2010 Recap

Looking back through the year I can't believe how incredibly blessed we are. We had a few mishaps with Lance's double root canals and scooter accident. But we enjoyed some awesome times together and experiences that wouldn't have happened without some help from above. What mercy and love we are given from Heavenly Father!

Thank goodness for blogging and journals because I can go back and read about all the things that have happened. A few highlights from 2010:

• Lance started his apprenticeship
• Lance passed the national boards and graduated with his degree in mortuary science
• We went to Denver on an amazing trip for Lance's labs. We saw Michael Buble in concert, Mary Poppins on Broadway, went to the Body Worlds museum, I got to relax all week in the hotel, and we LOVED getting away for a bit.
• I was called into Young Womans as the secretary and love every minute of it. Girls camp was definitely a-m-a-z-ing.
  
• After 10 hard, hard hours I got the backyard cleaned up with the help of Mom and Christine
• I went to Jackson Hole, WY on a girls trip
• And we're even more deeply in love with each other which is the greatest of all

We have lots of goals and plans for 2011 and are looking forward to the coming months. Happy new year!

Oh My

This Christmas was one of wonder: family, love, laughter, music, joy, friends, lights, carols, yummy food, cold weather, and warm smiles. I enjoyed a few days off before and after which made for a nice week or so. I can't believe what Lance got me. First I opened the small little presents that were amazing and delish at the same time, a lamp for my studio, peanut butter m&ms, some books, and such. It was a nice quiet day and very relaxing.

After we opened gifts Lance told me to turn around on the love seat while he brought out my last present. He left the room and I had my eyes squeezed tight in anticipation of what it might be. After a few seconds he told me to turn around but I wasn't sure I wanted to. I didn't know what to expect. It was a large picture of some sort with a sheet over it. I was hesitant to take the sheet off so I slowly uncovered one corner. I couldn't believe what it was!

Meet Reynaldo Rivero. He's a Cuban who lives in Jerome and we met him at the park over the latter end of the summer as he was in a craft show selling his paintings. They were beautiful pieces of the temple, the prophets, fruit baskets, scenic images, etc. Then we saw the one. It was so beautiful and we were awe struck. That one painting is what Lance got me for Christmas.

We had seen this painting at the park but with a different frame so I was confused, did he paint another one? Indeed. Turns out after the park Lance was so moved by his work, he called him up and said, I have $X can you paint something for my wife for Christmas? Rey got to work and he's been working on it since early September. Lance picked it up Christmas Eve and got teary eyed as he saw it. When Lance told him he had $X Lance was picturing something about 8x10 or 11x16 size. I mean, this isn't a print this is the real painting here! Lance had no idea it was going to be so large, to say the least Rey was so sweet and Lance got a steal of a deal. On the lower right hand corner he even painted "To Rebekah" in the corner, opposite his signature. When Lance picked up the painting Rey was more than happy to pose with his masterpiece in a photo. Wow. Speechless.

Vintage Sheet Music Wreath

Given Jerusha's musical talents/career and the fact that Lance and I have her name for Christmas, I've seen several vintage sheet music wreaths on various blogs and had to try it out. Here's the end result:
If I were to make another one, of course I would do a few things differently. A few pointers: I used two different Thompson books for sheet music. I found them at the DI and they're the only ones I could find with the yellow-ish paper giving it a more vintage feel. For the bottom layer I used around 60.........(maybe more, I didn't count) sheets, and the top layer I cut one sheet in half to make smaller rolls and put them between every other bottom roll. I used a small wreath (probably 8") and sliced it in half, wrapping wide cream ribbon all the way around so the hot glue would adhere to the ribbon and not melt the wreath. After gluing on the rolls, I reinforced the back by wrapping and gluing half of another strip of ribbon to the back of the wreath and the other half to the rolls. I used ribbon (again) to make a large 12" loop for hanging. Hot glue was my friend for this craft. :) For the middle of the wreath I used various cricut cartridges and scrapbook paper/card stock, and used 3D glue dots to make it stand out a little for each layer. It turned out much larger than I had anticipated but luckily J has the perfect wall for it in her studio!

Product Review: Philips Sonicare Toothbrush

Santa gave Lance and I a set of Sonicare toothbrushes for Christmas. We've never used them before and due to a lot of dental work this year, we figured it would be in our best interest to check them out. I read a lot of online reviews before the purchase and like any other product there were a lot of pros and cons. Here is my review:

PROS

• I should have bought these 20 years ago, they work wonders! I can't believe how clean my teeth feel compared to a manual toothbrush. Other than investing in Lance's education, this is the best investment for the year.
• The timed intervals for each quadrant is quite short. It is two minutes total and I'm shocked at how fast it goes by. It makes me wonder if I was previously brushing my teeth for 10 minutes.
• It is an intense experience. I read the brushing would tickle but I wasn't prepared for the vibration. To me it doesn't tickle, it's just a vibration and it isn't by any means painful, just different. A few seconds of discomfort is worth it!
• A few reviews complained about a short battery life. Since I've only used it for 5 days I haven't had a problem with the battery and I haven't traveled with it yet so no complaints there.
• Another review complained about water squirting at them from inside the handle. I've had no problems with this.
• Santa found this at Costco on sale for $80 which included: 4 brush heads including head covers, two handles, two travel cases, charging stand, brush head stand for two heads. The replacement heads I got from our dentist, 3 brush heads for $16 and I haven't found a better deal than that yet.

CONS

• No cons. I would purchase this again in a heart beat and highly recommend it for everyone!

I do wonder, for those of you who have kids do you purchase this kind of toothbrush for your children? Just thinking back on my childhood, I visited the dentist almost as much as I visited the bathroom. I would think it to be a great way for "preventative maintenance" so to speak especially among kids. I remember hating to brush my teeth as a youngster and I don't know if dentists recommend kids use these or not. Any parents out there have an opinion and why?

Bah Humbug

Remember last year when I blogged about flu shots? I had been sick seven times within the first five months of moving back to ID. Thus we decided to try a flu shot for the year. The results? Amazing. I never got a full-blown cold and when I saw the signs of one starting up with a sore throat, it didn't even last 24 hours. I did have a few rounds of the stomach flu but even those were tolerable. Which brings me to today where I'm on day two of a sore throat and I'm kicking myself for not getting a flu shot earlier this year. Is it too late to get one? Of course the one time this year I land a cold, it has to be during my days off for Christmas.

Do You See What I See?

“If we look for the good, we can see this time of year with new eyes—perhaps even with the eyes of a child.”
—President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Lights In The South Hills

This is the view from the driveway, pictures don't really do this place justice. I think I post about it every year but it's tradition and we love going. Six years ago this is where Lance and I held hands for the first time while dating. Ahhhh. A few facts they had up by the garage are this: the team of 10 begin setting up/taking down lights from September through March, the electric bill is about $2000 more, they're open from Thanksgiving through New Years, the camel (named Bull) is from Buhl and he weighs 2 tons, they get approximately 100,000 visitors annually from all over the country, and they've been doing it for 20 years. There were more facts but I don't remember them all. This family does it all for fun, they don't charge admission and they don't profit. It has become tradition for most families and there have even been a few proposals here. They have every sort of lights you can find: cell phone lights, shot gun shells, Chinese lights, M&M's, flowers, dragonflies, make up, mickey mouse and associated characters, martinis, beer, cowboy hats, animals, the usual Christmas characters (Santa, snowmen, penguins, candy canes, presents, etc.) The flash ruined the ambiance so some pics are blurry.

They have a camel every year. Up by the garage there are baskets of candy canes and carrots to feed the camel. He became Lance's friend real quick. :)

The nativity scene, what it's all about.

These are my favorite lights.

There are several of these little houses with different Christmas scenes. My favorite is Santa taking a bath and singing.

Huge ornaments and a bell.

This is the garage that they turn into a mini winter wonderland. I don't know how many thousands if not millions little pieces are here in the garage, love it!

We love these ornaments/lights. They look homemade but I don't know for sure. They're lights inside clear plastic cups that are all sorta fused together into balls like ginormous ornaments in the pine trees. Awesome.

Christmas In The Park

Lance doing what he loves most.

Scott's Homecoming!

My camera does not like to focus in this airport, some pics are blurry but that's the way it is this time. We're so happy to have Scott home! He did an amazing job on his talk Sunday and it's just so great to have everyone together. At Christmas we'll all be together for the first time in several years.

Everyone that came to welcome him home. Adam and Christine couldn't make it. The few on the right are some of Scott's friends and Ben is in the middle.

Hugging the nieces and nephews - Halle

Tyson

Quentin

Devin showing Scott how big his muscles had gotten.

Dad and Mom.

The homemade signs.

The kids all lined up waiting for his airplane to come in.

Gopher

Clutter = Chaos

Funny I came across this blog post today. Just a few weeks ago as I was putting out Christmas decorations I became really frustrated with all the stuff we have around. Stuff we haven't used in 6 months or more. Stuff that just sits and collects dust. It clutters the house and makes me feel suffocated and trapped. I told Lance we need to take a huge load to the DI and sell a few things on Craigslist. Just that thought alone made me feel better.Thanks to a fellow blogger for posting this on her blog, otherwise I never would have found it: A Case For Simplification

Sunday Will Come

I'm preparing for a talk that I've been asked to give this Sunday and I came across this passage by Elder Wirthlin. It brought peace to my heart and I had to share it. He's talking about the Friday when Christ was crucified and then the resurrection the following Sunday:

"Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, in this life or the next, Sunday will come."

- Joseph B. Wirthlin

While Looking At Houses Last Week

Quentin: Mama......potty!

Trish: We don't have a bathroom here, you're going to have to hold it.

Quentin: No Mama, it's too heavy!

Thankful

Today I'm thankful for the little things. I'm thankful that we have jobs (however scattered and unpredictable Lance's is), that we are able to have food to eat, a place to call home, and clothes to wear. We are warm during the winter. We are clothed and sheltered from the elements. We are filled with food that provides nutrients and energy. Lance is almost done with school and his apprenticeship. I don't know how we go from day to day without noticing and acknowledging the little things: I got to take a nap yesterday, I only drove 10 minutes to the stake center to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, when I got home I took a hot shower, and I slept in a warm and comfy bed next to my husband. I don't know why I'm abundantly blessed because I'm sure I don't deserve it. I don't know why I get to come home each night and I get to go to work each morning. Whatever the reason I am truly blessed which is very humbling.

I'm also very thankful for this time of year because it's when Lance and I started dating 6 years ago. It's very sentimental and tender, I love thinking about it.

First Wreath

This is the first and only wreath I've ever made. Mom gave me all the pieces for Christmas last year and we got together the day after Thanksgiving for a little girls day. Mom had to help me with the ribbon - I was terrible at it. I love the way it turned out, from the funky snowmen ornaments to the bright glittery flowers, it makes me smile every time I look at it!

I Visited This Guy Early

Cuties

Cute little Haylee and Sydnee

Hanging Up The Troubles To Dry

Our dryer died yesterday. I can't go on much longer without a dryer. Since we've never purchased anything new and still don't have the money for it because of school, anybody know of a cheap dryer for sale?

Christmas Giveaway

I'm hosting another giveaway just in time for Christmas. Head on over to my jewelry blog to enter!

Where Are You Going?

"Let us not find ourselves as indecisive as is Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. She is confronted by the Cheshire cat, of whom Alice asks, 'Which path shall I follow?'

The cat answers, 'That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.'

Unlike Alice, we all know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for by choosing our path, we choose our destination.

Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed—the courage to say no, the courage to say yes. Decisions do determine destiny. "

- President Thomas S. Monson October 2010

A Few Things You Didn't Know About Me (or maybe you did)

• I'm 5'1". I highly stress that last one 1".
• I only like normal vegetables. You know the green beans, corn, potatoes, carrots, peas. All other vegetables are abnormal and I don't care for them although I'm starting to like broccoli in some foods.
• When I was younger I wanted to own a beauty salon with my friend Stephanie, we were going to call it Steph and Beck's. I dreamed of being fabulous at doing hair and makeup. I can't do my own hair or makeup to save my life, I've never had good skin for the flawless look or a day I could call a "good" hair day.
• I hate, hate math.
• In high school I hated biology but in college I loved it and wanted to major in it.
• I loved growing up in a big family of 5 brothers and 1 sister. We didn't always get along, like most siblings, but I love them and they're all my best friends.
• I have a scar on my left eye that's been there as long as I can remember but I don't know how it got there.
• In high school my dream car was a pink jeep.
• I've been to Nassau, Bahamas.
• Being in an athletic family, particularly basketball playing brothers, I've never really played sports. In 8th grade I was on the volleyball and track team and didn't really have a position, that's how good I was. I don't like competition.
• My middle name is J. Just the initial J, it doesn't stand for anything and I never knew that was odd until I got married.
• My eyebrows have always been uneven. When I started plucking at a wee age of.......?????.....13....... maybe...........my mom told me I'd regret it when they became too thin. She was right.
• I grew up on a farm in Jerome, ID. We had a huge garden and orchard which became our playground. We had all kinds of animals: horses, cows, chickens, roosters, pigs, turkeys, rabbits, and a goat name GeGe who'd follow us on the school bus.
• I got my ears pierced when I was 20.
• I never thought I'd be 25 with no children.
• I was in 4th grade when my two favorite dogs died. I thought they were married (literally), a golden cocker spaniel named Katie and a pitch black cocker spaniel named Spook. I cried really hard and my dad came into my room and talked to me about the resurrection which became a sweet comfort for me.
• I don't care for leather seats in cars.
• I've always hated eggs.
• My favorite color changes as I'm in different stages of life. Right now I love a bright, funky yellowish green....not sure the exact name, maybe chartreuse?
• My feet get claustrophobic. Not in shoes or socks or slippers but in bed when the sheets and comforters are pulled up too tight. I will have a tizzy fit. Seriously. Even thinking about it makes me cringe.
• I have about 5 different comfort foods that I LOVE. Lately I've been a soup person, potato soup to be exact.
• My favorite cartoon growing up was Bugs Bunny. They don't make cartoons like that any more.

What don't I know about you?

Winter Storms

I don't like snow. I don't like the cold wind. I don't like going to church with good, clean roads and then find myself 3 hours later trudging through inches and inches of snow. Seriously, how did it snow that much in such a short amount of time? I was wearing high heels but the snow was too deep, it seeped right through my thick black tights. Ugh, wet cold feet inside wet cold high heels. The wind was blowing the snow right into my face so I'm sure I looked charming even though I really did just get my hair cut and dyed dark only to find my efforts of looking decent weren't good enough for the elements. We're supposed to have another snow storm for the next few days with a blast of arctic air and temps below zero............In my mind I'm going to Carolina.

Season 3

Jim: Question. What kind of bear is best?

Dwight: That's a ridiculous question.

Jim: False. Black bear.

Dwight: That's debatable. There are basically two schools of thought--

Jim: Fact. Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

Dwight: Bears do not... What is going on?! What are you doing?!

My New Favorite

Check out the beautiful and uber sparkly earrings I just made.
I LOVE THEM!!
Check it out HERE or at the link to the right.

Gearing Up!

Have you heard about the Christmas craft show? It's called the

Homespun Holiday Craft Show

on

Main Street in Kimberly (where the old thrift store used to be)

on

November 27th from 9am - 6pm.

Featuring 60 different vendors from across the Magic Valley, Boise, and Sun Valley, all in one location. Come check out all the hand made goods; Santa Claus is coming to visit, refreshments will be served, and drawings will be held for gift baskets! I'll be there waiting for you with gift ideas for your loved ones! (View a few pictures at the BEADS IN BLOOM link to the right).

Fall Foliage From The Front Yard