is having a contest that ends Oct. 31st. Everyone who submits a review to Amazon and leaves a comment on her blog with the name they reviewed it under and an email to notify them if they won, will be entered into a drawing for a $15 itunes gift card, if she reaches 100 reviews by Oct. 31st.

Last but not least, Protected, the sequel to Watched, will be coming out in March of 2012! Get ready!

*Note: The opinions expressed here are strictly my own thoughts. I was not in any way paid for this review.

Current Pinterest Obsessions

2011-10-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Source: ontobaby.com via Britney on Pinterest

Source: yesstyle.com via Britney on Pinterest

Source: angelamuir.blogspot.com via Britney on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Britney on Pinterest

Source: splitcoaststampers.com via Britney on Pinterest

Source: shabbychicks.blogspot.com via Britney on Pinterest

Source: None via Britney on Pinterest

Oh, wait. That last one isn't a pinterest obsession. But it's definitely an obsession!

First Weekend in October

2011-10-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

I love the first weekend in October.

Why?

Well, because I get to spend time with my family, cuddle up on the couch for 4 hours on both Saturday and Sunday and watch General Conference.

It's such a great time to learn, strengthen my testimony, set goals, find answers to prayers, feel inspired, be uplifted, and feel the love the Savior and Heavenly Father have for me personally and for my family.

It truly is amazing.

Plus, who wouldn't want to cuddle up with this guy all day?

Last weekend was the General Relief Society Meeting, where messages were shared for the women of the church.

I want to share one of my favorite quotes from an amazing talk given by an inspired man, President Uchtdorf. He said:

"First, forget not to be patient with yourself. I want to tell you something that I hope you will take in the right way: God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect. Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not. And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It’s wonderful that you have strengths. And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses."

Seriously, if you missed the talk, go read it here now. Even if you aren't a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I would encourage you to read this talk. Many parts of it are applicable to all women, even those that don't share the same beliefs as me. It teaches much about loving and accepting yourself as you are, weaknesses included. It has such a great overall message.

Ryan's Carnival Birthday Party

2011-09-26T23:01:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago, we threw Ryan's first birthday party. I had WAY too much fun with this one. The invites were stinking adorable. My mom did them and I'm hoping to put pictures up of them on here soon.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of the party.

Clown Noses, Ringmaster Mustaches, Jr. Ringmaster Mustaches, and door prize for a iTunes gift card!

Entry display and ticket booth.

Birthday Sign.

One of my best friends did face painting. The kids loved it!

Duck Matching Game.

Play games, win tickets, buy prizes. Yay!

Who doesn't love sand art?

Water and lemonade. Refreshing on a summer afternoon in AZ.

My cousin and his cute fiance made balloon animals for the kids. It was a HUGE hit!

This was probably my favorite part of the party: the concession sign.

If you're wondering...yes, that is a curious George doll. And yes, the shirt does say "Curious Ryan Jess" on it. Courtesy of my mom and dad. Oh, and he is sitting in a cute, red truck.

I had to steal my "RYAN" letters from the nursery for the party. They were the right colors. Yay!

My last minute addition of a "Baby Food" station was a hit with the parents.

My hot hubby working the popcorn machine!

Candy/Cupcake station. AKA...you're-welcome-parents-for-giving-your-kids-a-sugar-high-station.

I had to bring a gumball machine. I mean, c'mon. They're just too cute!

DIY photo booth.

Bowling.

Ring toss.

Bean bag toss.

Ryan:Why are all these people crowded around me singing? Wait, what's that? Is that for me? Hmm...pretty good. Am I really allowed to eat this, Mom? Seriously. This is so good. Don't mind if I do! This is the best day EVER! Everyone's staring at me. Wait, they must think I'm cute. Alright, time to ham it up! I love attention!

These cupcakes were to die for. No, I did not make them. My mom and my cousin Casey did. So delish!

I love my birthday boy!

He enjoyed it right from the get-go.

Thanks to everyone who came and supported us! And a special thanks to all those who helped! I super appreciate it!

Swimming with Ryan

2011-09-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ryan absolutely LOVES bath time.

He always has.

So, naturally, it makes sense that he LOVES swimming, too!

In Park City, Jess and I took Ryan to the pool.

The pool was cold, but one of the three jacuzzi tubs was set at bath temperature.

It was PERFECT for Ry!

Jess and I kept "swimming" with him from one side of the pool to the other.

He was having so much fun!

He also loved splashing. Of course.

One Year

2011-09-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

One year from today my son was placed in my arms for the very first time.

One year from today my son and I got to stare into each others' eyes without another care in the world.

One year from today my son wrapped his hand around my pinkie finger.

One year from today my family became a little more complete.

One year from today I got to say, "I love you" to my son while looking at his perfect baby face.

One year from today a miracle happened: my son was born.

In the past year I have had many sleepless nights.

In the past year I have seen many frustrations.

In the past year I have learned that what I want to do with my time isn't always going to happen.

In the past year I have learned that that's okay.

In the past year I have worried about my son's health, his development, his growth.

I have worried about my skills in parenting him.

In the past year I have watched him grow from a baby into a toddler.

I've witnessed miracle after miracle after miracle.

I have learned the power of faith, trusting my Heavenly Father to help keep my precious child safe knowing that he's not only mine, but His as well.

I have learned that I have an important job in raising this child of God.

In the past year I have learned that I'm not a perfect mother, but nobody is.

I have learned that despite my imperfections, nobody would be a better mother to my child than myself.

I have learned to understand and appreciate the atonement to a fuller capacity.

I have experienced the blessings of sacrifice.

I have learned that a baby can teach me more in an instant than an adult can teach me in a week.

In the past year I have learned that picture books can be the most entertaining books.

I have experienced pediatrician appointments, acid reflux, a 911 call, and moments where my heart dropped thinking for an instant my baby was going to get hurt.

I have watched my baby go from completely dependent, to holding his head up, to rolling, to sitting up, to crawling, to walking, to running.

I have held my son a little tighter on several occasions after hearing the trials of other parents.

I have felt the joys of realizing that sometimes there's no one better than mom.

In the past year I have learned that being a mom is one of the greatest decisions I have ever made in my life.

I have changed--for the better.

Today, with my son's first birthday, I see a future of love, learning, growth, experience, trial, and triumph for both of us.

I don't know what life will throw our way.

I don't know what Heavenly Father has in store for us as a family.

I don't know a lot of things.

But I know that, with faith, we will get through it.

And I know that Ryan was sent into my life for a reason and, likewise, I am his mother for a reason.

Happy Birthday Ry!

Thank you for everything.

I love you.

Recent Projects

2011-08-28T00:05:00.000-07:00

{one} 72 Hour Kits: Our bishop asked the ward to have our 72 hour kits all ready by the first day of school. It feels great to have followed his counsel and to have ours all finished! Next step: we are all supposed to have our 3 month supply kits done by the last day of school before Christmas break. We're on our way!

{two} Cash jars: Jess and I have started a money system to help better ourselves. Jess really wants this one new gun. I couldn't tell you what it is exactly because I don't know guns...at all. And I want a DSLR camera. DESPERATELY. So...we set up an awards system. I wanted a place to put our cash as it added up, but I didn't want it to be boring. That being said, I didn't have a lot of time to make something really cute. So I made these labels SUPER quick, laminated them, and glued them to the jars. It works for us! I also made one to collect our spare change lying around.

**Side note: Once again, I'm asking for camera opinions. What is your favorite DSLR camera?! I'm looking for advice!

{three} Organizing the house: I've been doing pretty good at this. And it makes me happy.

{four} School: Classes started August 18 which means I'm once again a full-time student. My class list is as follows:

English 379: Travel Writing

English 411: Writing the Modern Fairy Tale

English 498: My capstone project for graduation

Family Studies 301: Introduction to Parenting

Spanish 101: Introduction to Spanish

So far, I'm really enjoying my classes. But with my crazy, active son...this is going to be a tough semester! 4 out of my 5 classes are online which means I have to do the work with him by my side. It's very interesting to say the least.

Baby Ryan Isn't Such A Baby Anymore

2011-08-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I looked at my son and realized a simple truth:

My baby boy is growing up.

That's right. He's slowly transitioning from a baby to a toddler.

And it's happening much too fast.

In just over two weeks {yes, I said two} he will be 1. ONE. I can't even believe it.

Anyway, here is a rundown of Ryan over the past couple of months:

{1} He is walking. He began walking three days after he turned 10 months (though he first walked, as in took a couple steps here and there) at like 8 or 9 months.

(TWO) About a month ago, Jess and I made Ryan a homemade ball pit. He LOVES it. But what does he love more? Throwing the balls from inside it at Nash. That's right. One day Jess and I decided it'd be funny to throw one at Nash (so we might be a little twisted and think messing with the dog like that is funny). Well, Ryan thought it was HILARIOUS and started cracking up. So, naturally, we kept it up for awhile. Now Ryan constantly tries to do it himself (though his aim isn't quite as good as ours).

[t.h.r.e.e.] He LOVES spaghetti. Or anything messy, really. Basically, as long as it's on his tray and he's feeding it to himself...he's happy. Which means I have LOTS of clean-up daily. But if he's happy, I'm happy. And Nash loves it, too!

And now I think I'm going to listen to Taylor Swift's Never Grow Up...again.

Pete

2011-08-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

Thursday night, my childhood dog of 14 years was put to sleep.

If any of you knew Pete, you knew that he was an amazing dog.

He was super smart.

He was friendly.

He loved kids.

He was protective.

He saved our house from burglars on more than one occasion.

He could do lots of fun tricks.

He loved to lick feet.

He got really excited when visitors came and would run laps over and over around the house.

He walked slightly sideways.

He loved food...especially eggs. Goldfish and popcorn were also preferable.

Pete,

I still remember the day I got you. I walked out on Christmas morning and there you were: a tiny, little mess of white fur cowering under the coffee table. I picked you up and you sat scared in my arms. You were the cutest thing ever and I loved you from that first moment on.

I'll miss you dancing in circles when you know you're getting a treat. I'll miss you laying on my lap because you think you are a small dog {you aren't}. I'll miss hearing you and Nash play together. I'll miss running around with you until I'm out of breath. I'll even miss fighting with you.

Thanks for always cuddling me when I had a bad day, keeping me warm when I was cold, protecting me when I was home alone and scared, listening to me when I needed someone to vent to, playing with me when I was bored, and licking food off me when I spilled it.

You were the best childhood dog I could have ever asked for.

Save a spot for Nash in doggy heaven! But you're gonna have to wait awhile--I'm not ready to give him up for years to come!

You were loved by many, Pete, and I'll ♥ you forever!

Love,

Britney

Superstition Review

2011-08-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I never posted about my internship this past semester with Superstition Review.

SR is a national online literary magazine based out of Arizona State University. It's editor-in-chief, Patricia Murphy, is probably my favorite teacher at ASU. I've had her for, let's see, 5 classes so far. I'm currently enrolled in my sixth. She's amazing.

I interned with SR for the first time in the spring of 2010 as a nonfiction editor. I loved that position. Basically I got to read all the nonfiction essays that were submitted and I helped decide which ones to publish in the magazine. I also had the opportunity to interview Scott Russell Sanders. You can check out the nonfiction here and the interview here.

In the spring of 2011, I interned with SR for the second time. This time, I worked as an interview editor. This was the greatest position to have. In fact, I think it's been the greatest experience I've had thus far in my career as a writer. It was absolutely amazing. I got to interview seven different authors:

Diana Joseph, author of I'm Sorry You Feel That Way was great to work with. I love her honest writing on womanhood and the male influences in our lives (interview).

Jackie Shannon Hollis has written some of my favorite short stories ever. I love her work and I can't wait for her novel to debut. She's wonderfully talented (interview).

John Grogan, author of Marley and Me, is such an inspiring writer. It was so great to work with him. He was pleasant, kind, and I still can't believe that I got to interview him (interview).

Kazim Ali, author of The Disappearance of Seth, is a beautiful poet and wonderful fiction writer. I loved that in The Disappearance of Seth (a novel set just after September 11th), he used such beautiful imagery and such stark, emotional characters that made the story seem so real (interview).

Kevin Prufer, author of National Anthem (a book of poems), is one of my favorite poets. I could read his poems all day. He uses the perfect words and images to enhance his work (interview).

Marge Piercy, author of The Crooked Inheritance, is another one of my favorite poets. I couldn't put her book down. Her poems cover such diverse topics and her choice of words is perfect to convey emotion (interview).

Sloane Crosley, author of I was Told There'd Be Cake, is downright hilarious. She's witty and smart and real. I recommend this book of essays. I loved every word of it (interview).

You can also check out my guest post on the SR blog about writing here.

I loved having the opportunity to interview these inspiriting writers and work with Superstition Review. You should check it out!

Oh, California. Why did you have to go so soon?

2011-08-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

This past week, Jess and I went to visit the great Cali-for-ni-a! Can I just say how much I LOVE Cali? It's pretty much the greatest place. And I enjoyed myself even more knowing the HIGH was 72 degrees and the LOW was 64. Can you say perfect weather? Yeah. It was amazing!

We left on Tuesday around 4:30 and made the trek over to Oceanside arriving late that night. We settled into our room and talked until we fell asleep while listening to the waves of the ocean. Mmmm...perfection!

Wednesday we just hung out. We walked around Oceanside and went shopping. We went to Captain America. We chilled and relaxed in our room. We spent lots of quality time together as a family just laughing and playing.

Our original plan for Thursday was to go to the San Diego zoo. We figured Ry would love to see all the animals! But, late Wednesday night we changed plans. Thanks to Chris and Tara (our cousins) we were now going to Disneyland. And I don't regret that decision one bit. We woke up super early and left for Disneyland at 6:45 so we could be there right when it opened. We went on a ton of rides and Ry did so good! Disneyland is so much fun when you have a kid there to spoil and watch. I'm so glad we went and I can't wait to go again sometime!

Why yes, we did buy a giant stick of cotton candy and hand the entire thing to our 11 month old son. Don't judge. It made for awesome pictures.

And he LOVED it. Plus, he only ate like 2 small bites anyway. If that--most of that made it onto his face, hands, and clothes.

Right before he started crying {the only time of the whole day}. Mr. Toad scares him, apparently.

Dad had way too much fun while Ry was asleep. Notice that with each picture, the gun gets bigger...

I think Woody was trying to take his break. But I bombarded him and got a picture anyway. You can't turn down a baby on his first trip to D-land!

I didn't even know there was a petting zoo at Disneyland until this trip.

Ryan hated the carousel. He kept trying to get off.

Friday we slept in and chilled again most of the day. And that night we went to dinner at Ruby's on the pier. Then another movie.

And Saturday, we finally braved the beach. We'd been putting it off because we figured Ryan wouldn't like it much. Plus, we didn't want to have to continually get the sand out of his mouth that he would inevitably repeatedly place inside it. But he LOVED it! He made it over an hour before he got cranky at all! Even if he kept eating the sand...

He had lots of fun playing with his cousin. The two of them were absolutely fascinated by each other. It was too cute.

After the beach, we went to the aquarium in San Diego. It was pretty cool and Ry liked the BIG fish. But he still thought his new friend (his cousin) was more entertaining.

**I don't have pics from the aquarium because I accidentally left my camera in my beach bag. Dang.

And then we went to the mall and dinner with the family.

Sunday morning we traveled home back to reality. The week went by way too fast!

Day at the Lake

2011-08-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, or more perhaps.

Okay so it turns out that I have no idea when this happened.

**Side note: According to my pictures it was June 28!

But at some point this summer, I went to the lake with my girl cousins and my uncle.

And it was so much fun!

I loved getting to spend time with them: laughing and talking and eating "chick" food.

It was just going to be a girls thing, but when my uncle said he could come...we all quickly voted he join us!

And I'm sure he enjoyed the day, chick food and all. (Can you say hummus, pita, and strawberries dipped in cream and brown sugar?!) So delish!

Anyway, I've only been to the lake a few select times in my life. And on those times, I have been on a water tube, gone wake boarding, and gone knee boarding.

But this time, I attempted the water skis.

And guess what? I did it!

Though I still say wake boarding is easier. And more fun.

But it was a great day!

P.S.--I'm getting rid of Polka Dot Lane. It's becoming too much to maintain two blogs. So I'm just going to combine them again. I'll re-post some of my favorite PDL posts on here as well.

Writing

2011-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've loved to write ever since I can remember. This probably stems from my love of books and reading. As a young girl {much before I could read}, I would take a HUGE stack of books to bed with me every night and try to read them. Then, when I finally learned how to read, I couldn't stop. I was reading constantly.

I wrote lots of little stories and things, and at one point even began "a novel" of sorts. Sadly, all the stuff I wrote (that would probably be hilarious to look at and read now) has gone missing. But that's beside the point.

My junior year in high school, I had an amazing English teacher that really helped strengthen my skills as a writer. Frankly, this teacher scared me. Really, seriously scared me. But she pushed me until I reached my own personal potential. She pushed each student to their own limits, whatever they were. This made me grow so much as a writer. It also taught me that writing was what I truly wanted to do in life. Writing was a part of me. It always will be.

Now I find myself majoring in Literature, Writing and Film (emphasis on writing)--basically a fancy name for creative writing at the Polytechnic campus at ASU. I love it so much! I've taken a ton of different writing classes and have met some truly amazing writers (both professors and fellow students).

And I still love to write. Perhaps now more than ever. I read all the time. I read all different types of thing. I read a ton of articles, books, and magazines on becoming a professional writer. And I write.

It's what I love to do. I don't care if people ever read what I write...okay, that's a lie. I would absolutely love it if people read my work, but even if they don't, I would still do it. Because I, first and foremost, write for myself. Because it's what I love to do. It's my passion.

A few months ago I finally sent in some work to try and get it published. It took a lot of courage. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it. I don't think my work is good enough. In fact, every time I read something I've written, I edit it and change something. Every. Single. Time. I never feel like it is ready. But at some point I just have to stop all the madness and try. It took a lot of guts to press the submit button for my work. And, so far, I've gotten two rejection letters.

You want to know the crazy thing? I was so excited to get those rejection letters. Do you want to know why? Because it meant that I did it. After dreaming for years, I finally sent my work out there.

And I know I'm probably going to get a million more rejection letters before something ever gets published. That's part of the job. In fact, it may be years before something finally gets accepted. And that's okay.

For now, I'm just working hard and continuing to send material out there.

And I'm loving every second of it.

Something New

2011-07-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

1. Writing Group

Lately I've been focusing a lot on my writing, and I have been looking around for different writing groups to join...but I'm not sure I'm finding one that's just right for me.

That's when I thought, "Hey, why don't I just start my own?"

The problem with that is finding people to join it.

So, if you leave in the East Valley and are interested in joining a monthly writing group...let me know! Or if you don't live in the East Valley, but are interested in a writing group, maybe we could set up an online group where we critique work through email or online chats.

I'll probably want to keep the group somewhere between 6 and 12 members so we can get adequate feedback on our work but not be overwhelmed.

Anyone serious about writing is welcome! All ages and pretty much any genre. I write a lot of different things (short stories, poems, essays, articles, genre fiction). I'm up for just about anything!

If you're interested, email me at jessesgirlblog{at}gmail{dot}com to let me know. If I get enough interest, we'll work out good times and other details.

2.Other Ideas

While thinking about starting a writing group, I was also thinking that it might be fun to start another monthly group or two to try and get to know more people. I thought a monthly girls craft night, a girls night out, or a "mom and me playdate" with mom's and our kids could all be fun ways to get to know new people and have some fun!

If anyone is interested in these or has ideas for different groups they think would be fun...email me at jessesgirlblog{at}gmail{dot}com as well!

Yard Sale for a Good Cause

2011-07-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

What are you all doing tomorrow?

No plans?!

Well, I've got an idea for you.

You should go to this super awesome yard sale my little cousin is having.

All proceeds go to One Big Step, a group she started to help support victims of child trafficking.

She has collected items from various people on a donation basis. And TOMORROW, July 16th from 7AM to 12NOON she will be selling them to help those in need!

There are the usual yard sale type items (books, shoes, clothes, decor, household equipment, etc.)

Oh...and did I mention there are some cute clothes from Forever 21? Yes, indeed there are!

So head on over! It will be on Lindsay and the 60 in Mesa.

Or you can email me at jessesgirlblog@gmail.com for exact address and directions.

And you can check out her blog here.

Lesson Recap

2011-07-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in Relief Society, we had a really good lesson. They're always good, but it seems that the past month's have been especially amazing. Or maybe that's just because Jess has taken Ryan so that I could actually pay attention to the lesson. He's amazing like that.

Anyway, yesterday's lesson was on eternal families. We talked about the things that are important in the home such as:

1. Family Home Evening

2. Family prayer and scripture study

3. Personal prayer and scripture study

4. Family dinner

5. Communication

6. Respect

7. Forgiveness

8. Service

9. Kindness

10. Family activities

And so much more!

We also discussed how the little things can be important and how "by small and simple things are great things come to pass" (Alma 37:6). I had the thought that as parents, sometimes we get too caught up in the overall outcome of things...when really we need to focus on each small step that turns into the overall outcome. We need to focus on the here and now.

It was a great discussion filled with thoughts from mothers with young kids, mother's with teenagers and empty nesters who are now grandmothers. We discussed how sometimes we yell at our children in frustration ("Get dressed right now!") thinking it's okay because we love them. But if we just took the time to calm ourselves down and teach them softly, it would go over a lot better. Sometimes our children don't understand that we yell at them out of love.

Furthermore, we discussed how being prepared ourselves can ultimately smooth out a lot of our frustrations with our spouse and children. When running late for church, we yell at our husband to get our son ready and yell at our daughter because she should already be dressed. But if we had only gotten ready earlier, we could take care of getting our children ready ourselves.

This also goes back to being spiritually prepared. If we are doing our personal scripture study, prayer and other important things, we will have the tools there and ready for us to handle any trials and frustrations that come our way. Ultimately, it will make things {life} easier.

I love Sundays and the uplifting, spiritual thoughts church brings to my life!

What I Need to Learn

2011-07-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

I feel as if my life is always going a million miles a minute, or rather my mind is.

I spend WAY too much time finding all these ideas I want to implement into my life and not enough time actually DOING them.

And I always have 497,362 projects going on at once.

So here's what I need to learn {perhaps I'll print out this blog post and post it on my mirror...and my fridge, desk, pillow, etc. while I'm at it.}

1. I can't do everything. And that's okay.

2. Stop THINKING about what I want to do, pick what's most important and get to it! Don't worry about all the OTHER stuff I wanna get done, just focus on what I CAN do NOW!

3. Start a project. Finish said project. THEN start a new one. That way I'll actually finish a project at some point rather than have a million partially completed ones.

Anyone got tips on how to conquer this?

Maybe I'm A Bit Obsessed...

2011-07-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Conversation on Monday

Me: I miss Ryan.

Jess: He's been gone for, um, 45 minutes...

Me: I know. And I miss him!

Jess: Even though he screamed all night, refused to sleep, and kept hitting you?

Me: Yes. It made me love him more.

Jess: I guess it was kind of sweet that he just wanted to lay by us.

What can I say? He's got a hold of our hearts!

Ten Months

2011-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Ryan,

Where has the time gone? I can't believe that you are already 10 months old. Will you please slow down?

I love that you are getting more and more cuddly as time goes on. I love that you give hugs and kisses. I love that when I kiss you, you get a GIANT smile on your face. I love that way you crawl to me. I love how you explore and play with things. I love that you ALWAYS have two toys, one in each hand. I love that you try to crawl around with said toys in your hands. I love that you are an escape artist and can find a way through any barrier we put up to keep you out of something. I love that you laugh when I tickle you. I love that you get excited when we sit down to read a book together. I love the way you play with your dad. I love that way you tackle your dog. I love how you insist upon being naked 90% of the time. I love how you sing and crawl around chasing floating toys in the bath. I love how you scream when mom or dad have ice cream because you want some. I love that you try to clap, but really just circle your arms really fast in excitement. I love how you cuddle me every night before bed.

But most of all, I love YOU!

Thanks for being such an amazing son.

Love,

Mommy

Precious Moment

2011-07-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

When you're at Wal-Mart in Show Low with your husband and baby browsing the book section, and you happen upon a children's book about loving your child.

So you open the book and read it to your son.

The book goes through all the things you love about him and ends with something like, "I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I'll even love you tomorrow!"

When you finish, your son gets a giant smile on his face, leans forward in the shopping cart towards you, wraps his arms around you tight and gives you a hug.

Now THAT is a precious moment that should never be forgotten.

Photo Booth

2011-06-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know why Ryan and I just began playing with photo booth.

It's SOOO much fun.

Seriously, I think we could take pictures for hours on end.

For those of you without a MAC, Photo Booth is the program that takes pictures from your MAC, like the ones in this post.

It's addicting.

And Ryan thinks it's the most hilarious thing in the world.

He cracks up every time he sees a new picture of us.

The crazier...the better.

I'm glad we found it!

Anniversary Celebration

2011-06-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Although our anniversary was actually June 12, we decided to wait a couple weeks to celebrate it. We had stuff going on the weekend of our actual anniversary and this past weekend was the first chance we had to actually do something fun for it. So we decided to put off gifts and what not as well and just pretend this weekend was our anniversary.

Can I first just say that I can't believe it's already been two years?! It feels like we just got married last month! It's insane. But then I look at our son and realize that it had to have been much longer than that! But I can say that it's been an amazing two years! I love my husband so much. Just when I think I can't possibly love him more...I do.

Friday night we went out to dinner and then saw Super 8. If you haven't seen this movie, go see it now. It's seriously hilarious! The characters in the movie are so well-developed and have such great personalities. In that aspect, it reminds me a lot of the movie The Goonies. I highly suggest it.

**Side note: If you haven't seen The Goonies, you are a disgrace to society (cue sarcasm) and need to watch that movie. I mean, stop reading this blog right now, go rent it, and watch it. You can thank me later.

Then we went to stay the night at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix. Living Social had a great deal for a one night stay, breakfast and passes to the water park there. So I just had to take them up on it!

At the hotel, we made a time capsule to open up ten years from now. We put in some of our goals, love letters to each other, wrote down our favorites and guessed our spouse's favorites, predicted how many kids (names and ages) we'll have in 10 years, where we'll be living and what we'll have accomplished. We still want to burn a cd of our current favorite songs and we need to print out some pictures of that night, each room in our house, Ryan and Nash to put in as well. Then we'll seal it up and open it on June 12, 2021!

We also opened presents. Jess did such a great job with my gifts. He went to Barnes and Noble and got me some things that he feels describe me. First, he talked about loving me. So he bought me The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks and wrote a sweet message on the inside cover. Then, he talked about how creative I am. So he bought me a book on crafts and decor and wrote a special message in that. Then he said that I am a great mother and pulled out a children's book called No, David. And, of course, wrote a message in that about our crazy son. And last, he said I'm a writer so he got me a little notebook to take everywhere with me and write all my ideas in it. And, he got me a lap desk pillow thing where you put your computer or paper on it and it's a pillow on the other side so it doesn't hurt your legs. I've needed on of these so bad! He must have noticed because I'm constantly using our couch pillows for this. I do a lot of my blogging at night on the couch while Jess watches t.v. I don't really like watching tv, but I still want to spend time with my hubby. So the computer burns my legs and gets uncomfortable after awhile. I loved the gifts he gave me!

Have you ever played the "Wiggle" game? Directions: Grab a camera, move your face as fast as you can in as many crazy positions as you can while opening and closing your eyes. Randomly take a picture. Repeat until bored.

I got him a Barnes and Noble gift card, a subscription to a magazine and a couple books. Then I wrote him a lengthy love letter.

The next day we slept in until 10. AMAZING! Then we put on our swim suits, ate a yummy breakfast and headed over to the AZ Grand Water park! We rode all the slides, the lazy river, and hung out in the wave pool. It was actually a lot of fun!

After a few hours in the pool, we decided to go get lunch. We went to the locker rooms to shower and change before eating. The locker rooms were so unbelievably nice. They had everything you would need to get ready (except make-up and a straightener). And it was huge! I didn't want to leave there, and sadly didn't use any of the getting ready stuff (other than shampoo/conditioner and body wash). I just put on a little make-up of my own and threw my hair into a gross, wet pony tail. I didn't want to make Jess wait for me.

We headed over to AZ Mills mall and ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. I hadn't been there in a long time and I'm glad we went because it made me want to take Ryan. I think he would love it! There's so much to look at!

Then we walked around the mall for a couple minutes (and bought Ryan some cute clothes at Old Navy) and went home!

Overall, it was a very fun weekend anniversary celebration!

Day Trip

2011-06-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago, we went up to Snowflake for the day because my cousin was having a wedding open house up there. They got married in Utah a couple weeks before and we were unable to make it to the reception there. So we decided to drive up for the day and go to the open house.

Jess, Ryan and I drove up with my mom and dad. We had such a fun trip! Ryan is the best baby for car trips. He just sits there and plays or sleeps. He doesn't cry at all...like ever. You can tell he gets frustrated at times and wants to just get out of his car seat. I don't blame him. It's bad enough being trapped in the car; I can't imagine also being constricted by a car seat! But he just has a quick freak out moment and then he's fine again. I love my little boy.

Basically, we got there and drove around the Pinetop/Show Low area for awhile. We went to the Blossom boutique there and I got some cute new clothes. Yay! We visited some family staying up there for the month. We went out to dinner with relatives. And then we headed to the open house.

Ryan made a new friend. My cousin's son is about two and the two boys decided to play together for awhile. It was quite cute, I must say! {Ryan's idea of playing is to grab faces...}

After the open house, we headed back home. It was a quick one day thing, but we enjoyed it {especially the weather...}

And don't forget to check out my other blog!

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the first real Father's Day in our household.

Ry and I wanted to make it extra special for Jess because we think he's an AMAZING daddy!

So, we let Jess sleep in while Ryan ate breakfast and played with his mom for awhile.

Then we made a special Father's Day breakfast for Jess.

The Menu

Pancakes

Eggs

Sausage for Jess

Bacon for Me

Orange Juice

Syrup

Hot Sauce (Jess can't eat a lot of things without it)

The Event

Placed breakfast on a tray

Took it upstairs

Enjoyed it in bed with dad

Let dad open a present and card in bed

The Gift

Three framed photos for his office {one of the family, one of Little Ry Guy and one of me and Jess}

A sweet card signed by Ryan himself

A note saying he has a personalized gift from Shutterfly coming (they messed up our order so it was late.)

The Day

We spent the morning relaxing, then we got ready for church.

We went to another ward because Jess's cousin just got home from his mission, so he was speaking in his ward.

Came home and relaxed until dinner.

Went over to my parents house to eat.

Dinner Menu

Enchurito

Black Beans with Red Bell Peppers

Corn with Red Bell Peppers

Chips and Salsa

Salad

Sparking Grape Cider

After Dinner Activities

Opened gifts with my dad

Jess got his big gift we'd been hiding at my parent's house (an old fashioned looking popcorn machine!)

Watched I Am Number Four

Ate ice cream sundaes

We love you Jess! You are such an amazing husband and father. We don't know what we would do without you. Thanks for all that you do for us. We hope you had a great day!

Love,

Britney and Ryan

{Don't forget to check out my other blog!}

Baby Birds are Cute

2011-06-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

My dad now raises and sells birds. So, naturally, Ryan and I took a trip down to see the cute new baby birds!

We even got to see one hatch!

They were SO small and SO cute! I'm kind of obsessed with them. And by that I mean that I am TOTALLY obsessed with them.

1-2 weeks old

3-4 weeks old

Big Bird

Just laying some eggs...

This is where the eggs go to hatch

Ryan went from confused...

To unsure...

To loving the little birds.

We couldn't hold the newborns, but I took a video of one hatching and taking it's first steps, just so you all could watch and enjoy the cuteness with me.{Thank yous are acceptable}.