A Quick Catch Up

 Our 4^th of July Festivities!

A parade of course!  Justin doesn’t care much for parades, but he humors me, and every year we go to one for Independence Day. I love parades.  To me there is something irreplaceable about all different people gathering together to celebrate our freedom, and I am always so moved when everyone stands with hand over heart as the flag goes by.

Flag Cake!  I have to have a flag cake for the 4^th of July.  I have been trying to avoid food coloring (especially red) over the last year, so this year we opted for a cheesecake with strawberries and blueberries…I think we’ll have to make a repeat of this cake next year! Katie and Grace got to put the berries on themselves so they were pretty happy.

  

Fireworks!  My kids are pretty much terrified of the big firework shows.  Heck, they are scared of the ones the neighbors set off. (Notice Katie's hearing protection, and Grace didn't last in that chair for more than 30 sec. She was in my lap the rest of the time.) So we opted for our own little show at home this year.  It pretty much consisted of ground flowers, snakes, snaps, and a few noiseless fountains.  They were pleased.  We put them to bed, and then we tried to watch what we could from our yard. 

I am not a hippie, but...

I know this post is going to paint an inaccurate picture of me, but I wanted to share my experiments. I am not a hippie and I don't usually spend very much time worrying about my hair or face. With that being said, here is what I have been trying out.

Hair
Sometime time ago I came across what is known as the curly girl method. Basically to for curly hair and some wavy types, you give up shampoo, and use only silicone and sulfate free products for conditioner and hair styling products. Having wavy hair that sometimes wants to be curly and sometimes wants to be straight,  I was intrigued by this method. A friend who has very similar hair to mine gave it a try and now has real curls instead of just waves. So I wanted to give it a try.
I decided to go with the extreme side at first to really jump start my experiment. I gave up shampoo and conditioner and replaced them with baking soda and vinegar solutions. After one or two washes with the baking soda solution, I realized that it was too drying for my hair to use everyday, so I only used it once a week after that. After almost two weeks, my head was so itching and dry, I went and bought some silicone free conditioner, which cleared up the dryness in a few days.  

I still only use the conditioner, and a baking soda rinse every once in awhile, and no dryness or oiliness. Just normal hair-actually, super soft, normal hair.

I haven't found a hair styling product that I really like yet that is silicone free. And I really miss hairspray. I have heard good things about more expensive products, but I just can't rationalize that much money on a hair product. I would rather use the money to go on a date with my handsome husband than a bottle of spray gel or mousse. So still looking for the perfect product to hold my waves in.

I have enjoyed trying new no heat curl methods....my favorite is the headband method, and next I like pin curls, but I have had success with the sock bun method too.


Face Wash:
A blog that I follow had a post about washing your face with honey. Lately I have been breaking out like crazy which is unusual for me, and I was washing my face twice a day and starting to just go without make-up (not super uncommon since I stay at home most days with the squirts and don't like getting dolled up every morning), but I felt like I couldn't wear makeup without it increasing my already high risk of breaking out. 
So anyway, I come across this random post about using honey to wash your face. And I have been doing it for about two weeks. Not going back! I love it. My skin feels so good right now and i haven't had a pimple since I started doing it. Every third day or so I use a baking soda solution for an exfoliant. WOrks great!

Catch UP

Our last days in Salt Lake

the never ending hotel stay

getting settled in our new home

Our Favorite Things about Oregon so Far:

Berry Picking

Tons of trees

Not so crowded

Lots of Rivers

No sales tax

Having our own fenced backyard

Having a house

Great Ward

the temperature

being an hour from the ocean

Hail the Conquering Graduate

 We Did It! Justin graduated yesterday. There aren't really words to describe our feelings. Everything we've worked for and hoped for in the last five years has been realized, and we feel so blessed. SO BLESSED. We literally were living on a prayer the last two years, and now that prayer has been fulfilled. I am so proud of Justin and how hard he worked. He never gave up even when things got really hard, and he always tried his best to put family first. What a CHAMP!

We are so excited to move to Oregon, and put some roots down. We will miss so many of the dear friends we have made here. My heart really breaks when I think of leaving my dear sisters in Relief Society. They have changed my life forever, and I will never forget them. I know there will be a wonderful ward to move into, and more wonderful sisters to get to know, but the Forest Dale Ward RS will always hold a very tender place in my heart. 

We still haven't quite figured out where we will live in Albany, but as soon as we do, I will update everyone with our new address.

This is My Mother

 At my wedding

 Mom and I the day I graduated from BYU-Idaho

Granny and Katie the day she was born

Granny and Grace Mothers' Day 2011

"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

-Abraham Lincoln

I have an angel mother. She is probably the most kind, most giving, most remarkable woman you'll ever meet. No exaggeration. 

The longer I am a mother myself, the more I realize how incredibly blessed I truly am to have her as my mother. A memory has been on my mind this week as Mothers' Day approached.

When I was in junior high, I got this letter in the mail saying that I was picked to be in the "Who's Who in America Junior High Schools" book. My picture and a small blurb was going to printed in the book, and my proud parents could buy this book for only $$$. My mom saw it for what it was, just a company trying to make money off of proud parents, but I was hurt, thinking that this recognition of my achievements didn't matter to her. My mom saw that I was hurt. In her own quiet way she reassured me that she was very proud of me.  A couple weeks later, despite the fact that we had no money, a copy of that ridiculous book showed up in the mail. I felt humbled and grateful. I realized then I didn't want the book at all-I had just wanted a physical confirmation that my mom was proud of me. I don't even know where that dumb book is now, but that book symbolizes so much to me-my mom's willingness to do whatever she could to show her support, love, and confidence in me. My feelings mattered much more to her than money.

Our Own Oregon Trail

Does this image bring back any memories for anyone? Well, we will be forging our own trail to Oregon in a few weeks...because Justin got a job!!!!! in Albany, OR. We are so excited for this next adventure in our lives. Here are a few pictures of the wonderful place we are moving.


Emerald Gorge



Willamette River

Bridge in Albany, OR

Northwest Balloon Festival, Albany Oregon

A little on the Cranky Side

You know those days where you are awake but you wish you were still sleeping...I am having one of those days. One where the kids do everything opposite of what you say, the little one is screaming all day long, and you just want to be on a date with your husband instead of telling kids to stop fighting.

I try really hard to keep a prayer in my heart, but it doesn't last long before I am chasing down the kid with the open tube of toothpaste or breaking up WW3 between the kiddos, and that little prayer in my heart went right out the window. I try to regroup, and say let's start over. But in the next ten minutes we're back in the rut of screaming and time-outs and "please can this day just be over yet?"

Sometimes no matter what you try, it just doesn't work. There are days you just have to plow right through, and start over again tomorrow. I guess that's what we'll try today...

Oh give me patience when wee hands
Tug at me with their small demands.

And give me gentle and smiling eyes.
Keep my lips from hasty replies.

 

And let not weariness, confusion or noise
Obscure my vision of life's fleeting joys.

So when, in years to come my house is still
No bitter memories its rooms may fill.

I don't know who wrote this, but if anyone knows the author, please tell me. Definitely words I need to commit to heart.

In the Springtime, the lovely, lovely Springtime

I can't remember a more beautiful spring. So beautiful. What a wonderful gift from God to bask in the warm sunlight, hear the birds sing, and watch my little ones gather up all sorts of blossoms. Loving this time of year.

1. katie is always, always, always picking flowers. She's a sucker for pretty things.

2. gracie had her little legs crossed, and I just couldn't resist

3. Grace loves to swing. LOVES to swing

4. no picture. skipped the number

5. enjoying a ring pop (we planted "magic jelly beans" and candy flowers grew)

6. masking tape bracelets (went straight for the flowers once I explained these were nature bracelets--collect different things you find outside and stick them to your bracelet.)

Pre-Easter Egg Hunt---this is I can hardly contain myself, I am so excited

Post Easter egg hunt. Wait, there's something inside this thing. THis year we opted for putting mostly snack items in the eggs--things they don't get very often--orange slices (slight intolerance to them, but girls love them better than candy), goldfish, sunflower seeds, etc.

Easter Day

"What comfort this sweet sentence gives, I know that my Redeemer lives!"

- LDS Hymn Book 136