A scrappy goal for 2009

You may notice a few more pictures here and there on my blog for 2009. If you are a scrapbooker then you have heard about the CK Project 365- Photo a day challenge. (Click HERE) If you haven't don't worry, the kit already sold out and I didn't even get one...sigh. It's not stopping me from taking the challenge and taking a picture each day.

You may think that this shouldn't be a challenge for me. Afterall, I'm REALLY good at taking pictures of my kids....that came out wrong...not that I'm REALLY GOOD at taking pictures in general (although I'm practicing and getting better) I just mean I REMEMBER to take pictures of my kids and almost ALWAYS have my camera- much to Chris' dislike sometimes! Anyway, the challenge for me is not in how many pictures I have of my kids but is how often I choose not to take a picture because the lighting isn't good or the girls aren't in the right outfit or someone doesn't have a bow in their hair. Sadly, this is my thinking. And I want to come out of that bubble. And while posy pictures are AWESOME and they always come out so sweet looking and we all look like the happiest family on earth, it's not always reality. And that's what project 365 is all about. REALITY!

So my scrappy goal for 2009 is take more pictures of reality. Everyday. GULP! So visit often, you may be surprised in what you learn about our little family! It's going to be awesome!

New Year

Happy New Year Everyone!

I'm not a huge fan of New YEAR Resolutions. It's a little overwhelming for me to think about setting a goal that has to be kept an entire year. I prefer New DAY Resolutions. Setting small goals for myself each day to accomplish and then evaluating my efforts at the end of the day. It's more gratifying and I definitely feel like I get more accomplished and feel better about myself when the day is done. That's just me. So Happy New Day to you! I hope you accomplish something today that will make you happy through the New Year!

We were blessed in 2008. There is no doubt the Lord was on our side and we were well taken care of. In this shaky economy we have a roof over our head, an income, and good health. Is there anymore we could ask for? Well...don't answer that question.

In no particular order....We welcomed a new addition to our family in 2008, visited Louisiana, stepped out of school and into the working world in 2008 (we were always in the working world, now we are just paying student loans!), grew as a couple, watched our oldest step into her role of big sister, among many other things that thankfully are all here in my blog.

I am excited for a new year. To sit down as a family and evaluate where we are headed, to set new goals, plan new vacations (This one is high on my list!), and watch our girls grow even more! So much to come in this New Year!

Happy New Year!

Hinckley Challenge

I'm taking the Hinckley Challenge in honor of our late Prophet, President Hinckley.

I need to do better on my scripture study and what an awesome way to honor our prophet!

Goodbye 2007...Hello 2008!

I am super excited for this new year we are heading into. Our family has had some great blessings in 2007 along with a few trials and life lessons and we are grateful for everything we have learned! It wouldn't be New Year's Eve without a little reflection and goal setting...here are my top 10 for the year....

10. My mom came out to visit us in March....we enjoyed her company for 2 weeks along with a nice trip to Utah to visit family. We also were given a little set back when our civic's transmission went out on us and we had to invest $2700 to get it fixed...UGH! We loved having my mom here with us and can't wait for her next visit this coming March.

9. Elodie successfully potty trained in June....what a huge relief!


8. We found out we were pregnant with baby #2 in July and are very anxious and excited to expand our family!


7. We enjoyed another trip to Snowflake for the Big Dirty Family Reunion...always an adventure...


6. Elodie turned 3 and officially hit big girl status! She has made some great friends this year and we are so proud of the little lady she is becoming.



5. Christopher worked for 3 different Engineering Firms this year.

4. Christopher graduated from ASU 1st in his class and accepted a job here in Arizona.

3. We made some awesome friendships that have grown throughout the year...

2. Christopher and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary on December 15th...sandwiched between graduation and Disneyland....

1. We made it to Disneyland and enjoyed 6 awesome days in California!!


I always enjoy reflecting on our blessings and seeing the ways our trials have helped us. We were certainly blessed and tried in 2007 and have so much to look forward to in 2008....a new location, a new job, a new baby just to name a few!

I've thought alot about goals I'd like to set and accomplish for 2008...a few of them include...

-Doing better at Family Home Evening...I'm the worlds worse!

-Scripture study!

-Start planning another family vacation!

A new year is such an exciting time and I can't wait to see what this year holds for our family!

Budgets are NO FUN!

So last week Christopher and I sat down and went over our budget. It's been a while since we have tweeked our budget and it's good to sit down every couple of months and figure out more ways to save money. There are a few unknowns once we transition from school to full-time work so we want to make sure we are financially set for whatever may come our way the first couple of weeks after graduation- moving to a new place and the expenses that come with that and not to mention a new baby a few weeks after that!

We have always felt we were taken certain percautions to live within our means and make ends meet without having to sacrafice too many extras (Tivo, eating out, an occasional splurge, or a new outfit for Elodie that she probably didn't need but I thought she just had to have). Was our emergency fund exactly where we wanted it? Not quite... How about that account that should have money set aside for big purchases, longterm/shorterm goals....still working on that one too. It can get a little depressing to see what we should be doing..what we think we are doing...and how far we really have to go to be financially sound- eternity! It's also a sigh of relief to realize that it's all a work in progress and some months will run smoother than others....most of you remember the adventures we have had with our civic and the almost $5000 we put into our car between the months of December '06 through April '07....yeah, that's what happen to our savings account! Am I grateful we had the money set aside and didn't have to charge it all? ABSOLUTELY! On the other hand..does it royally stink to have to start over?!?! YES! The "what if's" really start to take their tole on you!

Back to my point....tweeking our budget. After sitting down together and seeing exactly where our money was going we really decided to buckle down and change some spending habits. Little things like Christopher bringing his lunch to school/work with him (aka: protein shake), being more aware of how we spend our money on the weekends- this is HUGE, Christopher taking the bus a couple of days a week to save on gas, being more diligent about eating out less and stretching our groceries- I am horrible about getting in a dinner funk! By Wednesday I'm burnt out! It's not that I don't want to cook...I just don't want to clean up afterwards!

I have to say though, it stinks right now...it definitely is easier to ignore the problem and pretend things are great! Not only is it counseled by our Prophet to live on a budget and live within our means, long term, I don't think you can pay for the reassurance and peace that comes when you are making the most of your money, living within your means, and there is an emergency fund set aside for whatever may come. Not to mention the blessings that come from following the counsel of our Prophet! So wish us luck....it's definitely not any fun but I know it will be worth it.....not in the end (because a budget should be a lifelong thing no matter how much money you make) but longterm!

Resolutions?

We started our new year off really well today!! Christopher and I started our first day of the '07 by first taking down all of our christmas stuff....it's always bittersweet to me to take down the decorations...you think when you put them up the day after Thanksgiving that it's going to be forever before you take them down..I always think that by the time I take all this stuff down that I'll be sick of it all....that's just not the case....time just goes by too fast. Now all of our decorations, tree, stockings, etc are neatly stored and my house feels bare and empty. Can't wait to start putting up my Valentine decorations! :) We moved on to organizing spaces in our house that haven't had much attention...mainly Christopher's office and my scrapbooking/Elodie's closet. We keep Chris' desk cleaned off and the junk mail shredded but areas like his closet and his book shelf needed some major help. Mine and Elodie's closet was the same way....it was descent but I knew if we got in there and organized it a little better we would find that we have way more space in there than we thought...and we did. I was able to fit my scrapbooking suitcase and my sewing machine in nicely and left extra space on the shelves. I was super pleased with the results. It actually motivated me more to organize my scrappin' stuff! I'll be getting some jars to seperate my ribbon and then I'll be able to put those jars on my shelves! Stinks that I have to put my stuff in Elodie's closet but after organizing it today it's no big deal. Atleast until I can get my own ROOM! :)

Christopher spent all of his day in his office...shredding, throwing away, dusting, and rearranging. It's crazy how even a little space can feel roomy when it is organized properly! I can breathe a little easier in this room now. We took all our food storage out and plan on putting it under our bed....my scrapbooking stuff came out and into my closet....I even have enough room to put my cake caddy in there too. Crazy what alittle attention can do for a room or closet!!
It was a good day....we stayed home until about 5pm, went to Target for some folders and a new basket for Elodie's kitchen food and then went to Golden Corral for dinner....a buffet that is very similar to Ryans from La. We enjoyed ourselves...ate too much but we were celebrating! :)

We talked about resolutions and what we wanted to accomplish for our family this year. Nothing we are already trying to do....or know that we need to work on.

1. Continue saving for a house....We should be in an even better position a year from now.
2. We opened a new account and are starting to save for a family vacation to Disneyland
3. Attend the Temple as a couple atleast once a month....once the holidays hit we really slacked on our Temple attendance....it was weighing on me so I'm excited for us to make this a goal.
4. Scripture Study...why is this so hard for us!?! I think we are going to have scripture study right after dinner each evening because nothing else is working...early morning doesn't work and after I get home from work doesn't work for us either! Very frustrating when a day turns into a week turns into a month...etc.
5. Going to bed on time....atleast by 11pm....these crazy late nights are killing us!! And I blame most of it on Kohl's holiday hours.....
6. Eating better....we were doing really well over the summer...running and watching what we eat. We weren't drastic, just concious. It really helped and we felt so much better...and slept better too! :)
7. BUDGET!! This year Chris and I are going to sit down and caculate everything out....something we haven't done before.....not so much for bills but groceries and extra spending. We usual just spend if we need it or if the money is there. It hasn't gotten us into too much trouble since we have still been able to save money but we really need to buckle down this year so that we can buy a house....and since Chris will be graduating in 2 semesters. It will definitely be here before we know it!


That's it for now....I'll probably think of a million other things I want to immprove on this year and accomplish....not just this year but overall. The New Year is just a good time to start!!
I am so excited about this new year...we have alot to look forward to and have been so blessed in this past year. I know Heavenly Father has blessed our family...sometimes undeservingly and so for that I am doubley thankful!
I love my family. I'm happy where we are right now and I am excited about our future together as a family. We are blessed to have our extended family happy and healthy and can only ask for that to continue through this new year!! Our life is good and together I know that we will be happy!!
Happy New Year!