My Hero's

It goes without being said that my parents have had a profound effect on my life. I am in great part who I am because of how they raised me and I thank them for that. I find that as I am getting older and raising my own family I appreciate them even more. I am very blessed to have them.

Growing up I don't remember having any hero's to look to or try to emulate. However, I do now. There are 4 individuals who's thoughts on life have created such a huge paradigm shift for me that it has added a whole new dimension to my life.

I don't want this first person to sound cliche, because he is often referred to by millions upon millions of people, but he truly is on the top of my list as far as influencing my life in the most dramatic way.. Jesus Christ. Since reading His words and studying the scriptures I have found what this man taught to be so true and dead on. So much so that I was headed one way in life and after reading what he taught I found myself on a completely different path of life. For me this experience has been most powerful to date.

Stephen Covey would have to be my second. His books and his philosophy's are so inspirational and motivating they have forever left a mark upon me. Thanks to him I found my friend, my planner.

Cleon Skousen is the man...that's how I feel about him! It is rare indeed when you can take a smarty pants like he is and have him convey his knowledge to you in a way that not only you understand but it takes you to a whole new level of understanding. It helps that all these people have the same principals that I do.

And last but by NO means least, Marie Ricks. "Who?" you may ask. Only the most organized, spiritual, powerhouse that has ever lived!!!! (As far as I know.) This lady wrote the House of Order Handbook. This woman covers cleaning, goals, time management, family councils, finance, food storage and so much more. I am taking her 8 week FREE course and it has been phenomenal! I am so inspired by her. She has taught me that I can be the best home manager if I want to and she has taught me how to do it in a way that is fun and challenging.

I love having hero's and people to look up too. I love that I can read and have my understanding enlarged by someone else. I feel so blessed to live in a time when I have so much freedom and can choose to better myself in anyway that I want to. What I become is all up to me!!

Got Coupons?

Well I have dusted off my old coupon container. It is time to get into saving some money again. I got the above along with a pack of gum that is not on display for $1.09! Candy and Tressa you will appreciate this deal.

I was pretty into couponing last year at this time for about 6 months and then got burnt out; plus broke! If I was saving so much money how could I become broke you may wonder? Let me just say EASY! As a good, wise friend of mine once said (Janie) "Just because its on sale doesn't mean I can afford it." That was my problem. I was finding so many sweet deals I thought I would just stock up for the year at that rock bottom price. Smart yes if you have the money to do that....foolish and dumb if you do not.

So with this new year I am going to coupon like a smart person. I will get good deals and stay within my budget. Wish me luck!

Carsonator is 4 Years Old

This year for Carson's birthday we had Uncle TJ and his family over. We had lots of fun...especially Carson! He got the bike he wanted, he got a Thomas the train cake AND we let him pick what he wanted for his birthday dinner. He chose McDonalds. So the celebration started there and then took us back to our house for cake and presents.

As you can see by the pictures Aunt Jaime was having a little too much fun! J/K Her and TJ are so wonderful to the kids. The boys absolutley adore there family. I couldn't resist the picture of TJ with Morgan. She will just go to him and let him sit and rub her back. It is really cute.

With TJ and Jaime coming over it really made the celebration special for all of us. We LOVE being by family again!!!!!

Teaching Moment

Here Michael is teaching the boys about money. Their cute little banks came with a slot for tithing, fun money and mission. We are going to attempt to teach them this very important principal. How they can earn it and what they need to do with it once it is earned.

I truly feel that money is one of those great struggles that you have to overcome or it will overcome you. It just boils down to discipline for me. Sometimes I am and sometimes I'm not. I guess if I am going to be teaching this stuff to my kids its time to live what I teach!

Do I Smell Gas?

So tonight has been very eventful to say the least! The picture above is a great representation of what I thought might happen (worst case scenario of course, but I go there often in my head) to my little piece of heaven.

It all began Saturday night when Mike and I were watching a show and I caught a whiff of something that smelled gas like. (Not human kind, but fuel type.) I mentioned it to Michael and of course he smelled nothing. The smelled persisted into the next day and again today. Not overpowering but at times more strong but ....it is so hard to describe a smell and how much of it you could smell. I don't want to drag this out so to the climax I'll go. I am talking to Mike tonight on the phone (yes, this did all happen when he was out of town) and I realize that the heat is not coming on and I am chilly. I go turn it up to 90 to kick it on....nothing. while I am on the phone with him the phone starts doing wierd things like someone is pushing buttons and has picked up the other phone. I go make sure the kids are in bed and not doing it and they are sleeping. I go to the other phone but it is hanging up. Creepy, I HATE that weird crap. I know lines can cross but still I hate it!

I get off the phone with him and I am thinking I don't want the kids freezing all night and I might be smelling gas. So I call the gas company to tell them I smell gas and our heater is not working. They tell me they are sending someone out. Then I call my dad and he tells me that those two things (smelling gas and furnace not working) are not a good combination and that I should take the kids out immediately and open some windows and doors. That freaks me out so I go to open up the doors and forget the alarm is set so all the alarms go off the kids wake up freaked out. I get them settled down then try to continue the conversation with my dad then the phone does its weird little beeping thing so we can't hear each other talk.

Now to some this may not be a big deal. For me I am alone, I smell gas, we have no heat, and someone is messing with my phone line all going on at once......overload for me! I am happy to report everything has worked out. Our furnace was off because some sweet little child flipped a switch and as far as a gas smell nothing was detected. So I am glad that we did not go up in flames tonight as I thought we might but disappointed because we still have no answer for the smell.

I will have to figure that out tomorrow. This post has helped me calm down and now I am ready for bed. One more thing however, I learned something very interesting. My kids are terrible in an emergency! I will have to remedy that through an emergency FHE in the very near future so when I have to wake them up in the middle of the night to come with me I am not hammered with questions and defiance in getting them to cooperate. Wow! What a night I am happy to go to bed and start over tomorrow.

Looking Forward, Not Back

I heard a great talk by Elder Holland on not looking back and it struck me as fitting for 2010. Its never good to hang onto the past whether it was good or bad. I don't mean to say we don't look back and cherish certain memories that were special but I don't think it good that we wish to go back. Even with bad memories I think it an error to linger on them and rehash how terrible you were or the situation was. The past is the past. How can we look forward with faith if we are constantly looking back? I think that is a chief characteristic of faith...looking forward and having hope for the future.

I have lots to hope for this new year. I hope that I can improve as a mom and wife. I hope that we can get our downstairs done and some trees in this year. I hope I can grow as good a garden as I have in the past. I hope that President Obama will see the error of his ways (I said this was my hope list!) I hope that I can improve in the area of patience. And I hope that when I review this list at the end of 2010 I will see some small victories over myself. I think 2010 is going to be really great!

Christmas 2009

Here was Christmas 2009! It has been a crazy last few months but I am so happy we were able to spend Christmas in our new home. The first picture is the Christmas eve gift which is always pajamas. The following picture is them wearing there new pj's. And then of course Christmas day.