{unwrapped}

{pink eye, sanitizing, sterilizing...and clean carpets}

I'm not sure how I managed to have my babies remain untouched by "pink eye" for 10 years of motherhood, but somehow I did...until yesterday. My poor baby girl woke up yesterday, eye goopy and swollen shut. After washing it out, I could see that it was most definitely pink. From that very moment, I turned on "agro-sanitizing" mode and all three of us used hand-sanitizer about every 3 minutes of the day. Not exaggerating. Every time Seneca touched ANYTHING on her face....we ALL sanitized. I took her into the doctor early, who immediately prescribed eye drops and complimented me on catching it so early on and getting her in right away. So nice to be validated every now and again. Happy day.

The actual process of getting the eye drops into Baby's eyes was the most traumatic thing I have ever experienced with Seneca. She is my "tough girl" and doesn't cry about anything like that. She has such high pain tolerance, just like her Mama. But this was a different story. She was screaming more than anything I have ever witnessed, as I was trying to put the drops in. It broke my heart. The drops burned her eyes so badly. She even started crying and said, "Let my eyes just go bad and I will get glasses. Please Mama. I don't want eye drops." Bless her sweet heart. :-) I snuggled her through it and held her close to me after managing to get the drops in. She kept her eyes closed and immediately fell asleep. I snuggled her up in blankets on the couch, stroked her hair for a while and then let her sleep as I went and sanitized..again. Poor thing slept for a good 2 hours. She was exhausted. She ended up sleeping over at her daddy's last night, which made it possible for me to sterilize the entire house while she was away.....to at least try and prevent the rest of the fam from contracting it.

I was up until about 2:30 AM washing every piece of Seneca's laundry and all of her bedding. I completely disinfected her entire room....walls, dresser, bed, doorknobs, doors, windowsill....with Clorox wipes. Then I moved to the rest of the house and did the exact same thing in Kaden's room, the family room , my room, the bathroom, etc. Our house is already very clean, so it made it easy to disinfect, since I wasn't having to worry about picking up clutter and organizing. (However, I DID..with Kaden's awesome help last night after baseball...move all of the chairs and the couch and vacuum under them.)


I disinfected the banisters and all doorknobs...and replaced all 3 of our toothbrushes. With how often I am changing our toothbrushes, I am fairly certain we are single-handedly keeping ORAL B in business. :-) As of this moment...knock on wood....both Kaden and I have managed to stay "pink eye" free. Even with Seneca with her Daddy today, I have been sanitizing all day long.

Earlier this week, and prior to our "pink eye" discovery, I had already made an appointment to have all of the carpets in our house cleaned. John Bevan, who cleans all of the carpets at my work, does a PHENOMENAL job! I actually called around to 10 different companies...and his prices beat out EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.....and by a landslide. I decided that getting my carpets cleaned was my Mother's Day present to me. So yay! Happy Mother's Day to me. :-)

I have wanted to get the carpets cleaned for a long time. The three of us do really well keeping the house clean (other than the daily clutter that we clean up each night during our nightly "clean sweep."), but even when it is deep cleaned, it just doesn't look COMPLETELY clean with spots on the carpet. I've put it off and put it off....until I heard John's prices. Since it was completely in my budget (AWESOME!)....I couldn't resist.


John just barely left and my entire house now smells like citrus (combined with the ONGUARD essential oil that I have been diffusing off and on this entire week)...and my carpets look BRAND NEW!!!!!! John worked miracles on RED KOOLAID, GUM, PLAYDOUGH....and even throw up stains that I had previously scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed to get out. He is such a sweet man...and I am MORE than happy with the service he provided. He even left me with a bottle of spot cleaner. I don't want to sound too much like a commercial.....but if you are EVER in need of carpets cleaned and need it done WELL and on a budget....I strongly (and without any reservation) recommend JOHN BEVAN CARPET & UPHOLSTERY!!! I have done all of your legwork as far as price matching...and he can't be beat.

And so, despite the pink eye and my sudden ridiculously horrible allergies (that I've never in my life had until now), we are doing great. The blessing out of this challenge, is that our house is now not only clean....but truly STERILIZED from head to toe. In doing all I can to get Seneca better and protect Kaden and myself from getting pink eye in every way possible, now having an amazingly disinfected house...and fresh "just like new" carpets.....I feel really good (albeit exhausted) today. Life is a blessing.

{big news & city creek}

Though they hadn't originally planned on sharing the big news so soon, Lindsay and Lyndon ended up surprising us during Easter dinner with the exciting news that they are expecting a baby on Thanksgiving Day of this year. SUCH a happy day!!!! We immediately decided that we wanted to do regular photo shoots to document her pregnancy....starting with our first shoot at 10 weeks. I haven't ever had the opportunity to document the progression of a pregnancy, so I was thrilled when Lindsay was also excited about the idea.  And so, about a week and a half ago, Jeff and I met up with Lindsay and Lyndon for a quick "10 week photo shoot" before dinner and a movie. 

Prior to our shoot, I had done a little research online for some fun prenatal photo shoot ideas. However, I just couldn't seem to find any cute ideas for EARLY ON prenatal pics. So, I had to resort to a few ideas of my own. I decided to run to Hobby Lobby for some ideas and was thrilled to find an ornate black framed pin cushion (shown above),complete with crystal pins, and decided that it would be fun to use that every time we shoot....with an update of how many weeks along Lindsay is. I designed a neutral "week counter" in Photoshop and printed it out on photo paper. Each time we shoot, I will just alter the number of weeks and print out a new one to be pinned on the cushion. Little did I know, that the colors I chose for the image would match Lindsay's outfit (that she will wear every time we shoot during the course of her pregnancy) PERFECTLY. Great minds think alike. :-)

In addition to the framed pin cushion, I decided to pick up a chalkboard. Umm....the chalkboard is now officially my most favorite new thing EVER! It's so not a new concept in photography...but it is new for me. I LOVE IT! Such a FUN FUN FUN idea.

On the way home from work and on the way to meet up with Lindsay and Lyndon, I had a last minute idea. I decided that I wanted to do a "storyboard" of sorts. As I was driving, I tried to think of a "script" for the "story" and jotted it down on the back of a receipt. I wanted Lindsay and Lyndon to communicate to each other VIA the chalkboard.....to share the news of their little one. You can tell who's "talking," by who is holding the chalkboard. I loved the idea in my head, but had no idea just how awesome the end result would be. Check it out.....

I am so ridiculously thrilled with every shot in this fun shoot...but the storyboard ended up being my absolute favorite. SO FUN!


I was even more thrilled when I found these SERIOUSLY AWESOME digital hand drawn frames, designed by my dear, dear friend and amazingly talented designer, Heidi Larsen. Heidi and I designed together for years and years...and it's been ages since I've been able to play with her awesome work. I just about SQUEALED when I saw these frames in her "HERBANELLA" ETSY STORE the other day and absolutely HAD to have them to use with Lindsay's pics.  Heidi..you are amazing!!! SO HAPPY to see you designing again!

I have done hundreds and hundreds of photo shoots, but this was my very first "early prenatal shoot." So fun to come up with ideas for ways to BREAK THE NEWS. We actually decided to use one of these pictures to break the news to "Mama Bear" (Jeff and Lindsay's Mama) when she was in town last week. We chose to give her one of our favorites...and one that wouldn't give it away RIGHT away...but would require a little more thought. We didn't realize that it would actually end up requiring more thought than even WE had anticipated. LOL!

Last Wednesday night, Karen ("Mama Bear") flew in right in time for dinner with me, Jeff, Lindsay and Lyndon. We all met at Lindsay and Lyndon's house and decided to go out for sushi (ALWAYS a good idea!). We had already planned to share the surprise PRIOR to ordering, so we wouldn't have to explain why Lindsay was only having the sushi that didn't have raw fish in it (mainly tempura, etc.). Jeff and I suggested ICHIBAN, since we eat there on a regular basis and have become good friends with the manager (and many of the waiters and waitresses)...not to mention, it is BY FAR our favorite sushi for BY FAR, the best price.

As soon as we had placed our order for our first 5 rolls, Lindsay told her mom that we had gotten together and done a photo shoot the other day, just for fun. Prior to dinner, I had printed the "1+1=3" picture (posted at the beginning of this entry) as a 5x7 print, mounted it on black cardstock and put it in an envelope. Lindsay handed the envelope to her mom. As soon as she started opening it, Lyndon and Jeff started video taping...and I began snapping pictures. Oddly, Karen didn't catch on. LOL!

Karen "oohed"  and "ahhed" at the picture and said, "Heather, you did these? It is so great....the colors, their outfits, that beautiful red wall...." LOL! We all looked at each other like, "Umm..does she not get it??" LOL! As she was just about ready to lay the picture back down on the table, Lindsay put her hand on her arm and told her to look really CLOSE at the picture.

It was then, and only then, that it actually hit her.......what "1+1=3" meant. LOL! It was hilarious. Once she realized it, she screamed....and cried. It was SUCH a happy moment!!! Lindsay then told her Mama that the next surprise was that she was going to be able to go with her to her first ultrasound appointment the very next morning. :-)



After we shared the happiness about the news and laughed about Karen's awesome delayed response (a story I am sure we will laugh about forever), we enjoyed some AMAZING, AMAZING sushi. Our first order, EVERY SINGLE ROLL was exceptional. However, I'm fairly certain that Jeff and I have never had a roll we HAVEN'T loved at Ichiban. Still, I labeled these 5 rolls...simply to remind us which ones were some of our favorites....

How seriously awesome to enjoy a fun dinner together....with ALL OF US loving sushi!! What are the odds?! It was PURE HEAVEN! So fun to be able to spend more time with Karen, since we hadn't seen her since January. And as for Lindsay and Lyndon.....it is ALWAYS fun to be around them!

After dinner, we decided to head up to City Creek in Downtown Salt Lake. Lindsay and Lyndon had been there already and thought it would be nice to walk around there for a bit. Jeff and I had heard so much about it and hadn't been up there yet, so we were definitely up for it. It's so funny how Jeff and I are alike in SO MANY ways....even really little things. For example, we have heard so many people RAVE about City Creek. And yet, Jeff and I, thought we DID enjoy it and do think that it is pretty amazing, are really completely fine never going there again. LOL! It's one of those things where you enjoy walking through it...but it's just not really practical as far as going back again. The shops are really expensive and it's not worth worrying about parking to just go for a walk...when you could find a beautiful park somewhere closer to home. As for the lavish splash parks in the middle of the mall...um...I don't get it. So what do you do with your soaking wet children after they splash around in the fountains?! You can't really go shopping after that. Hmm...I never really understood that about the fountains at The Gateway either. (But then, I never really got into the hype about Gateway anyway.) There is NO denying...The Gateway is nice and City Creek IS magnificent.  But when it really comes down to it....I would much rather take a hike in the mountains, a walk in the park, take my babies to the neighborhood splash pad and shop at Ross and D.I. LOL! That being said, it was more about WHO we were with, than WHERE we were. And we had an absolute BLAST walking around together.

Of course, I wanted to make sure that we got a good picture of us on our first (and possibly last) visit to City Creek. Jeff is getting more and more used to getting his picture taken often....but only gives me about 2 GOOD shots before he starts goofing around. I think it's his way of staying SANE with all of the pictures that I take. LOL! (Lyndon....SO FREAKING LOVE the picture you took below...you can even see us IN Karen's camera. LOL! Love that!!! Nice shot!)

And generally, I've learned "If you can't beat em, join em." LOL! Between the two of us, we are a hot mess.

If it isn't one of us...it's the other.

We're lucky that we even ended up with the ONE good shot. :-) *sigh* Oooh...we're FUN! LOVE US!

As you can see, we had a LI-TTLE bit of fun with my camera that night. :-) Unfortunately, I brought one of my older cameras that night...and it had a ROUGH minute. SO SO many of our pics are blurry or grainy. Not sure what's up. Still, blurry or not, they are definitely worth posting....including these way cute ones of Lindsay and Lyndon and a classic shot of Lindsay and Jeff....skipping through City Creek. :-)


We ended up running into more than one group of youth that were involved in a scavenger hunt. We quickly learned that one of the things on their list was to "take a picture of yourself at the fireplace with strangers." We happened to be the "strangers" that were hanging out by the fireplace when they arrived, so Lindsay, Lyndon and Mama Bear happily agreed to be in their pictures.

After being "strangers" for a few groups of kids, we decided to quickly MOVE from the fireplace so we weren't tied up all night in photo shoots with random people. LOL! We walked around for a little while, admiring everything, and Jeff even tried to do a little herping while we were there.

When we got to where you could look over onto the splash pads, we stood and visited for a while and admired the handiwork of the fountains. They really ARE amazing.


Jeff and I snuggled a little bit while we looked out over the fountains..and then I tried to take a few pics of him. This is what I ended up with....


Isn't he "cccyute?" Love him! Not sure why I decided to attempt, yet again, to take a few pictures of us....but try again, I did. Jeff's Mama kept telling him to stop goofing off and be nice for the pictures. But truthfully, crazy and blurry as they are......these are SO "US!" Priceless. Ha ha!




It's interesting. Last year, I did an engagement photo shoot of a couple that has since become dear friends of mine. When I first met Patrick and Nadeane that day, and throughout the course of the shoot, I saw something in their relationship that I hadn't realized I wanted. And as I watched them together, I found myself ACHING for it. Not only was it SO apparent that the love this couple shared was mature and deep and passionate.....but they were absolutely the best of friends. And oh my goodness...did they ever PLAY!!!!! I realized then and there, that not only did I want that intense, mature love....but I wanted someone I could PLAY WITH! Until I met Jeff, I wasn't sure that I would be able to find that rare and precious combination. But praise my dear, sweet Heavenly Father forever....for blessing the two of us with EXACTLY such a relationship. We are deep and passionate and intense.....intellectually stimulated to the max. And we PLAY....boy, do we ever play!!! How I love my amazingly intelligent...and silly sweetheart.

And somehow, in the midst of the silliness, we still managed to squeak out a few with BOTH of us smiling at the camera. LOL!

What a memorable night with my sweet Jeff and his family that I have so quickly grown to love. 

I feel so richly blessed in so many ways. This particular night, I felt honored to be present as some of the most sacred and beautiful news (the upcoming arrival of a sweet and precious angel baby) was shared with Karen. I feel so at home with these good people. At dinner, Karen turned to me and said, "Heather, you are such a wonderful asset to our family." Such simple words....but it made my heart almost burst. Such a beautiful blessing, to feel loved and appreciated.

That is one of the many things that I love so much about Jeff. I so enjoy doing whatever I can to lift and take care of him, simply because I truly love him with all of my heart. However, nothing I do ever goes unnoticed (no matter how small). Jeff notices everything and is always so grateful...and, though I need nothing more than that in return, he takes such AMAZINGLY good care of me too.

I  am so happy. So very happy. My cup truly runneth over.

 

*All prenatal photos in this entry are property of White House Photography and are protected by legal copyright. Copying, sharing and/or "pinning" is prohibited.

{tasty toilet water?}

When Seneca was told she could pick out a treat for Family Home Evening, this is what her heart desired above all else.....a sucker in the shape of a plunger that you dip in a toilet full of sour powder. I think it's pretty safe to say that this is the most bizarre idea for a treat I have ever seen. I never thought I would ever hear the following come out of my daughter's mouth...."Mama, can you please help me open my plunger sucker?" and "This is the best tasting toilet water I have ever had." My most sincere hope, fingers crossed, is that she has nothing else to compare it to. :-)

{"thor"}

My little Seneca is a kick and a half. With how often I sit and talk to my babies, I have no idea how it was never discovered until recently, that Seneca can't say the word "floor." Perhaps she has somehow just avoided using it until recently. LOL! At any rate, a few weeks ago, she came into the kitchen and said, "Mama, can I sleep on the thor tonight?" I immediately caught on and said, "On the what?" She then repeated, "The thor. Can I sleep on the thor tonight?" What began as an attempt to lovingly correct her, suddenly turned into a giggle fit for both of us. I tried everything to help her pronounce it correctly, including having her first say "F," then say "LOOR," and then eventually merge them together to get "FLOOR." Yeah...that ended up sounding much like this.....

"F - LOOR, F - LOOR, F - LOOR, THLOR, THOR."

I'm not sure what it is about the F and the L together, but it is ridiculously challenging for her. I started out being very sensitive to her, to make sure she didn't feel embarassed about it. However, as soon as she started giggling, I giggled too and told her that she could only sleep on the floor if she could SAY "floor." LOL! 

Needless to say, she never WAS able to sleep on the "thor," and we just kinda forgot about it...until today. Seneca came home with a cute little book filled ONLY with colored pictures. The objective was to get the kids to make up their OWN stories, by using the pictures. Seneca is AMAZINGLY creative when it comes to making up her own stories. That is something that I love SO MUCH about my little ones (that they most definitely get from their Mama)....what awesome imaginations they have. Seneca came up with the most elaborate story and proceeded to share it with us for a good 30 minutes. Suddenly, she came to a page with a picture of someone sweeping. Without pause, she continued her story by saying, "And then, her Mama decided that it was time for her to sweep the thor." LOL! She immediately caught herself, and the story came to a brief pause as she tried to work through it on her own:

"And then, her Mama decided that it was time for her to sweep the thor. The thlllor. The f - loor, thor. thlllor. Then, her Mama decided that it was time for her to sweep the thlor. *quiet sigh* Then, her Mama decided that it was time for her to sweep the GROUND."

Oh my heart, I just about lost it when she substituted "ground" for "thor." And when I started giggling, she started up too. We got to giggling so hard that we BOTH just about wet our pants.
 
Bless her cute heart. I'm certain that just as her "R's" eventually worked themselves out, that so shall this. Until then, I've decided to let her sleep on the "thor" every now and again...whether she can pronounce it or not. :-)

*All pics were taken tonight, with my cell phone, at Kaden's baseball practice. So love my Baby Girl. She is so completely full of PURE JOY, that it often seems that she might BURST. Love the first photo in this entry....it is SO COMPLETELY "Seneca." She is, without a doubt, "HAPPINESS PERSONIFIED!!!"

{it's official}

Just in case there was any doubt......
 
*A picture of us, taken just for fun, after church yesterday. 

{family friends}

Every relationship book and well-educated therapist has cautioned about using the words "always" and "never," since both are inaccurate assumptions when referring to the behavior of your companion. It is very rare that someone honestly NEVER does something or ALWAYS does something else. Generally, it is good advice in regard to interactions in ANY relationship. As a result, I have always tried to omit those words completely and be more thoughtful (and accurate) about my word choice. However, I feel very confident in saying that I have NEVER been in a relationship with someone who fulfills every part of me. Never. I am still so awestruck at how beautiful that is. Jeff is very literally my best friend. I know I've blogged about this before, but when it comes down to it, no matter WHAT else is going on, I would ALWAYS rather be with him -- no matter what. I found a quote online a few weeks ago that hit the nail on the head..."The truth is, I would rather do NOTHING with you, than SOMETHING with anybody else." How true that is. And even though we do like "double dating" with friends here and there, we don't NEED to double date for "fresh conversation." Does that make sense? In past relationships, I almost preferred spending time with other couples, so that there wouldn't be awkward silence...and there would always be fresh and interesting conversation. With me and Jeff, that isn't necessary. We are so thoroughly entertained and stimulated by each other alone. We are ALWAYS learning something new (on our own and together), so there is ALWAYS something new and exciting to discuss. 

However, because we ARE so completely fulfilled by each other, it's WONDERFUL to spend time with friends....not because our relationship is lacking and NEEDS the fresh energy...but because they are FUN and because we simply LOVE spending time with them and/or ARE lifted by their added insights. How wonderful and LIBERATING that is. One of these couples that we thoroughly enjoy spending time with, is Jeff's sister Lindsay and her husband Lyndon. It is so rare and wonderful to find a couple that we BOTH genuinely LOVE spending time with. We have such a great time together, have similar humor, interests, etc. 

This past Friday night, we spent the entire evening with Lindsay and Lyndon until the wee hours of the morning. We got together early in the evening and enjoyed dinner at Zupas. Jeff and I decided, that this ONE time, we would branch out from our "regular order" at Zupas. It almost broke our hearts to not order what we usually do. LOL! Jeff set aside his usual "T.B.A. No Tom and Lobster Bisque" for the Hot Crab Panini Melt and Wisconsin Cauliflower soup and I (sadly) chose to to order the "Ham Honey Bacon Club and Mulligatawny soup instead of my usual "UL-T and Tomato Basil Soup with Orzo pasta." We both surprisingly enjoyed our NEW meals.....but agreed that we will be going back to our regulars next time. LOL! 

After Zupas, we all had a few errands we had to run. Jeff and I took off and did our quick errands while Lindsay and Lyndon did the same. Then, we met back at their house for a movie. After our movie, we ended up talking for HOURS about the Cleansing of America, the Second Coming, the Millennium, the Law of Consecration, the New Zion Society, etc. Jeff and I have been EATING UP literature about these topics and were thrilled to find that Lindsay and Lyndon were also intrigued. Lindsay had a lot of questions and as I sat and listened to Jeff explain what he and I have been learning the past few months, I was completely in awe of him (as I am on a very regular basis). He naturally retains so much information. Overall, Jeff's thirst for knowledge, his deep understanding of Church Doctrine and History and the way that he is able to teach and explain difficult concepts in such a manner that ALL may easily understand, is so completely attractive to me. I never get tired of listening to Jeff share...and teach.

In addition to these topics, we also visited a little bit about near-death experiences and the two books that Jeff and I read together recently, "Embraced by the Light," by Betty Eadie and "The Message," by Lance Richardson (our favorite). Both were amazingly beautiful. Though not Doctrine, they truly resonated with us both.  I could very easily (and probably will) devote an entire blog entry JUST to my feelings after reading these two books. I happened to have "Embraced by the Light" in my purse, and gave it to Lindsay and Lyndon to read.

On Sunday afternoon, I received a text from Lindsay that said, " I got to page five in that book and am already crying. I've been reading it out loud to Lyndon this whole time. He hasn't cried yet, but I can't seem to stop." :-) We had invited Lindsay and Lyndon over for Sunday dinner, and by the time they arrived, they had already read to page 55. While enjoying Mom's homemade stew (one of my all-time favorite "comfort foods"), we sat and talked about their feelings about the book. I can't wait for them to finish this one so that they can read "The Message." That one was particularly touching for BOTH me and Jeff. Such beautiful things to consider...and left us BOTH with peace and comfort. Love that.

MOM'S HOMEMADE STEW

1 lb. stew meat
4 large russet Potatoes, cubed
5 carrots, cut into chunks
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
1 small can Tomato Sauce
1 pkg. Onion Soup

Cut potatoes and carrots into bite-sized chunks. Mix soups and sauce together. Layer in crock pot as follows: stew meat, potatoes, carrots, sauce, stew meat, potatoes, carrots and sauce. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Enjoy with French bread or rolls. Divine. 

After dinner, we ended up spending 3 more hours talking, watching fun YOU TUBE videos together and enjoying homemade oreos and homemade ice cream sandwiches that Lindsey had prepared for us. 

Jeff and I are so comfortable with Lindsay and Lyndon, that we never feel as if we are sacrificing "US TIME" when we are with them. In fact, the wonderful thing is, we are able to have "US TIME"....WITH them. It is such a blessing to have a couple that we love so much and share such great "friendship chemistry" with. It's an even greater blessing that these friends happen to be family.

{we are magnificent}

After putting my little ones to bed tonight, I threw a pizza in the oven for Jeff and curled up on my bed to read The Blaze for a little bit before he arrived. The moment Jeff's face came into view and he smiled at me, my heart raced. Whatever happiness I was already experiencing, TRIPLED the very moment I saw him. We have been dating over 8 months (seeing each other just about every day), and my heart STILL does that....every single time I see him. This man truly is my heart's song.

Every moment we spend together is so incredible. The past few nights are no exception. We have had such intense, stimulating conversation this week. 8 months into our relationship, and we STILL talk and share for hours and hours on end. Common sense and responsibility are the only things that prevent us (as they should) from talking non-stop THROUGH the night, as we did when we first started dating. :-) Jeff arrived at 8:30 tonight and left 4 hours later. Other than 15 minutes spent on a few chapters in a book we are reading together, we never stopped talking. In fact, at one point, Jeff stood to use the restroom and ended up STANDING there for a good 30 minutes or so -- not wanting to interrupt such a deep and insightful discussion.

I have been trying to think of SOME way to describe, in a word, the MAGIC that happens when Jeff and I unite (heart, mind and soul) in some of the most powerful, ENLIGHTENING conversations I have ever experienced in my life. It is SO much more than just "talking." Tonight, it came to me. Synergy. SYNERGY: two things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable;  the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

Jeff is an amazing man of God with such incredible intelligence, faith, insight and strength. Alone and on his own, he is wholly remarkable. And yet, everything that he is individually...and everything that I am individually.....is a mere shade of the magic that happens when we are "functioning together." Together, we are so much more. Together, we are magnificent.

{excited about everything}

Have you ever had a day (or days) where, for no particular reason, you simply feel so ridiculously happy, in love and grateful, that you could just SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS??? Oh my heart......TODAY is one of those days for me.  What a MIRACLE this life is. Every...single...MOMENT of it!

TODAY, I am excited about EVERYTHING!!

{i "heart" my hoover vac}

From Kirby to Dyson to Bissell, I have owned a number of different vacuum cleaners in my lifetime. It is very possible that I just may be a “lemon magnet,” but after dumping hundreds and even thousands of dollars (for my Kirby) into vacuums, I have never truly been pleased with any of them. After countless hours of research and gathering opinions, I finally settled on my Dyson…the last vacuum I owned. I regretted the decision just weeks after purchasing it. Still, to this day, I hear rave reports about Dyson vacuums, and maybe it’s simply a matter of personal taste. But my Dyson that supposedly “never lost suction,” lost suction for me on about Day 27.  And so, as much as the crowds cheered in favor…I was not a happy house cleaner. Fortunately, I had purchased my Dyson at Costco, and they are FANTASTIC with returns. UNfortunately, I ended up using the money to pay off a few bills…and was, therefore, left without a vacuum. I would not advise living without a vacuum for 6 months. If you are looking to tighten your belt, do NOT do it by getting rid of your vacuum.  You end up living in a very “crumb-y” mess. It is NOT a happy thing. However, I was so tired of researching vacuums and being disappointed in the ones that I settled on, that I had just given up…and ended up borrowing a vacuum every few weeks (in hindsight, I have NO IDEA how I managed to NOT vacuum every other day as I do now). A few months later, my mom asked what I wanted for Christmas. I desperately cried out, “A VACUUM!!!” I guess my thinking was that perhaps my MOM would have better luck than I did. I was right. Seriously…moms know everything. :-)

On Christmas morning, Santa Claus delivered the most beautiful sight my eyes had ever seen — a Hoover Platinum Collection Lightweight Bagged Upright.  I think I might have even HUGGED it for a period of time, since I was so excited to have my very own vacuum again. However, I admit, with my past experiences, I was still a little skeptical. I couldn’t wait to get my new toy home. The day after Christmas, I broke open the box and took my new Hoover Platinum Lightweight out for a test drive. I was immediately in love. I vacuumed every single inch of my house TWICE…and was sad when there wasn’t any unvacuumed space left. Four months later, I am still so ridiculously in love with this vacuum. Every bad experience in my “vacuum past” is forgotten…THIS IS A NEW DAY. I vacuum almost on a daily basis..not because it needs it, but because I LOVE IT!!! As I vacuumed my house this morning in preparation for visitors, I immediately thought…”OH MY GOODNESS…I LOVE THIS VACUUM SO MUCH, I SHOULD BLOG ABOUT IT!” And so…I did.

I learned so much in this journey to find the perfect vacuum….most importantly, the next time I am ever in need of a good quality household appliance, I’m going to have my MOM pick it out for me. :-) 

(LOVE my vacuum so much, that I decided to share this entry on the WRIGHT HOMES BLOG as well!!)

{crickets}

I went into Petco today to buy a dozen or so pinhead crickets. As I was checking out, the lady behind me asked me what I was buying them for. I told her that they were food for a rough-skinned newt and 2 salamanders. She made an "Eeeeuw" face and sorta shook her head. As I was walking away, I heard her say, "Man. The things we mothers do for our kids." LOL...little did she know. :-) I laughed to myself, crickets in hand, as I headed off to stop at Jeff's on the way into work to feed our babies.