4th of July Wreath

Do you use Pinterest? If not you are missing out, it's a virtual pinboard. You know when you find something online you like & you bookmark it and then if you're like me you have so many bookmarks you don't know where to find that awesome DIY project you found 2 months ago. If you have this problem you need to join Pinterst, you have to have an invite but just leave me your email and I'll send you one. While on Pinterest I found this wreath I wanted to try, unfortunately it was basically just a picture on someones blog not a whole tutorial so we kinda just figured it out on our own. I did it with my friend Bethany who is one of those people that I like to refer to as "hiding in a hole" cuz she's not on Facebook and doesn't have a blog but don't worry she really exists in the real world. We haven't done anything for ages but we got together a few weekends ago for a girls weekend in Vegas with 4 of our other friends it was a total blast, hopefully I'll blog about that within the next year, ha. Any we decided we were going to be crafty so this was our first attempt and though it took us a while I think they turned out awesome. If anyone is wanting to make a last minute 4th of July wreath here's how we did it. If you're as thrifty as me & you make it with a friend you could make each wreath for around 5 bucks! I found the felt at the DI, they sale packages of pre-cut fabric so it was $5 for 5 different colors of felt & there just so happened to be red, white, & blue all in one package. I also saw on Pinterest that someone used foam tubing from the pluming dept at a hardware store for a cheap wreath form. Ours was a $1.25 I think and there was extra tubing after we cut what we needed for our wreath. You have to cut it to the size you want and then duct tape it but it worked fine. We got wood stars and painted them white, curled some wire, hot glued it behind the stars and them hot glued them in the blue area. We cut the felt into 2x2 squares & I think we used about a yard each of each color. The hot glue does melt the foam a little so I put it on the fabric & then stuck it to the wreath. That's pretty much it. Let me know if you try it & how it turns out.

Talk

Today Zach and I talked in sacrament meeting. I always get so nervous and really dread it, which is sad cuz I feel like I use to not mind it much as a teenager and it didn't really stress me out. I didn't even use to really type much when I would give talks just write a few notes and go on the Spirit, for some reason since we've been married every time we're asked to speak, maybe it's cuz I start typing up our about us info., I always type my whole talk and just plan on reading it. Last night I was thinking my talk wasn't that great and my much more spiritual husband said just think of your topic and add personal experiences of how it's touched it. It was about midnight and we were in bed and I realized my talk was lacking any personal experience it was just basically repeating the talk I was assigned to talk on in my own words. So I started jotting down notes on my finished typed talk. I was so nervous my talk was going to be a big mess and I'd loose my spot if I tried to add stuff but I prayed hard that I would listen to the Spirit and be able to do well. I think I succeed, I realized why I got into the rut of just typing my talk it's cuz I must be more emotional now that I'm a mommy and as soon as I feel the Spirit I just start crying. Which makes it hard to get out what I really want to say so in my mind it's easier to just read it but that's not really getting as deep and spiritual as I know I could, so the congregation had to be patient and watch me shed a few tears but I think it was worth it. There is such a feeling of satisfaction after you give a talk when you feel like you listened to the Spirit in sharing. So once the giving of the talk is over I really do like doing it. Any way today made me realize what a strong testimony of the Relief Society I have because my talk was on a talk given at the last general Relief Society meeting by Sister Julie B. Beck, Daughters-in-My-Kingdom: The-History-and-Work-of-Relief-Society. I have never really felt or understood the real power there is in Relief Society until now. I have just recently started doing my visiting teaching consistently and it has blessed my life so much. I know Relief Society is truly an inspired program that is here to bless all of us. Here are a few quotes from Sister Beck's talk that I really enjoyed and used in my own talk today. 
"The purpose of Relief Society is to prepare daughters of God for the blessings of eternal life as they increase in faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. The history of Relief Society teaches us that our Heavenly Father knows His daughters. He loves them, He has given them specific responsibilities, and He has spoken to and guided them during their mortal missions.” 


"Relief Society clarifies our work and unifies us as daughters of God in defense of His plan. In this day of mistaken identities, confusion, and distraction, Relief Society is meant to be a compass and guide to teach the truth to faithful women. Righteous women today seek an outpouring of revelation to resist distractions, fight evil and spiritual destruction, and rise above personal disasters by increasing their faith, strengthening their families, and providing relief to others.”


Isn't Sister Beck so great, I love, love, love her.  I know the Lord has shaped Sister Beck and all of the past Relief Society presidents to be the perfect women for the job at just the right time and I know he will also shape each of us, if we desire him to, to be the right wives, mothers and daughters of His kingdom in our day and with our own families. That is why Joseph Smith was inspired by Heavenly Father to organize the Relief Society to help shape each and every sister and help us to prepare for the blessings of eternal life.  Just thought I'd share a little of my talk and testimony with you here on the blog so I can have it forever. Happy Sunday!

Fashion

So I have just discovered this whole outfit of the day craze and while I think some of the blogs are a little much I've found a few I am a bit obsessed with. I guess a lot of them aren't really the outfit of the day but thrifty fashion. This has all happened in that past week so I'm sure there is lot's more to be discovered, which could be a little scary. Do you ever feel like there is so much at our fingertips with the internet/google/blogs etc... that's it's almost too much. I guess if you're the type of person that can just look at one neat blog and be done then you probably don't have this problem but I find one I like and just keep going on this crazy adventure looking at all their links and all the next blogs links and so on. Any way after looking at a number of fashion style blogs I really became excited to go through my closet and refashion as they call it some of my clothes. I already found quite a few new ways just to wear things that I wouldn't have usually even thought of. It sparked something in me I guess, I've always loved clothes not been real big on "fashion". I like to think I'm fashionable but I really don't know much about it and haven't really felt like I dress that cute since having babies, but reading a lot of these blogs has given me hope that I can make some super cute outfits out of what I already have and things I can find for cheap. So I need to take up sewing and I hopefully I'll find a great hobby that I really enjoy that's also saving me money. I'll be sure to post a pics when I really do refashion something and for those of you that hate the outfit of the day blogs don't hate me if I post a pic or two of me in a refashioned outfit. So here's a few of the blogs I'm loving:
http://cottonandcurls.blogspot.com/
http://uberchicforcheap.blogspot.com/
http://melissaesplin.com/home/
Oh and I'm so doing this, it'll probably be my first project!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6yDxK68OZc

Here I am again and it hasn't even been 2 months...

I'm starting to feel the blogging vibe again so hopefully I'll get on a roll.....We have been loving the weather lately so here's a few pics of the kiddo's enjoying it in our little backyard, that I totally love!

I love this time of year for so many reason, my birthday, Easter, good weather etc...My birthday is next Sunday so my mom, me and my grandma are all going to Vegas Fri and Sat to do some shopping, get some pedicures, lay by the pool and party it up. After that a few weeks until Easter and the week after Disneyland I have a lot to look forward to and a lot coming up that will be blog worthy so hopefully you'll see some fun updates here soon.

What I'm loving right now....

One of my friends did this post today so I thought I'd hop back into the blogging world after 7 months and copy her.....

Right now I am loving my little family even the craziness of having two kid, as hard as it is sometimes, most days I just sit back and think is this really my life cuz it’s pretty awesome.

Though I’m not loving not having my brother just a phone call, text, or 15 minute drive away I am loving these.

I am loving a new tradition my grandma, mom and I just started. We're going to have a project Saturday at least once each month where we take turns helping each other do a project we've been wanting to do at our house or what not. So last Saturday we had our first one and we got a pedicure (that I’m loving) and did a little shopping for things we all needed for some projects. While shopping I found this awesome ctr ring, that I'm really loving.

I also love my new hair cut, my hair really needed something and this cut and bangs seem to be just what it needed.

Another love is some free formula, that I got from Zach's cousin, who can't love that.

I saw this brilliant organizing tip on a blog and am loving it. You just attach the sticky hooks to the back of a cupboard.

I am loving my new love for the DI and the great finds I find there.

I am loving waking up and having sore abs today thanks to this brilliant website: http://randomabs.com/today/, they post a different routine everyday.

I am loving that for the first time in a long time I am doing my visit teaching. Along with that I truly love our new ward and where we live.

Oh and what I'm really loving this week is kids that aren’t sick anymore, such a happier house for everyone.

I don't have it yet but soon I know I will be loving this soap from Renee.

I'm not sure if I love it but I love the $ and the people watching that comes along with giving Plasma, can't get much better than $50 for 3 hours of people watching.

I am loving Coyote Exchange and my new jeans from there. What's better then getting new clothes in exchange for old ones. Plus I think I prefer second hand jeans I wear a smaller size & they already fit like your favorite pair!

I love having a camera again so that I can actually make this post more exciting. Plus the finding of old pics that came along with a new camera once we put the old sim card in that had 500+ pictures on it.

In a few months I'll be loving this even more than I did this time! Iyrlend will love it so much more and Easton will be there to enjoy it too.

Last but not least I love my husband and how hard he works. I also love his wonderful job and love even more how much he loves it. I love it for reasons like us getting to go to Vegas this weekend for a conference and getting to stay here, for super cheap!

What are you loving right now?