Oh, to Be a Little Girl Again!

My friend is doing another very cute Etsy giveaway: flower dolls! Although I never was really into dolls, these are so adorable and elegant and can be made into ornaments. A few of my favorites:





They can also be customized, so of course I would make them all brunettes! Click here to enter this giveaway!

Smiley Sunday

Today was our ward's Primary Program. Our little Sunbeams behaved surprisingly well--definitely an answer to my prayers! They weren't perfect, but they listened to us, sang, and said their parts perfectly. I was so proud of them. They are so cute!

After church I went visiting teaching, and it put me in a great mood. I wish I had been better about it before: this is the first time I've done it since we moved here. My interview with the Relief Society president (and mother of one of my Sunbeams) really motivated me to do better. And I enjoyed visiting teaching today so much that I can't wait for next month to do it again! Of course, I don't have to wait until then to talk to my sisters, but I like having a companion, going to their homes, bringing them something, and preparing a message. Visiting teaching is truly an inspired program. If you haven't done yours yet, call your sisters today!

*Later*
Justin and I just spent the last hour playing Mad Libs. We had some great laughs! I love that game!

*Next morning*
We went to bed and spent half an hour dying of laughter over some stupid joke I made. (Well, Justin was mostly laughing at me since I snort and make other funny noises when I laugh.) I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!

Chicken Soup and Lemonade

Last night I went to a Relief Society activity with a theme of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. One sister spoke about gratitude, and then we all had yummy chicken soup in bread bowls. The one I tried was so delicious! I wish whoever made it had brought the recipe.

After dinner, another sister spoke about the trials she has had throughout life, such as infertility, divorce, a brain tumor, and a child with Down Syndrome. She titled her talk "My Life with a Lemon Tree and a Bowl of Sugar." Although I have heard "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade" all my life and gotten annoyed with it, this sister made me see it in a new light. She talked about the tree of life from Lehi's dream, which represents the plan of salvation, and how that is the source of sugar. When we use the plan of salvation (sugar) to get through our trials (the lemons), we have lemonade. She closed with, "After a while I stopped labeling things lemons and sugar, because things I thought were lemons ended up being sugar, and things I thought were sugar were also tart. I learned to put the lemons and sugar together and see and enjoy life as lemonade."

Wow. I never thought of it that way; maybe you have. Usually I thought of the quote as meaning we have to add the sugar to life's lemons in order to make lemonade. But in reality, the sugar comes from the gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. When we allow Him to carry our burdens, the trials seem not as tart. We still taste it and learn from it, but we can swallow it, and even enjoy it, thanks to the added sweetness of the Savior.

After the sister spoke, the floor was open for anyone to bear her testimony. I learned that a lot of the sisters in the ward have had very serious trials. And yet they are all so strong and great examples to me! I am so glad I went to the activity. Besides the physical and spiritual nourishment I received, it was nice to talk to and spend time with women. I can't wait to go back to Relief Society, as much as I love my Primary kids!

p.s. This is my 100th blog post! (Though over the years, I have deleted 3, so technically it's my 103rd.)

Super Saturday

Justin and I had a great day yesterday! It started out with a Primary activity. We practiced for the Primary Program, which is next Sunday, and then learned about different countries. Pizza and yummy ethnic food samples were included. I was a little disappointed they didn't ask us to do a room. We could've done Japan; someone else did Puerto Rico, though I would have had so much fun with that and made arroz con leche or tembleque.

We spent the remainder of the day Christmas shopping. Although not my normal behavior to think about anything Christmas before December 1, I wanted to get a head start so it would be out of the way. We found some presents and ideas for others and got great deals (of course). We didn't get home until after 9 p.m! We started watching Spider-man 2 but zonked out halfway through. It was a really fun day with Justin. I haven't spent that much time with him since I don't even know, because that was my first Saturday off in forever! And our last date night was the corn maze a month ago. I can't wait to do it again!

Me (Dedicated to Kara)

My friend Kara tagged me in her blog post revealing 10 honest facts about herself. I learned a lot about her, and so I want to do the same. I won't tag any of you because I doubt you'll do it, but I would love comments with little things about you.

1. More than anything in this world, I want to be a mommy. I have never been career oriented or ambitious although I am very smart. My ultimate goal has always been to be a stay-at-home mom doing some hobbies (like editing and writing) on the side for fun, not for money.
2. I hate Christmas music. There are songs I like to listen to and sing, but I think they get old and over played really fast. I try to listen to Christmas music as little as possible, since it's played everywhere I go, and only when I need to get in a Christmasy mood.
3. Sometimes I feel like there are two sides of me: a tough-girl heroine that wants to save the day and beat everybody up and a sweet angel that despises evil and wouldn't harm a fly. In reality, I am neither. (And if I try to be either, it comes out as feisty or self-righteous.)
4. I am very hard on myself. I can be very judgmental about others too, but I am just as judgmental on myself. I hate hypocrisy.
5. If I were rich, I would use all my money to bless others. I think extravagance is unnecessary and selfish.
6. One of my strongest traits is compassion. When others are sad or crying, it makes me sad or cry too. I really try to make others happy.
7. I am such a kid at heart! I love kid movies, books, and toys. The only thing I don't like is kid food, except macaroni and cheese.
8. At times I love being alone and have no desire for any social contact at all (I get this from my mom). Other times I crave people, crowds, parties, friends, and other social interaction (I get that from my dad).
9. I wish I were super talented in one area. I have many talents, but I'm stuck in the intermediate level in all of them. Most of that is my fault due to laziness (like flute playing), but some of it is not (like singing).
10. I have a hard time viewing myself as an adult since nobody else does. Most people think I am a lot younger than I am and treat me accordingly, especially at church. I feel like people see me as a young, inexperienced, babyless newlywed (which I guess I am) instead of a mature married college graduate trying to become a mother. Why does being short make so much difference in how I am treated?

For fun facts, read my old post "Random Things about Me."

Justin's Family's Visit

While Justin's family was here last week, I had work off, so I was able to spend time with them. The first day we all went to IKEA. We had lunch there too--first time for me even though I've been to IKEA a million times. Then we split up, guys to the golf course, girls to the mall. We shopped around, saw Ponyo at the dollar theater (cute but weird movie), and shopped around some more. Keilani is quite the little shopper already and she's only turning 8! haha. That night I made oven-fried chicken, oven-roasted red potatoes, homemade biscuits, and salad. Then we watched Enchanted together since Adam hadn't seen it.

Friday the guys went golfing again, and we girls went to the outdoor mall. I'm actually ok on clothes; the only things I really need are black and white light cardigans to wear to church because I get cold. The only ones I have ever found were $5 on the clearance rack at Papaya months ago, and for some dumb reason I didn't buy them. Definitely regretting it now. Anyway, I did find some stuff at Macy's. I got a really cute salmon jacket for $10 (originally $68) and a long skirt in similar colors for $6 (originally $42) in the petites section. I was especially excited by the skirt because finding long skirts that fit me perfectly lengthwise is impossible! (I think the long shirt in the picture makes me look shorter though.) My mother-in-law paid for them, even though I could afford them, but I didn't feel bad since they were such a deal!

We then went grocery shopping at Sam's Club, which is actually hard to do for just two people. We did find 6 black stackable chairs for $20 each to go with our new table. [Justin's grandpa had a table for us that is the square version of the one Justin's family has (shown below). Justin's family brought it back with them from their visit to the grandparents in Vegas. Our old table, which we bought secondhand when we first moved here, is ok, but the legs are getting wobbly, and we only have three matching chairs; the fourth broke within a couple months.]

I had a small Mary Kay pampering party that evening--just us girls and one other friend--and then we went out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant. The family left early Saturday morning. It was great to see everybody.

Brief Update

I got hired on permanently at Party City and am being fully trained. I worked the balloon counter for the first time on Tuesday and didn't do too bad. Justin's family returned yesterday and is staying until Saturday. This morning we're going to IKEA because my mother-in-law has never been there (we took my father-in-law when we first moved here). Justin's dad cooked a delicious meal last night, I'm cooking tonight, and tomorrow we're eating out at my favorite Japanese restaurant that I haven't been to since I think my birthday--can't wait! That's about it for now.