Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day!! It helps me look around & see how many blessings I truly have. I love to celebrate that I am a mother!!!!

Before I had kids I loved structure & order. I loved design & no clutter. Tonight as I knelt by my bed I noticed a change in me. I now relish in being a mother. I love the monster truck on my nightstand that was driven by my beautiful toddler earlier in the day. I smile as I see his stuffed Tigger sleeping by my bedside. I see their beautiful faces, hear their wonderful laugh & feel their sweet little feet. I have come to realize that children & their toys create so much more joy than what I liked before :) The stress of motherhood & the joy of motherhood are too often a fine line. It is easy to get lost in the chaos; but those special moments when the joy comes & I realize what I have & who I am-- it reaches the depths of my soul. It helps me remember...THIS is what I was meant for! THIS is why I am here! 

 Motherhood is a great insight into my true potential & what life is all about but are we not all mothers in some way, with deep instincts to love & lift & nurture one another? 

"Never underestimate your power or take for granted the work you do in the home. Mothers are engaged in strengthening the family 'one smile, one hug, one ball game, one child at a time.'"— Mervlyn Keapo Kitashima

It's the little things infused with LOVE that make all the difference. 

Do It Today

I married into an avid BYU Football family. I have come to love it & each football season has become a fun family tradition. I really love seeing our boys get so excited about it. The other day Tony went with his dad to a private BYU scrimmage. Somewhere along the way he saw this stone with the BYU logo carved into it. 

He showed me the picture when he got home & said, " I think I'll make one!" 

We happen to have some large boulders sitting in our driveway that we've been using to create a patio. So that same day, he took one & started carving one out with his dremmel. It turned out pretty cool! 

I am always amazed at Tony in how he can see something & just go create it. He sees something, sets his mind to it, & gets it done. He seizes the day & I'm grateful for that example :) 

This type of thinking seems to be apparent to me lately. See, then go & do. Sometimes I find myself waiting or procrastinating. "I'll go visit a friend next week" or "I'll call that friend & check on them soon..." or "I'll follow that advice someday", when really life could be better if I just go & do. It doesn't take long to brighten someone's day. 

I found this quote this morning & loved it. It refers to the Lord's Second Coming but it asks some great questions:

"What if the day of His coming were tomorrow? If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our premature death or through His unexpected coming—what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear?"--- Dallin H. Oaks

Today is the day to make it happen, whether it is creating something new or strengthening relationships...go & do!

Minky Baby Blankets

My sister Amy did an awesome tutorial on adorable minky & satin baby blankets. She made one for my daughter & she LOVES it! I feel like she's a little queen everyday she uses it. Some of our friends are about to have babies so I decided to make them some of these blankets. 

The first one was for a baby girl. I found this cute minky at the Fabric center in South Jordan (UT). The fabric was already cut so it was half off! Yay!! 

I Love the Stain turquoise fabric. It has a flannel back so it stays in place better when you sew.

Here's the second one. 

Our friends are huge Real Salt Lake fans so I searched for some fabric, which I now know they don't make :) so I hunted down a jersey & cut out the logo. I added a red border frame around it so it would stand out.

One of the best things about these blankets is they are self-binding. It gives them a nice finished look & they are quick!

Father's Day Cards

I finally pulled out my Cricut again & made some Father's Day cards :)

I am so blessed to have such amazing men in my life! Even though my dad has passed away, he still influences me for good each day & I'm so grateful for the life he lived. I look forward to the time when I can see him again :) 

I never could have imagined what an amazing father Tony would be for our kids :) I feel so honored to be married to him & they are SO lucky to have him!

 Tony's dad has also had a profound influence in our lives & my kids are so blessed to have such an awesome grandpa! 

I hope you all have a great Father's Day!!

Mother's Day

My sister Amy took some awesome pictures of our kids recently. I was so exciting to get them hung up! Tony was so sweet & made this picture frame for me for Mother's Day!

About a year ago Tony stopped by a cabinet shop & asked if they some any leftover scraps. They gladly gave him a bunch of random free scraps. He has used them for a few projects. For this one, he cut random colored pieces of crown molding with his table saw to make the frame. Then he placed a panel of beadboard behind it. We spray painted the whole thing white. Then we bought the smaller picture frames from Walmart & spray painted them turquoise. To finish, I hot glued some thick rope cord around the edges. 

I love it! It reminds me everyday how blessed I am to be a Mother. When I stop & look at my kids & think of how beautiful, pure, precious they are, it helps me have more patience with them :)

Here's a quote I've been thinking about the last little while. It's helped me keep perspective as a mom: "Heavenly Father taught you before you were born about the experiences you would have as you left Him and came to earth. You were taught that the way back home to Him would not be easy. He knew that it would be too hard for you to make the journey without help."

"You were tutored by Him before you came into this life. He helped you understand and accept that you would have trials, tests, and opportunities perfectly chosen just for you. You learned that our Father had a plan of happiness to get you safely through those trials and that you would help bring others safely through theirs. This plan is marked by covenants with God."--President Henry B. Erying (Daughters in the Covenant)