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Friday, May 30, 2008

Friday Favorites

Ok, I wasn't going to do a Friday Favorites today because I am in Vegas right now, but this was worth doing...

Last night, we went to "Ka" which is a Cirque Du Soleil show. It was INCREDIBLE! We were just flabbergasted. We saw another one of their shows, "Corteo," a couple of months ago, but this one blew that out of the water. If you are ever in Las Vegas, go see Ka. Here are some pictures:


The second picture above is a picture of this wall that they had that moved around and tilted. A couple of times, it was completely verticle and people were moving up and down it.

Anyway... awesome, amazing, fabulous, unbelievable.

And that is my Friday Favorite. :)

:)

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Workin' Like a Dog

Hi. I just wanted to let you know that I will not be posting a Friday Favorites tomorrow as I will be out of town. I'm sorry I haven't been posting much lately but I have been workin' like a dog!

I am helping to launch a new company which is taking up quite a bit of time, in addition to all my other clients. I know many of you don't really know what I do but the jist of it is that I create compensation plans for companies in the Direct Selling/Network Marketing industry. Companies that are in that industry are Pampered Chef, Cookie Lee, Mary Kay, Dove Chocolate at Home, etc. I work primarily with new start-ups, creating a compensation plan (this is all the titles and payouts that distributors can achieve and receive) and consult with them on getting their business up and running.

I love the industry that I work in. It is so unique and is so focused on relationships and building people. I am especially excited to be working with a new company called Choffy that is being started by three individuals aside from myself. It all started with one of my husband's mission companions.

In any case, this is keeping my plate very full right now which leaves me very little time for blogging. I also apologize if I haven't posted any comments on your blogs. I am still trying to keep up with everyone on what is happening, but that often means skimming posts right now and not leaving comments.

In any case, take care and keep checking back. :) When I get back from my trip, I will post some pictures (provided we actually take some). :)

Love to all!

:)

Friday, May 23, 2008

Friday Favorites

My Friday Favorites today is American Idol. I don't know how many of you have been following it this season, but I thought that this was one of their best seasons. I was so pleased to see that it was the Davids that made it to the finale.


I had a heard time deciding who to vote for and in the end, I voted for both of them (although I did vote for one of them more than the other - I won't say who though).

Thanks to the writer's strike, American Idol is the only show I've been watching for some time now. If American Idol isn't on, I'm either working or reading at night. So... I'm a little bummed that it is over now.

I also really like they put their songs on iTunes. I have downloaded several of them.

Anyway, that is my Friday Favorites. American Idol. :)

:)

Friday, May 16, 2008

Friday Favorites

Sunshine. Summertime. 'Nuff said.

:)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Funny Words and Poor People

Last night for Family Home Evening, we talked about some of the language that is found in the scriptures and that we use in prayers (i.e. Thee, Thy, Saith, etc). Tonight, before Nia said her personal prayer, she looked at me and said "What are those funny words we use?" So cute.

While she was praying, she did use them correctly, and she also prayed for the "Poor People," twice. The second time, she said "And please bless the poor people... again." It was funny. She realized she had already prayed for that so she added the "again." She started praying for the "poor people" recently, all on her own accord. She's just like that. Very sweet, always thinking of others. :)

:)

Nuts!

After picking my daughter up from school Monday, we promptly went to Nonna's house for lunch and to get Justis. (Nonna means "Grandma" in Italian.) Upon our arrival, my son was so proud to tell us that he helped Nonna make us lunch.

Upon inspection of said lunch, my daughter burst into tears. Why? Because of Nuts, of course! Doesn't everyone burst into tears when they find nuts in their Peanut Butter? That seams quite reasonable to my daughter.

Well, I told her to suck it up and eat the sandwich (in a nicer, more nurturing, motherly sort of way) but she was quite adamant that she could not possibly eat the sandwich with the nuts intact.

The solution? I handed her a utensil and told her this was what was for lunch and if she wanted, she could pick out the nuts. And so, she did.


:)

Friday, May 9, 2008

Friday Favorites

I have two Friday Favorites today. My mom and my mom. "What?" you may say? That is correct. My two favorite moms in the whole wide world... Beverly Jensen and Debbie Sherwood.

Beverly Jensen is my mom by birth and Debbie Sherwood is my mom by marriage (my husband's mom). They shall be referred to hereafter as Mom Jensen and Mom Sherwood.

It is impossible to compare the two because that is like comparing apples to oranges. I am so lucky to have both the apple and the orange, without having to choose. :) Their personalities are quite different in many ways but that is what I love about them. I want to incorporate parts of each personality into who I am and who my kids are.


Mom Jensen
It baffles my mind to think of how lucky I am. At the same time, sometimes it makes me sad to realize how little I really appreciated about her when I was growing up. It wasn't because she wasn't as great as she is now, I think it was because my complete adoration of my father blinded me from seeing how great she was. (I have always been a daddy's girl.) As I am older now and also a mom, I look back and see all that I didn't see before and am both stunned and saddened (for not having seen it before.)

Mom Jensen is like a lighthouse in many ways. She is a strong person... one of the strongest I have ever met actually. She carries on no matter how heavy the load is that she has to bear. She spent many years of my youth stifled by depression. I honestly never knew that she had a problem with that until many years later. As I get older, it seems like I always get new insights into just how deep her strength goes.

She sacrifices so much for me. Honestly, I have many jealous friends because of how involved she is with my kids. And she loves it! (The involvement, not the jealousy. :)) She loves to be with my kids and play with them. She watches Justis a lot for me when I am on business calls (and Nia when the calls are in the afternoon). While I try to watch how much this happens (I am sure it happens at the minimum once or twice a week), there are times when it is almost everyday. She is also great because she will tell me when she needs a break. She knows that she doesn't want to get burned out with them and knows that I don't want that either, so she will tell me when she has had enough. I really appreciate that. As if that weren't enough, she often babysits them for us when we go out on a date as well.

She is fun, has a great sense of humor, and is truly one of my best friends. And to top it off, she has a great sense of fashion. :)



Mom Sherwood
Growing up, there were two women in my stake that I adored. They were exactly the kind of women that I wanted for a mother-in-law. One of them actually had a son who I really liked, but in the end I think I had too strong of a personality for him. :) Anyway... when I met Jason's mom and as I got to know her, I was beyond thrilled to find that she is exactly that type of woman!

For many reasons, I don't consider Mom Sherwood as my "mother-in-law." She is much more than that to me. She has such a loving and nurturing spirit about her that you can't but help feel enveloped in her love. I am not her biological daughter, but she cares for me as if I were. She cries when I cry, she rejoices when I rejoice. I can call her and tell her anything. I can call and tell her nothing too. :) She has keen sense about her children's feelings and what is going on in their lives. She knows when things are not right and she is there.

I love how sweet and nurturing she is with my kids. It is funny to see how different her interaction is with them in comparison to Mom Jensen. But I am so grateful that they get both sides, just like I do.

One of my most cherished times with Mom Sherwood was the time that Mom Jensen was on a mission. While I missed Mom Jensen, I wouldn't have traded that time I had with Mom Sherwood for anything. She was my support during that time. She was there for me. She was there for Nia's birth. She was there for everything.


Words cannot express how much I love these two women. I think in their own ways, they truly exemplify what a Woman in Zion should be. I am a better person for having BOTH of these significant women in my life. I am so lucky to have both my apple and my orange. :)

I love you mom and mom. You are not just my Friday Favorites, but your my everyday favorites. :)

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Playing Puppy

I am not entirely sure why, but my kids like to "play puppy." This often includes putting a leash on someone or something. Sometimes it is each other (not around the neck though - we have had that conversation several times) and sometime it is a variety of stuffed animals. Today, they came downstairs during quiet time and looked like this:
Notice the leash... It is a piece of ribbon.
Nia came up with her outfit... a swimsuit and skirt. Justis is wearing a swimsuit and shirt because if Nia was wearing her swimsuit, he had to wear his... of course. :)

And here they are with our real puppy...
Ahhhh.... so cute. They are such a joy. All three of them :)

:)

Monday, May 5, 2008

Superkids w/ Superpowers

My kids love to pretend that they are superheros. At any given time they may have to five thousand super powers. They apparently need superhero glasses/masks a couple of days ago and enlisted me, their supermom, to help them. Here is the end product...


Ten points goes to anyone who can tell me what is wrong with this picture (you get minus ten points if you say I have a messy kitchen in the background). :)

:)

Friday, May 2, 2008

Friday Favorites

Today's Friday Favorites is an awesome new place for fabric... www.ldsfabric.com. They sell the CUTEST LDS fabrics! Here are some pictures...


The fabrics are so cute and have different LDS themes... missionary, temple, Child of God, BYU, etc and even have some general themes such as camping and ballerinas, etc (some of the themes such as camping and ballerinas are under the Cotton link). They have coordinating fabrics in simple patterns such as a polka dots, flowers, and even solids that coordinate with the prints. You can also order pre-made items such as a bib, burp cloth, and baby blanket set.

I ordered a pre-made set for my sister that just had a baby (surprise, Aimie!) and had a great experience with the site. I was able to pay with Paypal (you can also use a credit card) and they sent me order confirmation and shipment confirmation emails as well. They shipped my order in less than 24 hours (I think it was even less than 12 hours).

In any case, I love supporting sites like this and hope you check it out! Click here to visit the site. One note, it is a relatively new site so they are constantly adding fabrics and crafts. I have seen a few new things even from when I visited the site earlier this week. :) You may want to check it often to see what is new there.

And that is my Friday Favorites. :)

:)