cara box exchange

this month i decided to branch out and join in on the cara box exchange! it was SO fun getting to meet two new bloggers whom i may not of otherwise ever come across and let's face it, who doesn't like to get a package of goodies in the mail? it's totally a win-win situation for everyone : )

this month I got to know kodie {who is a cute new blogger from the south}and sent her a package...check out her blog to see what she got!

abby and i were also matched up and found out that we have some things in common like she is a preschool teacher and i am elementry certified and both of our favorite color is yellow!

the theme this month was "go green" and here is what she sent!

I especially love the ecotools make up brushes and have been needing some new ones for a while now! In the card is a recipe for poppyseed soap and and sweet little message : )

If you want to join in on the cara box exchange {blogger or not} just click on the picture blow!

it's okay because...

sometimes i am a control freak with my kids. among other things like how the bed is made, the towels are folded, and when the kids go down for the night. i mean, i'm the mom so it's my right. right?

this week i have tired my best to let it go. 

it's okay if trevor wakes kellen up just after he fell asleep because he hasn't seen him once that day.

it's okay if the dishes aren't done because we spent all day outside. 

it's okay if emma wants to eat corn dogs every day for lunch.

it's okay if kellen plays in the dirt. 

its' okay if spending time as a family means a late night drive to the gas station for some snacks. 

it is all okay because life isn't perfect. no matter how many times i catch myself thinking it should be. thinking that everything needs to be in it's exact place, the kids should be clean and presentable every second of the day, and that i'm not a good mom/wife unless things are "just so". 

it's okay because kellen knows to fold his arms when we pray and always says thank you.

it's okay because emma reminds me that i need to answer her with a "yes ma'am" because that's what i expect of her. 

it's okay because along the way they are learning the important stuff and that is all that matters.

via

currently i have about 5 loads of laundry to fold, 3 bags to pack, and emma is not in bed.

tomorrow i am running a 5k and have ran less than 10 times in the past 5 months(three of them being this week) and never longer then 2 miles....but it's okay because trevor and i are leaving the kids with grandma and getting the heck out of dodge tomorrow afternoon. 



just remember to take a deep breath because you are an awesome mom and it's all going to be okay.



a soccer story...

ever since emma was born we have been excited to start things like sports. trevor has said many times that she will be the next abby wombach...or hope solo would be pretty cool too. if you don't follow US women's soccer you probably have no idea who i am talking about. don't worry, 5 years ago i wouldn't have either. 

anyways, back to being excited that emma was old enough to start soccer and, to add to it, trevor is the coach!

 i was finally going to be a soccer mom!{my dreams are BIG these days, i tell ya} i pictured the perfect sunny saturday's spent on the sidelines cheering on my little soccer star.

i. was. SO. wrong. 

it seemed to start off well except that fact that two kids had to sit out and wait to actually play. 

what 3 year old understands waiting his turn and subbing in? 

then there were out of bounds. 

again what 3 year old understands they can't kick it outside the white line that was drawn on the grass?

but they continued on.

and figured out that they had to actually chase the ball.

 until things started to go down hill. exhibit A. man down! 

 exhibit B

 exhibit C...she was worried about her hands turning red.

 exhibit D. she subbed herself out. 

it was still fun to watch the kids run around like chickens with their heads cut off, but really mother nature, we could use some warmer sunny weather!

guide to a custom i phone

you guys this ^ is my i phone and i am too excited about it!

today i came across the BEST pin on pinterest on how to customize your iphone! 

i am just going to direct you straight on over to The Super Messy Supermommy because really, she deserves all the credit for her super easy to follow tutorial! 

p.s. don't miss the follow up post too!

let me just say you're welcome in advance :)

Kelcie's Prom

my sister in law had her junior prom last night and i was lucky enough to get some practice and take her pictures! it was seriously cold outside and the winds were blowing well over 30 mph but they were troopers and you wouldn't even know if you just looked at the pictures!

being the right person

via

I have loved this quote since the first time I saw it, and the talk that President Monson gave at the priesthood session of conference in April 2011 is SO good. 

You can find it here.

Sometimes in a marriage we have up's and downs and we all know that the divorce rate is completely out of control. Obviously we all have our own problems in marriage but the thing is we ALL have problems. I have never seen the reason marriages fail put so perfectly into words until today when I saw this picture with the attached story on facebook...

During a seminar, a woman asked," How do I know if I am with the right person?"

The author then noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so he said, "It depends. Is that your partner?" In all seriousness, she answered "How do you know?" Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind
replied the author.

Here's the answer.

Every relationship has a cycle… In the beginning; you
fall in love with your partner. You anticipate their calls,
want their touch, and like their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love.

People in love sometimes say, "I was swept of my feet."Picture the expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few months or years of being together, the euphoria of love fades. It's a natural cycle of EVERY relationship.
Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts. The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship; you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your partner might start asking, "Am I with the right person?" And as you reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you
may begin to desire that experience with someone
else. This is when relationships breakdown.

The key to succeeding in a relationship is not finding the right person; it's learning to love the person you found.

People blame their partners for their unhappiness and look outside for fulfillment. Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes.

Infidelity is the most common. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your relationship. It lies within it.

I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later.

Because (listen carefully to this):

The key to succeeding in a Relationship is not finding the right person; it's learning to love the Person you found.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. You have to work on it day in and day out. It takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it demands WISDOM. You have to know
WHAT TO DO to make it work. Make no mistake about it.

Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your partner), Just as there are physical laws Of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. If you know how to apply these laws, the results are predictable.

Love is therefore a "decision". Not just a feeling.

WOW. Right? 

I put my favorite parts in bold if you're not up for reading the whole thing but this is EXACTLY the same message President Monson was trying to get across. 

Personally I have found that when I am finding fault then I need to figure out how to fix myself not my husband. For me service is the best medicine for selfishness and the easiest way to love someone more. 

I know it is so much easier to find fault with someone else but the only person we can change is ourselves.

"If any of you are having difficulty in your marriage, I urge you to do all that you can to make whatever repairs are necessary, that you might be as happy as you were when your marriage started out....I realize that there are situations where marriages cannot be saved, but I feel strongly that for the most part they can be and should be. Do not let your marriage get to the point where it is in jeopardy."

 -Thomas S. Monson

“Being happily and successfully married is generally not so much a matter of marrying the right person as it is being the right person. The conscious effort to do one’s part fully is the greatest element contributing to success.” 

-Howard W. Hunter

some conference favorites

every 6 months The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints holds a conference. we are blessed to hear from the prophet and other leaders of our church and every conference i think "man this was the best one ever". mostly i think this is because i hear exactly the things i need to at that point in my life. technology is such a blessing and i am thankful that i have had access to watch every session on t.v. for the past few years. because believe me, growing up only being able to listen to it on the computer was really hard to actually pay attention.

here are a {few}of my favorite quotes from conference this weekend. 

they are all via Instagram if you check out the hashtag

 #ldsconf

{DIY} maxi skirt guide

i found some knit fabric at walmart a few months ago for $1 a yard and knew i wanted to make a maxi skirt! i followed this tutorial and it was actually pretty easy considering i am a beginner sewer and i knocked it out in about an hour. the tutorial is great so i figured there is no point in spelling it all out again. but i do have a few tips to add...

1. measure, measure, measure! I just traced a maxi i already owned and really wished i would have measured.

2. i wasn't sure if i trusted the fact that no hem would be okay but i didn't hem mine and if has not frayed even after wearing it all day on easter!

3. a little extra room is better because you can always bring it in. i wish i would have given myself a little more room around the waist band. again, measure! 

4. with my basic sewing machine i just used a regular needle and a medium zig zag stitch. 

*bonus: i have enough fabric left to make emma a matching one or even a short version of this skirt!

ta-da! my easter skirt! 

and here's my cute little family on easter!